http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/ Luxist Comments for Flying High: The Best First Class http://www.luxist.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.luxist.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/Oct 18th 2006 10:59AMhttp://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/
1) VA - Good service, great seats but just felt short of being truly 'First Class'

2) Emirates - Great service, great amenities, great ambience, so-so seats in terms of width/length, otherwise fabulous in terms of support, comfort etc.

3) By far THE WORST first class I've ever experienced. Horrendous service, extremely cramped seats, completely overpriced BUT the best connections to anywhere in the world. And do you really think people travelling in First Class really care about spotting some celebrity or the other? I know I dont.

Others worth a mention:

Swiss, Lufthansa. Don't know much about Singapore Airlines but they're supposed to be great.]]>Oct 18th 2006 11:08AMhttp://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/Oct 18th 2006 3:29PMhttp://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/Oct 18th 2006 12:09PMhttp://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/Oct 18th 2006 1:57PMhttp://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/
On BA and definitely on the asian airlines, part of the joy of flying 1st class is the amazing service. ]]>Oct 18th 2006 4:42PMhttp://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/Oct 18th 2006 7:56PMhttp://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/
Virgin is a distant second, I'm not fond of the service or the cabins but they are the only airline that doesn't feel dated or like a hospital. But their first class lounges are a wonderful feature.]]>Oct 18th 2006 8:39PMhttp://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.luxist.com/2006/10/18/flying-high-the-best-first-class/http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/exp/new/firstclass/index.jsp
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I have to say, I flew on Lufthansa from LAX-Florence in August, and the service is just as on point as any other carrier. The privacy of bering on the upper deck is something no other carrier offers in F-Class if I'm not mistaken. (I know for instace that Virgin has half of the upper deck reserved for Upper Class, but Upper Class is just a frilly business class). The seats are a bit dated on LH, but they are still lie flat and very comfy. Their major strong point now is the F-Class TERMINAL in Franfurt. That's right folks a lounge just would not do for their hub so it's a seperate building filled with an ultra modern lux decor and all the extras every other airline has in their loung sans hot tub, but it's a much more peaceful and productive place to be than say the F-Class lounge in Singapore. Then, when it's time for your connection you are driven in either a Porsche SUV or MBZ S-class to your connecting flight, no unnecessary walking for the LH F-Class pax. I'ts really a nice experience.

Although SWISS is now owned by LH their seats are far better. The service is on par with LH but done so with a more intimate flair as the cabin on the A340 I was on only seats 8. They too have an amazing product.

I could go on and on about the great airlines of the world, but I'm sure you'll all agree that not once does a US airline come close to making any list. The lack of service, extras, cabins, etc. is quite sad. I have flown UA, AA, and CO in First and Businessfirst overseas in 06' and they all are fair at best. AA is by far the worst. The Skysuite's on the 777 aircraft are so worn and dated that you feel the metal coming through the cushion of the seat, they provide no form of padding in "bed" mode so sleep is really not going to happen unless you've taken a pill and drink a lot of the 4 dollar bottles of wine that they offer. Don't want to get into their ground services.

UA is far superior to AA, but great lengths behind overseas airlines. The Skysuite is nice (and soon to be redone) and provides a comfortable place to work, sleep, eat, etc. The food on UA over the past few years was nothing short of awful, yet over the past 2, it has had a change for the better. The airline is supposed to announce new cabin services as well as introduce new business seats (which they really need)
in the upcoming months so I have to say that UA is on the rise.

CO was just a nice business class. They started the Businessfirst craze over 10 years ago but they need to take it to the next level. The service they provide is the best of any major US carrier (Hawaiian and Aloha are great airlines to travel premium with).

To sum up, the US carriers need to start taking note from the overseas airlines. If the products that they provided even came close to those of the others they might start selling more premium seats as opposed to reward tickets. If I ever have to pay for a flight that allows me to choose a foreign carrier vs. a US, 99% of the time I have to go with the overseas airline as there is far more value, comfort, and convenience every single time.

-Fred B.

Los Angeles, CA]]>Jan 18th 2007 1:35PM