The 25 Best International Business Class Airlines in the World

With many airlines following the trend in removing international first class and enhancing international business class, it makes sense that the competition for business-class travelers has gotten fiercer.

Airlines have gone to great lengths to make their business class product as luxurious as possible, and travelers are benefiting from this cutthroat competition. This list of the 25 best international business class airlines will start making you wish you were on a plane!

As a disclaimer, this ranking is subjective and based on our opinions. We conducted hours of industry research (some of which involved trying out the products ourselves!), and we also included the opinions of some fellow travelers in this guide, especially for products we haven’t been able to fly.What Makes an International Business Class Airline Great?

Generally, the jump from economy to business class involves one major thing: the seat. In economy, you have a seat, while in business, you have a bed.

Most people flying in business class do so for the comfort of having a bed to rest in. Sure, the food, amenity kit, and lounge access might impact your overall experience — but if you don’t arrive to your destination well-rested, you’re probably not going to be very happy.

For this reason, we considered the following aspects when determining each ranking:Hard product (seat size/comfort, amenities, inflight monitor, cabin configuration, privacy, etc.)Soft product (food and beverages, amenity kit, service/attentiveness, etc.)Lounge and ground experienceAward pricing and availability

Hot Tip: All the business class seats in this ranking are bookable with points!The 25 Best International Business Class Airlines and Cabins1. Qatar Airways QSuiteImage Credit: Alex Miller

Qatar Airways QSuites checks off all the boxes for a phenomenal business class product…and then some! QSuites are not only an amazing business class product for solo travelers, but they’re also the best in the business when it comes to family travel.

With QSuites, you’ll enjoy fantastic bedding and amenities from The White Company and BRIC, a fully lie-flat seat with direct aisle access, fantastic catering, and unparalleled service.

Your seat will be 21.5″ wide and 79″ long in bed mode. It isn’t as big as the Singapore Airlines business class seat, but Qatar Airways’ bedding will make you feel like you’re sleeping in clouds.

Other features include sliding doors for extra privacy, tons of storage compartments, and a technologically advanced seat (with Do Not Disturb signs). The coolest thing is that the QSuites in the middle can be converted into a 4-person cabin if you’re traveling as a group!QSuites can turn business class into a bonding experience for up to 4 people! Image Credit: qatarairways.com.

Qatar Airways is a Oneworld Alliance partner, which is great because you can use miles from American Airlines, British Airways, etc. to book your QSuites. If you need some tips, check out our guide to searching for Oneworld award availability.

Hot Tip: If you’re looking for step-by-step guidance, check out our guide on how to book QSuites using points and miles!2. EVA AirEVA Air’s Royal Laurel Business Class is an excellent product.

EVA Air is arguably the most underrated business class product in the world. I’ve personally flown in EVA Air business class (they call their long-haul business product “Royal Laurel”), and I had absolutely no complaints.

The seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration, which is exceedingly private. Each business class seat is 26″ wide with an 81″-87″ pitch and 78″ bed length. This is extremely wide for reverse herringbone seats (typically you’ll see 20″-22″).

Furthermore, EVA Air offers some fabulous Taiwanese catering, including juicy pork dumplings from Din Tai Fung, and endless Western courses too! You can also use EVA Air’s Book The Cook option to reserve your meals before your flight.

Their bed is super comfortable, plus you’ll get pajamas from Apujan (a London-based designer label,) and Rimowa/Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kits. This is one of the only airlines that offers pajamas in business class, much less pajamas and Rimowa amenity kits!

Award availability is absolutely phenomenal on this Star Alliance carrier. There’s very little to complain about when it comes to EVA Air, and we like it that way.

Be sure to check out these great ways to earn Eva Air miles, and you can experience their business class for yourself in no time.

Hot Tip: Need help booking? Check out our guide on how to book EVA Air business class using points and these 29 ways to redeem EVA Air Miles for maximum value. 3. Delta One SuitesDelta One Suites. Image Credit: news.delta.com.

We’re also huge fans of Delta One Suites (check out our review of the Shanghai to Los Angeles route). These Delta One Suites are Thompson Vantage XL seats with sliding doors that give you utmost privacy.

Though Delta One Suites are among the most technologically advanced and thoughtful hard products out there, the seats are relatively narrow at 21″ wide. The aisles are also quite narrow, so you might get a bit claustrophobic walking through them.

Highlights of Delta One include a beautiful Tumi amenity kit stocked with Kiehl’s wellness products, plush Westin Heavenly bedding, and a comfortable seat to begin with.

Overall, it checks most of the boxes (though the lounge experience is limited to Delta Sky Clubs at the moment). Additionally, the Delta One Suites routes are currently limited — so if you want to try it, you’ll want to confirm that Delta One Suites are being offered on your prospective flight.

Hot Tip: Check out our step-by-step guide on booking Delta One Suites using points and miles.4. Singapore Airlines “New” A380 Business ClassSingapore Airlines A380 new business class. Image Credit: singaporeair.com.

Singapore Airlines unveiled their revitalized A380 business class, which was last rolled out in 2006 — so this brings a welcome refresh to their premium cabin products.

Notably, the Singapore Airlines’ new A380 has double beds in business class! This is very similar to the Qatar Airways QSuites that we talked about above.

With this new Singapore Airlines business class product on the A380, you can definitely expect some huge technology upgrades, including blazingly-fast Wi-Fi, a crisp 18″ inflight monitor that comes with phenomenal inflight entertainment, and their signature Book The Cook service.

The main drawback of these new business class seats is the tiny footwell, though you can get around this issue if you’re able to choose bulkhead seats. Another “first world problem” is that Singapore Airlines doesn’t provide amenity kits in business class.

At the moment, these new business class seats are limited to a few routes, which is also another setback if you’re looking to try them out.

Check out our dedicated post on the subject for more information on the plane types and seating/cabins available for SQ’s U.S. based routes.

Bottom Line: Not sure about flying business class with the whole family? Check out this post where we go over the pros and cons of flying business class with a baby.5. ANAANA business class. Image Credit: ana.co.jp

ANA business class is known for personifying Japanese hospitality and culture. The business class seats are arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration featuring direct aisle access and fully lie-flat beds at all seats. You’ll enjoy a seat that is 21″ wide and 62″ in pitch.

As with any solid business class product, ANA provides a comfortable sleeping surface, great bedding, tasty Japanese cuisine, large footwells, and a large inflight monitor. You’ll also receive a decent business class amenity kit (likely from L’Occitane), though it’s not as loaded as the EVA Air ones.

Additionally, you’ll enjoy genuine service throughout your flight. The main drawback is that the seat is relatively “old” compared to other products like QSuites. But from a utilitarian view, ANA will provide you with an excellent business class experience — the only hiccups being things like a narrow range of inflight movie options.

Best of all, booking ANA with points and miles is super easy and has some fantastic sweet spots from Virgin Atlantic and ANA Mileage Club!

Bottom Line: All in all, ANA’s business class seat/bed is comfortable, the food is great, the service is top-notch — and this has all the makings of a memorable business class experience. For details, check out our review of ANA 777 business class.6. Emirates A380Try Emirates business class on the A380. Image Credit: emirates.com.

Emirates business class is almost a rite of passage for many points and miles aficionados. This product is known to be glamorous and glitzy with all the bells and whistles you could think of.