If you fly first class internationally, you will have a private pod, be served the best food and alcohol whenever you would like it, and you may even have a private bathroom and shower. In some cases, your pod will even include a sitting area separate from your bed. Of course, you will have a completely flat bed to snooze on.
A flat bed used to be unique to first class, but now most business class seats on international flights lay flat. As a result, business travelers that used to only fly first so they’d arrive at their meeting well-rested are now flying business, and first class is being pared down or removed from newer plane models.
“You see a lot of carriers starting to phase out first class because the only difference really these days are you get a little bit better food and better wine onboard,” said Andrew Yiu, Air Canada’s managing director for product design.
At 30,000 feet, you can smell and taste your food about 30% less, so airlines call upon celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay to create dining options worthy of first class, including meals of lobster, caviar, and Dom Perignon.
First class also comes with nicer amenities, and oftentimes you will be treated to services on the ground such as spa treatments and transportation.
But some value most the personalized service onboard that comes with flying first class. “[F]eeling that you are someone who is important to the people that are serving you […] is a big factor,” says Cathay Pacific’s COO, Rupert Hogg.
But, all things considered, this is the true difference between first and business class: space.
First class seats from ten years ago have become the business class seats of today. In 2019, first class is less a seat than it is an apartment in the air.
You will sleep peacefully through your flight in a lay-flat business class seat. But you will have more room to enjoy it in first.
You article about flying First Class is not correct at all.
Flying First class 10 years ago was wonderful.
First class today is not much better than business class. I have no idea where the big “suites” shown in ads exist. I never see them .
I have traveled on Cathay Pacific, Singapore Air, Virgin Atlantic, and British Air all in the last 18 months and NONE of them compares to flying First Class years ago.
In business class, if you do not get a seat in the section right behind the First Class cabin you will be crowded into a plane area that feels like a flying cigar tube.
Also service on Singapore Air is bad and they take no care of their customers, losing baggage, providing bad food, and rude help.
I am flying First Class on Emirates in a few months and hope it is better!
I have flown business class on United many times in the last 20 years and loved it especially when they changed their fleet to flat beds ! I have never flown First class , but why pay that much money when you get great service in business as well ?! My financial situation has changed and I really miss those comfortable beds and relaxed state of mind and body when I arrived at my destination. I do hope to fly to Europe this year in business class with British or Finnair ! Emirates would be wonderful as I had flown coach and even that was very good .