Furthermore, all these international flights strives to provide the best flight experience to flyers through extraordinary comfort and hospitality. It’s important to remember that most people flying international first class tend not to pay for it (upgrades and award travel) or book in advance, and don’t pay close to the 20k prices that YouTubers use to clickbait their reviews.
Paying customers tend to have discounted corporate fares or book in advance. International first class is essentially divided into two. The first category is made up of airlines that are pushing the envelope in luxury air travel, such as Singapore Airlines and Emirates. These airlines are one-upping each other and adding all sorts of perks.
For example, many airlines are also only installing First Class seats on limited numbers on their largest planes, examples include Qatar Airways, Air France and ANA All Nippon. The other category of First Class are airlines that have realised that they can’t compete with the aforementioned airlines, and have decided to shift their focus on Business class and Premium Economy passengers.
Big airlines with this strategy include Turkish Airlines, Air NZ, KLM, Virgin and Delta. Another driving factor is the popularity of the 787 and A350, aircraft that aren’t really big enough to support a First Class cabin. There are only 6 airlines that offer First Class on a 787, and not all of them are suites.
There are two important issues to take into consideration when trying to choose the right one. The first issue concerns the luggage allowance and the maximum permitted weight of your luggage without having to pay a penalty. Families tend to have more luggage than single travellers or couples, and also they may do more shopping whilst they are away.
It is therefore important for families to choose an airline that has a generous allowance; choosing an airline that is cheaper but with a lower luggage allowance may prove to be a false economy when you check in for the flight home and all of your shopping during the trip has pushed the weight of your luggage above what is allowed.
The second issue concerns the difference in prices between low season, when families are not flying because it is the children’s term time, and high season, which is the only time that families can fly because schools are closed then.
Families should try to look not only for the cheapest flight when they are flying, but also the difference between an airline’s low season and high season fare, because this is an indicator of an airline trying to accommodate and do the right thing for families, instead of just taking advantage of the fact that they are restricted in respect of when they are able to travel.
Here is a list of top international airlines which may help you to come up with the right decision for your next tour.
1. Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways is one of the prominent names in the global aviation industry. The outstanding feature that Qatar Airways provides passengers is the in-flight service. You can also expect excellent operations while choosing Qatar Airways. The majority of the Qatar Airways flights operate to and fro Doha.
If you are someone who has to fly extensively all around the year, Qatar Airways can be the best option for you. You can get a lot of promo codes for Qatar Airways that can help you to easily buy the tickets at a cheap price. Flying in Qatar Airways, you will feel like home while traveling to different destinations.
It's the first airline to outfit its planes with suites. Its QSuite is a luxurious and spacious enclave equipped with doors and do not disturb options for maximum privacy and plenty of other amenities for your comfort. It features a 21.5-inch entertainment screen, storage cubbies for gadgets, multiple charging ports and intuitive push-button controls.
The plush, comfortable seat converts to a 79-inch fully flat bed. When you need to sleep, you can ask a cabin crew to make up your bed, and they'll add a mattress pad over your seat and refresh your pillows so that you can fully relax. You can then opt to change into The White Company pajamas that the crew hands out to its QSuite passengers at the start of the flight.
Qatar Airways also gives away an amenity kit that typically consists of high-end skincare products, a pair of socks, earplugs and eye masks at the start of each flight, along with your copy of its on-demand in-flight menu and a choice of water, juice or champagne. The QSuite is equipped with Wi-Fi so that you can sneak in some work or touch base with your team remotely while in flight.
2. Lufthansa
Lufthansa is an airline company from Germany which is also known as Deutsche Lufthansa. It has the largest passenger base in Europe along with the size of the fleet. Presently, this airline company is serving in 78 countries. You can get the opportunity to choose from three classes of flight during the journey. They are the Economy Class, Business Class and First Class.
The A380 Airbuses are used by Lufthansa. You can access internet on board even if you travel by economy class. Deutsche Telekom delivers the internet connection on the flight. Lufthansa has a First Class terminal in its Frankfurt hub, which is basically a giant, ultra-exclusive, luxurious lounge. Passengers are taken from the terminal to their flights in luxury SUVs, where they board before the rest.
3. Swiss International Airlines
Swiss International Airlines belongs to Switzerland. This airline service provider is a subsidiary of Lufthansa. It operates in different continents like Asia, Europe, America, and Africa. The Swiss Airlines might be the best choice for you if you want to travel to Switzerland as most flights reach Zurich. The classes are divided into lounges.
They are known as First Lounge, Senator Lounge, and Business Lounge. You can enjoy the marvelous Swiss hospitality on board. The airlines also concentrate upon the quality and personal service.
4. Emirates Airlines
Emirates is ranked among the Top 5 in the world by Skytrax, whose World Airline Awards is an important benchmarking tool. Total number of North American and European airlines in the Top 10: Zero. Compare that with how US airlines are perceived. The Reputation Institute, which gauges the emotional connection and reputation of U.S. businesses with the general public, ranked U.S. Airways and United as “weak”, while Delta and American Airlines were ranked “average”. The only one ranked “strong” by Americans was Southwest.
With Emirates, it starts with the way passengers are greeted as they board (smiles and a choice of newspapers as you enter), hot towels soon after takeoff and a light snack within the first hour. Emirates also has free wi-fi and the ability to send texts/emails via the personal entertainment screens on many of its aircraft, plus excellent meal choices and an attentive crew.
Emirates is absolutely stellar for Economy - they offer excellent leg room, their ICE entertainment system is packed with the latest Hollywood and regional flicks, and their food is probably the best on board an aircraft. Emirates Airlines provides services in six continents. Among the best features, you can enjoy in the flights are the cuisines and the hospitality.
Food is beautiful - like something out of a restaurant! You get given a menu at the start and can order anything at anytime (just press the call bell when ready). Once you order, the crew will prepare your food on the spot. Their Indian food is beyond amazing. Right from their steaming hot basmati rice to their delicious paneer tikka to their gulam jamuns.
The A380 needs no introduction! The double-decker plane has a standard seating capacity of 555 passengers for Emirates airline, which offers extra comfort as each passenger has own exit and a bar, reserved for both Business and First Class. Emirates flies 9 A380s into London each day. A380 gives Emirates the ability to offer the best premium classes. And again, that is strong selling point.
Emirates has a shower and spa facility on their A380. The shower room floor is heated like a sauna. Crew on board is fantastic, the service is perfect and luxurious and connecting trough Dubai is just a dream if you’re flying Business/First. You’ve got insanely big lounges offering whatever you might like, and you board your A380 flight directly from the lounge with a dedicated jet-bridge that brings you already on the second floor.
Emirates Airlines also provides you with entertainment facilities in the flights. Goodies everywhere. Drinks and snacks galore in your suite so you don't have to call the flight attendant when you want some juice or chocolates. Pj’s, slippers, toiletry bag, Emirates bag. Sleep would be amazing. The bed is big and super comfortable.
Privacy to do whatever you want like, Work? Take millions of photos? Gape in awe at everything? Feast without judgement? Since you can close the door, you get extra privacy. It becomes pretty quiet and you're not disturbed by people walking by the passage way.
But there is one issue. Emirates seat configuration in business isn’t all the same. In fact on the B777 it’s 2–3–2. If you stay in the middle or at the window you need to jump the fellow passenger to leave your seat, once the next seat becomes flat. And if you are in the aisle, someone will need to jump over you.
While Emirates A380 has a comprehensive bathroom with shower, the Emirates B777 has a fully closed cabin with virtual windows displays in its middle seats cabins.
Emirates has one of the youngest fleets in the world, with the average age of aircraft pegged at 6.4 years. Compare that with the global average of more than 13 years.
5. Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines belong to the Republic of Turkey. This fight also delivers three classes of the tickets while you travel. They are known as Business Class, Comfort Class, and Economy Class. You can get the Miles and Smiles award tickets while you purchase the tickets. There are a number of discounts offers that you can get on becoming a regular passenger of the Turkish Airways.
6. British Airways
British Airways is a prominent name when it comes to airlines. You can easily choose British Airways if you need to fly to the UK. You can also get a chance to use coupons while purchasing tickets for British Airways. You can experience a heavenly flight from British Airways if you need to reach Heathrow Airport. 787 is newer, quieter, more spacious and it is pressurised to higher air pressure which means you are less dehydrated and less tired.
Four classes of tickets are available in British Airways. They are the Business Class, First Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy Class. When British Airways introduced the first flat bed of any business class in history at that time was a pioneer and no other airline could compete.
It was a game changer then and for other airlines it took years to catch up and no, it wasn’t easy at all. So for some time British Airways was offering better comfort than Emirates for long haul flights. Laying down or reclining isn’t the same. Right? British Airways came with an idea and launched the new Club World, an ensuite with the highest possible comfort one can aspire to have in the sky.
Fly on 787’s, cabins are pressurized to lower altitudes (around 6,000 feet) than other conventional airlines. More importantly though they also have a humidifier. You have no idea what good that can do on a 12–14 hour flight.
7. Air Asia
Air Asia can be your best foreign airlines if you desire to travel in a budget airline. It operates across 22 countries. The number of destinations you can visit is over 100. It is a low-cost airline so you will not have to panic about high prices while travelling.
8. American Airlines
American Airline is a standout. The aircraft as of now has 950 operational planes which help a large number of client to traverse the globe. The carrier offers a traveler with virtual travel point under the Advantage Program. On American Airlines 773s seat rows 3 and 4 are in their own little mini-cabin. There is no movement from the folks up in first since they have everything they need up there, and the rest of the airplane is behind you.
9. Thai Airways
Thai has a completely wide-body fleet. Their smallest aircraft is the A330–300. The way you can judge an airline to be good is how they deal with a crisis, should one arise. The seats are pretty good, not the best out there, but definitely good enough for a long haul flight. Their business class although not as impressive as Qatar’s Qsuite actually bears expectations.
The thing people like to criticise Thai about is how they serve the food onboard. If they order the Samrab Thai meal then it’s a lot of small dishes which is easier to bring out on a tray. The ground experience in Suvarnabhumi airport is pretty great, sit down check in, separate security (only biz, platinum and First class) and immigration as well as a lounge which is Star Alliance quality.
10. Garuda Indonesia
Garuda operates to a ton of different destinations, and has two hubs, Jakarta and Denpasar.
11. Etihad Airways
Etihad’s J seats can offer some privacy and a little buffer space from the aisle if you choose a window seat that puts you right next to the window, and not the other style that has the tray table coming out from the side of the cabin wall. The most expensive flight in the world is the Etihad Residence on their Airbus A380. It is a multi-room apartment in the sky that costs 40,000 USD from New York (JFK) to Mumbai.
If we consider it as an upgrade from First Class then it is unparalleled because each apartment has its own butler and it is an entirely enclosed cabin.
12. Virgin Atlantic
They have an onboard bar/lounge, lie-flat seats before many other carriers, and an onboard massage therapist.
13. Singapore Airlines
Whilst Singapore Airlines offers the biggest space in a business class seat, the fact that you have to ask an air stewardess to come set up your bed is bit too troublesome.
14. Korean Air
Korean Air has a fleet of double deckers and it’s business class only on the upper deck. The seat provides a lot of privacy and comfort. There are plenty of storage spaces too for the window seats. You can hardly see anyone at all when in your seat. Also you have a team of crew serving exclusively these 20+ customers. The super attentive and personable service, the FOOD and the little extra touches (face mist for ladies) truly makes it the best.
15. Vistara Airlines
Vistara is the only Indian airline that has Premium Economy class on an A320 aircraft which is rare on flights and Vistara is one of the few in the world to offer such service. Vistara has all cabin seats made of upholstered leather with winged headrest which makes it unique.
So, these are some of the leading airlines. Hope that you will consider the exclusive features of all of these airlines to select the ideal one for your upcoming tour.
These are really good airlines. I love Air Asia. It allowed me to see Asia on a budget. =)
ReplyDeleteI've heard Air Asia is great!
ReplyDeleteI've never flown to India before! I've heard that Qatar is a great airline though!
ReplyDeleteI have friends in India always travelling with Qatar Airways and Air Asia, comments and reviews say those are the best. Also people traveling from India to Europe using Air France, always say they had terrible experience (not sure) do you agree?
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I am always looking out for which airlines provide better service.
ReplyDeleteThese are very good airlines, I haven't used myself but might consider. Thank you!
ReplyDelete