British Airways new Club Suite has reverse herringbone seats as well as a sliding door for extra privacy. NerdWallet puts an estimated value of United miles at 1.2 cents apiece, so the redemption above is a great one. Solo travelers will prefer an odd-numbered window seat (A or L). Qantas seems to understand that the flights between the U.S. and Australia are excruciatingly long, so planning red-eye departures is beneficial in every way. If you'd like to add a comment to this article and share your valuable feedback and opinions, please click here to leave your comment. The seats are quite decent for lounging and eating and come with a lot of different configurations. We are flying Air Canada again to Santiago in January, this time on a 777-Er. Unfortunately, Virgin Australia Velocity points are pretty difficult to accrue for U.S.-based points earners, but you can use Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Virgin Points to book travel on Virgin Australia. The upside of them is that the layover is in Rome so Im basically there in 1 flight. We pushed back in time from the gate and taxed to the 28L runway. These seats are located behind Polaris business class seats in its own mini cabin of just a few rows. Should you get Global Entry or TSA PreCheck? The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. However, they offer an inflight bar and mini-library on the 777, which is pretty neat. The unfortunate thing is that award availability on flagship routes is relatively limited unless you book through Air Canada Aeroplan, which comes with hundreds of dollars in fuel surcharges! Second, Lufthansa offers complimentary alcoholic beverages while Swiss does not. Enrollment required. Any and all options, reviews, comments and analyses are the responsibility of the author(s) and not any Advertiser or credit card issuer. Bottom Line: Not sure about flying business class with the whole family? You want a travel credit card that prioritizes whats important to you. Return will be from Istanbul to Seattle. While all of United's international business-class seats are now branded as Polaris, not all long-haul flights offer the complete experience quite yet, including the new seats and lounges. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. At the moment, these new business class seats are limited to a few routes, which is also another setback if youre looking to try them out. Swiss has a great range of food and beverages, as well as a relaxing atmosphere. On the way home Id have to fly into JFK unless I want a 6am flight out of Naplesno thx -swiss air & Air Canada are also options rounding out the other options and all of the above are almost exact same price point, around $6200/6300 -Delta had a direct into FCO as my original itinerary was just Rome, Cruise, and then fly home but I have now added on 2 nights in Venice when we arrive and then 4 nights in Sorrento post-cruise. Lufthansa Airlines is known for its award-winning elegant first class but the same cant necessarily be said for its business class. For starters, Lufthansa offers a more spacious and comfortable seat, while British Airways has a slightly more basic seat. All beverages, including alcohol, are complimentary. The seats are completely flat, with a wide range of center armrests and power outlets. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. So, while there is no clear winner when it comes to premium economy, Lufthansas offering is generally superior to Uniteds. Each seat has a fully flat center armrest, as well as outlets for power outlets in each corner. United's switch to dynamic award pricing has made it harder to book Polaris awards through the MileagePlus program. Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. Generally, Lufthansa has a much better reputation than British Airways. Polaris cabins will always have either have a 1-2-1 or 1-1-1 configuration. Emirates has won the Worlds Leading Inflight Entertainment award for its in-flight entertainment system. Thanks! But if it were me Id go with Air Canada. Additionally, the footwell is pretty small, and youll have to slant your body to fit your legs into the space (unless you get the coveted bulkhead seats). Service was good. BAs high-density seats are superior to that of other airlines, its A350 and 747 aircraft have slightly wider seats, and you may enjoy a comfortable ride on a Boeing 777. With the natural leather seat, one of the largest full-flat beds in the sky becomes a reality. There are excellent meals, hit-and-miss services, similar parlors, and comparable ground services on the two airlines. Anya is a freelance writer and full-time traveler based in Salt Lake City. Known for their out-of-this-world First Class Apartments and the Etihad Residence, this financially struggling airline provides one of the only ways to fly to the Middle East from the U.S. As of now both Norwegian Airlines and Delta Air Lines offer seasonal non-stop service from JFK to ATH. United Airlines has tons of variability for what constitutes Polaris class, but its true Polaris class consists of staggered seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Lounge access and priority boarding at the airport, additional free baggage and exclusive in-flight . A lot of thought went into designing these seats, which include storage cabinets, side tables, and personal lamps. United Private Screening offers on-demand movies, TV shows and more on a large personal screen. OR ATL-SFO-TPE with 120k Skymiles where ATL-SFO is DL Domestic First and SFO-TPE on CI 777 Biz. Though Asian airlines have a reputation for offering unmatched service, we do have some solid business class picks on European airlines as well. Every other row on a 777 or 787 is crammed with true window seats, which are surprisingly private. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. Business class seats are available on flights between the United States and Latin America or the Caribbean, as well as flights between the United States and Europe, as well as flights between the United States and Asia. Email needed if you'd like comment updates. Ive been on Delta One from ATL-ICN a handful of times, but never tried CI Biz. In economy, you have a seat, while in business, you have a bed. United is a Star Alliance member, so several different programs make booking United awards easy. There were a number of other passengers (seemingly with high anxiety already) waiting to be helped, and the overly rigorous agent did not help the matter much. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. Sure, the food, amenity kit, and lounge accessmight impact your overall experience but if you dont arrive to your destination well-rested, youre probably not going to be very happy. Swiss International Air Lines, or Swiss for short, is a mixed bag of business class seats. United Polaris business class. Everything was open as far as I could see. Id describe Air Canada Signature Class ascomfortable. Its always interesting to read reviews on various airlines, and then try them for yourself. The main drawback is that these seats are somewhat dated, and the 12 inflight entertainment screen is tiny. Plus, youll have around 21 of width and 75-80 of bed length to sprawl out on. The seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration, which is exceedingly private. The food is known to be just OK, the bedding is rather lackluster, and the Wi-Fi is pretty bad for such a tech-enabled airline. It makes no difference whether youre traveling for work or pleasure; with our Business Class, everything you need is right there. Cathay Pacifics product has largely remained unchanged for a long time. But the main gripe people tend to have with Etihad business class is the food for such a well-rounded business class product, its just OK. And with very few business studio routes and not-so-stellar award pricing, this product falls toward the bottom of our ranking. The blanket wasnt overly heavy. Lufthansa also doesnt offer free wifi for business class passengers something that SAS does. Major highlights include a comfortable seat and bedding, great service, the dine-on-demand menu, provided pajamas, great inflight entertainment, and decent Wi-Fi. Check here before booking an award fare. Youll find Polaris cabin seats set up in the new 1-2-1 or 1-1-1 configuration and the old 2-2-2 or 2-1-2 configuration. Each seat can be converted into a flat bed with an Airweave mattress and pillows. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Check out this post where we go over the pros and cons of flying business class with a baby. Cold without it and hot with it on. Airlines that are both low-cost and near-equal in size. Ive read mixed reviews in their service and food. Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. Business class accommodations in planes are far superior to those in first class. United is part of the Star Alliance, so any members loyalty program should do the trick. BOEING 787-10. A few of these airlines have had new seats in the meantime (e.g. Still, redeeming PlusPoints for an upgrade to Polaris business class yields more value than using your MileagePlus miles because miles dont expire, but PlusPoints do. Premium economy upgrades to business class are not guaranteed, while cheap business class tickets are generally guaranteed in the seat that you want. Youll find a reverse herringbone seat in a 1-2-1 configuration with tons of bedding youll truly feel like youre sleeping in one of the best hard products in the sky. Duration: 7 hours, 10 minutes. She has written about travel rewards and personal finance for FrugalTravelGuy, Fodor's, FlyerTalk, 10xTravel and Reward Expert. The next business class will be with a different airline! Our partners compensate us. The width of the seat varies by aircraft and ranges from 20.5 inches to 22 inches. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Plus Ups are excluded. In the middle seat, youll find the poor mans lie-flat seat. Hot Tip: Check out our in-depth review of Virgin Australias The Business for more information. So, if youd like to upgrade yourself from economy class to Polaris business class on a long-haul flight, you can use 40 PlusPoints. Additionally, youll enjoy genuine service throughout your flight. I can either do ATL-ICN-TPE with 78k Skymiles + GUC to be in Delta One from ATL-ICN and Econ from ICN-TPE. Thank you! They feature either 30 or 46 Polaris seats laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration. Looking for Business or fist class. The new Polaris Business Class has received excellent reviews in quality and experience, but other First and Business Class options may vary depending on the age of the plane. However, the 787-9 is a totally different story: you can expect seats in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration, each 23-24 wide and 80 in bed length! Lunch and dinner service are often incredibly slow with Lufthansa. NerdWallet strives to keep its information accurate and up to date. This is a huge upgrade compared to its old 2-2-2 business class, and the relatively small cabin of 30 seats makes for a private experience. United's switch to dynamic award pricing has made it harder to book Polaris awards through the MileagePlus program. All Polaris seats are true 180-degree lay flats stretching 6'6". We have paid for business class airfares with viking cruises. I was sent to a stern agent that was helping to fix reservations. Related: United just hit another major milestone in its Polaris retrofit program. Their bed is super comfortable, plus youll get pajamas from Apujan (a London-based designer label,) and Rimowa/Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kits. While Singapore's KrisFlyer program has undergone some devaluations in recent years, one positive change has been the ability to book Star Alliance partner awards online without having to call. We are flying from Atlanta to Tel Aviv in 2022. Business class fares are comparable with Lufthansa (a330) and Air Canada(787). Furthermore, award availability is relatively sparse if you want to try it, youll need to be tremendously flexible. However, the airline's approach to rolling out the new product has been a long-running saga. Many say that Air Canada has better privacy in their pods. The cabin in Singapore Airlines A380 business class has a minor upgrade over its predecessor. Note, due to United's approach with this roll-out, the information below is constantly changing. Award availability for these routes is spectacular, though the award pricing is another story. I never had such overt hostility from the flight attendants to all passengers in international business class. Make sure it actually says United Polaris business when you select your flight options, especially when you try to redeem MileagePlus miles, as the options might include United partner airlines that dont operate a Polaris cabin. In addition to fully staffed flights, a larger number of experienced cabin crew members are on the routes operated by Lufthansa. Solo travelers should opt for an odd-numbered window seat, while couples traveling together should pick a center D/F pair in an odd-numbered row. The sad secret of this lounge is the extremely low quality of catering even in the restaurant - often worse than United Airlines' business class catering (which itself is measly). Buckle up it's going to be a bumpy ride. When evaluating offers, please review the financial institutions Terms and Conditions. -Really wanted to fly JetBlue new mint suites but the flight times arent great to add a separate ticket to continue on. If you can redeem airline miles for one of these flights instead of paying a pretty penny, even better youll save cash and get quite a bit of value in return. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments. how to book QSuites using points and miles! Amenity kits are Victorinox, which is apt for Swiss Air. Ultimately, both airlines provide a comfortable and enjoyable business class experience, so it really comes down to personal preference. However, the credit card information that we publish has been written by experts who know these products inside out, and what we recommend is what we would (or already) use ourselves. I slept 6 hrs straight which is unheard of for me. OR just purchase them at all lower/deal price is the surest way to secure the seat?? BAs pre-dinner beverage includes a full mini-bottle of liquor as well as high-quality fever-tree mixers. On BA with their club suites, you get extra privacy with a sliding door something you wont see on Lufthansa. Related: Every United business-class seat ranked from best to worst. Bottom Line: This is a great niche product to try if youre traveling in Bangkok, Auckland, or Taipei. Premier Platinum. While American Airlines quietly began opening new lounges and retrofitting existing planes without much fanfare, United seemed to initially be investing more heavily in marketing than actually getting the new product into service. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of which airline offers the best premium economy product, as it depends on individual preferences and needs. Editorial Disclosure:The content featured on UpgradedPoints.com has not been influenced, provided, or reviewed by the credit card companies mentioned. United elite flyers earn PlusPoints at the following rate: Premier 1K: 280 PlusPoints (in addition to the 40 PlusPoints earned after reaching Premier Platinum status), plus 20 PlusPoints for every 2,000 Premier Qualifying Points beyond 15,000 points. The current Lufthansa business class product has been due for an overhaul for some time, and one has been announced, but COVID-19 has delayed the rollout of that product for a few years. They are wide and have plenty of legroom, and the seats recline far enough that you can actually take a nap. book Emirates business class with points. Pre-qualified offers are not binding. Their soft product isnt going to win any awards, but the mattress topper, seat size, and emphasis on comfort is sure to impress. The seats on your flight will be influenced heavily by the plane you are traveling on. Make sure you calculate the value on your specific tickets as it can vary significantly. Great news - the United Polaris Lounge has re-opened after two years of closure at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) just a few days before my flight. On the outbound, TAP Air Portugal has lie-flat seats, and on the inbound, Turkish Airlines has lie-flat seats. These seats are available on Air Frances A350-900s and 777-300ERs as well as on other planes. Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. For more information on our advertisers, see here. EVA Air is arguably the most underrated business class productin the world. These types of lists can be subjective so Im sure we didnt include everyones favorite! Other features include sliding doors for extra privacy, tons of storage compartments, and a technologically advanced seat (with Do Not Disturb signs). 2023 Upgraded Points, LLC. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. While their first class is one of the best in the world, they have had a relatively lackluster business classuntil rolling out these new 787-900 business class seats. Related: The best ways to maximize Air Canadas Aeroplan program. They immediately told me to not take pictures. The seats also recline further and have a footrest. I was shocked by the attitude and open hostility presented by the flight attendants towards ALL passengers. No sleep. Virgin Australia provides business class pajamas but no slippers, and they also dont have lumbar adjustments, touchscreen remotes, and a few other extras (which will be perfectly okay for 99% of us). With QSuites, youll 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. What would you suggest for lie flat seats? $550. Furthermore, EVA Air offers some fabulous Taiwanese catering, including juicy pork dumplings from Din Tai Fung, and endless Western courses too! Opinions and recommendations are ours alone. United has three different First Class options. You can also consistently find the 787-10 on flights from Newark (EWR) to LAX and SFO. 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