| | The differences between first and business class | | by Brian Kelly | |  | While the Big Three American carriers might have abandoned first class in favor of adding more business-class and premium economy seating, thankfully, the international carriers serving the European, Asian and Middle Eastern markets have not (although some, like Emirates, have recently made it harder to redeem miles for their first class).
I just got off one of the best first-class flights of my life on Singapore Airlines to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) via Frankfurt Airport (FRA) — I redeemed 243,000 Chase points transferred to Singapore's KrisFlyer program, plus minimal taxes and fees. This is a $15,000 flight, so that was a pretty darn good redemption. And it got me thinking: If you haven’t flown first class on an international carrier, here are the differences between flying business and first class that help create an unforgettable experience starting from the moment you enter the lounge.
Here are my rankings of the top four must-try, bucket-list, first-class experiences:
- Air France La Premiere: Best ground service, with VIP tarmac transfers.
- Japan Airlines A350-1000: First class offers an incredible, huge suite.
- Emirates first class: The A380 suites aren’t the most cutting-edge, but I love the onboard bar and showers.
- Singapore first class: Offers the best food in the sky, and the suites on the A380 are amazing, especially when traveling with someone.
I still need to try the new Lufthansa Allegris first class and All Nippon Airways' The Suite.
Enhanced lounges and priority ground service
First-class passengers often enjoy additional perks in addition to an enhanced level of service. Priority ground service is available from the new Air France La Premiere first-class lounge at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), delivering you from the lounge to the plane in a private car. While in the lounge, you can enjoy treatments at the Sisley spa and a la carte dining options created by French master chef Alain Ducasse.
The same goes for Lufthansa’s chauffeur service at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to and from the First Class Terminal, where you will be met curbside and escorted through a private security lane. The terminal itself offers nap rooms, suites and work spaces in addition to a cigar lounge and premium dining options.
Upon arrival at your destination, you can be met again by an airline representative and escorted to immigration, or, in the case of Air France, you’ll be driven to an arrivals lounge where immigration can be done from the private car.
Better service, fewer passengers
First-class cabins have a much smaller footprint than business-class cabins. Once you step on the plane and turn left, it’s a whole different experience. For instance, on my flight to Singapore, there were only four passengers in first class and about four flight attendants at all times, so the service was much more personalized than in business class. First-class flight attendants will stop by your seat and walk you through the culinary experience and take a personalized beverage order, versus walking around with a tray of prepoured Champagne or juice.
You can find similar experiences on Emirates with the Game Changer suites — there are six total in the first-class cabin in a 1-1-1 configuration. Lufthansa’s Allegris first-class cabin has only three seats compared to 38 in business class.
We are seeing more versatility in the use of the spaces as well: On Singapore’s A380, the seats can be combined into double apartments for extra space, and Air France’s new La Premiere suites are the longest in the sky, with up to five windows.
Elevated culinary experience on board
The onboard cuisine is generally more elevated in first class versus business class — more courses and different options are available, like caviar service. On my flight to Singapore, I enjoyed poached lobster with caviar as one of my courses. The chef-inspired meals served in first class are similar to what you would find in a high-end restaurant.
The Champagnes and wines are also much higher-end in first class — last night I had the choice of Cristal or 2013 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne, which runs from $200-$500 per bottle.
Turndown service and exclusive amenities
The service goes the extra mile in first class, where the flight attendants will make up your bed after meal service when it’s time to go to sleep and you’ll receive additional amenities like a full pajama set to change into. Some airlines even offer full-size amenity products versus a trial size in the business-class amenity kits — Emirates offers full-size Bulgari cologne and Singapore Airlines has Lalique. Sometimes, the additional items in amenity kits are created exclusively for the airline, and you can’t get them anywhere else.
Bottom line
First class isn’t going away anytime soon — there was a time when the industry was theorizing that airlines would do away with first class in favor of business-class cabins, but there’s still a demand with the international carriers, and for that, I am thankful.
Here are a few guides on how to book these incredible experiences using your points and miles:
But this is your warning: Once you start flying first class, it will make business class seem much less enjoyable, and you might never want to go back to economy.
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