Top 5: First class cabins

Relax in first class comfort with Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines

Cathay Pacific Airways

Delight in the freshly prepared Asian and international cuisine
Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific Airways offers the crème de la crème of first class travel – and that’s official. The Hong Kong-based airline scooped the latest World Airlines Award title for best First Class Airline seat. And when you check out the details, it’s not difficult to see why. Among the longest and widest in the sky, the first class seat is 92cm (36 inches) across and can quickly recline into a whopping 206cm long (81 inches), 180-degree flat bed.

Private screens on the aisle help transform the ergonomically-perfect foam seat or bed into a private relaxation suite. When you’re in need of 40 winks, don your complementary sleepsuit and dive under a luxurious duvet. Feeling peckish? Indulge in the first class, made-to-order Asian and international cuisine on offer, or watch the latest movies on your own personal 43cm (17 inches) widescreen TV. Fancy some pampering? Reach for your own top range beauty kits (Acca Kappa products and Ermenegildo Zegna travel bags from Italy for him and Aesop products from Australia and Ipa-Nima travel pouches for her).

With only nine first class seats on Cathay’s Boeing 747-400s and just six seats on the Boeing 777-300ERs, you can fly smug in the knowledge that you’re one of the privileged few.

Qatar Airways

Activate the in-built massager and relax in style on Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways has rapidly built a stellar reputation since it first took to the skies in 1994, bagging the coveted title of world’s best airline in 2011.

As you might expect, you’re treated in style from the minute you clamber onboard the aircraft. The service is personable and professional, and the dining exquisite, with 10-course meals cooked to perfection by award-winning chefs. Loosen your belt and feast on caviar, lobster and Arabic specialities, before washing it down with fine wines and champagnes. Then sink into your ultra comfortable, 56cm (22 inches) wide seat and switch on the built-in massager to ease away any lingering tension. When sleep beckons, enjoy a personal turn down service and the privacy and comfort of a 200cm long (79 inches), 180-degree flat bed complete with a feather duvet.

Singapore Airlines

Travel in style and comfort in Singapore Airlines A380 suites
Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines doesn’t do things by halves, and the first class cabins on its Boeing 777-300ERs and refitted Boeing 777-300s are perfect evidence of this. Eight majestic and perfectly upholstered, fine-grained leather seats measuring 89cm across (35 inches) each transform into a 203cm long (80 inches) fully-flat bed. Each bed is complemented with luxurious soft furnishings designed exclusively by fashion house Givenchy, and you’re guaranteed maximum privacy, thanks to a fixed back shell that extends to both sides of the seat.

If that’s not enough, plug the latest noise-cancelling headphones into your personal, 58cm (23 inches), high res, LCD screen. Meanwhile, vanity mirrors and drawers and exclusively designed Givenchy slippers and sleepsuits make sure you look stylish at all times.

If you really want to join the high rollers, Singapore Airlines’ suites, exclusively available on board the A380 aircraft, are even more decadent. Twelve suites featuring roomy, armchair-style seats, hand-stitched by Italian craftsmen, are complemented by leather and wood finishes. And in an exciting innovation for airline travel, there are separate, standalone beds measuring 198cm long (78 inches) shielded by sliding doors for unparalleled privacy.

Emirates

Indulge in a shower and spa on board Emirates
Emirates Airline

Ever felt the need for a revitalising shower when you’re on a plane? Now you can wash down weary muscles as a first class passenger on board Emirate’s A380 Airbuses in one of two fancy walnut-and-marble designed shower spas which have all the trimmings of a world-class hotel bathroom.

Head for the onboard lounge where you can socialise over ice cool drinks with other high rollers or instead retreat to your personal suite where the seat converts to a fully flat bed with a mattress, measuring 58cm wide (23 inches) and 218cm long (86 inches). Equipped with its own sliding door and adjustable privacy divider, you can relax in your private sanctum complete with a personal mini-bar, touch-screen TV offering 600 channels, music and games, adjustable ambient lighting, vanity table, mirror and even a wardrobe.

A dine-on-demand service means you can tuck into seven courses of delicious international cuisine whenever you feel.

Etihad Airways

Relax and enjoy Etihad's E-BOX on-demand entertainment system
Etihad Airways

As befitting a service which is patronised by the UAE’s royal family, Etihad Airways’s Diamond First Class service befits that of a king or a queen. Expect luxuriously upholstered leather seats with built-in massagers that turn into a 203cm long (80 inches) flatbed at the push of a button. A sliding, privacy door ensures maximum space and seclusion.

There’s a 58cm (23 inch) personal LCD TV offering over 600 hours of entertainment, guaranteed to keep boredom at bay and a personal minibar to ensure you won’t go thirsty. Better still, who could ask for more than your own food and beverage manager on call – handpicked from the finest restaurants - to serve you five-star food?

Diamond First Class is currently available on Etihad’s A340-500s, A330-200s and selected A340-600s.