- Airlines continue to upgrade their business class as travelers demand more luxury in the front of the plane.
- Korean Air and Turkish Airlines are equipping their aircraft with sliding doors.
- Qatar’s new QSuite NextGen builds on what is already considered the best business class in the world.
New seats in business class seem to appear every few months.
Air India introduced new suite-like seats in January, Cathay Pacific Airways unveiled a modernized “Aria” business class in March and Lufthansa welcomed its versatile Allegris product in April.
The major companies Korean Air, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines are also following the trend and strengthening their position in the premium long-haul market. All three presented new business class seats at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.
These global airlines are responding to growing demand for more space and privacy in the front of the aircraft, where airlines make their money. This is especially important as business demand continues to pick up post-pandemic and airline operating costs remain higher than ever.
Recent announcements show that Qatar is still miles ahead of its competitors, but the cluttered doorless cabins and middle seats in business class are largely a thing of the past.
