The Best Business-Class in the Sky: Emirates

Emirates’ business class offers private suites with sliding doors, in-flight lounges, and gourmet cuisine.

Emirates has more than one iteration of business class, and its refurbished Airbus A380s have more than just snazzy first-class suites with showers to impress. Its new business class may not have privacy doors, but they do feature leather seats and wood grain surfaces plus a personal, non-alcoholic minibar at each seat.

While meals are not dine on demand, passengers can help themselves to snacks and refreshments in the private bar and lounge at the back of the plane. After all, some of the best business-class seats on ultra-long-haul flights come with an alternative place to sit and relax in a social space.

These onboard lounges feature large screens showing sports, a staffed bar with top-shelf beverages, and a menu of food available any time.

While Emirates’ Boeing 777 offers a highly enjoyable onboard experience, its Business Class product with a 2-3-2 layout is considered to be inferior to the one offered on the airline’s Airbus A380 fleet, as the latter features direct aisle access for all passengers and a well-appointed bar on the upper deck.

• Airbus A380 seat pitch of around 48-58 inches (122-147cm)
• Boeing 777 seat pitch of around 42-60 inches (107-152cm)

Passengers may want to select a 787 over the more traditional 777. The 787 has high-definition touchscreens, USB ports, and even AC power outlets for charging your devices.

Reconfigured A380s are not yet flying to the U.S., although New York JFK will eventually be the first destination to get them. For now, London Heathrow to Dubai offers these new seats on certain flights. All A380s should be reconfigured by late next year.