The Airlines With The Worst Long Haul Business Class Seats
Featured Image: A British Airways Boeing 747-400 At London-Heathrow Airport
It should not come as a surprise that not all business class seats are created equally. On the one hand, you may have Qatar Airways’ Qsuites with double beds, transformable four-person suites, and doors at every suite. On the other hand, you have angle flat seats without direct aisle access on 12-hour flights on many different airlines which are worth avoiding. For the amount of money or miles that you pay for a premium cabin seat, having a dated seat that is uncomfortable on a long-haul flight just isn’t worth it.
While almost any business class seat is better than economy class, not every business class seat is the same. In this article, I will list and explain some of the worst business class seats and what aircraft and airlines they are on, and how to avoid them in order for you to not be stuck in an awful seat at a high price.
United’s 777-200 Old Business Class
In the late 2000s, United introduced their first business class seat which featured fully flat bed seats. It was first introduced on the 767 and 747 and later it was introduced onto the Boeing 777-200. Currently, the seat is only available on United’s 777-200s. While the seats do lay fully flat, the catch is that on the 777, it is in a 2-4-2 configuration – 8 abreast! Keep in mind that economy class is in a 3-3-3 configuration, which is 9 abreast! Yes, the seats are fully flat, but the seats have little to no privacy at all, and the seats are extremely narrow.
I have flown in these seats several times, and while they are much better than economy class, they certainly aren’t ideal, especially when traveling alone. Fortunately, United is in the process of retrofitting their 777-200s with their new Polaris seats, and this seat should be out of service on long-haul flights (besides on high-density flights to Hawaii) by the early 2020s. Overall, avoid these seats by just trying to fly on one of United’s retrofitted aircraft or on one of their 787s or 767s which have nicer seats.
Air France’s A330s, A340s, and A380s
While Air France’s Boeing 777s and 787s feature an excellent business class product (reverse herringbone seats), I can’t exactly say the same thing for their Airbus A330s, A340s, and A380s. On all of those aircraft and on some non-retrofitted Boeing 777s, Air France features angle flat seats in a 2-2-2 (A330s/A340s/A380s) or 2-3-2 (777) configuration. The seats are almost flat, although still have a very noticeable angle which makes the seat less comfortable.
Their Airbus A330s will start to be retrofitted with their new seat this year, while the vast majority of their 777s are retrofitted. Additionally, their A340s will be retired this year, and Air France will return half (5) of their A380s to lessors and will refit the rest of them (the other 5) by 2020 with new seats. Overall, just try to fly the 777 or 787 if possible over the A330, A340, or A380.
Emirates 777 Old Business Class
When you think of Emirates, you probably think of their luxurious, high-quality service and first class with an onboard bar. That description does not fit their 777 business class. On most 777s, Emirates features angle flat seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. While the angle isn’t exactly very steep, most of Emirates’ 777 that fly on ultra long-haul routes don’t even have flat beds, which is something that you would expect from Emirates. Emirates’ new 777s have flat bed seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, and while they are comfortable and high tech, they still don’t have all aisle access and have a middle seat, something that should be avoided in business class. You’ll still get amazing service and food, but the seats on their 777s
Japan Airlines 787-8 Shell Flat Neo
Japan Airlines generally has some pretty good business class seats. On a lot of their 787s and 777-300s, they feature Apex Suites, which are some of the business class seats on the market, and they have reverse herringbone seats on some of their 787s and 777-200s, which are great as well. However, a lot of their 787-8s feature a not so great business class product. A lot of them feature what they call shell flat neo seats, which are angle flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. While they aren’t bad in the least for short-medium haul flights, they operate aircraft with these seats on 9+ hour flights such as from Tokyo to Vancouver and San Diego or from Osaka to Los Angeles. To have angle flat seats on routes so long really is unacceptable for business class on a 5-star airline such as Japan Airlines.
British Airways Club World
British Airways does feature fully flat bed seats in business class, but they aren’t exactly spacious or modern. In about the year 2000, British Airways introduced the first fully flat seat in business class which at the time was industry leading. However, they haven’t changed their business class product since. British Airways features seats in a 2-4-2 or 2-3-2 alternating forward and rear-facing configuration, as can be seen in the picture. The seats do not have all aisle access as you have to climb over someone to get to your seat if you have a middle or window seat. Yes, the window seats do seem private, but the aisle seats have little to no privacy, and all of the seats are incredibly narrow.
Also, older aircraft have extremely old entertainment screens which aren’t ideal. At least the seats are fully flat, but they are about the worst (along with United’s 777s) flat bed seats in the world. If possible, avoid the seats by booking on another OneWorld partner such as American Airlines which has better business class seats. Luckily, British Airways is planning on introducing a new business class seat this year, which hopefully is better than their current product!
Ethiopian Airlines 787/777-200LR Business Class
Ethiopian Airlines has a pretty good business class product on their 777-300ERs, A350s, and newer 787s; they have flatbed seats in either a 2-3-2 or 2-2-2 configuration. However, Ethiopian Airlines has an extremely sub-par business class product on most of their 787-8s and Boeing 777-200LRs. On those aircraft, Ethiopian Airlines has angle-flat seats in either a 2-2-2 or 2-3-2 configuration. The angle is pretty steep, making the seats much more uncomfortable than you might expect for business class. Ethiopian Airlines uses these seats on some of their longest routes such as eastern Asia or to places in the US or Canada such as Toronto, Chicago, Newark, and Los Angeles. If possible, try to fly on a retrofitted 787 or one of their newer aircraft such as the A350.
Thai Airways A330/777-200/747 Royal Silk Class
Thai Airways uses a not so good business class product on most of their Airbus A330-200/300s, Boeing 777-200s, Boeing 777-300s (not the ER version), and on their Boeing 747-400s. They use angle flat seats in a 2-3-2 or 2-2-2 configuration on those aircraft which have pretty steep angles. While most aircraft with these business class seats are used on regional routes from Thailand to places such as China or Japan, they also use them on longer routes. Specifically, Thai uses angle flat seats on long-haul routes from Bangkok to Sydney (on the 747), Brisbane (on the 777), Perth (on the A330), Moscow (on the 777), and to Muscat (on the A330).
Yes, the seats will be much better than economy class, but try to avoid flying on any of these routes in business class if possible. Luckily, Thai Airways uses flatbed seats on most of their long-haul routes as they have flatbed seats on all Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing 787-8/9s, and Airbus A350-900s.
Aerolineas Argentinas
I can’t exactly say that Aerolineas Argentinas is a modern or great airline. I flew them a few times in 2016 in economy class, and the service and seats weren’t good at all. Aerolineas Argentinas has a long-haul fleet of A330s and A340s which they fly from Buenos Aires to Madrid, Rome, New York, Cancun, Miami, Bogota, and occasionally on regional routes. The seats are angle-flat (you might be noticing a trend in this list), and aren’t very modern and don’t have much storage; the seats aren’t that comfortable. To make matters worse, Aerolineas uses a Boeing 737 MAX on their 7+ hour flights to Punta Cana which only have recliner seats in business class. Overall, Aerolineas Argentinas is overall just worth avoiding in a premium cabin, as it really never is up to standard.
Other Airlines
I think that I’ve rambled on enough about how not up to standard angle flat and recliner seats are on long-haul flights. I think I’ve covered most major airlines that have a significant number of aircraft with awful business class seats in the list above. I’ve compiled a list of other airlines that have angle flat or recliner seats and use them on long haul routes and on what planes they have them on below.
- Aeroflot – Angle flat seats on all A330-200s and some A330-300s
- Air Europa – Angle flat seats on their Airbus A330s
- Air India – Angle flat seats on the Boeing 777-200LR (which they fly to San Francisco)
- ANA – Cradle/Recliner seats on some of their Boeing 787-8s and 767-300s – they fly most of their 787s and 767s with recliner seats on short-haul routes throughout Japan and northeastern Asia, although sometimes you might get one of those aircraft on longer routes.
- China Eastern Airlines – Angle flat seat on some of their older Airbus A330s
- Hawaiian Airlines – Recliner seats on their non-retrofitted Airbus A330-200s
- Fiji Airways – Angle flat seats on some of their Airbus A330s
- Pakistan International Airways – Angle flat seats on all of their Boeing 777s
- Singapore Airlines – Angle flat seats on their Airbus A330s and some Boeing 777-200/300s – they fly some of them on medium-haul routes throughout Asia
- South African Airways – Angle flat seats on their Airbus A330-200s
- Turkish Airlines – Angle flat or recliner seats on some of their Airbus A330-200/300s and A340-300s
- Ukraine International Airlines – Recliner seats on their 767-300s (which they fly to Toronto)
Conclusion:
Despite airlines having bad business class seats, please keep in mind that business class is 99.9% of the time better than its corresponding economy class. What I mean to leave you with is an impression as to when it is not worth it to splurge miles or money to buy
What is your least favorite business class seat?
