As a guy preparing for a journey, it's essential to strike the right balance between being comfortable during the flight and presenting yourself with a touch of personal style. In this article, we will guide you on what to wear on a plane, offering practical tips and fashion insights tailored specifically for men.

The right outfit can enhance your travel experience, allowing you to move freely while looking polished and put together. We will explore a range of clothing options that strike the perfect harmony between style and practicality, ensuring you're well-prepared for any travel adventure.

From choosing the ideal fabrics to selecting versatile pieces that can adapt to different climates, we'll provide expert recommendations to make your journey as enjoyable as possible. We'll consider factors such as layering, footwear choices, and even accessories that can elevate your travel ensemble.

Whether you're embarking on a short domestic flight or a long-haul international journey, our guide will offer valuable insights into what to wear on a plane as a man. We understand that everyone's preferences may vary, so we'll present a variety of outfit suggestions to suit different styles and comfort levels.

Join us as we explore the world of men's travel fashion, helping you curate the perfect outfit that balances comfort, style, and practicality. With our tips and recommendations, you'll be ready to embark on your next adventure, looking and feeling your best from takeoff to landing.

A short haul flight is easy: the worst thing you have to worry about is cold coffee and a flight attendant having bad breath. But that's not to say you get a free pass with your wardrobe.

Versatility is the most important factor for short haul flights. Sure, you're still stranded in Economy for a couple hours, but the key is to wear a look that's good to go once you get off the plane. No change of clothes needed.

Short hauls shouldn't require much more than the basics: think a white tee or oxford shirt that you can wear with any set of pants. In the cooler months, a shawl cardigan over your tee adds a bit of refinement without burdening you with too many layers. In summer, opt for lighter fabrics but always stick to basics that give you the most mileage.

Jeans - provided they're looked after and don't have the fade and tear schtick going - are the best option. Quality denim can survive the nasty parts of air travel, but usually pass the mark at a restaurant or bar once you land. Make sure they're a dark indigo, in good repair, and slim fitting. No rips or frayed hems.

Suede chelsea boots or sneakers are the go depending on how much effort you've got in the tank. If the flight ends up being on the longer side, or you get stuck with an unlucky layover, consider subbing the boots out for a pair of sneakers. New Balance or Common Projects are good options if you're not afraid of a bit of a dad-ish, sneans look.

If you're just ducking off for a weekend, you'll be packing light (we hope). As such, your accessories should be packed for maximum versatility. Think a smart watch that you can wear to both outdoors or on a night out.

Do sort all your kit into a small weekender. Short haul flights aren't an expedition, so you shouldn't need anything bigger than a messenger bag. This will make it easier for you to disembark, because no one gets a thrill out of waiting in the baggage area for a bag that may have been lost over rural Queensland.

It takes a special kind of bastard to enjoy long-haul flights, and most of us have an experience of looking like a seedy mess in a nameless airport on the other side of the world.

Here, you can make more concessions to comfort. No one expects you to make the trip from Sydney to L.A in Zegna. But you should still observe the fundamentals and try to avoid dressing like you're heading to a teen slumber party. You'll thank yourself later.

Similar to the short-haul look, focus on quality basics. These look good with most combinations and you won't miss them if something goes wrong during your trip. White, navy, and marle grey tees are our picks, and bring a few to rotate during the flights. Over the top, wear a tailored sweatshirt in a navy or grey to complete the off-duty-but-not-a-disgusting-slob look.

Tailored sweats have a bit of weekend cool about them: you're dressing for comfort without forgetting your style p's and q's. Jersey cotton pants with an elastic cuff and slight taper are comfortable for long flights, and avoid that exhausted commuter look we've all observed at various points during our travelling careers.

Sneakers should be your first choice for a long haul flight. Not the grimy All-Stars you wear to the gym or disco, but something that'll both keep your feet in good nick over the trip and make the cut at an airport watering hole. Don't punish yourself with formal leather shoes. They will end up smelling by the end of your flight.

Also gents, remember to avoid anything open. Your fellow travellers shouldn't be subject to the sight and smell of your toes for 12 hours. If you need to, change your socks at the airport between stops. Just don't be a feral and wear your Bali thongs (flip-flops).

If you don't fancy listening to Dorothy talk about her grandchildren and third hip replacement, our prime advice is to invest in headphones. Headphones are a universal accessory for communicating via body language that you're not interested in airplane small talk, so invest wisely.

Do bring a change of essentials, particularly if there's a layover. People tend to get grimy during long flights, so having extra jocks and socks to change into at an airport pit-stop will be the key to feeling fresh during your ordeal.

Business trips can make or break a good corporate career. Your boss wants to see what kind of bloke you are outside the office. Looking decent can play some (small) part in that.

If you're travelling solo, apply the Short Haul rules and bring your suit in a sturdy garment bag. But if your boss is along for the trek, you need to think clearly about whether they can forget seeing you in track pants and a band tee from your salad days as a face-chewing festival monstrosity. Chances are, he won't live it down, so you need to think twice, and dress like a big boy.

Our money is on a cautious no. It's impractical, uncomfortable, and air travel isn't kind to suits at the best of times. It's likely you'll step off the plane with your favourite M.J. Bale kit resembling a wrinkled mess. Keep it in a secure garment bag and opt for business casual instead.

Play it safe on the more formal end of business casual - an Oxford shirt and thin pullover knit says to your boss that you can handle looking the part without the familiarity of a two piece suit. You won't need a tie (on board at least) so wear the shirt open-necked, but not so open that you look like an Eastern European criminal with a trunk full of fake Rolexes.

Here, tailored chinos or denim will do the job. Even if you're semi on the clock, you can still afford to dress down on account for the fact that you're trading a plush office chair for an aerial sardine can.

If you're worried that your boss has strange whims about what is and isn't kosher, play it safe and wear tailored pants - wool or cotton - and stow your jeans for travel downtime instead.

Business trips can have some arcane rules about footwear. You're still on the clock, more or less, but no one is wearing their proper work shoes. So, you'll need to think of something in between. Our picks are on suede oxfords or loafers, or even driving shoes if it's a casual trip. Your feet can take a killing during air travel, and there's nothing worse than eight hours in the same pair of uncomfortable leather stompers.

You won't impress a flight attendant by flashing your scuffed, pawn-shop Rolex when she wheels around for snacks, but it's important to be dressed whole if you're travelling in company. Remember to pack your IWC, OMEGA or Rolex because you're there to make a good impression.

If you're travelling with a senior colleague, gauge their expectations before you roll into the airport. If they're under the impression you're heading straight into a meeting once the wheels touch down, that might be a good indication you'll need to travel as you work (i.e, in corporate attire). If it's a work booze trip masquerading as official business, you can dress down accordingly.

If you're lucky enough to score a week or two here and there to nip off to somewhere sunny, thinking about what to wear might seem like a fair ordeal in exchange for fruity cocktails and endless afternoons on a deck chair.

Holidays don't really carry heaps of expectations, but you should still avoid your Bintang worst, and make an honest attempt to disrupt the Australian tourist's reputation as an ill-mannered, ill-dressed wuckfit.

Pretty much anything goes here, as long as it's not a ratty tee with mothholes or your 2008 rugby all-star jersey. A camp-collar shirt over a tee can add a festive element to your trip, and are on trend without looking too overdone.

However, singlets are a categorical no-no. Even if you're built like Chris Hemsworth and flying in the middle of February, no one asked to see your armpit hair or dodgy tribal tats from 2009.

It's a holiday, not a christening, so you can run the risk of wearing shorts. Not boardies though, or your footy shorts from when you were a D-grade benchrider, but tailored shorts - that is, ending above the knee, a modest taper, and generally look like something you could chuck on with a shirt and white sneakers for a night out.

If your holiday was worth the coin, you shouldn't need to wear shoes a whole lot. However, you still need to get there, so get out your sturdiest, most versatile trainers - New Balance or Adidas - to give your feet a break if it's a longish trek.

And remember, gents, a week away isn't an excuse to wear thongs on a plane. Aside from the fact that you're exposing your toes to being trod on by a flight attendant, feet get nasty during travel and there's only so much you can do mid-air to keep the funk at bay.

The D'Marge rule for holiday dress is thus: never wear anything you're afraid to lose, trade, or obliterate while overseas.

Holidays always carry that X factor of 'anything could happen', so bringing an expensive watch, heirloom signet ring, or Gucci shades is just asking for trouble (or a mugging if you travel anywhere interesting).

Read the full article What To Wear On A Flight If You’re A Guy on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Emirates has dialled up its Melbourne—Dubai route to a total of three daily flights, swapping out the Melbourne—Singapore—Dubai journey for a direct overnight trek from Tullamarine to the Gulf. Sadly, this has come at the retirement of the short hop between Melbourne and Singapore — a tragic outcome for points-hounds everywhere — but in its place comes a dedicated route to Dubai that sets you up perfectly for the morning wave of flights out of Dubai and into Europe, the UK, or Africa.

If you’re lucky enough to be flying up the pointy end — and with these new cabins, you really are a lucky pup — or if you're holding Skywards Gold or Qantas Gold, you can nurse an early morning glass of fizz in the Emirates Dubai Champagne Lounge right after touchdown... because who doesn’t love a livening flute of bubbles with their breakfast?

The real star in all of this is Emirates’ revamped Boeing 777, which has finally ditched that cramped 2-2-2 layout — or, even worse, the 2-3-2 layout that the airline held onto for a shamefully long time — in favour of a far more civilised 1-2-1 layout. Everyone gets direct aisle access and the seat itself is lifted from Emirates’ A380 business class blueprint. Here's what you can expect:

There’s even a small ‘grab-and-go bar’ in the cabin, so you’re never more than a few strides away from a hard-earned snack or drink between luxury meals. Critics might say that this is both overdue and underwhelming, given that competitors like Singapore Airlines have been offering this level of business class cabin to customers for several years now. Though technically not wrong, these haters can't deny that this new layout is still leaps ahead of the old 777 setup.

If you can't quite afford or spare the points for business then fear not, there's something in this for you too: Premium economy enjoys an overhaul, offering a 2-4-2 layout with 24 seats, sporting a roomy 38-inch pitch and 8-inch recline. If you're at the other end of the spectrum and have more money than sense, then there are private first-class suites available for the ultra-flush.

The other two daily Melbourne–Dubai flights will be serviced on the superjumbo A380, which for many is the sentimental favourite for its in-flight bar and first-class shower. Over time, Emirates plans to revamp 81 of its Boeing 777s, which itself is a time-buying tactic as it repeatedly delays further Boeing 777-9 purchases.

Emirates also has ambitions to bring some very fancy Airbus A350s into its fleet, featuring an "S Lounge" business class seat with wireless charging, advanced in-seat lighting, and 4K screens as well as complimentary Wi-Fi courtesy of ViaSat’s Global Xpress. Sadly, there are no confirmed plans for these flights Down Under, but we'll keep our fingers crossed...

Read the full article Emirates Finally Brings New Boeing 777 Business Class Cabins With 1-2-1 Layout To Australia on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

With launch planned for mid-2025, Riyadh Air is readying itself to become Saudi Arabia's new flag carrier, hoping to reach over 100 destinations by 2030. Led by CEO Tony Douglas, the airline promises a state-of-the-art fleet, cutting-edge cabins, and routes that could turn Riyadh into a global hub. Here's what’s on the horizon for this much-anticipated, alcohol-free carrier.

In the coming weeks, Riyadh Air is expected to unveil its Boeing 787 interiors in a showcase that will include business class suites with sliding privacy doors, as well as premium economy and economy seats. The announcement will also cover the airline’s new app, designed to simplify bookings. In line with wider industry trends, the carrier will not feature a first-class cabin, but Douglas has emphasised his plans to make business class as luxurious as possible, calling it the “Mercedes Maybach of the skies".

Business seats will incorporate large 22-inch 4K OLED screens with Bluetooth audio so flyers can connect their own headsets. Sliding doors will maintain privacy, while fast, free Wi-Fi and multiple charging ports — including dual USB-A, dual USB-C, and AC power — will support connectivity needs.

Riyadh Air’s premium economy, which the CEO insists is closer to a “business-minus” product, will provide ample recline and legroom, fronted by c.16-inch personal screens for inflight entertainment. Each seat will also include USB-C power outlets.

Although these seats will not lie flat, rumours suggest they might get pretty close, strengthening airline claims that the design leans closer to a scaled-down business class than a slightly upgraded economy class. Each economy seat will come with a personal screen measuring 13.3 inches and USB-C power ports.

Riyadh Air plans to kick off operations with three Boeing 787s. First routes will connect Riyadh to at least two major European capitals as well as serving shorter, high-demand regional routes such as Jeddah. As more aircraft join the fleet, the airline plans to introduce about two new destinations every month. Ticket sales will begin once the initial routes are confirmed.

Riyadh Air has already signed a deal for 39 Boeing 787-9s, with options for 33 more, locking in a steady influx of deliveries from the back half of 2025. These will be joined by approximately 60 Airbus A321neo family jets, slated to arrive from 2026 to 2030, likely featuring more of the lie-flat business class beds described above. The airline also plans to place an order for either Airbus A350-1000 or Boeing 777X models to strengthen long-haul operations.

Alcohol has been banned in Saudi Arabia since 1952, including in hotels. As a Saudi-based carrier, Riyadh Air must adhere to the Kingdom’s existing legal framework. While CEO Tony Douglas says the airline will comply with current legislation, speculation continues to run rampant that the Crown Prince may loosen some restrictions to boost tourism and position Saudi Arabia as a leading trade and finance hub.

However, for now, travellers should prepare to fly dry with no alcoholic beverages on board. This decision will mark a dividing line between Riyadh Air and other Gulf airlines that are famed for their onboard bars and premium drinks.

As Saudi Arabia continues to develop destinations like AlUla and Neom, Riyadh Air has a chance to champion and massively capitalise on these emerging hotspots. If the airline can leverage the country’s cultural heritage and rising international profile to entice passengers who are curious about exploring a less-travelled part of the world, and if it manages to balance connectivity, comfort, and competitive pricing, Riyadh Air could become a world-class option for both leisure and business travellers alike.

Read the full article World’s First Alcohol Free Airline Is About To Launch With ‘Mercedes Maybach’ Business Suites on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Breaking out of Qantas economy class and settling in a premium economy seat for the first time is a major milestone. Suddenly, there is significantly upgraded comfort, room to move, no more plastic cups, tasty food and personable service. What’s not to like? But is it worth paying even more to fly further up the plane in the promised land that is business class?

Not all Qantas aircraft offer premium economy seats. The airline only offers premium economy on its A380 and B787 aircraft, whereas business class is offered on all Qantas international flights. The business class cabins are also bigger – 70 business seats versus 60 premium economy seats on the A380 and 42 business seats versus 28 premium economy seats on the Dreamliners. These planes operate Qantas long-haul routes to North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and some services to and from Singapore.

The premium travel experience starts at check-in. Both premium economy and business class passengers have dedicated check-in desks. However, only business passengers automatically get lounge access.

This isn’t necessarily a problem if you are flying premium economy but hold Qantas Gold or Oneworld Sapphire status or above or if you’re a Qantas Club member and the departure airport has a Qantas-operated lounge. You’ll enjoy lounge access regardless of travel class. 

Both business class and premium economy passengers can board before economy class passengers. This is a nice perk if you want to board early and get settled.

The key difference between Qantas business class and premium economy class is the seat. Qantas gets credit for having a fairly uniform product across its widebody fleet (many airlines don’t). As a result, a seat on the A380 is very similar to a seat on the B787, regardless of travel class.

Qantas premium economy passengers can expect a 58-centimetre wide seat with a 96.5-centimetre pitch (seat pitch is the distance between one point on your seat and the same point on the seat in front of you). There are four rows of premium economy seats on the Dreamliner and each row is configured in a 2-3-2 arrangement.

The premium economy cabin on the A380 is at the rear of the upper deck. It has the same 2-3-2 layout, but there are ten rows rather than the four on the B787. The seats are the same but there are a couple of quirks on the A380. Row 38 has a 3-2 layout, row 39 has a 2-2 layout, and row 40 is just a pair of seats. These sound great but be aware at seat selection time – they are close to the toilets and galley. 

Let's not talk about the time Luc Wiesman big for business class with his partner; he got the upgrade, but she didn't.

On both aircraft types, premium economy passengers will get a headrest and nice pillow, leg and foot rests, individual night lights, a reasonably decent blanket, USB charging and AC power outlets, a 33-centimetre HD screen, storage areas, cocktail tray, and pull-down tray table.

Move forward in the plane and life gets more comfortable in business class. The business class layout on both the A380 and B787 is 1-2-1, so everyone gets aisle access. Seat width in the so-called Qantas Business Suite is 61 centimetres, and when fully flat, the pitch is 203 centimetres. 

When it’s time for sleep, business class passengers get a nice pillow, a 100% cotton duvet, and a (thin) mattress. While there are no sliding doors on any Qantas aircraft yet, these seats offer a decent degree of privacy in either lie flat or sitting mode. Qantas business class isn’t the best in the world, but it’s a very solid product and a big step up from premium economy.

Here's a tip: 2A, 4A and 6A are the more enclosed years in the cabin, so aim for those.

In short, they were caught napping on design and were more focused on their Project Sunrise. David Caon's new cabins for these ultra-long-haul A350 flights are sublime and now feature fully enclosed business-class seats. Qantas, however, will be the global leader in ultra-long-haul travel, which makes sense considering how far Australia is from the rest of the world.

Of course, you pay for the upgrade, whether in point, cash, or Qantas' fabled rewards system. A straightforward one-way fare between Sydney and LA on the first Monday in June 2025 currently costs AUD3,357 in premium economy (or 203,000 points plus AUD314).

Alternatively, it costs AUD8,170 (or a whopping 502,000 points plus AUD639) in business class. You pay a lot for that lie-flat seat. It will vary depending on airline, route, and travel date, but typically, premium economy is less than half the cost of business class.

Inflight service is another differentiator between premium economy and economy, although you can reasonably expect friendly and attentive service in both classes on Qantas aircraft. In both cabin classes, drinks are served in proper glasses, and meals are served on china tableware. While options will vary depending on route and time of day, Qantas premium economy passengers can typically expect a salad starter, three choices of mains, including a plant-based choice and options like a chicken and grain salad or a wagyu beef braise.

There is also a choice of desserts, normally something like cheese and crackers, cake, or chocolates. Unlike in business class, everything comes on a single tray, although that blow is softened somewhat by linen napery and decent crockery.

In contrast, Qantas business class offers four starters, including their always morish delicious soup and other treats such as confit duck and mushroom vol u vents. Expect four main courses, with Barrington beef, snapper, Bannockburn chicken, and a plant-based option currently making regular appearances in one guise or another. There are choices for dessert, including the cheese plate, options like panna cotta or mouse, and the ice cream sandwich. Courses are served individually.

Both cabins offer mid-flight snacks ranging from fruits to chips and biscuits to hot snacks like BLTs in business class and grilled cheese toasties in premium economy.

antas offers several avenues for passengers to upgrade their travel experience to a higher cabin class, each with its own set of criteria and processes:

Classic Upgrade Rewards: This option allows Qantas Frequent Flyer members to use their accumulated Qantas Points to request an upgrade. Key features include:

If you have lots of points this is the best way to burn them.

Bid Now Upgrades: This system allows passengers to bid for an upgrade using cash money or a combination of cash and Qantas Points. Key aspects include:

Two years ago, Qantas was really on the nose. It was, as one blogger said, only worth flying on when you had points to redeem. But a lot can change in two years, and Qantas is back in the game.

"It's like comparing a bus and a banana. Is business class worth it? Yes, always but use points for upgrades but be prepared to not get your upgrade."

Luc Wiesman, DMARGE Founder

Recent premium cabin flights have been largely on time, the food good, and the service excellent. Granted, things get scaled up in both premium economy and business class, but right now, flying in either cabin on Qantas is a pleasant way to travel and makes returning to the back of the plane an unappealing prospect.

Read the full article Qantas Business Class vs Premium Economy: Are The Benefits Worth Double The Cost? on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

In a post-pandemic world, individuals, investors, and companies alike are constantly seeking the next big thing. Business class is no exception: the race to develop the latest ergonomic edge, cutting-edge gadget, or ultra-private suite continues, with each year bringing new innovations to market.

Now, as airlines navigate a landscape of higher travel costs, shifting passenger demand, and leaner budgets, they’re adapting to meet a new future. The industry is evolving to match these challenges, from retiring A380s to investing in single-aisle jets that are setting impressive new flight records.

While media attention hypes futuristic business-class seats, bringing these advanced designs to market remains a complex journey involving rigorous, time-consuming, and costly approval processes.

In the meantime, airlines like Qatar Airways look to adapt to this (understandably) Scared New World with unbundled pointy end offerings like the following.

Qatar Airways business class is no longer an inflexible 'benefits and all' concept. The airline has just introduced a new type of business class fare, which gives you access to a business class seat without lounge access and advanced seat selection for a cheaper price.

The new system is three-tiered.

The cheapest fare is Business Class Classic, below the Business Class Comfort and Business Class Elite ticket options.

Booking a Business Class Classic fare means if you cancel you will be stung with a higher cancellation fee. Business Class Comfort, meanwhile, offers a little more flexibility (for about a $1,000 more than Business Class Classic, judging by early indications) and Business Class Elite (which looks to cost about $2,000 more than Business Class Classic) offers unlimited, complementary changes as well as the possibility of a full fee-free refund.

These changes come as part of a broader system of simplified fare families, replicated in economy as well.

"Across all classes, valued members of Qatar Airways Privilege Club can earn more Qmiles according to the fare family they select," the airline announced.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said of the new fare system: “Our new fare families are designed to offer greater simplicity, choice, and flexibility to our passengers and further our ambition to offer a best-in-class retail experience."

Qatar Airways are not the first airlines to introduce a tiered fare system for business class. In June 2019, Emirates introduced the Business Class Special fare, which operates under a similar premise.Some frequent business class flyers are not sold on the changes.

Founder of Flight Hacks Immanuel Debeer told DMARGE exclusively, "I think the 'unbundling' is just a cost cutting exercise – but only time will tell. The price between the base fare and the one that includes lounge + seat selection doesn't make sense."

"I've tested some routes and the difference in price is around $1,000. We can assume those with status will still get lounge access so I don't see why anyone would want to pay that amount of money just to chose a seat and have a few glasses of champers before the flight."

"That said, QR still offers some very attractive fares, especially out of Europe to Asia so we'll have to see if the price goes down further."

"This seems like an especially strange time to make a change like this, when travel demand is way down, and airlines should be wooing travelers, rather than devaluing the experience," he wrote further down in his piece. One user in the Executive Traveller comments section expressed similar sentiments: "By all appearances, this is just a cut in inclusions. $7500 roundtrip to London was comparable to existing, previous business class pricing on Qatar. Now, if you want lounge access with them, the base fare is $10400."

"So really, what this is is a cut to existing services but selling at the same price as before... This is going to catch out those that book the cheapest and then find they have to pay hundreds more to get lounge access as well at each stop."

"That base price will still get you lounge access with competing carriers. Unless competitors also cut inclusions, I'll be booking with them to avoid the extra cost with Qatar."

A Qatar Airways spokesperson told DMARGE when we asked about this matter, "Qatar Airways flies a broad range of customers who have many different priorities and this initiative offers them the opportunity to select the fare that suits their specific requirements."

"When devising the new fare families, we completed customer studies to better understand their requirements when considering their travel plans."

The spokesperson also said: "The new fare families accommodate and cater to different needs and give customers more options and choices when planning their travel."

"We value our loyal customers. Elite members of Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club as well as from our OneWorld partners will continue to receive their benefits across all fare family groups."

The way the travel industry is going we'd wager Qatar Airways is unlikely to be the last to start de-coupling aspects of its premium offerings. Just make sure you don't get Qatared when you book your next QSuiter experience.

Read the full article Qatar Business Class Comfort vs Elite… Everything You Need To Know on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Qatar Airways has long led the industry pack regarding the high standards (and suitably high ticket prices) of their business class cabin. Seriously rivalled for many years by only one other carrier — Emirates, who have always prided themselves on their pointy-end offerings, especially first class — Qatar's QSuite caused ripples through the sector when it launched in 2017 and has since become the veritable 'top of the mountain' for serious business travellers.

For many travellers, the QSuite really is a dream come true; boasting 'pure privacy', mood lighting, a lovely Diptyque dopp kit and tech coming out of your ears, it's hardly a surprise that passengers go out of their way — and pay a sometimes eye-watering premium — to secure one of these precious seats. But picture this: you've booked your long-awaited QSuite, queued up the gate feeling like a dog with two carry-ons, then all of a sudden you board the plane and find a different, still lovely but undeniably inferior cabin awaiting you? Welcome to the world of 'being Qatared'.

Rookie travellers would be forgiven that assuming that an airline would only offer one version of all its cabin classes — from economy through to first — across its entire fleet. And, of course, this would be the ideal situation for carriers and passengers alike. However, the reality of upgrading a fleet whilst keeping ample planes in the sky means that these upgrades often take years to complete (as one example, Qantas' current upgrade is set to take 5 years end to end) with any number of older iterations in the sky at the same time as the shiny new stuff.

Qatar Airways currently operates four different business-class cabins, with variations of its seats on the airline's A380s, A350s, 787s and 777s; while the QSuite is quite rightly considered by pretty much everyone to be the pinnacle of luxury, other aircraft feature older configurations. The 2-2-2 layout on the Boeing 777-200ER is, for this writer's money, the least desirable of the bunch.

On a recent flight from Doha to Denpasar, our founder Luc Wiesman went out of his way to book a once-in-a-lifetime QSuite experience. After shelling out a hefty but undisclosed sum, he expected nothing less than Qatar's best. However, soon after booking, he discovered that the aircraft had been changed to one with an older — and far less scintillating — cabin layout. There was no notification from Qatar Airways before this change was made, and he was only quick enough to notice when he went to choose his seats. Here's what happened in Luc's own words:

"When I checked my seat I noticed that it didn't match the Q Suite cabin layout. After some quick digging, I realised I had been Qatar'd. Getting the previous generation Business Class was no big deal but the 2-2-2 was just rude."

This bait-and-switch scenario is what we now refer to as 'being Qatared'. The airline equivalent of being catfished by an online date, this is a classic case of reality and fantasy not aligning quite so well as anyone might like. While Luc was in the fortunate position of having some flexibility around his travel dates, meaning he could rebook and get that long-desired QSuite, many travellers will not have the luxury of time. Luc's understandable upset at the change made us wonder whether there was a story in all this, and it turns out there is; a story that goes far beyond Qatar Airways alone...

Discovering you've been 'Qatared' can be frustrating, but there is a silver lining. Qatar Airways offers a smart solution — at least, it qualifies as smart if there's enough time between your flight and the aircraft change for you to jump on it: they send an email notifying you of the change and offer one flight alteration free of charge.

If you're flexible, this allows you to switch to a flight that does feature the QSuite. In Luc's case, he changed to a flight six hours later and secured the QSuite. Here's a screenshot of the email in question, provided by Mr Weisman himself:

However, it's important to understand that not all travel agents are familiar with this policy. Luc's agent was initially unhelpful, frankly making the process more complicated than it needed to be. Thus, if you booked through an agency, be sure to forward this notification email directly to them by way of proof that you know exactly what you're talking about. Alternatively, if you've got a spare half hour on your hands, you can call Qatar Airways yourself to make the change directly.

As it turns out, Qatar Airways isn't alone in this practice. Thai Airways has long had a similar issue and, due to its business cabins being even more varied than Qatar's — some of the older Thai seats feel practically ancient — the term 'being TG'd' is, according to Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller, David Flynn, common parlance among hardcore travellers, and for good reason:

"These airlines have expanded their fleet by adding aircraft formerly flown by other airlines [...] The new ‘owner’ doesn’t bother to refit them with their own latest business class seats because of the expense – after all, these leased jets are a relatively short-term addition to the fleet, usually to help with rapid growth to tap into the post-pandemic travel surge."

Indeed, Qatar has expanded its fleet rapidly by a mixture of leasing aircraft from other airlines and purchasing new jets. The result for Qatar and other airlines alike is a 'mixed fleet' of different planes with different business class seats. Singapore Airlines suffers from similar inconsistencies, operating three very different business class seats on its Airbus A380s, A350s, and Boeing 787s.

Airlines like Cathay Pacific and Qantas, on the other hand, have prioritised uniformity: Cathay Pacific uses just two types of business class seats across its long-range fleet, while Qantas has totally standardised its business class seats across the A330, A380, and Boeing 787.

While Qatar does offer the option to change flights, it's not always a practical solution. "Unless the flight with a superior business class is on the same day, you're then looking at booking an additional night's accommodation, and at very short notice," Flynn points out:

"Most people also have a schedule to keep—in terms of getting back home and heading to work the next day."

If you're connecting to onward flights, rescheduling invariably becomes even more complicated. While the QSuite is, in many regards worth the wait, the effort, and the coin, it's important to weigh the benefits of luxuriating in the QSuite against potentially massive disruptions to your travel plans.

Being 'Qatared', 'TG'd', or whatever else we care to call it can be a disappointing experience, especially when you've invested hard-won time and money into securing a premium product. To avoid surprises, here's what we'd suggest:

We all deserve to experience the best in field of any given product or service at least once in our lives. Don't let the irritations and intimidation of airline bureaucracy stop you from enjoying your twelve hours of QSuite bliss; allow some wiggle room and stay across your emails; we'll get you that Diptyque dopp kit if it's the last thing we do...

Read the full article Getting Qatared: When You Get Catfished By The World’s Best Business Class on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Lots of airlines have points plus pay offers, but they are rarely a good deal. However, there are currently some compelling do-it-yourself points plus pay offers that are a steal. All you need is a moderate stash of frequent flyer points and a reasonable amount of cash to fly to Europe and North America at price points far below what you see in your nearest Flight Centre window.

A couple of caveats – these are not through tickets to your end destination, so connections are not guaranteed. You need to build in a transit time you are comfortable with, which may be overnight. Secondly, you need to take a positioning flight to Asia. Thirdly, for consistency, DMARGE's illustrative bookings are for June 2025, the start of the Northern Hemisphere summer and a prime time to travel there.

One of DMARGE's favourite deals is the Jakarta – New York – Jakarta roundtrip fare of AUD4,857 (including fees and taxes) in Qatar's Qsuites. It's bookable for travel from November 2024 on the American Airlines booking portal and is more than AUD2,000 cheaper than booking through Qatar Airways. Travel time is 24 – 25 hours, including a stopover in Doha, but it's Qsuites on all sectors, so bring it on.

Of course, you have to get to and from Jakarta. Qantas has solid classic reward availability in all cabin classes next year, starting at 20,300 (plus AID147) in economy class and 57,000 points (plus AUD217) in business class. For business class through to JFK and back, we're talking about 114,000 points plus less than AUD5,300. Plus, you can line up the Qantas arrivals and departures nicely with Qatar's arrival and departures.

Another Oneworld example is a tasty Finnair roundtrip fare of AUD3,761 from Bangkok to Amsterdam. It's the same deal; you've got to get yourself to and from Bangkok, which is doable with points, including flying Singapore Airlines booked through Virgin Australia using Velocity points. However, it's a bit tougher to find an entry level classic reward seat between Australia and Bangkok, basically because it's a more popular destination than Jakarta. But unlike some routes, they can be found.

Once in Bangkok, you can cruise the excellent Oneworld lounges (Qatar's is the best) on your business class ticket before sliding into Finnair's controversial but nice business class seats for the cruisy schlepp through to Europe. Note these all-inclusive fares require overnight layovers in Helsinki in both directions. Once in Amsterdam, half a dozen countries are just a short train trip away. While largely unloved, Amsterdam is a great airport to use if you want to explore Europe.

Like Jakarta, Manila is one of the easier airports in the Qantas international network to find classic reward seats to and from. Unlike Jakarta, the Manila Airport is a bit grim, but if you are flying business, there are lounges (of a sort) to shelter in. What's in Manila? Besides traffic bedlam, there's a roundtrip business class fare to Lisbon on Etihad for just AUD3,402.

Etihad faltered during the pandemic but is back in full swing, and their long-haul business class product is among the best in the sky, so it's going to be a sweet ride to one of the most underrated and value-for-money countries in Europe. One downside is that there's a seven-hour layover in Abu Dhabi on the way back, but there's a lounge or two to visit or, alternatively, the airside AUhotel if you need a proper lie-down.

While North America is trickier, there are a lot of sub AUD4,000 business class roundtrip fares from Manila and Jakarta to multiple European cities, including Manila – Frankfurt roundtrips on Ethad for under AUD3,300, Jakarta – London for under AUD3,800 on SriLankan. Throw a Star Alliance option into the mix, and Jakarta - Boston business class roundtrips are a shade over AUD4,600, flying ANA's Dreamliners through to LAX and connecting there for a United flight to Boston.

While there may be easier options to get to Europe and North America, you pay a big premium. Travel on the same June dates between Sydney and JFK on QF3/4, and it's the same aircraft all the way through with a shortish stop in Auckland. However, the lead in business class fare is a fraction over AUD14,000, so we're talking about a near five-figure difference here if you are prepared to work the Jakarta option. Equally, if you want to skip Manila and fly to Lisbon directly from Australia, BA will take you there, via Singapore and London for AUD9,700 return. It's a big premium to the Etihad out of Manila hack.

DIY points plus pay options require some homework and flexibility, but it's no big stretch if you can plan ahead. The savings are huge, which you can bank, spend on lunches in Paris, or use to book another trip somewhere.

Read the full article Score Huge Business Class Discounts with These ‘DIY’ Points Travel Hacks on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

We were lucky enough to fly business class from Sydney to New York City on one of Qantas' beautiful 787-9 Dreamliners. We've had pleasant enough travels in Qantas' economy seats and pleasantly-surprising travels in their premium economy seats, but this is a game changer. As the carrier gears up for its much-hyped non-stop flights to lift off in 2026, here's a flavour of the wonderful experience that's likely to be on offer.

While you'll likely be able to find fuller reviews of Qantas' shared business class lounge at Sydney Kingsford-Smith elsewhere, it's worth touching on since this is the point at which your tailor-made business class experience with the airline really begins.

On arrival, you're greeted and checked into the lounge by Qantas staff who — as this review will go on to explain — are lovely across the board. Once inside, a sprawling and very well-appointed space opens up. In the centre sits a long bar/kitchen island. You can choose to sit here, crank open the laptop, and get to work... or you can pluck a flute of sparkling wine from its sparkling surfaces and really get your day started.

To the left-hand side is a range of seating options — work booths for the hardcore business travellers, sofas for the more relaxed friends and family affairs — and to the right-hand side is a well-stocked breakfast buffet with heaps of cooked and continental options, breakfast juices... and a great line-up of harder liquor, should you be that way inclined.

As you can see from the above photo, I went light on the food and beverages, opting for a fairly wholesome start to the day overlooking the sunrise on tarmac and anticipating a good feed once in the air. The vibe, as they say, was immaculate.

Your ticket also grants you access to the Business Lounge in Auckland. While I must confess this wasn't the shiniest lounge I've ever been in, it was perfectly well-stocked for my brief 90-minute stay and — rumour has it — Qantas has plans for a massive overhaul as part of a $100 million lounge overhaul program, so we won't linger on this too much longer.

Not only does this new line-up of Qantas 787 Dreamliners offer 42 Business suites in a 1-2-1 configuration with fully-flat beds and direct aisle access, but the carrier claims that "the cabins onboard these aircraft have been designed with long-haul travel in mind.” Did that turn out to be true in my experience? Absolutely.

If you've ever considered making the step up from Qantas' premium economy to business class, the little add-ons that come with your seat will be a big consideration.

There's a long list of things that this seat does exceptionally well: a great little amenity kit awaits you on arrival, as does sparkling wine, a bottle of water and fancy over-ear headphones. However, cynics would point out that you can get many of these things when you make the leap from economy to premium economy, but the seat itself is a game changer.

The seat itself feels very spacious — as a 198cm man, you really can trust me when I say that — and every inch of that space feels put to good use; there are plenty of sneaky stow spots for your personal items, there are a slew of charging options, and there's even a mirror tucked away so you can see just how rough you look before touchdown.

However, it's the mechanics of the seat itself that really make Qantas' offer stand out from the pack, especially when it comes to bedtime. The Auckland—New York stretch of this flight is an overnight leg, and so your seat comes equipped with tailor-made beddings: a quilted fitted sheet gives the effect of a thin but effective mattress, while the blankets feel exceptionally premium and the PJs are, thankfully, not one-size-fits-all, instead coming in a range of sizes you can pick from before takeoff.

This means that when it is time to hit the hay, the Qantas team will happily make up your bed and lie it flat for you. When they "fully flat", they mean it; not only was I able to totally recline but, as a tall man, I was able to stretch out and even roll over when required fully. When I brought the supplied eye mask and ear plugs into rotation, I was able to get an almost uninterrupted 8-hours of sleep. For this insomniac, that's unheard of, at 30,000 feet or anywhere else.

If you don't manage to get any sleep, fear not: the seat also has a built-in massage mode that works into your back and shoulders, helping to keep the blood flowing and avoid that oh-so-irritating muscle soreness from sitting so long. All in all, the Qantas business class seat is a home run.

I like my food, and the level of detail I'm about to go into regarding Qantas' food and beverage in business class will likely reflect that. If you want the top-level takeaway: I've never enjoyed such a tasty, varied, almost-restaurant-quality feed on a flight, ever.

Here's the blow-by-blow of what I ate and drank...

On entering the plane, you're almost immediately offered sparkling wine, water, or juice. I opted for water... in the first instance. Around 20 minutes later, before takeoff, the cabin crew came around to introduce themselves and take your lunch order.

Once you're up in the air, approximately an hour after having your order taken, your lunch service begins. A drink of your choice alongside an aperitivo of salted nuts kicks things off. Shortly thereafter, I enjoyed a smoked salmon salad — light, fresh, delicious — followed by pasta with fresh lamb ragu which, much to the shock of this long-time economy flyer, came served with fresh herbs and delivered a rich, homely flavour. Sourdough was served on the side.

The airline allows for what my mother would call a "Pauline Pause" between main and dessert, which was comprised of a tasty pot of Maggie Beer ice cream and a surprisingly good cup of coffee.

If you thought that all sounded like a good time, just you wait for the Auckland—NYC leg... Taking place overnight, you get a whole dinner service, a breakfast service, and a heap of snacks in between. Things kick off, once again, with a welcome chat accompanied by sparkling wine. Your dinner order is taken before takeoff and your build-a-breakfast form is collected for future reference.

Within an hour or so of getting in the air, your drink and aperitivo arrive. On this leg, my starter was chicken skewers with spiced cauliflower followed by a roasted chicken breast with Roman gnocchi. While my chicken breast looked rather a lot like a chicken leg, these courses were in every other regard as advertised and absolutely delicious. Bread and salad are offered on the side, as per leg one.

As with all courses, you get a range of dessert options and, in an effort to shake things up from the first leg, I went for the cheese plate. This was great, but what followed — a surprise treat of dessert wine accompanied by two bite-sized slabs of Whittaker's chocolate — was even better.

During the middle of the night, customers who remained awake (I was not among them...) were offered more Whittaker's chocolate, and then a larger "midnight" snack should sleep continue to elude them. I thought this level of attention to sleepless customers, especially when this would be natural R&R time for cabin crew, was fantastic.

On waking, I was greeted by a Piccolo — which is the best coffee I've ever had at 30,000 feet, by quite some distance — and a shot of uber-healthy if somewhat anonymous juice, which was the perfect start to my day. With 90 minutes remaining, breakfast was served, and it's a good'un: pork sausages, scrambled eggs (surprisingly good), homestyle beans, kale, fruit with yoghurt, a croissant with butter and jam, plus more coffee... divine.

Qantas' in-flight entertainment options have always been good, but right now they're very good. While I slightly resented having to stare at Timothy Cahamlet's face whenever my lovely 16" screen was idling — a particularly intense close-up of his face was the Qantas 'screensaver' at the time of my flight' — once you click through, it's all upside.

I watched The Iron Claw, which was brilliant if heartbreaking. Having set my mood suitably low, I thought why not double down by binging the entire first season of True Detective? While these may not have been the most light-hearted choices, they highlight two of the best things about Qantas' entertainment offer: their lineup of new films is always really well curated, and their access to HBO sets means that no matter how long your flight, there's a bottomless selection of some of the best TV shows ever made for you to get lost in.

Another in-flight entertainment offer that many carriers have taken up in recent years is a wellness-oriented section. Ranging from guided mediations to blissed-out ambient tunes, this was a category I'd never really explored... until now. After my heavy film & TV choices, I found myself craving something to help me wind down for bed, and one of these guided meditations was exactly the thing I needed. Bravo, Qantas, for knowing what I needed long before I did.

Don't let the brevity of this section fool you into thinking that I don't have much to say. Rather, let my conciseness convey weight: the Qantas cabin crew were fantastic. They perfectly walk the line between being attentive — see the midnight Whittakers — making sure your every need is met instantly upon, if not way ahead, of your asking without being overbearing. At no point did I feel overwhelmed by check-ins or questions.

What really blew my mind was the level of personal interest the staff took: they ask your name and they remember it. In fact, they remember it so well that when I strolled up to the boarding gate for my return journey almost a week later, the head of cabin crew walked over and greeted me by name.

More than this, they ask what your plans for your time away are, engage in a lengthy and enthusiastic conversation about them, call back to this conversation before you depart and — should you happen to get the same crew on your return journey — even manage to remember those plans and conversations, asking you about how they bore out.

As someone who can barely remember my own girlfriend's name, I cannot tell you how impressed I was by this; it adds a whole level of personal comfort and intimacy to the business class experience that, speaking frankly, you just don't get in economy (with any carrier) or many other business class cabins, for that matter.

This was the best long-haul flight experience I have ever had, by a country mile. Cutting-edge seat technology combines with Qantas' characteristic eye for wellness, quality, and personalisation, all delivered by a world-beating cabin crew. This experience has, in many ways, ruined me, for it's created a bar so high I fear no other journey may ever touch it...

If I get the chance to fly Qantas business class again, I will leap at the opportunity. Whether I pay with hard-earned cash, flight rewards, or leverage Qantas' frequent flyer program, I'll be there, one way or another...

Read the full article Qantas 787 Business Class In-Depth Review: 24 Hours From Sydney to New York on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

We spoke to industry insiders to better understand why business class seats are so costly to build and install.

Snoozing in your business class seat, you may give much thought about the cost, beyond what it costs you. But that seat you've just splashed a few spots of pinot onto is often a finely tuned and costly piece of machinery. Depending on the seat type and degree of customisation, that seat costs at least as much as a mid-range prestige car and in many cases, much more.

There are many reasons why business class is expensive. One reason is that the seats themselves are expensive to build and install. Even the basic recliner seats seen across the Qantas and Virgin Australia domestic fleet cost north of AUD10,000 when they were installed, which in many cases was some time ago, and does not account for inflation and general cost increases across the aircraft supply chain.

These days, a barebones international-grade business class seat starts at over AUD100,000, and that's before it gets tricked up. While the standard of business class seats varies widely, a reasonable baseline minimum for a competitive full-service airline operating a medium or long-haul flight in 2024 is a lie-flat seat, direct aisle access, storage, privacy, and decent IFE and tech.

As a result, business class seats on top-tier airlines have evolved from just seats to pods built around the seat. Think Delta One Suites, Qatar's Q-Suites, Singapore's business class pods, ANA's The Room, and the Qantas Business Suites. They are all deeply comfortable flying experiences and deeply expensive for the airline to buy, install, and maintain. In 2022, airlines worldwide spent just shy of AUD4 billion on business class seats that can take up to four years to get from the design board onto revenue flights.

Edward Dryden, President of Interiors at Collins Aerospace, who count Starlux, Cathay Pacific, American, and China Airlines as customers, among others, said this to CNBC:

"If you're outfitting an A380 with a large volume of seats, and you've got first class and business class, then you can easily spend tens of millions of dollars."

But for most airlines, the cost is worth it. The Qantas B787 fleet is the backbone of that airline's long-haul international network. The business class seat is the Vantage XL manufactured by Thompson Aero Seating. It is the same seat JetBlue uses in its Mint business class and Virgin Atlantic has on its A330neos.

In the case of Qantas, the seat is the platform on which they built their business class suite. Neither Qantas nor Thompson have disclosed the cost of the seats, but the degree of customisation, which included retaining Marc Newson to tart things up, would have seen the final per-seat cost skyrocket. 

Many Australian travellers will be familiar with the Singapore Airlines A380 business class seat. That airline is more forthcoming with financial details. JAMCO Corporation of Japan makes the seats. However, the seat has been highly customised, and the sleek finish is due to the UK's JPA design. Although passengers won't necessarily notice, the surrounding shell is made of light-weight carbon fibre composite materials.

The seat itself is a mixture of leather, fabrics, and more carbon fibre composite materials. The seat looks pretty, but it is also a sophisticated piece of engineering and technology. Consequently, each seat costs Singapore Airlines over AUD1.3 million to build and install. You could buy a house for that. Or maybe an apartment if you live in Sydney.

When choosing what seat to install, many factors come into play for airlines, including weight, cost, electronics, type of aircraft, and where the aircraft will fly. Airlines work hard to optimise the layout of seats because every square inch is valuable on planes. Usually, an airline comes with a certain idea and the seat manufacturer will collaborate and adjust a certain seat to their needs in terms of trim and finish, colour, textile, and special features.

Most airlines stick with the big manufacturers: Recaro, Collins, and Thompson. They buy the same seats but spend money to differentiate because they want their seat to look and be better than a competitor airline's seat. In most cases, an airline comes with a certain idea, and the seat manufacturer will collaborate and adjust an in-production seat platform to their needs in terms of trim and finish, colour, textile, and special features. Typically, a full-service airline will try to get eight to ten years out of a seat before replacing it.

Adding to the cost are rigorous safety requirements, including crash and flammability testing, which are required to certify seats to fly. These days, a manufacturer must build a seat to withstand a 16G crash experience. Ultimately, all aircraft seats, not just premium cabin seats, are primarily about function and safety rather than form. But the further forward you move on the plane, the more the airlines will spend to disguise this.

Dryden doesn't expect his airline customers to reduce their spending on high-end seats. Since the pandemic, premium cabin demand is higher than ever and passengers have exacting expectations. He says the next generation of business class seats will focus on creating a seamless passenger experience with many of the same conveniences passengers enjoy in their everyday lives. "That's what people want," Dryden said...

"It's going to about bringing more and more of those features we see in automated homes and cars into the aircraft so that passengers have what they want when they want it in exactly the way you want to experience it."

Read the full article How Airlines Justify The Seven-Figure Cost Of Business Class Seats on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Since the launch of Qatar Airways Qsuite business class product, we had waited patiently for a chance to try it... finally, that dream came true. This also is why we named Qatar's Q Suite the best business class to escape Australia.

As first-class cabins become a thing of the past, business class is set to boom. That's why knowing what you're getting is more important than ever before. If Qatar's economy class cabin was anything to go by, we knew we were in for a treat...

Fully enclosed cabins in the 1-2-1 format was a formula never before seen in business class. Since Qatar pioneered the layout, a number of other carriers have followed suit, launching a similar product which is fast becoming the norm in business-class travel. On our way to the annual Swiss watch conference SIHH, we decided to book with Qatar and experience this great new product.

Here's our review of what's hot and what's not with the Qatar business class Qsuite.

Read the full article Qatar Airways Business Class Review: Is ‘Qsuite’ The Best Seat In The Sky? on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Cathay Pacific has always enjoyed a strong reputation for its food and drinks, particularly in the premium cabins. Now, their selection includes a few surprises from the left field...

Cathay Pacific flights for its premium cabin passengers kick off with the requisite pre-departure drink, which depending on the time of day and how much champagne you consumed in The Wing lounge before boarding, could be just what you need.

Once airborne, Cathay Pacific is better known for its way-above-average premium cabin house spirits than wine — think Absolut Vodka, Bombay Gin, Campari, Johnny Walker Gold Reserve, and Hine Rare VSOP cognac.

Wines are your standard business class mix of mid-tier new and old world offerings: two whites and two reds, plus champagne and a dessert wine on longer flights, and one red and white wine, plus champagne and dessert wine on shorter flights. Business class fizz onboard Cathay's flights this year include Alaya Brut Majeur and Billecart-Salmon Brut.

However, for the past several months, Cathay has been serving its first and business-class passengers wine from Chinese vineyards. Among other things, this is designed to show how much the Chinese winemaking industry has improved in recent years, with companies such as LVMH group and DBR Lafite moving into the country.

Recently, Cathay has served three wines from Ningxia-based wineries Grace Vineyards, Silver Heights and Xige Estate in business class, and the 2020 vintage of the DBR Lafite-backed Domaine de Long Dai was pouring in first class. Ronald Khoo, Cathay Pacific's Wine, Spirits and Beverages Manager, called Domaine de Long Dai's "precise approach" to winemaking "very impressive."

As you'd expect, the drinks list in first class is a step up from business class. The airline is currently pouring a 2004 Krug in the first-class cabins, along with crowd-pleasers such as a French burgundy, Kiwi sauv-blanc, Italian Sangiovese, and Portuguese Tawny Port. There is also usually Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Glenmorangie Signet Single Malt Scotch Whisky rattling around the first-class galley.

Cathay Pacific's long-haul business class typically includes a choice of two starters, five main courses, a cheese plate, and four desserts, while, like the trimmed short-haul wine list, shorter-haul flights typically feature two starters, three mains, a cheese plate and two desserts. Things are slightly more elaborate in first class, an eat-what-you-wish affair featuring refined Western and Chinese dishes. There is, of course, caviar with blinis, chives, crème fraiche, and chopped eggs to start proceedings.

Cathay's business class menus usually give a nod to the destination. On flights to India, paneer Charminar might appear, while a Hong Kong-bound flight might include fish ball and cuttlefish ball with flat rice noodle soup. Flights to or from Western cities include a Western main course option. Slow-cooked beef short rib with thyme jus is an example currently appearing on many Cathay flights.

One of the best perks of flying any business or first class on Cathay Pacific is the ability to choose your meal in advance, from ten days out up to 24 hours before departure. On selected long-haul routes, including on flights to London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney, and Melbourne, passengers have access to what the airline calls its "Cathay Signatures," which it styles as a "curated menu of our most iconic flavours."

It's akin to Singapore Airlines' Book the Cook offering, which provides premium cabin passengers with a restaurant-length menu... as long as you lock the order in 24 hours before departure. Cathay's Signature choices change and depend on the route, but business class examples include wok-fried chicken with black bean, and Hong Kong-style curry prawns.

The airline also has been busy promoting Cathay Signatures on social media in recent weeks, with lots of hazy food porn photo shots, suggesting a range of new meal offerings are coming soon.

The tail end of a long flight often includes breakfast, which can be a pretty hit-and-miss affair on other airlines — stale pastries, rock-hard butter, and reheated eggs cooked four lifetimes ago. But Cathay's long-haul breakfast business class menu is pretty decent.

It includes a "wellness" choice (think berries, flaked coconut, and flax seeds), congee with chicken and oats, a Western-style breakfast (for example, bacon and onion soufflé with sausage and potato cake), a continental breakfast (pastries and cold cuts), and an express breakfast, being a pastry and coffee. Things are slightly more bougie in first class — your yoghurt comes with pomegranate molasses, the omelette is "open," and the sampan congee comes with a dim sum selection on the side.

Cathay Pacific has its fans and detractors, but we simply can't deny that the inflight experience is improving by the month. The enviable food and drinks offering, solid choice of flights to and from Australia, outstanding lounges in Hong Kong, and good connections to the rest of the world keep Cathay right up there with the best airlines in the sky.

Combine your Chinese Wine experience with a visit to Cathay's The Wing Lounge for a slice of luxury.

Read the full article Cathay Pacific’s Wine List Now Boasts Top-Tier Chinese Wines… Which Are Really Good on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Could Riyadh Air's "business minus" be the long-awaited champion we've all been waiting for in the post-first-class era of travel?

The current cab-class shake-up has been a long and often controversial process. As airlines abandon first class — which, though always shiny and exciting, draws more eyeballs than it does hard dollars — and look to provide premium business class services as their top-level product, it leaves a question of how to fill the emerging void between these newly elite travellers and the mere mortals riding back in cattle.

Many have attempted to answer that question — business-only airlines, such as the one pictured above, are one example of many — but a new contender has just emerged... Dubbed "Business Minus," this new approach promises a premium experience without the hefty price tag of traditional business class. But what exactly does "Business Minus" entail, and how might it revolutionise the way we fly?

"Business Minus" is a term coined this week by Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas, encapsulating a class of travel that offers amenities and comfort levels that fall somewhere between premium economy and business class. This concept aims to deliver many of the benefits of business class — such as enhanced comfort, superior service, and always-welcome privacy features — at a more accessible price point than the pointy-end proper.

The idea isn't entirely new; some airlines have flirted with similar concepts, branding them as 'premium economy plus' or 'economy comfort.' However, "Business Minus" aims to push the envelope further by integrating features traditionally reserved for business class. This includes more spacious seating, advanced entertainment systems, and possibly even features like privacy partitions and enhanced meal options...

One of the key selling points of "Business Minus" is the significant upgrade in seating comfort and privacy compared to standard premium economy. Airlines exploring this model are considering seats with greater recline, increased legroom, and potentially even mini-suites that provide passengers with a higher degree of privacy... but these seats are decidedly not lie-flat.

For instance, while Riyadh Air has chosen to elevate its business class experience to near-first-class levels, it’s also focusing on making its premium economy — what could be considered "Business Minus"— a cut above the rest:

“When you are looking at premium economy, is it ‘business class minus’ or is it ‘economy plus’?... is it closer to other people's business or is it closer to other people's economy? I would like to think our premium economy is better than other airlines’ business class.”

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas

As stated above, the economic viability of first-class travel has long been up for debate, with many airlines phasing out these luxury suites in favour of more versatile business-class options. "Business Minus" offers a middle ground, delivering an apparently superior experience without the prohibitive costs associated with first-class.

As Douglas aptly puts it, the commercial sustainability of first-class suites is often untenable:

"Many global airlines have gone that route because the commercial economics of first class struggle to consistently sustain themselves, and we want to be financially sustainable as well as environmentally sustainable..."

Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas

As the aviation industry continues to evolve at a more rapid rate than ever before — with both the climate crisis and the cost of living crises posing somewhat existential threats — the introduction of "Business Minus" could represent a significant shift in how airlines structure their cabin classes.

By blurring the lines between premium economy and business class, "Business Minus" could potentially become the new standard for air travel, offering a compelling option for passengers who want more than economy but don't wish to splurge on business class. With major players like Riyadh Air already paving the way, it's only a matter of time before we see more airlines pile in behind...

Read the full article Riyadh Air Introduces ‘Business Minus’: A New Class Between Premium Economy and Business on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Emirates’ new Boeing 777 business class is set to take wing on flights from mid-August, and passengers will no longer be stuck in that old school 2-3-2 layout with its dreaded middle seat.

This article first appeared on Executive Traveller.

The Gulf carrier says its “next generation” 777 business class takes its lead from the A380 business class in both the 1-2-1 layout and the broad feature set includes...

Details on other high-tech touches such as wireless and USB-C power remain scant, although Emirates has previously trumpeted that its next-gen 777 business class would include “next level-technology.”

As expected, the Boeing 777 business class cabin “will also include a small bar for customers to quickly grab mid-flight snacks and refreshments”, along the same lines as Emirates’ long-range Boeing 777-200LRs.

There’ll be a total of 38 lie-flat seats in the revamped business class cabin, down from the current count of 42, ahead of a dedicated cabin of 24 premium economy recliners; the first class cabin will also get a refresh.

“Borrowing inspiration from our flagship A380 in every cabin, our Boeing 777 with revamped interiors boast the very best in customer comfort,” says Emirates Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim, who has previously noted “everything will be streamlined in term of the product offering and consistent” across the Emirates fleet.

“The existing 2-3-2 business class on (the) B777 will go away and you’ll see a new product that will be launched which will bring us the alignment to the product that we have with the upcoming 777-9X (and) with the A350 that is coming in.”

Emirates Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim

Passengers can expect “modern design details and signature cabin finishings, with a new business class cabin that provides more privacy for our customers, in addition to other thoughtful touches that underscore our exceptional value proposition.”

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark has previously described this next-generation 777 business class as “basically the same as we have on the A380” in terms of not only its layout but core feature seat, although nobody would be surprised if this new business class seat sprouted on-trend privacy doors.

The seat itself is from French multinational aerospace specialist Safran, whose SkyLounge product is the foundation of Emirates’ A380 business class.

Safran’s Unity business class platform is tipped for both Emirates’ Boeing 777 refurb and the factory-fresh Airbus A350; Unity’s spacious staggered 1-2-1 seats are wrapped in high walls and featuring a sliding door.

(Unity has also been chosen by Qantas for its Airbus A350 business class, which will feature on non-stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York beginning in mid-2026.)

Emirates is upgrading over 80 of its Boeing 777s with the revised business class seats, along with its popular premium economy cabin, to counteract ongoing delays for the Boeing 777X.

The first refitted Emirates Boeing 777s are scheduled for the following flights

The 777 overhaul program begins this week, and each tip-to-tail facelift will take approximately two weeks.

As previously reported, Emirates also expects to take delivery of its first Airbus A350 in August 2024 for flights from mid-September, while also revamping its A380s to keep them flying “until at least 2041.”

The superjumbo’s first class and business class cabins will adopt a lighter colour palette, stepping gently away from the original gold and faux-walnut burl finishes towards the softer tones and cream-coloured leather upholstery of the second-gen cocktail bar and the latest 777 first class suites.

The A380’s 14 first class suites are also being finessed with higher walls for added privacy and a wider seat for greater comfort.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the first Emirates Boeing 777-9 is still two years away.

“At the moment it looks like the delivery will slip from 2025 to 2026,“ Kazim told media on the sidelines of the recent IATA conference in Dubai, adding that this delay drove the airline’s decision to upgrade its 777-300ERs.

Executive Traveller is Australia’s leading digital publisher of all things premium travel.

Read the full article Emirates Reveals ‘Next Gen’ 777 Business Class With One Massive Change on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

SkyTeam trails in the Australian market, but Executive Board Member Juha Järvinen says there is no reason not to take a closer look at the program.

"It doesn't hurt to have multiple (frequent flyer) membership cards," Järvinen said over a wine in Dubai recently. "One basic benefit of being a member is the communications and offers from the airline."

Many Australians tap the Oneworld alliance via their Qantas frequent flyer membership. Star Alliance is also well-known locally because heavyweight carriers such as Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand have a big market presence and large numbers of Australians enrolled in their frequent flyer programs.

SkyTeam has become the airline alliance's third wheel in the Australian market. That's because no Australian airline is a member. Further, while several SkyTeam member airlines fly into Australia, only one, China Eastern, cracks the local top ten airlines in terms of international passenger market share.

"SkyTeam has nineteen members now," says Järvinen. "It will be twenty in September when SAS Scandinavian joins." Of those nineteen airlines, seven fly into Australia, including Garuda Indonesia, Delta Air Lines, Vietnam Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, China Airlines, Korean Air, and China Eastern Airlines.

In the SkyTeam mix are carriers with first-rate business class cabin products, including Delta's Delta One Suites to Los Angeles from Sydney (and Brisbane in December), the excellent China Airlines A350 services to Taipei from Sydney and Brisbane (and Auckland from Brisbane), and the well-regarded Korean Air flights to Seoul from Brisbane and Sydney.

Also in the mix are what you might call some up-and-coming airlines, including Vietnam Airlines which offers an old-school but highly comfortable business-class product complete with hard copies of newspapers, competitive fares to Europe, and stopover options in two of Asia's best cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.  

China Eastern may not be on everybody's airline shortlist, but it should be. Sure, the inflight service may not be as polished as on some other airlines, but the business seat on its flights to and from Australia uses the same Thompson VantageXL platform as the Delta One Suite and is exceptionally high quality. You even get sliding doors. With flights from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, China Eastern is the 10th largest international operator in the Australian market and offers connections to Europe and North America.

The CEO of Garuda Indonesia, another improving airline with flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Denpasar, Jakarta, and beyond, recently told this writer that one of the benefits of joining an alliance like SkyTeam is that it requires airlines to maintain minimum service, safety, and operational levels.

"It's fantastic being a member of SkyTeam... SkyTeam sets a standard, we have to meet that standard, and that's important for us."

CEO of Garuda Indonesia, Irfan Setiaputra

Most Australian travellers are familiar with Garuda, and until the end of June, it could be your ticket to test-driving the SkyTeam program. Until June 30, 2024, Garuda is status matching Qantas Platinum and Virgin Australia Platinum frequent flyers to GarudaMiles Platinum VIP status (the equivalent of SkyTeam Elite Plus status) for three months.

If you take at least one trip to Indonesia (one-way is fine) within those three months on Garuda, they'll extend the status to the end of Q1 2025. 

SkyTeam Elite Plus gets you all the on-ground and inflight bells and whistles, including lounge access, to which Qantas and VA elites are accustomed. Those benefits can then be enjoyed on other SkyTeam airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, Air France, and KLM.

"People who travel a lot… you need to be mindful that they give up a lot of stuff in their lives... That little benefit of sitting in a lounge or sitting up front, that's a well-being issue."

Juha Järvinen

Järvinen, also Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, says on first impressions, SkyTeam may be less relevant to an Australian traveller than Oneworld, but every traveller has different needs and destinations. SkyTeam carriers have good flight options out of Australian East Coast airports for regular travellers to destinations like South Korea, Indonesia, and China, making it a viable alternative to Oneworld or Star Alliance.

SkyTeam continues to grow. Later this year, they'll add SAS Scandinavian to the ranks. SAS is a Star Alliance member. However, Air France KLM Group recently acquired a minority stake, so SAS is switching to SkyTeam. In South Korea, pending final regulatory approval, Korean Air is poised to take over Star Alliance member Asiana. The Asiana brand will disappear.

What happens to its frequent flyer members remains unknown, but they will likely be offered the opportunity to switch to the Korean Air program, further bolstering SkyTeam's membership base.

Read the full article SkyTeam Deserves Better Than Being The Third Wheel of Travel on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Cathay Pacific's Joy Kesselring reveals how business-class menus are crafted to reflect the diversity and preferences of their customers.

A few days ago, our founder and head honcho Luc Weisman was lucky enough to fly from Australia to Europe on Cathay Pacific's legendary business class. While it's safe to say he was impressed by every aspect of this experience, one thing in particular really piqued his interest: the food.

It got us wondering: how exactly do airlines curate their business-class menus? Are they different routes to route? If so, why? Do they know what meals are likely to attract new customers? And how do they keep endlessly innovating for their loyal returning customers?

In an exclusive interview with Joy Kesselring, Cathay Pacific's Inflight Dining & Hospitality Manager, we explore the meticulous process behind developing and curating the airline's business class menus, designed to deliver a top-tier culinary experience at 30,000 feet.

Developing an inflight menu for business class is a complex and detailed process that involves a heck-of-a-lot of considerations. According to Kesselring, practical challenges such as turbulence and limited cooking facilities on the plane are key factors, as are the relative strengths of people's tastebuds...

"We ensure our dishes are delicious at high altitudes... Ingredients are carefully selected to appeal broadly to all passengers, with appropriate spice levels."

Cathay Pacific's culinary teams place a strong emphasis on using fresh ingredients that are not only delicious but also "wholesome and vibrant". Each dish undergoes an internal tasting and review process before being approved for inflight service.

"Good food is about fresh ingredients that are delicious. A good meal is also sensory, so our culinary teams ensure dishes are not only tasty, but incorporate texture, flavour, and are well presented."

Any good in-flight menu should be a testament to its home city. In Cathay's case, they like to showcase the best of Hong Kong. "We love our home city, so it is important to us that we champion the best Hong Kong cuisine," Kesselring said, pointing to dishes like egg tarts, wonton noodle soup, clay pot rice dishes, and mango pudding.

However, the airline also prioritises a diverse menu that reflects the global nature of its routes. "Food connects people with cultures. We ensure our menu features the diversity of the routes we fly to, accommodating the diversity of our passengers and individual preferences."

Passenger feedback plays a crucial role in menu development. "We consider the passenger profile on a certain route," Kesselring explained. For example, meals on routes to predominantly Muslim countries are Halal, while routes to India avoid beef and pork....

"We also monitor the feedback of dishes and tweak recipes or remove dishes that regularly trigger our system with poor reviews."

Cathay Pacific updates its menus monthly on flights out of Hong Kong, sourcing local and seasonal ingredients wherever possible., while regular quality control assessments are conducted throughout the month to ensure meals maintain their quality.

The airline caters to a wide range of dietary restrictions and preferences, offering 16 different meal options, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, Halal, and kosher meals. "Dining is an important part of the passenger’s inflight experience," Kesselring noted, and the airline is also keenly aware of evolving consumer habits and is developing recipes that cater to these changing tastes.

Looking ahead, Cathay Pacific sees the future of airline dining as increasingly personalised. "Personalising meal requests through pre-ordering services will reduce wastage and drive increased satisfaction as passengers gain greater control over the meals they receive," Kesselring predicted. The integration of digital technologies is expected to enhance the ordering process, offering passengers increased privacy and control over their inflight dining experience.

When asked about one of her favourite of Cathay's culinary initiatives, Kesselring points to their partnerships with several prestigious dining institutions in Hong Kong. Michelin-starred restaurants Duddells and Louise feature in the airline's front-end cabins, providing a bespoke dining experience. Premium Economy passengers enjoy homestyle dishes from Pirata, while Economy passengers can savour plant-forward, nutritious meals developed in collaboration with Veda.

As Cathay Pacific continues to adapt to the evolving tastes and preferences of its passengers, their commitment to delivering a world-class inflight dining experience remains unwavering... the real question is, will other carriers be able to keep up?

Read the full article How Airlines Choose Business Class Menus For Each And Every Route on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

After years of waiting, we finally took off from Sydney to Hong Kong to experience Cathay Pacific’s Business Class on their latest A350 aircraft. With a layover in the airline's immaculate first-class lounge and a stay in Hong Kong's best hotel, the stage was set for a 10/10 trip... but did the cabin itself meet the mark?

Cathay Pacific has always held a special place in my heart. It was the first airline I flew Business Class with when I was 14 years old. My parents and I scored an upgrade from Amsterdam to Hong Kong back when ‘dressing nice’ could get you an upgrade.

Back then, the 747-400 had an old 3-3 layout in the upper deck, which was awesome for the time. It even had a leg rest and ice cream.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Cathay Pacific has just emerged from a long pandemic period, during which the airline (and most of Hong Kong) faced stringent health restrictions.

These restrictions severely impacted tourism and, of course, Cathay’s revenue. Just last week, the airline’s last plane was taken out of desert storage and reinstated into service. It’s crazy to think we’ve lived our best lives while Hong Kong still struggled to restart.

We took the opportunity to test-drive the airline’s Business Class offering and revisit Hong Kong as a stopover destination. For years, Singapore and Dubai have dominated Australians' European holiday transits, but is it time for Hong Kong to reclaim the crown of the most fun stopover destination? Maybe.

Check-in was a breeze at Counter G in Sydney. Dedicated Business Class lines moved swiftly, and my 26kg Rimowa Trunk was checked into Hong Kong. As it disappeared, I quietly held my breath, hoping it would return on the other end. Rimowa luggage, while cool, always makes you nervous.

Note: Hong Kong has a check-in concierge service for First and Oneworld Emerald. Staff greet you, take your bags, and hand you tickets. This is one of the most seamless check-in processes I’ve experienced, and I highly recommend it for pointy-end flyers. Sadly, Cathay is about to discontinue First Class, so who knows what will happen with this service. The baggage allowance is generous, two times the 35kg allowance.

As a Qantas Platinum Frequent Flyer, I treated myself to breakfast at The First Lounge at Sydney Airport. As a Cathay Pacific Business Class customer, you can use the Qantas Business Lounge, which still offers a great selection.

The Qantas receptionist oddly gave me grief for not having a ‘voucher.’ As a partner airline, they provide a voucher to use a specific lounge at the airport. In this case, a Oneworld lounge was the most logical choice.

AMEX Platinum members can use those lounges; however, we recommend the Qantas option for better food and beverage options.

If transiting through Hong Kong, Cathay offers The Pier and The Wing lounges. Both are best in class and often overlooked as some of the world’s best airline lounges. Oneworld Emerald Flyers will have exclusive access to special dining and spa services.

The new Airbus A350 aircraft is an absolute dream to fly on. Like most Airbuses, it’s whisper quiet, has large windows, and a small business class cabin of only 38 seats. This gives a very intimate feel unlike the larger A380 aircraft operated by Qantas and Emirates.

Business Class is split into two main cabins, the other smaller and closer to Economy. I chose 16G, right in the middle of the main cabin.

My neighbour was a lovely Lebanese fellow who claimed to be part of 'Brothers In Arms', a well-known Sydney Middle Eastern gang. He was off with his 11 brothers to visit an orphanage to donate toys and help for a week. True story.

While Cathay is in the process of updating its aircraft with the new Aria business class, the existing product still stands the modern-day test and is much better than other airlines that charge more. The 1-2-1 configuration means that everyone has aisle access, and the fit-out is fresh and feels premium. The seats are not closed suites; however, they offer superior privacy compared to Emirates.

The best seats are the window options, but these were all taken when my flight was ticketed, so taking the middle was the only option. I would recommend having a window seat if flying into Hong Kong. While it’s not the old airport which was sketchy, it’s still pretty to look out the window.

A massive pop-out entertainment screen awaits you, with more than enough movies and shows to keep you occupied on a 9-hour flight from Sydney to Hong Kong. The Cathay Pacific 777 alternative will have a slightly older entertainment system with a smaller screen, so you want to score the A350 when booking. That said, there’s a small cabin of just 8 seats on the 777, which is quiet and private. We managed to score this in our second leg against Milan. 12K, baby.

The bathroom was a personal favourite of mine. It had a window, so you could stare into the blue sky while relieving yourself at 35,000 feet. Incredible. The smaller cabins on the A350 mean fewer people using the bathroom, so it’s a touch cleaner. Yes, I wore shoes to the bathroom, too.

Inflight internet is available for $19.95 USD ($30.00 AUD) for the entire flight. Ensure you have your physical credit card as Google Pay didn’t work for me. It’s quick enough to read email and browse Instagram, but it’s not lightning-fast.

One thing Cathay Pacific does remarkably well is its selection of food. We had a light Wellness breakfast that consisted of Chia porridge, fruit salad, and, surprisingly, a chocolate croissant. Who knew that a croissant could be part of a wellness diet? Count me in! Cathay also offers Western, Chinese, and lighter breakfast options that cater to almost every taste and morning need.

After breakfast, we were served lunch, which I decided to pre-book a week before to test the service. There’s nothing worse than missing out or getting what you don’t want after paying $10,000 for a flight. Cathay Pacific’s pre-flight menu is extensive, with both Western and Eastern options.

It’s more skewed toward Eastern, but you’ll find many treats there. I would recommend sticking with the Eastern menu as it’s their specialty and great.

If you’re flying out of Hong Kong, you can select from top Michelin-starred restaurants like Louise and Duddell’s, which have designed specific meals for some routes. Louise is a nostalgic look at traditional French food, whereas Duddell’s is high-end Chinese food made with premium ingredients. Sadly, I slept through dinner service on my return leg and missed my pre-booked Louise-prepared dinner. Pas mal.

If cocktails are your thing, you’ll have various popular options like Negroni, Martini, and Manhattan. Signature drinks like Cloud Nine and the non-alcoholic Cathay Delight are sure to… delight.

The wine selection is extensive, with wines from Italy, France, and Adelaide. There’s even wine from China, which I tried and was great. I recommend the Silver Heights Jiayuan Marselan red from the Ningxia region. There’s no need to be afraid of Made in China regarding red wine.

Cathay has ground to make up in the luxury travel space, but this current product and the new Aria business class will help them return to the top of the airline rankings. The cabin staff were lovely, efficient, and always happy to help. I actually hit the call button for the first time in years because they were so friendly and helpful. Unlike Emirates, it didn’t feel like a bother.

The biggest kicker in this review is the price. Cathay Pacific is the most competitively priced business class from a top-tier airline. In February, a Sydney to London ticket was around $7,200 compared to $14,000 with Singapore Airlines. Dare I say the product is only marginally different? Emirates and Qantas are just as expensive as Singapore, too.

It makes sense that Cathay is reducing prices to get people flying again, especially as Hong Kong has dropped off as a stopover destination. While it’s a slightly longer flight to Europe by a couple of hours, Hong Kong is a fantastic stopover destination that is almost unparalleled for good restaurants and hotels. The train from the airport to Kowloon/Central is quick, and the shopping is incredible, especially luxury shopping. And it remains a foodie haven for Cantonese delights.

Generally, Business Class airfares are tipped to come down, so it’s safe to assume Cathay will be many people’s first choice when looking to save a few thousand on their next European holiday or business trip. Lock in a few nights at the Island Shangri-La, our recommended luxury hotel on Hong Kong Island.

Lastly, you can earn Qantas Points, but they are only half of the normal rate. Booo! So don’t expect a full haul of status credits if you plan a status credit run.

Until next time, keep your seatbelt fasted, keep your dumplings warm and champagne glass full...

Read the full article Cathay Pacific’s Business Class A350 Review: Exceptional Value For Travellers on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Airlines are replacing outdated seatback screens with MAYA's 45-inch OLED displays, offering a cinema-standard, immersive inflight entertainment experience.

While business-class food offerings just ain't what they used to be and lie-flat beds are fast becoming an endangered species, it seems that one aspect of pointy-end travel is thankfully receiving a much-needed upgrade: your in-seat entertainment system.

In an era where many of us carry 4K screens in our pockets, the outdated seatback screens on aeroplanes often feel far from adequate, a relic from a bygone era. Even the priciest seats on a flight usually feature screens drastically inferior to those on a modern smartphone. Enter Collins Aerospace and Panasonic Avionics, who have partnered up to potentially revolutionise inflight entertainment with their cutting-edge concept: MAYA.

MAYA — a clever little acronym that stands for “Most Advanced Yet Achievable,” — represents a pretty significant leap forward in passenger entertainment experience. The new business class seat design integrates an Astrova Curve 45-inch ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition OLED display, promising passengers a cinema-standard viewing experience at 30,000 feet. The screen is around three times larger than current business-class offerings and boasts an Ultra-Widescreen CinemaScope (21:9) display format, usually reserved for old-school cinemas.

The MAYA screen also has the capacity to sync with personal devices and includes the option of an advanced headphone-less audio system, enhancing the inflight experience even further. Andrew Masson, Vice President of Product Management and Strategy at Panasonic Avionics, made their aim clear:

“[To create] the most immersive experience for the passenger.”

Collins and Panasonic's concept made waves at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, Germany where it debuted last week. Industry insiders heaped praise on the product, hailing it as a significant advancement in premium travel that aligns with the long-neglected needs of modern passengers. Masson emphasized that while the screen is a "cinematic centrepiece" of the MAYA design, it's not just for movies. Passengers can also use the screen to order meals, view maps, and connect their personal devices.

Despite its impressive features, some passengers might argue that the screen's size is overwhelming, especially if they don't spend their flights watching movies. However, for those who relish catching up on films during flights, MAYA offers an undeniable allure. DMARGE also wonders how much in-cabin light pollution these screens could create for passengers who want some shut-eye...

A far more pressing concern in today's rapidly evolving tech landscape, however, is product obsolescence. On this, Masson assured visitors that the screen is "upgradable over time" and built on a "sustainable technology path," minimising the risk of it becoming outdated quickly. How true that turns out to be — and how ready airlines will be to allow (and pay...) for these constant upgrades remains to be seen.

Currently, MAYA remains a concept, with specific details about production and implementation still under development. Nevertheless, the overwhelmingly positive feedback from airlines at AIX bolsters confidence in its future roll-out.

Gone are the days of squinting at spy thrillers or even resorting to your phone for high-resolution viewing vibes; big TVs have finally made it to the stratosphere.

Read the full article Airlines Are Finally Replacing Outdated Seatback Screens With 45-inch OLED Displays on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Aussies love travelling to the US, but not all airlines are created equal, and nobody wants to get stuck in a dud seat on a dud airline on a 14-hour flight, even if you jagged a decent fare.

There’s no shortage of choice when flying between Australia and the US, and the good news is that travellers are starting to see decreases in ticket prices and slightly more award availability, even in business and first class.

Six airlines offer nonstop flights between Australia and the US — Qantas, Jetstar, Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. Some other carriers have viable one-stop options – think Air New Zealand, Fiji Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Cathay Pacific.

If you want to get creative, there are more options than you can count. But for brevity’s sake, we will focus on the nonstop options that link Australia and the US...

Qantas has seven nonstop routes to the US, including Brisbane to Los Angeles; Sydney to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Honolulu; and Melbourne to Los Angeles and Dallas. The airline uses various aircraft, including an A330-200 on the Brisbane – Los Angeles route, the A380-800 on some Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles flights, and the B787-9 on the remainder.

Qantas wins points for a standardised and quite good business class seat across its long-haul fleet, superb first class lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, and LA, improved catering, and typically warm and friendly inflight service. It falls down owing to a lack of inflight WiFi (soon to be remedied), relatively shabby international business class lounges, and a subpar premium economy seat.

Oneworld partner American Airlines has one of the weakest full-service offerings on the Australia – US country pair, putting on daily B77-300ER services between Sydney and Los Angeles and seasonal Brisbane – LA flights using a B787-9 from late October.

American had the chance to smash it out of the park with its Brisbane flights. The airline was originally going to offer its new Flagship Business Suites on the route but recently downgraded it to the plain old Flagship business seats. 

There’s nothing wrong with American Airlines per se. It’s just very ho-hum across the board, with the airline on a downward slide towards mediocrity and getting thoroughly outgunned by its competitors. The inflight experience reflects this. Conversely, the fares are often less expensive than Qantas, and American can be a good vehicle for QFF award redemptions.

Hawaiian Airlines operates a five-times-per-week A330-200 service between Sydney and Honolulu. In many regards, Hawaiian isn’t a bad airline, but the 2-2-2 configuration in its A330 business class cabin is abysmal. That will improve when the airline starts taking delivery of its B787-9s with their fancy Leihoku Suite business class seats. But that won’t happen overnight. In the meantime, if you’re Hawaii-bound, best head straight for the Qantas counter.

That's unless the siren call of cheap fares on Jetstar lures you over to them. Jetstar has the only low-cost product on the Australia – US run, with B787-8 flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Honolulu. Jetstar business class punches above its weight as far as business class lite goes. It's not the product itself that bothers us....

Rather, it's Jetstar's propensity to cancel flights and leave passengers posted, as well as the antics of some of the passengers themselves. You can hit badly behaved passengers on any airline, but they seem to have a predisposition towards Jetstar. Maybe there is a secret loyalty program we don't know about.

United Airlines has the most extensive options of any airline flying between Australia and the US.  The airline is making a big play in the Southwest Pacific and currently flies between Melbourne and Los Angeles and San Francisco; Brisbane and Los Angeles and San Francisco; and Sydney and Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston.

Like Qantas, United gets brownie points for a consistent and very good business class seat on all Australia - US routes, the well-regarded Polaris seat.

United’s Achilles heel is its inflight soft product, which can be hit and miss. When the crew and catering are on point, United can be world-class. When things go south, you could be on American. Luckily, United is reasonably consistent and consistently okay. 

Its transpacific flights are also interesting opportunities for Star Alliance award redemptions and, if using programs like Aeroplan, can be outstanding value.

Delta is similar to United, only with a smaller Southwest Pacific network. Its A350-900s (arguably the best commercial jet in the skies) swing between Sydney and will start seasonal Brisbane to LA flights in December. Delta One business class is really very good. The real bonus is the sliding privacy partition, a standout attribute you won’t find on Qantas or United.

The downside is you can hit those US airline service standards, even in Delta's premium cabins, which if you regularly fly the Gulf or Asian airlines, or even Qantas, can be a real competitive disadvantage.

Qantas performs well compared to its competitors on the Australia – US routes. Its business class seats aren’t as flashy as Polaris or the Delta One seat, but they are good, and you know what you are getting. As an added bonus, there are first class cabins on Qantas A380 flights to Los Angeles if you really want to live it up.

Unless you are a super picky flyer, flying in a premium cabin onboard Qantas, United, or Delta transpacific flights will be a good experience. DMARGE is less keen on American and Hawaiian Airlines. As for Jetstar, every Australian knows, or should know, what they are in for when stepping onboard....

Read the full article Flying To The USA: The Best (And Worst) Airlines For Your Trip on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Fifth-freedom flights could be the easiest way to nab a cheap business-class seat that most Australians have never heard of.

Put simply, a fifth-freedom flight is a fight between countries A and B operated by an airline not from either country. For example, Qantas flying between Auckland and New York. Because travellers gravitate towards national carriers, fifth-freedom flights can be keenly priced from a cash and points perspective.

This article covers some of the well-known and not-so-well-known fifth-freedom flights to and from Australia...

The big daddy of Australia’s fifth-freedom flights is the daily return Emirates A380-800 service between Sydney and Auckland. Why such a big deal? Besides the fact that it’s an A380, which for some reason continues to get some people all hot under the collar, Emirates has a knockout business and first-class cabin on this aircraft type.

At 64,500 Qantas points (plus AUD186 in fees and taxes), this is one of the more affordable ways to wriggle your way into Emirates first class. Unfortunately, because people like me promote this redemption sweet spot, first-class redemptions are increasingly hard to come by. 

But business class redemptions (which are available) on the sector cost 43,800 points (plus AUD186 in fees and taxes). Frankly, when the alternative is Qantas B737-800 business class or all-economy Airbus narrowbodies on Air New Zealand or Jetstar, I know which I’d choose. 

Taiwan’s China Airlines operates an A350-900 between Brisbane and Auckland every day except Monday and Wednesday. The flight has a civilised lunchtime pushback from Brisbane and an early evening departure out of Auckland. Qantas, Air New Zealand, and Jetstar also fly the route. 

The China Airlines A350 has a striking 32-seat business class cabin in a 1-2-1 layout, with wide seats, great pitch, unrestricted footwells, lie-flat seats, and a walk-up bar. 

China Airlines is a SkyTeam member, Australia’s least popular airline alliance. However, China Airlines has a codeshare arrangement with Qantas, allowing QFF members to pay as little as 43,500 points (plus AUD164 in fees and taxes) for a one-way trans-Tasman flight. This is roughly 700 points more than a redemption on the evening Qantas B737 service out of Brisbane or 3,000 points less than the morning Qantas A330 flight.

But why would you want to fly on either of those when there is an A350-900 available?

Emirates also has a daily fifth freedom flight between Melbourne and Singapore, which DMARGE cannot recommend because it pushes back at Tullamarine at 2.30 a.m., and the 2-3-2 business class seat layout is a premium cabin horror show despite the best efforts of the lovely Emirate flight attendants.

The flight down to Melbourne is a more interesting option. Despite the lousy J cabin layout, it is a daytime flight, and these can be hard to come by between Asia and Australia. You can redeem QFF for these Emirates flights, and this may be a case where an economy class redemption (30,200 points plus AUD329 in fees and taxes) easily trumps the business class redemption price of 75,200 points plus a staggering AUD1,226 in fees and taxes. No thanks.

British Airways has an equivalent daily fifth-freedom service running between Sydney and Singapore, right down to the subpar B787-9 business-class cabin. That may change later this year when BA will probably swap out the Dreamliner for the B777-300ER with its up-to-the-minute business suites.

However, in the meantime, the superior Qantas and Singapore Airlines premium cabin products are available and better.

Out of Perth, Batik Air flies a B737-800 four times per week to and from Auckland. It’s not the greatest business-class product on the market, but the alternative, Air New Zealand’s B787-9's product isn’t so flash either.

The Batik Air business class proposition gets traction because it is roughly half the price (AUD2,000 return) of the Air New Zealand fare (circa AUD4,000 return). The tradeoff is you get a domestic business class recliner instead of a lie-flat bed, but for the saving, that is a tradeoff many people may be happy to make.

Nauru Airlines is another carrier that might not be top of your airline short-list. However, Nauru is starting a fifth-freedom B737 flight between Brisbane and Palau (Roror), a top-tier albeit under-visited destination for divers and people who simply want to tune out for a week. Flights start towards the end of May and run overnight, which isn’t ideal. On the plus side, Nauru Airlines does have a business class cabin, albeit in the domestic recliner style rather than lie-flat.

There are other fifth-freedom flights to and from Australia. They are typically, but not always, cheaper than the local airlines. It's a pattern that's repeated around the world. If you are looking for a premium cabin experience at an affordable price, fifth-freedom flights could be the answer.

Read the full article Fifth Freedom Flights: The Ultimate Travel Hack For Cheap Business Class Seats on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

An increasing number of Asia-based low-cost carriers are flying into Australia and offering a scaled-back business class.

This news will suit some passengers who are prepared to forego perks such as lounge access, lie-flat seats, and free-flowing champagne in exchange for 1990s-style recliners, a quieter cabin, and a cost-competitive fare.

Carriers such as Scoot, Batik Air, T’way, VietJet, and AirAsia X are all pushing a business class lite product that is more like premium economy on full-service airlines. However, for some passengers, these airlines hit the sweet spot, offering decent comfort and reasonable value.

Scoot is Singapore Airlines' version of Jetstar. It operates B787s from Singapore to Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. Depending on the exact model of aircraft, Scoot offers between 18 and 35 seats in Scoot Plus in a 2-3-2 layout. Scoot Plus offers a well-padded leather recliner seat with good recline, one complimentary meal, snack, one alcoholic/non-alcoholic drink, priority boarding, and a 30kg luggage allowance.

You can forget an afternoon of free-flowing drinks and bowls of warm nuts and the cabin can often be filled by people you wouldn’t normally hang around with, but for a daytime flight into Asia, Scoot Plus can be a perfectly decent option for many people. Once in Singapore, you can transfer into a real business class cabin for your longer connecting trip or spend the savings on one of Singapore's many over-priced five-star hotels.

Malaysia’s AirAsia X offers a slightly improved version of business class lite on their A330 flights from KL to Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. Thai AirAsia X also flies between Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and Sydney using the same aircraft type and offering the same product. The smaller 12-person cabin in a 2-2-2 configuration is immediately more appealing, and the ticket includes a complimentary meal and drink, plus a 40 kg luggage allowance.

The seats also extend out flat, but at a 165˚ angle, so it’s angle-flat rather than lie flat — a big upgrade on the Scoot seat. However, you do notice the angle when you are trying to sleep at night and are slowly sliding down the seat. Instead, many passengers put their seat into a cradle position to sleep. AirAsia X's premium cabin beats economy on a full-service airline and is usually around the same price.

Batik Air operates narrowbody B737-800s between KL and Bali to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. It also flies between Perth and Jakarta and Perth and Adelaide. Batik business class; think three rows of recliners in a 2-2 layout, just like you get on a Qantas B737.

Qantas Business Class Seats — Everything You Need To Know

Think Qantas domestic business class without the lounges and wine (Batik doesn’t service alcohol) but superior recline and legroom. Throw in generally pleasant in-flight service and meals along with highly competitive fares, and Batik Air business class can be a sound alternative to economy class on mainstream airlines to and from Asia.

It’s hard not to be aware of VietJet and its bright orange A330s, which fly from Ho Chi Minh to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Melbourne. Flights between Hanoi, Melbourne, and Sydney will also start in June. Like AirAsia X, the VietJet A330s offer a 12-person SkyBoss business class cabin with a 2-2-2 configuration and angle flat seats. One reason for the similarity is that these are former AirAsia X aircraft.

But VietJet channels a little more of the full-service experience than AirAsia X, with a fruit offering and warm handtowels before take-off, two meals on the Australia - Vietnam sector with a choice of meals with sides with some effort put into the presentation, a broad range of drinks, including alcohol, amenity kit, pillow, and blanket.

VietJet is no Qatar Airways, but it is a really solid product for its price point if you can forego stuff like inflight entertainment, power ports, lounges, and WiFi.

South Korean low-cost carrier T’way Air also flies an A330 between Seoul and Sydney and has a two-row business class cabin just like AirAsia X. This is because most of T’way’s A330 also come from that airline (AirAsia X had a near-death financial experience during pandemic and had to offload a lot of planes).

But T’way business class is a more parsimonious experience than VietJet or Batik. Like Scoot and AirAsia X, it’s one complimentary meal and drink, a 20kg luggage allowance, and the not-quite lie-flat seat. Everything else requires payment. Compared to the Southeast Asian cabin crews, T’way’s cabin crews can be aloof to the point of rudeness. But you don’t fly business class lite for the charming cabin crew.

These airlines strip business class back to the basics – a decent seat, a quieter cabin, and more personal space. It’s what full-service airlines used to call business class in 1995. However, given the highly competitive fares, these airlines remain a good alternative for passengers who want comfort with all the 2024 full-service business class frills. 

Read the full article Asia’s Budget Airlines Could Be The Best Value Business Class Seats For Travellers on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Air Canada's Aeroplan isn't the first frequent flyer scheme most Australians would consider joining, but when you see their business class discounts you'll realise it's time to rethink that...

The program is free to join, easy to use, and offers long-haul travellers easy access to massive travel savings across all cabin classes on partner airlines. As frequent flyer programs go, this is one of the best. If you're not au fait with the merits of Aeroplan for Australian travellers, here's the skinny...

Air Canada, a perfectly pleasant if unremarkable airline, is one of 26 Star Alliance members. Handily, Air Canada also partners with 27 other airlines, including Virgin Australia, offering Aeroplan members a range of points earning and redemption opportunities.

Many airlines have extensive partnership networks and are members of alliances. Qantas is a member of Oneworld and Virgin Australia, while not a member of any alliance, has a short but high-quality list of partner airlines. What sets Aeroplan apart?

Aeroplan's value lies in its relatively low redemption rates for long-haul premium travel on partner airlines, particularly for travel originating or terminating in the Asia Pacific region.

Unlike many other airlines that use dynamic pricing for redemptions, Aeroplan still uses static redemption pricing based on distance across the zones you are flying in or between. The icing on the cake is that the fees and taxes on Aeroplan partner redemptions are extremely reasonable.

Air Canada divides the world into four zones: North America (which includes Central America), South America, the Atlantic (which includes Greenland, Europe, the western half of Russia, South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa), and the Pacific (which includes the eastern half of Russia, all of China, North and South East Asia, Australasia, and everything through to the dateline).

On the Melbourne-Singapore route, a distance of around 3,800 miles, a Qantas Classic Rewards redemption is 68,400 plus fees and taxes. Singapore Airlines Business Saver redemptions are 68,500 plus fees and taxes. Aeroplan charges 45,000 points plus fees and taxes.

The Aeroplan redemption rate stays the same while seats remain available, even when many competitors use dynamic pricing to increase the redemption price of seats on a flight as availability dwindles.

On the Brisbane-Amsterdam route — which falls into the 7001-plus-miles band for travel between the Pacific and Europe zones — the flat Aeroplan business class redemption rate on a partner airline is 110,000 plus fees and taxes. This compares to 130,500 points plus fees and taxes for a Singapore Airlines Business Saver redemption and 164,500 points plus fees and taxes for a Qantas Class Rewards business redemption.

While the best value is in premium cabins, Air Canada's Aeroplan program consistently charges fewer points than competitors on long-haul flights. It also has flat redemption pricing across a multitude of partner airlines and doesn't gouge you on fees and taxes. These are big pluses for the program.

For Australians, the biggest issue with Aeroplan is that it is far harder to earn points with them than Qantas or Virgin Australia. Naturally, Air Canada partners with American Express, and you can transfer your Membership Rewards points to AeroPlan. However, another key value Aeroplan proposition is buying points when their bonus point sales are on (as they often are).

Not everybody is on board with buying points, and that's fair enough. But stick with this paragraph. During a bonus points sale, an Aeroplan member can legitimately acquire points for as low as AUD14.70 per 1000. It would cost around AUD661 to buy the 45,000 points required to fly between Melbourne and Singapore. The fees and taxes on that sector are AUD161, so a mere AUD882.50 all in. 

If you want to head up to Singapore for New Year's Eve, a one-way cash business class fare on Singapore Airlines on this route on the last day of 2024 currently costs over AUD3000. Buying enough Aeroplan points to redeem a business class on the same day costs 26% of that amount.

Similar savings extend right across the network of Aeroplan partner redemptions, flying on quality carriers that can get you almost anywhere and giving passengers willing to do the legwork an extremely cost-effective way to fly business class (or first class). It also opens up round-the-world flights at prices no travel agent will give you.

Aeroplan is very user-friendly as frequent flyer programs go, but normal caveats apply. Don't log on expecting availability tomorrow. Be open to trying partner airlines you may not have flown on before, and if you're willing to buy points, only buy them when the sales are on and you have a use for them.

But if you're the type of person who sorts trips six months out, likes flying up the front, and thinks outside the box, then Aeroplan may be the perfect frequent flyer program for you...

Read the full article How To Score Big Business Class Discounts On American Flights on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

We've written extensively on the army of airlines ditching first class cabins in favour of elevated premium economy and business class seats, but never has this trend been summarised so succinctly as this move from American Airlines, who have added new seats that rank 'above' business class only months after ditching first class.

This week, American Airlines unveiled a new class of seats that technically sits within its business class cabins but is being marketed as distinctly better than business class, catchily coined the 'Flagship Suite Preferred Seat'. This new category represents a wider shift in airline seating hierarchy and the collapse of the distinction between first and business classes.

WATCH: Business Class Dad Savaged After 'Spoilt Brat' Spoon-Fed By Cabin Crew

Set to debut on a Boeing 787-9 in October 2024, the new Flagship Suites will be featured on flights between Dallas and Brisbane. The rollout will involve retrofitting Boeing 777-300ER jets which will be entirely gutted of their first-class provision.

Notable features of these suites include extra space offered in the first row, luxury amenities such as Nest Bedding mattress pads, throw blankets, memory foam lumbar pillows, pyjamas, and even an exclusive amenity kit by Thirteen Lune and Joanna Vargas. Interestingly, they also have an identical food and drink offer to the recently-ditched first class cabin.

This move reflects a broader trend in the industry, with other airlines like United and Lufthansa also investing in similar changes, opting to level up the business class experience that will likely attract a broader segment of premium travellers and eliminate the massive costs associated with maintaining a separate first class cabin.

Some carriers, like Air France and SWISS, stand firm and continue to offer distinct first class services.

It seems that for American — but also the industry at large — the future lies in a more inclusive but differentiated business class experience, rather than the classic separation of service tiers.

Here's an exert from one of our previous articles that explores what really lies behind this shift from first class hegemony to business class brilliance:

What lies behind all of this, as you might expect from a sector looking to secure future profits in an increasingly precarious post-pandemic world, is profit margins. The real reason that first-class seats are being scrapped is one that might surprise you, given the exceptionally high cost of first-class seats, especially for long-haul routes: they barely make the airline any money. 

This was confirmed by Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker last year, who referred to first-class seats as “very expensive real estate” that doesn’t yield particularly attractive returns for airline shareholders.

This can be proven by the widespread nature of change; the trend isn’t confined to Cathay Pacific, with Air Canada, United Airlines, and Delta all discontinuing first-class services on non-domestic flights. When you consider that Qatar is rolling out a similar reconfiguration, we can expect this to be a global phenomenon in pretty short order.

Interestingly, it was also Akbar Al Baker who first declared that declared first class to be “pointless”. In contrast with other airlines like Lufthansa, Qantas and Air France, who have all doubled down on their high-end offer in recent years, Al Baker’s rationale stems from his belief that the investment in opulent first-class seating fails to yield sufficient returns compared to the much-cheaper-but-still-immense perks offered in business class:

“Why [wouldn’t] you invest in a subclass of an airplane that already gives you all the amenities that first class gives you? I don’t see the necessity.”

Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways CEO

For Al Baker, the future lies in business class, specifically the airline’s Q-suite product. His high-stakes vision has led the airline to exclude first-class cabins from its next-generation Boeing 777X aircraft, which will become the largest in the airline’s fleet once all ten of its Airbus A380s (which still feature eight first-class seats) are eventually retired.

Read the full article American Airlines New ‘Business Plus’ Seats Prove First Class Is A Thing Of The Past on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Some hard limits on politicians' travel perks have been set this week, including a banning on business class seats, reflecting a global trend in reevaluating political travel privileges.

With the recent unveiling of the world's best business class seats and news that there's a brand new hack for ultra-cheap business class bidding, you can understand why the swathes of politicians that have just been banned from flying at the pointy end of the plane in Germany might be a little miffed.

This week, Germany's Bundestag has introduced a new travel policy that restricts members of parliament from flying business class on flights under four hours long. The decision hopes to cut government travel expenses by around 50%, ensuring that the annual ringfenced travel budget is not exhausted prematurely, as was the case in 2023 after a mere five months.

Cathay Pacific Announces 'Aria' Business Class Upgrade

The move has stirred what you might politely call 'mixed reactions' among Bundestag members, who until recently enjoyed the privilege of travelling in business class on pretty much any flight they fancied. The new policy mandates economy class travel for shorter flights, typically within Europe, stripping members of the enhanced comfort, priority services, and complimentary champagne associated with the pointy end.

To soften the blow, the Bundestag has made arrangements for members to access airport lounges and fast-track security lanes — using the argument, we can only assume, that this allows them to spend more time working and less time idling — although the costs for these services remain undisclosed at time of writing.

The policy change reflects a broader trend of reevaluating travel perks for politicians around the world. Until 2022, Bundestag members received the catchily-named "Lufthansa Miles & More Senator elite status", a benefit that was eventually discontinued due to ethical considerations. The cap on acceptable gifts for politicians — set at a very progressive 25 euros in Germany — underscores a wider tightening of regulations surrounding political privileges.

Some writers have drawn an interesting and arguably problematic contrast with Australia, where politicians enjoy access to the highly exclusive Qantas Chairman's Lounge, an invitation-only club for VIPs. Ben Schlappig from One Mile At A Time explains further...

"I’ve always found it strange how politicians in Australia are given an invitation to the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge... I know companies and organizations exercise soft political power in all kinds of ways, though creating a special lounge and inviting celebrities and politicians sure seems to create a pretty major conflict of interest if you ask me."

Ben Schlappig

The Bundestag's decision to limit business class travel is certainly a bold step towards more ethical governance. Any rule that helps hold politicians to account for their expenditure of taxpayers' hard-earned dosh is never a bad thing, so far as we're concerned. Airlines who've made a pretty penny of their own by dolling out champagne to mid-air politicians may feel otherwise...

Read the full article Germany Introduces Economy-Only Rule for Politicians on Short Flights to Curb Travel Costs on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Scores of airlines offer a business class product on their Australian flights, but only a handful of offerings are truly top tier. What does it take to be the best and which airlines make the grade?

Direct aisle access, privacy (bonus points for sliding doors), generous luggage allowance, a comfortable lie-flat bed, tasty food and a proactive beverage offering, personable and professional flight attendants, and a calm cabin ambience are the baseline criteria for separating the airline also-rans from the standouts. 

For DMARGE's money, we reckon the best all-round business class products in the Australian market are provided by Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Delta Air Lines, China Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Finnair.

The debut of Turkish Airlines flights to Melbourne in March brought a top-tier business class product into the Australian market. The Stelia-manufactured seat on the Turkish A350s flying out of Melbourne is the same as the Singapore Airlines A350 regional product, so it will be familiar to many Australian travellers.

Turkish doesn’t offer sliding doors in business class but its excellent food and beverage offering, along with polished service and a full range of amenities, helps give this cabin an edge. Turkish Airlines flies to Istanbul via Singapore. Once in Istanbul, the airline’s expansive network can get you almost anywhere.

Another new entrant in Australian airspace is Finnair, now flying A330-300s  between Sydney, Singapore, and Bangkok for Qantas. Onboard, the zero-recline AirLounge Collins AeroSpace designed business class seat is more like a sofa at home than a traditional business class seat in the sky.

You still get a lie-flat bed, plenty of cushions to lounge on, and traces of Qantas, including QF pyjamas, catering, and IFE. But DMARGE thinks the stylish Finnair business cabin, the seat shells with their ample privacy, and the Nordic cabin crews are tops. Additionally, Finnair is a Oneworld member offering good connections to Europe.

Qatar Airway’s near faultless Q Suites are one of the best business class products in the sky and available on flights into Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide. Alas, Qatar uses A380s on services to Sydney and Perth, which offer premium passengers a bar and first class, but no Q Suites.

Read Luc Wiesman's most recent review of his favourite business class, the Qatar Airways QSuite.

The Q Suites ticks many boxes — sliding doors, dine-on-demand, PJs, classy cabins, and attentive if somewhat stiff service. Hopefully, the FAs might relax now Al Baker is gone. Add in a global network, excellent lounges, and Oneworld and Velocity redemption opportunities, and you get a compelling business class product.

The Singapore Airlines business class product continues to prove a hit with Australians. Why? Let's start with product consistency and network reach. Singapore doesn't have the most cutting-edge business product in the skies, but they do have a well-above-average seat and (barring Hobart) they fly into every Australian capital plus Cairns.

Throw in solid lounges, cabin crews that are good even on a bad day, a respectable wine list, and extras like 'book the cook', and it's easy to work out why Singapore Airlines business class rates well. Plus, transiting through Changi is (usually) a breeze.

Just don't get Qatared. It's the worst.

Flying to North America, the Delta One Business Suites on its A350s out of Sydney (and Brisbane over the 2024/25 summer) are the pick of the trans-Pacific business class products.

A 32-passenger cabin offering a customized version of the Thompson Aero’s Vantage XL seat, the Delta Suites have a lot going on. Sliding doors? Yep. Westin bedding? Done. Pillows I want to take home? Tick.

Delta, a SkyTeam member, flies daily from Sydney to LAX. From there, it is a single hop to most points in North America. Delta is also currently status-matching Qantas and VA elites.

Taiwan's China Airlines is an underrated gem of a carrier. The SkyTeam member uses an A350-900 to link Sydney to Taipei, with onward connections to 73 airports. DMARGE likes the 32-seat business class cabin's use of wood veneer and classy mood lighting. The seats utilise the reverse herringbone Collins Aerospace Super Diamond platform.

While there are no PJs, there is a 'book the cook' service, Piper champagne, warm service, quality bedding, decent privacy, a mini sky lounge, and much attention to detail. This terrific business class product is easily among the best in the Australian market.

We have respect for United’s Polaris product. BA would have made the grade if they hadn’t recently swapped out their B777s with their newest business seat for the inferior product on the B787s now flying to Australia. Qantas, when they have their act together, can shine. Land the right aircraft type on an Emirates flight, and it’s hard not to enjoy a business class flight. EVA Air is always worth a look too.

Lists are subjective, but one thing is not: flying business class on almost any airline sure beats the back of the bus. Pick the right business class cabin, and flying becomes a pleasure.

Read the full article Top Business Class Picks for 2024: The Best Airlines To Escape In Style on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

There's no denying that business class travel has changed a lot over the years. There's also no denying that some of the business class seats and amenities offered by airlines like United, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines are still absolutely fantastic products. And yet, many feel that they don't quite live up to those on offer half a century ago...

Once upon a time, flying was an event... and a big event at that. Passengers donned their Sunday best, sipped fine wines, and dined on gourmet meals served (literally...) on silver platters at 30,000 feet. Many remember this so-called golden age of airline dining with fond nostalgia, but we think there's a darker, lesser-known story behind mid-flight charcuterie...

As the guru Gary Leff over at View From The Wing summarises:

"Memes like this one have the story of great on-board meals exactly backwards..."

Gary Leff

To understand this requires something of a history lesson, so bear with me here:

Before the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act, the US government exerted massive control over airlines, dictating where they could fly and the prices they could charge. Designed to ensure airline profitability and based on the belief that allowing airlines to compete on ticket price would lead to "ruinous competition" — whereby safety could be compromised due to the financial pressure to cut costs — ticket prices were set very high.

Competition between airlines to capture customers willing and able to pay premium prices was fierce. However, given the government forbade them from competing on ticket cost, how would they lure passengers in? Well, through their in-flight amenities, especially food. This led to the now mindboggling images we see of lobster, legs of ham, and champagne being dolled out to customers by black-tie-wearing waiters.

Naturally, the Civil Aeronautics Board tried to crack down on this too and even considered regulating the thickness of sandwiches at one point to prevent airlines from competing too aggressively via food offerings.

However, the aforementioned Deregulation Act significantly reduced government oversight regarding routes and pricing, leading to more heated competition and, for many, more affordable air travel. The shift away from luxury towards cost-effective services made air travel much more accessible to a broader segment of the population and signalled a massive democratisation of air travel... but it also meant the end of silver service.

Ultimately, the so-called "decline" of in-flight dining is more than a matter of changing consumer preferences: it reflects a broader shift in society's values from exclusivity to inclusivity, from gourmet meals to grab-and-go snacks.

So, as we munch our pretzels and yearn for lobster thermidor in the skies, take a moment to consider the complex interplay of economics, regulation, and social dynamics that shaped the golden age of airline dining...

The food may have been good, but wasn't it just an era of "gastronomic gatekeeping" that embodied a time before the hoi polloi could enjoy the many benefits of air travel?

Read the full article From Lobster to Pretzels: The Economic Forces Behind Airline Dining’s Transformation on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Flying economy is not always comfortable for everyone, and the lack of leg space is notorious on almost every airline. For those who wish to travel in high comfort, there are two options to choose from: Business Class and First Class. Both options offer high-end amenities that allow air passengers to travel in style and enjoy their flight.

Although some airlines offer First-Class lever services to those flying with Business Class, most have notable differences between the two. In this article, you will learn more about first class and business class so you can make the appropriate choice.

First-Class flights offer top-of-the-line amenities to those who wish to travel in supreme comfort. That said, it’s important to note that First Class can differ depending on the airline you take and the route you go on. For instance, while international First-Class flights might offer cabins with fully reclining seats that turn into beds, domestic ones may not always provide this kind of benefit. 

Most First-Class flights offer dedicated lounges and premium features such as fully flat sleeping beds, gourmet dining, priority boarding, and more. Some First-Class flights (for example, those operated by Etihad or Emirates) even offer luxurious amenities such as in-flight showering or quick passing through immigration. It’s usually recommended to check with the airline to see what first-class features you’ll get for your route.

Business Class is often less expensive than First Class, but the features received often depend on who you are flying with and where. For instance, Business Class may be regarded as First Class if you travel domestically. The two may only differ if you decide to fly over a greater distance.

Created with business air passengers in mind, this type of service offers features such as gourmet dining, spacious seating that can be turned into beds, entertainment options, and more. Some airlines, such as Virgin Australia, have cancelled their First-Class offerings, relaunching and labelling them as “Business” instead. That said, many of the First-Class services they previously provided still stand in this scenario.

We know Business and first classes have similarities and differences, but we only briefly touched upon them. Below, you can learn more about how these types of services differ.

Depending on the route you are flying through, Business Class and First Class have different seating configurations. For instance, the Business Class offers spacious seating areas with reclining seats that can be turned into a bed. Upon request, the flight attendant can also provide blankets, pillows, and earplugs to improve seating comfort even more.

For most domestic flights, this same configuration also applies to First Class. However, many airlines kick their First Class up a notch for long-haul flights by offering private cabins or suites. This makes the passengers feel like they are in their own private studios, without outside noise bothering them. The feature is often present in some airlines such as Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad for Business Class, but this also depends on the flight length.

Ground service is similar when it comes to First Class and Business Class, with both options enjoying priority. Someone possessing those kinds of tickets has access to premium lounging, priority services (i.e., check-in and boarding), and more.

For the most part, the First-Class group takes priority over Business Class, which means they will go first through customs. That said, if the flight you are going with does not offer First Class, then Business may as well be considered that way. The ground services often depend on the amenities of the airport, but both options are usually high-end.

Both Business Class and First Class offer top-notch dining options, usually cooked by top chefs from Michelin-rated restaurants. The menus vary depending on the airline you are going with, and change based on the length of the flight and available options. Still, their “fineness” depends on the taste of the air passenger, as some may find Business Class meals more appealing than First Class. 

The main difference is in the presentation, with First Class having the food delivered on fine China plates. Other than that, the foods and drinks provided are often similar. Both Business and First Class receive multiple-course food options, fine beverages, and quality snacking options.

First and Business classes offer amenities that travellers can enjoy, such as skincare, toiletries, and travel-sized treats like perfume. However, First Class usually takes it up a notch by offering benefits such as premium PJs and slightly more luxurious brands. 

Some First-Class options also include showering cabins for those with such a ticket. This service is not usually available for Business Class, as most showers are in private First-Class suites. This can vary from one airline and route to another, so it is a good idea to check with them first. Most of the time, Business Class gives access to lounges at the airport, where passengers can grab a quick shower.

The price is likely the most notable difference, although it might also depend on the route and circumstances. For the most part, First-Class tickets have a higher price tag than Business, but that depends on the airline and boarded aircraft. The season of travel and the moment of purchase could also affect the price.

In some cases, a First-Class domestic flight and a Business-Class one has similar prices. Still, going on the long haul and requesting finer suites can bump the cost of First Class. That said, a First-Class long-haul ticket booked ahead of time and a Business Class booked on short notice could share similar prices.

Overall, First Class is usually superior to Business Class, but this depends on various factors. First Class often provides higher-rated amenities on the long haul, but the two services might be the same on the short haul. It’s worth contacting the airline first to see what benefits are offered on that specific Business or First-Class flight.

Read the full article What’s the Difference Between First Class and Business Class? on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Business Class suites around the world have been levelling up in recent years, but Cathay Pacific has just pulled back the curtain on their latest cabin upgrades and, suffice to say, it's a winner.

While some US airlines have been ruffling feathers by beginning to remove their business class cabins — sometimes as a response to mounting 'recline rage' — Cathay Pacific has, like many long-distance carriers with long-term vision, been investing heavily in upgrading their business class offer as first-class becomes something of a loss-making relic.

This week, it finally gave enthusiasts a peek behind the curtain of its brand-new business class which could be, we reckon, the world's best at this point in time. The Aria Suite, installed on Cathay's Boeing 777-300ERs, claims to keep passenger comfort and privacy at front of mind. The new cabins are set to take flight later this year.

The Aria Suite, the centrepiece of Cathay's new business class, claims to offer the ultimate in comfort, privacy, and practicality. Passengers can relax in large lie-flat beds, customise their lighting in a lovely touch of experience personalisation, and enjoy a swathe of intuitive features including smart stowage, high-speed charging ports, and even cutting-edge wireless charging stations.

Further flight personalisation can all be managed from 4K widescreen TVs, allowing flyers to adjust their seat position, check lavatory occupancy, and sync up their inflight entertainment with their travel companion, which makes for a very sweet little extra that honeymooners will love.

What will really hype up die-hard business class fans, however, is the addition of a privacy door to the seat's wrap-around design, with the sliding partition between seats providing a private hideaway at 30,000 feet that many have long felt business seats are lacking, considering their ever-increasing pricepoint.

"Each material has been hand-selected to create a sense of calm, and every feature has been thoughtfully designed for intuitive use. We’ve given meticulous attention to every detail, no matter how small – and you’ll feel the difference throughout your journey."

Cathay Pacific

Our friends over at Executive Traveller highlight two aspects of the Aria seats that demonstrate Cathay's commitment "to further differentiating its business class from the competition". First is the sliding privacy door which, David Flynn wryly and rightly points out, are "now mandatory" across the sector. Specifically, however, he points to the extended 'wings' on the seat which grant an unparalleled level of privacy even when the sliding door is open.

Second is the incredibly high-spec and (quietly) luxurious feel of the design, guided by London's JPA Design, featuring gentle curves and woodgrain (or, at least, woodgrain-like) surfaces. Developed using JPA's AirTek platform — known for its robust yet lightweight design — the patented unibody, composite, monocoque structure supports loads "by the skin and shell of the seat, reducing the need for internal support structures".

This design not only reduces aircraft weight (and therefore ever-increasing fuel costs) but also increases living space and provides additional personal storage, including space for a full-size cabin bag "inside" of the seat.

We think it's fair to say that with the Aria Suite, Cathay Pacific is setting a new standard in business-class travel, offering an all-round unparalleled experience. However, competitors like United and Singapore have similarly brilliant business products that we could see closing the gap in due course... watch this space.

Read the full article Cathay Pacific Has Just Unveiled The World’s Best Business Class Seats on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Lie-flat seats have been one of premium travel’s defining perks for decades. Whether you're right at the pointy end in first class or enjoying the delights of business class, you've been able to lie back and get a good night's sleep. However, American Airlines is scrapping theirs for good.

American Airlines is phasing out its Flagship First Class product and reconfiguring its fleet, becoming the latest airline to succumb to a much wider trend in the premium travel experience. The airline's Airbus A321T — known for its premium cross-country routes like New York to Los Angeles and San Francisco — will see the wholesale removal of first-class cabins.

Before we go any further, I want to highlight that many of the facts and figures from this piece are drawn from Gary Leff over at View From The Wing, who always has his finger right on the pulse when it comes to the finer details of these fit-outs. The A321T currently features first-class, business-class, and economy cabins, but that's all about to change...

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American Airlines plans to retrofit these aircraft into a bog-standard domestic configuration with recliner (but decidedly not lie-flat) seats upfront and standard economy seats towards the rear. The move anticipates the long overdue arrival of Airbus A321XLRs, which will eventually replace the A321T on premium routes with business class suites that include the much-overhyped sliding privacy doors.

This reconfiguration will allow for a massive increase in the number of seats — and, as. result, the amount of cash that American can make from each flight... see our piece on densification — from 102 to 196, with premium seats taking the biggest hit. Economy class will also suffer reduced legroom and fewer "Main Cabin Extra" seats with paid-for extra legroom.

Arguably even worse news is that seatback entertainment screens, padded seats, and larger lavatories will be removed, as well as in-flight catering being reduced.

This shift in strategy began when US Airways management took over the carrier ten years ago, but reflects a much broader industry trend away from traditional premium offerings in favour of a more "streamlined" and "cost-effective" (read: less enjoyable) approach.

American are far from the only carrier doing this. Finnair has led the charge with its Collins’ Aerospace AirLounge seats, which offer a ‘cocoon-like’ that provides the space for lie-flat sleep without a recline function. Measuring almost a metre across at their widest point, the seats have been welcomed by most passengers, so far…

In part, their decision to remove lie-flat seats stems from a growing trend of ‘recline-related disputes’ among passengers. With passengers confined to such close quarters — even in business class, when you consider the extended duration of said trips — tensions can quickly rise and even lead to physical confrontations as often-exhausted travellers vie for limited personal space.

By eliminating the recline feature altogether, airlines aim to cultivate a more harmonious travel environment.

While the response from passengers has largely been positive others have been open about their mourning the loss of the traditional lie-flat luxury, rueing the prioritisation of peace over hard-earned opulence.

Read the full article US Airlines Removing Lie-Flat Seats: Is This The End Of First & Business Class? on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

If you've boarded a flight lately and seen the full business class cabins, you might be wondering what's happening with the alleged cost of living crisis?

But, as any business class regular will tell you, hardly anyone pays full fare to sit there. Redemptions, points upgrades, sale fares… there are many ways to fly up the front for less. One lesser-known option is bidding cash for an upgrade...

The three Australian airlines offering business class allow passengers to do this and, if approached wisely, can result in a premium flight experience at a decently discounted price.

With its large slice of government and corporate traffic, Qantas domestic business class cabins often fill up with paying passengers (or at least passengers with someone else picking up the tab). Plus, in peak hours, there are those Qantas road warriors stuck in economy class, often busting for a points upgrade. 

Consequently, while Qantas will often send out emails in the lead-up to a flight inviting you to bid for an upgrade to business, it isn't always compelling value, and there is no guarantee your bid will be successful, even if you bid above the usually steep minimum price.

The bidding process itself is simple. You click on the link in the email, bid within the nominated price range, punch in your credit card details (you will only be charged if your bid is successful) and hit send. Qantas will notify you closer to flight time if they accept your bid.

Depending on who you ask, Qantas has the best domestic business-class product in Australia. On many routes that's debatable, but the premium Qantas places on its fares (and upgrade bids) reflects its status as a full-service carrier. However, Qantas undoubtedly has the edge with its domestic widebody services. These flights offer an international-grade business class seat that its competitors cannot match. 

However, Qantas cash business class fares between Perth and the east coast are murderously expensive. So, for many people, an upgrade bid can make sense on a transcontinental A330 or B787 service where they can enjoy a business-class product that is exponentially better than on the narrowbody offering.

Virgin Australia also allows ticketed passengers to bid for an upgrade. Navigate to the upgrade options on the airline's website, and you will be on your way. Generally, VA's minimum bids are less than what Qantas asks for on the same route, but this is subject to passenger demand and other factors.

On a short hop, such as Gold Coast to Sydney, an AUD100 bid will often get you over the line. Prices increase in peak times and depend on how far you travel. However, bidding becomes irrational at a certain price point, and you are likely better off paying the asking fare... or slumming it up the back.

As with Qantas, a Virgin Australia passenger travelling in business on a bid upgrade fare gets all the business class bells and whistles, including lounge access, priority boarding, and extra baggage allowances. While it's not competitive with the Qantas widebodies, the Virgin Australia B737 business class product hits the sweet spot for short east coast hops, and frankly, the inflight service is often better than the Qantas offering.

In any case, jagging a cheap business-class seat on the flight home always feels like a good deal.

Regional Express (Rex) also allows economy class passengers to bid for a seat up the front at pretty competitive prices. Rex's jet network isn't as comprehensive as its competitors and these types of business class upgrades don't include lounge access or the normal business class baggage allowance, but the lower minimum bid prices offset that.

There is anecdotal evidence of people who have AUD50 upgrade bids accepted, but this is likely to be the exception rather than the rule and will very much depend on the route and time of day when you fly.

Many Rex passengers are hunting value, so there generally isn't a strong demand for its full cash fare business class tickets, which opens up more seats for upgrade bids and benefits bargain hunters.

However, flying Rex doesn't mean you are slumming it. Rex is not Jetstar. Their business product is perfectly fine for short hauls — on par with Virgin Australia's but generally without VA's chronic delays and cancellations. For the price most people pay to sit in Rex business class, it is a steal.

What's the downside of bidding? Firstly, you are chasing a bargain. Offering a price close to or matching the actual business fare doesn't make sense. While your bid may well succeed, you'll accrue points and status credits per your originally ticketed rate and status tier, not at the full business class rate. You may also be shunted into the less desirable seats in the cabin and miss out on your preferred meal choice.

This is not necessarily a big deal if you paid an extra AUD80 to travel business class to Brisbane, but it might be if you bid AUD450. Keeping your bids realistic, keeping your expectations in check, and knowing what the cash fares are selling for are key to making bidding for upgrades work for you.

Read the full article Business Class Bidding: The Ultimate Hack For Dirt Cheap Upgrades on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

One of premium travel's defining perks, especially for those lucky enough to be perched in business class, has long been the reclining seat. However, it seems that lie-flat tech may not be long for this world...

Airlines are beginning to remove lie-flat seats from their business class cabins, in part to combat ever more common incidents of 'recline rage' among passengers. Instead of opting for somewhat archaic, non-recline technology, the shift marks a significant departure from the luxuries associated with pointy-end travel for the past three decades.

Of course, non-reclining seats aren't new to the aviation industry. Quite the opposite, in fact. Low-cost carriers have favoured these seats since their inception thanks to the cost-effectiveness and reduced maintenance requirements.

WATCH: Recline Rage Sparks Fight Amongst Passengers

However, the adoption of such seats in business class is an unprecedented phenomenon. Finnair has led the charge with its Collins' Aerospace AirLounge seats, which offer a 'cocoon-like' that provides the space for lie-flat sleep without a recline function. Measuring almost a metre across at their widest point, the seats have been welcomed by most passengers, so far...

In part, the decision to remove lie-flat seats stems from a growing trend of 'recline-related disputes' among passengers. With passengers confined to such close quarters — even in business class, when you consider the extended duration of said trips — tensions can quickly rise and even lead to physical confrontations as often-exhausted travellers vie for limited personal space.

By eliminating the recline feature altogether, airlines aim to cultivate a more harmonious travel environment.

While the response from passengers has largely been positive — with many appreciating the elimination of the recline dilemma, enjoying a calmer and significantly more predictable flight experience — others have been open about their mourning the loss of the traditional lie-flat luxury, rueing the prioritisation of peace over hard-earned opulence.

With lie-flat luxury disappearing from mainstream carriers, it raises the question of whether the new breed of challenger, 'premium only' or 'business only' airlines will step in to fill that void, picking up customers who want their precious recline tech.

We thought it was worth returning to a previous article of ours from August 2023 about BermudAir, one of the first 'All Business Class' airlines offering 76 lie-flat seats on board in a 2-2 configuration...

Only a matter of weeks after we reported on the ‘first class only’ airline that was purportedly offering a first-class experience for all its passengers that we think slightly missed the mark, a new airline — BermudAir — has announced that it’s launching ‘business class only’ planes on a handful of routes from the USA.

This new airline, which seems to fly in the face of the wider trend whereby premium economy is becoming the new ‘money-making machine‘ — as announced by the Emirates CEO — will soon have a special fleet of jets flying from Boston, Fort Lauderdale, and New York to Bermuda from $199 USD per ticket.

While the airline is set to begin flying on August 31st, minor supply-chain issues mean that the airline’s custom-designed pods won’t actually be rolled out until the 1st of November. From hereon out, however, BermudAir’s planes — all E175s — will be fitted out with only thirty seats across the entire jet.

Laid out in fifteen rows of a 1:1 configuration, BermudAir aims to replicate the space, comfort, and amenities that would normally be reserved for passengers paying a hefty premium on larger carriers for all of their passengers at a significantly lower price point.

While tickets will go up to $999 USD once the retrofitting is complete in November, seats come equipped with in-seat power, free Wi-Fi, and enough storage space for both a carry-on and personal item. Notably, overhead lockers will be done away with in order to create a more spacious and airy feeling throughout the cabin.

In addition, all onboard food — including treats from Bermuda-based French bakery l’Artisan Boulangerie and Ahmani’s Cookie Company — as well as all beverages — including the airline’s featured “Dark ‘n’ Stormy” cocktail, a mix of Goslings Black Seal Rum, ginger beer, and lime — are included free of charge, as reported by AFAR.

BermudAir founder and CEO Adam Scott had this to say about the launch:

“We are excited to launch BermudAir as Bermuda’s first carrier, maintaining our commitment to start filling seasonal service gaps and establish frequency of service to and from the island this fall… Our mission to elevate the travel experience for everyone and provide well-timed, traveler-centric, stress-free flights on these new routes is just the beginning.”

Adam Scott

Will you mourn the passing of lie-flat tech, or do you see this is a brave, peaceful new world, devoid of a tech that did nothing but spark disputes? Let us know.

Read the full article Airlines Remove Lie-Flat Seats From Business Class as Recline Seats Gain Popularity on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Frequent flyer points are a form of currency and, like all currencies, have a value. However, whereas it is reasonably easy to know the value of the Aussie dollar, Alan Kohler doesn't give a nightly update of frequent flyer point values on the 7.00 pm news...

Qantas Frequent Flyer is the big daddy of Australian airline loyalty schemes, with around 15 million members. The valuation of a QFF point depends on several factors, including the ability to earn, the ability to redeem, and the propensity for devaluations. However, DMARGE reckons one QFF point is worth about 1.9 cents (Australian).

What do we base that on? Firstly, QFF points have a high level of utility in Australia. They are easy to earn... and easy to burn. Qantas point redemptions start at 8,000 points plus around $50 for a 600-mile-or-less nonstop flight. That will get you from Canberra to Brisbane, Sydney to Maroochydore, and Adelaide to Melbourne. 

WATCH: Qantas Ad Makes Australia Emotional

Using that 1.9 cent figure as a jumping-off point, a point earned for less than that — and redeemed for a good or service worth more than that — is a good deal. Conversely, if you spend 3 cents to earn a point and regularly redeem that point for a good or service worth 2 cents per point, you should reconsider your relationship with QFF.

The best way to think about the 1.9 cent figure is as a benchmark. Ideally, you'd be earning most of your points for zero cost by linking your QFF with your day-to-day purchasing habits, whether you're a Dad buying dog food at Woolworths and using Everyday Rewards or a businessperson paying work bills through a payment platform linked to QFF.

The trick with any loyalty program is not to let it induce you to spend more than you usually would but to let it influence where you spend your cash. You also need to know when to say no. If a purchase is cheaper at a non-QFF point-aligned outlet, you are better off going there.

Few people in the points game would have a large stash of points accrued for free. Some of the balance would have been through easy earns while other amounts come through less-easy earns. The idea is to keep the average per-point value of your QFF points pool below that 1.9-cent figure.

While having a redemption target like a 2026 trip to London is fine, saving points simply for the point of saving them is unwise. There's nothing an airline likes more, Qantas included, than devaluing (or "enhancing", in airline-speak) a QFF point. They do this by raising the redemption cost; this is kind of like inflation, only with an added "let's screw our members over" attitude.

In raw monetary terms, the best value redemptions are long-haul flights in premium cabins. Later this week, you can still jag a last-minute business class seat on QF17 to LAX for 108,400 points plus A$342 in taxes. The cash fare is A$10,787; that's almost 10 cents of value per point redeemed — a stonking deal, especially if you accrued those points for free or at minimal cost.

Sidebar: if you can stomach the risk and have some flexibility with dates, waiting until the last minute to grab a redemption is an interesting travel hack. More capacity is coming onto the market, and the post-pandemic premium leisure travel surge is coming off the boil, which is good news for passengers looking for last-minute deals.

In contrast, doing an inter-capital hop in monkey class at the cost of 8,000 points typically generates around 1.6 cents per point redeemed — way below the 1.9 cent benchmark, and therefore, according to the points purists, you're better off paying cash...

But not everyone measures their redemptions in purely monetary terms. Plenty of people do their weekly Woolworths shop to gather points and fly a couple of times a year, maybe to see Grandma in Mildura. If you've carefully accrued your points to cover these trips, and, like a civilised human being, you go to visit Grandma because she's not going to live forever, that redemption is delivering an intrinsic value far beyond the 1.9 cents per point spent.

That's the thing about loyalty programs like QFF: the value you place on earning and redeeming points will largely depend on your personal circumstances. If you started evaluating every interaction with the program based on 1.9 cents, it would get old fairly fast.

Nevertheless, the benchmark valuation is worth keeping in the back of your mind; it's a simple tactic to make loyalty programs work for you rather than you becoming a revenue stooge for the airlines.

Read the full article How Much Are Frequent Flyer Points Actually Worth? on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Business class and first class blunders are all too commonplace these days, but Emirates have pulled a long-overdue blinder by finally unveiling pyjamas for their business travellers, rolling out this month.

Crafted in-house, the loungewear took over a year to develop and was inspired by the wider 'athleisure' trend that has dominated the output of brands and airlines alike in the years since the pandemic. Made from a pale blue jersey knit infused with botanic fibres, the set includes a relaxed cowl-neck top with a kangaroo pocket and drawstring pants.

Lightweight, breathable, and stretchy, the pyjamas offer a silhouette that is designed, first, to be comfortable for all travellers but, second, to fall over and flatter as many body types as possible. The set comes with a matching eye mask and slippers, making it equally ideal for getting some much-needed shut-eye, grabbing a drink in the A380’s onboard lounge, and even for transit to your chosen accommodation after landing.

In an effort to bolster both their brand but also the sustainability credentials of a relatively unsustainable practice, Emirates encourages passengers to continue using their loungewear at home, emphasising its versatile and reusable design. The pyjamas will be distributed during boarding for flights over nine hours, regardless of departure time, and are available in two distinct size options: small/medium and large/extra large.

For shorter flights of at least two and a half hours, Business Class passengers will receive the slippers and eye mask only; sucks to be them.

The airline tested the loungewear on routes between Dubai, New York, and Boston earlier this year, receiving positive feedback from passengers across the board. This move aligns with Emirates' commitment to enhancing the customer experience, evidenced by its US$2 billion investment in cabin interiors, menus, and amenities.

Last year, Emirates introduced Bulgari amenity kits for First and Business Class passengers, featuring luxurious skincare products, fragrances, and sustainable mirrors. This year, the airline is partnering with Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne to train cabin crew in exceptional service delivery. Clearly, levelling-up customer service really is top of mind for the airline that was once considered the gold standard in luxury travel.

In other Emirates news, the airline will start using A380s on both its twice-daily flights out of Brisbane later this year, as well as returning to pre-pandemic flying frequencies with double dailies out of Perth using a mix of A380s and B777-300ERs.

You can also nab a three-hour jaunt in first class between Sydney and Christchurch (or vice versa) on the Emirates A380 for the widely touted price of 64,500 points (plus about A$200 in charges), in an example of a really well-advertised deal in the QFF program. 

Read the full article Emirates Introduces Comfortable Athleisure-Inspired Pyjamas for Long-Haul Business Passengers on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Aussies love a loyalty program, and airline frequent flyer programs are no exception. Over 15 million people are members of the Qantas Frequent Flyer (QFF) program, while Virgin Australia's Velocity program has signed up almost 12 million customers...

But let's not beat around the bush here: these programs are not created to benefit customers. They are designed to drive business and revenue to the airline. To claim otherwise is just marketing spin, pure and simple.

There is a lot of consumer anger about the difficulties of redeeming flights and some of the prices charged, especially for premium cabin redemptions into markets like Europe and North America. Some of this aggro is valid, while some of it is misplaced...

The three-hour jaunt in first class between Sydney and Christchurch (or vice versa) on the Emirates A380 for the widely touted price of 64,500 points (plus about A$200 in charges) is an example of a really well-advertised deal in the QFF program. 

The problem is that QFF members have Buckley's chance of actually picking up a ticket at this price, with Qantas consistently pricing its first-class redemptions on this sector at over 280,000 points for the remainder of 2024. Unsurprisingly, this doesn't go down well with customers.

Steve Hui from iFLYFlat, a points redemption concierge service, told DMARGE that redeeming points is like going fishing: you cast the net out and see what gets caught. He says you need to be flexible and start searching for flights as early as possible.

Working about six months out, this author has recently obtained business class flights on Qantas between Sydney and Jakarta for the advertised lead-in price of 68,000 points plus around A$200 in fees. There is also an upcoming business class redemption on a Singapore Airlines A380 from Hong Kong to Sydney via Singapore purchased for 78,000 Velocity points plus around A$400 in charges.

Velocity boss Nick Rohrlach told DMARGE that its partner airlines, including Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, and ANA, deliver very good reward seat availability. "That's something we are really proud of," he said.

One of the quirks of frequent flyer redemptions everywhere is that a simple point-to-point redemption on a busy truck route, say Melbourne—Singapore, may be difficult to source or only available at a ridiculous price. But if you start the trip in a regional port such as Launceston or Newcastle, availability can open up. Equally, if you tap in Kuala Lumpur or Penang as the destination port rather than Singapore if chasing a Velocity redemption, reasonably priced fares may also mysteriously materialise.

If you find the Qantas search engine laughing in your face when you try to redeem a Sydney—London flight, starting the trip in a QantasLink port such as Orange or Bendigo can sometimes produce more satisfactory results. Or tell it you want to go to Birmingham instead of Heathrow.

The general rule is the shorter the sector, the poorer the redemption value. It's why most potential passengers want to redeem their points for expensive long-haul flights. But there are exceptions. The cash price for the short flight between Sydney and Lord Howe Island is notoriously expensive.

However, the sector is less than 600 miles, meaning you can redeem flights from 8,000 QFF points (plus around A$150 in charges). Are there any available, or is this just another Christchurch jig? The Qantas search engine shows selected dates in June when you can jag the lead in fare, with availability becoming more common after that. As Hui says, get in early.

New Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson says QFF members should start to see some changes later this year. DMARGE also asked the boss of Qantas Loyalty to contribute to this article. However, she did not respond.

Hui says even if frequent flyer members get frustrated with a lack of fairly priced redemptions, they should resist the urge to waste points on poor-value redemptions like hotel stays or points plus pay redemptions, which he describes as lousy value for money.

He says Velocity members looking for long-haul premium cabin redemptions should look at Singapore Airlines and Qatar, while Qantas frequent flyers may need to think outside the box and look at partner airlines such as the surprisingly good China Eastern and Cathay Pacific for availability. If you are sitting on a pile of points and eyeing a trip somewhere nice, iFLYFlat can help you find the best value redemption opportunities in all cabin classes.

Rohrlach says if you are new to the points game, work out how to earn points on everyday spending:

"We have had many members fund around-the-world trips exclusively by transferring their Flybuys points to Velocity."

Nick Rohrlach, Velocity CEO. Image Virgin

He also advises people to set redemption goals. If you want to fly business to Japan in 2025, work out how much it will cost and how you can earn those points. Break the target down into smaller goals, like earning 10,000 points per month.

Of course, if neither program floats your boat, there are alternatives. Two of the better ones for Australians include Singapore's Krisflyer program, which allows you to tap into redemptions across the Star Alliance network. Qatar's Avios-based Privilege Club offers the same benefits across the Oneworld alliance.

The downside of both programs is neither has the number of local partners and, therefore, point-earning opportunities that Velocity and QFF have...

Read the full article How To Make Frequent Flyer Programs Work For You on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

In the first of what will be a monthly update of travel news and tips, DMARGE brings you a wrap of open status match offers, flight resumptions, hotel openings, and some opportunities lost.

Garuda Indonesia (SkyTeam) and Turkish Airlines (Star Alliance) have status match options available to Qantas Gold and Platinum frequent flyers.

It’s not open slather. The matches come with conditions, including granting status for an interim period and expecting you to do one or more flights in that time to lock in status for 12 months. However, it is a sweet deal if you plan to fly on either airline soon.

WATCH: ex-Qantas CEO Alan Joyce Roasts Karl Stefanovic

If you fly Qantas regularly, you’ll know the airline blocks-off the front seats in every cabin for its top frequent flyers. However, 80 hours before the flight, any unsold seats in the cabin class open up to everyone. Known as T-80 — around 79 hours and 55 minutes before your flight departs — go onto the Qantas website, into the manage booking section, and you can switch out of 28B into 4A at no cost. 

Getting up the front of the cabin gets you more legroom, first dibs on what passes for Qantas economy catering, and allows for quicker disembarking. A word to the wise: This trick works best on off-peak non-trunk routes. Jagging 4A is far easier on the 11:05 Maroochydore to Sydney flight than the 18:00 Adelaide to Melbourne flight. T-80 also works on international flights.

Perth is receiving some airline love, with several international carriers recently resuming flights and others planning to restart or increase services.

In December, Thai Airways resumed flights on the Bangkok—Perth sector, while Vietnam Airlines debuted flights to and from Ho Chi Minh. China Eastern is testing market demand with flights to and from Shanghai Pudong over the WA summer.

After a lengthy absence, South African Airways will resume flights to Johannesburg in April. Later in the year, Emirates will return to pre-pandemic flying frequencies with double dailies out of Perth using a mix of A380s and B777-300ERs. Emirates will start using A380s on both its twice-daily flights out of Brisbane later this year.

The planned 2024 start for El Al’s Melbourne flights is up in the air because the airline has paused all flights over Saudi airspace. Using Saudi (and Omani) airspace allows El Al’s B787 Dreamliners to cover the distance between Tel Aviv and Melbourne in a single flight.

When the airline announced the flights in 2023, Saudi Arabia had recently opened its airspace to Israeli carriers, making the nonstop flights doable. However, due to the current situation in Israel, Israeli airlines are once again no longer flying over Saudi Arabia. Until this changes, the chances of the Melbourne flights starting are slight.

Melbourne's hotel options continue to grow in leaps and bounds, with another Veriu hotel recently opening its doors to guests in Johnson Street, Collingwood. Tim Gurner, whose company built the property and retains ownership, says people thought he was mad to build there but said:

"This is where the culture is, and wealth follows culture; that's been the evolution in every major city in the world."

Tim Gurner

Hilton has added Melbourne’s 255-room Next Hotel in Collins Street to its Curio portfolio. It is Hilton’s third property in the city, alongside the Doubletree across from Flinders Street Station and the Hilton Little Queen Street.

Also expected to open in Melbourne this year is 1 Hotel as part of the redevelopment of Northbank Wharf and the Shangri-La near Carlton Gardens.

Further west, Adelaide is getting a Marriott in May, with the hotel opening as part of the GPO redevelopment. The 285-room hotel will include a club lounge, offering Bonvoy elites a place to sleep along with free drinks every evening while in town.

Regional Express (REX) has axed lounge access and the extra baggage allowance for passengers who upgrade from economy to business class via BidUp.

BidUp allows economy class passengers to sit up the front, usually for around A$50–100 on top of the initial fare. Until mid-December, it also allowed successful bidders to enjoy some quiet time in Rex’s lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. Now, it's back to mixing with the hoi polloi in the terminal.

Korean Air has ended its seasonal B747-8 flights to Sydney, converting back to B777-300ERs in mid-January. There are now no B747 passenger flights in and out of Australia. However, B747 fans can still pick up Korean B747 flights from Incheon to Atlanta, Honolulu, New York, and Paris.

Korean Air offers a tip-top B747 flying experience, using the relatively rare Apex Suite seat in business class and even offering first class. Get onboard before the queen of the skies goes the way of the dodo. 

Check back next month for more travel hacks & tips from Andrew Curran.

Read the full article This Month’s Tips You Don’t Want To Miss on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Only a matter of months after Qatar Airways’ CEO claimed that first class was totally pointless compared to business class, it now seems that business class is having its own usefulness questioned… and with meals like this one still on offer, it’s not particularly hard to see why.

Put on our radar by good friend Matthew Klint from Live And Let's Fly — who himself discovered it via the wonderful @airlinecatering Instagram account, linked below — the business class cabin in question belongs to the long-embroiled Air Malta which, after enduring millions in losses last year, is currently in the midst a massive restructure.

Before really going to town on this less-than-ideal offering from Air Malta, Klint is quick to confess that he's enjoyed pretty excellent catering with the carrier on previous flights, pointing to a particularly delicious looking antipasto that he was served on a Zurich to Valletta flight last year.

However, with pleasantries out the way, Klint makes his feelings about this catering development very clear:

"Nothing says business class quality like frozen lasagna! It doesn’t look quite so bad unwrapped… but I hope that the catering that actually made me pay double for my business class ticket (versus economy class) will not be removed. Otherwise, there really is no point in having business class."

Matthew Klint

As did a horde of @airlinecatering's followers:

"Yuck! This looks atrocious! 🤮"

@lax77w

"Looks like something you get at a convenience store!"

@h.wayne713

While we, much like Klint, hope this is nothing more than a catering "snafu", there's no denying it's not a great look for an airline that's trying hard to turn things around.

This story reminded us of another baffling business class layout that we featured last year, this time from United Airlines. Once again, it was Klint who spotted this one first:

[Klint] couldn’t help but laugh at the reactions of his appalled fellow passengers who, having expected the industry-standard levels of luxury that most airlines — including United ‚ usually offer, were met with something more closely resembling their college days:

I chuckled as passengers boarded and appeared horrified that the business class cabin felt more like dorm bunks than a true premium cabin.

Matthew Klint

What exactly was so shocking, beyond the dated look and feel? Well, the cabin had eight seats across, with four seats in the centre section and two window seats on each side, leading to a very tightly packed experience all round, especially for those sardines — I mean, passengers – who were wedged in by the windows with no direct aisle access.

Far worse than the layout, however, was the incredibly narrow design of the seats themselves, rightly earning them the unfortunate nickname of “coffin” seats. Adding to all this peculiarity, the odd-numbered rows were rear-facing, while the even-numbered rows faced forward, meaning that a number of passengers had to spend the entire trip staring directly at their seatmates, which is more than enough to put you off your bread roll.

While United do claim to have plans already in motion to replace the “coffin seats” with modern recliners, this may not be enough to appease all passengers, who were also upset at the very limited amount of personal storage space. In a world where almost every passenger travels with a number of devices and outfit changes — the former of which should not be fully charged, by the way — this simply isn’t considered up to scratch by many.

So, would you rather have 'coffin seats' or convenience store meals? Or, would you rather airlines that continue to charge pretty sky-high rates for their premium cabins actually lay on a service befitting of their customers' expenditure? Let us know what you think...

Read the full article Passengers Disappointed by Air Malta Business Class Catering Choices on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!

Flying long haul to and from Australia is expensive, especially in premium cabins on the best airlines. But... if you're prepared to fly to a neighbouring country to pick up a long-haul business class flight, you can save serious money.

'Positioning' into another airport to pick up a cheaper flight is a tried and true tactic of many hard-core travellers that works for business class and other cabins alike. However, there is a trade-off here: this tactic involves another airport transit and the shorter positioning flight is often in economy class or with a low-cost airline.

On the upside, you can save big bucks, and the longer flight(s) are in premium cabins with all the associated bells and whistles... here's how it works and the airlines to keep an eye on next time you're making travel plans.

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Several Southeast Asian cities are known for offering good value business class airfares into Europe. Let's say you want to fly to Oslo for a few weeks at the end of May, flying out of Sydney on the last weekend of the month and returning three weeks later.

Our friends at Qantas will do you a business class return on Emirates for around AUD11,500, while Qatar Airways is around AUD9,500. However, if you can get yourself to and from Manila, Emirates will sell you the return Manila–Oslo flights in business for just under AUD3,700.

Philippine Airlines, Qantas, and Cebu Pacific all fly the Sydney–Manila city pair. At time of writing, Qantas will get you up and back for just over AUD1,000 in economy (point redemptions start at 25,200 points each way), while Cebu Pacific will do a Sydney–Manila return for around AUD600. Granted, this adds a layer of complexity and time to a trip, but we are talking about savings of up to AUD6,000 here, which pays for quite a bit of fun in Oslo.

Another good Southeast Asian city to position out of is Jakarta. Qantas and Garuda Indonesia fly there from both Sydney and Melbourne. Let's say you want to fly from Melbourne to Europe, also on the last weekend in May, heading home three weekends later: The excellent Turkish Airlines offers one-stop (via Istanbul) business class flights to key European airports from around AUD3,500 return.

There are some one-stop return business fares between Melbourne and Europe starting at around AUD6,500, but these are on tier-two airlines such as China Eastern, Air India, and Sri Lankan Airlines. The top tier carriers start at around the AUD8,500 mark for return business class flights, depending on what European city you're flying into.

Again, you've got to get between Australia and Jakarta, which you can do for around AUD1,000 (in economy) on either Qantas or Garuda. You can also redeem points for those flights. But we are talking about a 50% saving.

There are no hard and fast rules here: airfares change, so what's available this week may no longer be on sale next week. But typically, premium cabin airfares out of cities like Jakarta, Denpasar, Manila, and Bangkok are substantially less than you would pay to fly from an Australian airport.

Distance is a factor. An aircraft covers fewer kilometres between Denpasar and Paris than Brisbane and Paris... but the fare difference is rarely proportional to the distance difference. The main reason is the nature of the market. These Southeast Asian cities are big markets but they're not affluent markets; the airlines have to pitch their fares to what the market will pay.

Usually, Singapore isn't included in the positioning mix because Singapore is a cashed-up city and a key airline hub. Plenty of people will pay big bucks to fly in and out. But, again, there are no hard and fast rules because you can find some surprisingly good-value fares out of Singapore.

You can often pick up Cathay Pacific return premium economy fares between Singapore and North America from around AUD2,000. The smaller Gulf carriers such as SAUDIA and Gulf Air also offer some very good premium cabin fares out of the Lion City.

Google Flights is a terrific resource and a good place to start investigating positioning flights. You can also talk to a real-life travel agent; they may be old school, but the good ones are worth their weight in gold. However, it's worth noting the potential pitfalls with positioning flights...

If you're travelling from City A to City B on one ticket and then travelling from City B to City C on another ticket, be aware that the second airline is not obliged to come to your rescue if you miss your flight because of delays with the first flight.

The simple solution is to allow ample transfer time. However, an overnight hotel stay imposes a time and financial cost. Still, if you save thousands of dollars on the airfare, the few hundred spent on an overnight stay in an airport hotel is chump change.

Positioning flights aren't for everyone, but if you're prepared to put in the legwork, they can open up premium cabin experiences at big discounts and vastly improve your overall travel experience.

Read the full article Positioning Flights: How To Get Cheap Business Class Tickets on DMARGE. Don’t miss it!