Daniel comes to Simple Flying with a business focused approach to the aviation world. Daniel enjoys analyzing strategy and how companies move against each other to gain a step ahead in the skies. Besides strategy, Daniel also has a passion for aircraft design and the history of aviation.
Based in New York
The transatlantic market is one of the largest international markets in the aviation industry and is therefore quite competitive. It's dominated by joint ventures operated by 
Star Alliance members Air Canada, United Airlines, and Lufthansa Group's airlines, 
SkyTeam members Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, and KLM, and one by American Airlines, IAG's airlines, and Finnair. With the intense competition, one of the ways to determine which airline to choose is the product, and business class is where product competition is the strongest.
Most of the products being explored are sold by an airline that is a joint venture airline, but not always. In addition, some carriers operate fifth-freedom routes between Europe and the US, with an additional segment that continues from Europe to their home country. Although the Atlantic is dominated by the joint ventures, even airlines within them can have very different product offerings. If you are traveling across the Atlantic and want to find the best product for your needs, these are the top options.
The Best Of The Major European Airlines
Air France's latest business class seats can be found on select Airbus A350-900s (those with 48 business class seats) and select Boeing 777-300ERs (three-class planes with 48 business class seats and those with the new La Premiere seats). These seats are reverse herringbone models equipped with larger screens, sliding doors, and added charging options, while they also offer more space than older models with larger footwells. Note that while the seats on the A350 and 777 are very similar, they are supplied by different manufacturers.
British Airways' Club Suites are now available on the Airbus A350-1000, Heathrow-based Boeing 777s, all 787-8s and all 787-10s, while the 787-9s and A380s are also being refurbished. This also consists of a reverse herringbone seat with a sliding door, but the current seat (based on the Collins Aerospace Elevation) is older than Air France's models. Still, these are comfortable, modern seats with excellent privacy and they represent a significant upgrade over the carrier's older Club World seats.
Lufthansa's Allegris business class represents a massive upgrade over its older seat model, which doesn't even offer direct-aisle access, and the airline is particularly proud of offering multiple seat types with the Allegris interiors. In business class, passengers can select options like a seat with an extra-long bed, or an extremely spacious front-row suite with sliding doors and taller partitions. Allegris can currently be found on four-class A350s and 787s with 28 business class seats, and the same seat is used by SWISS for its latest 'SWISS Senses' cabins.
The Best Of The US Airlines
US airlines aren't always considered to be product leaders, but they have invested more heavily in their business class experiences over the last decade. 
Delta Air Lines has offered its 'Delta One Suite' since 2017, based on the Thompson VantageXL, and the airline was only the second-ever to offer doors at all seats in business class. The Delta One Suite is available on all Airbus A330-900s and A350-900s, while the VantageXL will be retrofitted on all A330-200s and A330-300s. In addition, a new seat will be installed on the A350-1000.
In 2025, 
American Airlines introduced its 'Flagship Suites', currently available on select Boeing 787-9s and 777-300ERs. This seat is based on the Elevate Ascent, a popular reverse herringbone model with sliding doors designed specifically for Boeing widebodies. American was the first of its contemporaries to introduce a current-generation business class suite, and the airline also plans to install this seat on its Boeing 777-200ER and 787-8 fleets, once the 777-300ER retrofits are done.
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American Flagship Suites European Routes |
United Airlines Elevated Interior European Routes |
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Chicago-London |
San Francisco-London |
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Dallas/Fort Worth-London |
San Francisco-Zurich |
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New York-London |
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Los Angeles-London |
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Philadelphia-London |
Earlier in 2026, 
United Airlines introduced its 'Elevated Interior' on the 787-9, which includes new Polaris suites with sliding doors. Just like American, United selected the Elevate Ascent, but it went for larger screens and has also configured half of the center suites in a herringbone layout, allowing passengers to use a partial double bed if desired. The product is only available on 787-9s with 64 Polaris suites, and United has not officially stated plans to retrofit any aircraft with the new product, although this could come in the future.
Additional Contenders In The Ring
Across the other North American airlines flying across the Atlantic, two stand out for having fairly excellent business class seats. The first is Alaska Airlines, which uses the Elevate Ascent on all of its 787-9s. Although the seat is the same as American and United's latest seats, there's a good reason for it, as the Ascent is modern, spacious, and private, increasingly becoming one of the most popular current-generation seats for the 787.
JetBlue is the other airline that stands out, as its Airbus A321LRs are equipped with the Thompson VantageSOLO. This is a herringbone seat, which has traditionally been an unloved configuration, but the VantageSOLO is significantly more private and spacious than older herringbone models. In addition, this seat also offers direct-aisle access on a narrowbody with sliding doors. While Iberia also installs the VantageSOLO on its A321XLRs, JetBlue's version has a higher seat pitch and is therefore more spacious.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Finnair is known for its Airlounge business class seat. This is a modern, spacious, and extremely wide seat that is most notable for its sofa-style design with no recline. Some passengers hate it, while others find it to be among the most comfortable business class seats in the world.
Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines isn't generally known for exceptional business class seats, but it does operate a handful of A350s originally intended for Aeroflot with the Collins Aerospace Horizon. This is a staggered seat with a door, similar to the Thompson VantageXL, but the Collins Horizon is a newer, larger, and more ergonomic seat model than the VantageXL and is one of the best seats on the market.
Emirates And Singapore Airlines
Emirates and Singapore Airlines are considered to be among the best airlines in the world, but, of course, both are based in Asia. They do, however, operate a handful of fifth-freedom routes that continue on from flights that originate in their home country. Singapore Airlines operates one route from Frankfurt to JFK with the 777-300ER, while Emirates operates two routes between the US and Europe: flying between Milan and JFK with the Airbus A380, as well as between Athens and Newark with the 777-300ER.
Singapore Airlines' business class seat on the 777-300ER is 13 years old, has small footwells offset to the side, and requires the seat to be flipped over for bed mode. However, the seat is one of the widest in the world, has excellent legroom and shoulder space, and is extremely comfortable. What's more, Singapore Airlines is famous for offering incredible service from its flight attendants, and the overall onboard experience is one of the best in the world. It's arguably the best business class experience that a person can fly between the US and Europe.
Emirates, on the other hand, doesn't have the world's most revolutionary business class, as all A380s and select 777-300ERs (including the planes deployed to Newark) feature staggered seats without privacy doors. However, the seats are still modern and offer direct-aisle access, while the seats found on retrofitted 777s are updated variants of the A380 seats with newer technology. In addition, Emirates' service and catering are also among the world's best, while the A380s feature an onboard bar for first and business class.
Business Class Plus Seats
A new trend has emerged in the industry where airlines essentially take the wasted space occupied by bulkhead monuments in front-row seats and use it to create an upgraded seat. These include much more personal space than a standard business class seat, while some airlines may include an ottoman, a larger screen, and taller privacy partitions. While demand for first class has shrunk as business class has gotten more opulent, business class plus seats have essentially taken the place of first class at a lower price point.
JetBlue was the first airline in the US to introduce such a product, with each of its A321LRs featuring two 'Mint Studio' seats. These are relatively unusual because of the herringbone seat that JetBlue uses, as they feature a continuous seating surface next to the seat. American Airlines was next with its 'Flagship Preferred' seat, introduced with its latest interiors, while United Airlines also offers the 'Polaris Studio' on its latest interiors. The latter two airlines have very similar products, since they use the same Elevate Ascent seat model for the 787.
In Europe, Virgin Atlantic offers two 'Retreat Suites' on its A330-900s, which are based on the Thompson Vantage XL, while Condor offers four 'Prime' suites on its A330-900s, based on the Safran SkyLounge Core. As both of these seats are staggered seat models, the front-row products are therefore quite similar. Lufthansa also offers its 'Business Suites' as part of the Allegris interiors, although this is one of five seat types, which muddies the hierarchy slightly.