The three best airlines for first-class travel

published 29 August 2013

Singapore Airlines

The 12 suites on its A380s offer "sliding doors, a 36-inch-wide seat, and a separate bed with full-sized pillows and Givenchy linens". If you're with a partner, adjacent suites can be "turned into a double room, in effect". Some flights offer an Air Sommelier' to help you choose from the wine list. If it's a very special occasion, then "sometimes (and only upon request) it's possible to organise an impromptu Dom versus Krug tasting".

For Walther, however, the key thing that makes Singapore Airlines stand out is the service. "I toured the Singapore Airlines training centre one afternoon and watched new recruits practice deportment, elocution, posture, and grace under pressure." It pays off. On one flight,"in the middle of the night and well between meal services, a steward, doubtlessly informed that I hadn't had dinner, asked if I wanted a sandwich. That was exactly what I wanted, but hadn't even thought to ask. And isn't that the essence of top-notch service?"

Prices from around £6,240 for first- class return flights between London Heathrow and Singapore. For more, see www.singaporeair.com.

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Emirates

Lisa Loverro in Forbes notes that first class on the company's A380 offers "a new dimension in aviation". As well as gourmet food and Dom Perignon champagne, you can even enjoy a spa treatment: the Emirates' Shower Spa' is a 25-minute treatment that includes a five-minute hot shower with customised products and a heated floor. And for those with enough money, Emirates now offers a step above first class a private-jet service. Emirates Executive will provide a private charter service for up to 19 passengers per flight.

A first-class return flight with Emirates from London Heathrow to Dubai starts from £4,131.19. Find out more at www.emirates.com/uk/english/.

British Airways

On board were 14 seat-pods, each with "individual closets and plenty of elbow room, with deep shelves for the Anya Hindmarch toiletries bags and the junk we cannot travel without". Leg room "was for all practical purposes infinite". The food varied in quality (it's still an aeroplane, after all). "My wife's leek and potato soup with smoked salmon was delicious and fresh-tasting, but my full English breakfast was distressingly dry and overcooked."

However, it's convenient: "you can order from any part of the fairly diverse menu at any point in the flight". As for the bed, six-foot tall Schneider had "three or four inches of clearance above my head, and my feet didn't touch the end".

First-class return flights with BA between London Heathrow and JFK New York start from £6,211, including taxes (www.ba.com).

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Ruth Jackson-Kirby is a freelance personal finance journalist with 17 years’ experience, writing about everything from savings and credit cards to pensions, property and pet insurance.

Ruth started her career at MoneyWeek after graduating with an MA from the University of St Andrews, and she continues to contribute regular articles to our personal finance section. After leaving MoneyWeek she went on to become deputy editor of Moneywise before becoming a freelance journalist.

Ruth writes regularly for national publications including The Sunday Times, The Times, The Mail on Sunday and Good Housekeeping among many other titles both online and offline.