1. Emirates

Emirates is a Dubai-based airline that is known for its luxurious first-class experience. The airline offers private suites with fully flat beds, personal minibars, and in-flight entertainment systems with a wide range of movies, TV shows, and games. Emirates also offers a gourmet dining experience, with menus created by top chefs from around the world. Onboard showers and spa treatments are also available for first-class passengers. Emirates also offers a chauffeur service for its first-class passengers, with a private car taking you to and from the airport.

2. Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is another top-rated airline for first-class travel to Europe. The airline offers private suites with fully flat beds, noise-cancelling headphones, and personal entertainment systems with over 4,000 options. Qatar Airways also offers an exceptional dining experience, with menus created by Michelin-starred chefs and a selection of fine wines and champagnes. In addition, the airline provides access to its exclusive Al Mourjan Business Lounge, which features a spa, gym, and private sleeping rooms.

3. Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways is a luxury airline that offers first-class passengers an opulent experience. The airline features private suites with fully flat beds, personal minibars, and in-flight entertainment systems with over 750 hours of movies, TV shows, and music. Etihad Airways also offers a gourmet dining experience, with menus created by award-winning chefs and a selection of fine wines and champagnes. First-class passengers can also access the airline’s exclusive lounges, which feature spa treatments, showers, and private sleeping rooms.

4. Lufthansa

Lufthansa is a German airline that offers first-class passengers a comfortable and luxurious travel experience. The airline features private suites with fully flat beds, personal entertainment systems, and gourmet dining options. Lufthansa also offers a separate first-class terminal at its hub in Frankfurt, which provides a personalized check-in, a gourmet restaurant, and a cigar lounge. First-class passengers also have access to the airline’s exclusive lounges, which feature spa treatments, showers, and private sleeping rooms.

5. British Airways

British Airways is a popular choice for first-class travel to Europe, offering private suites with fully flat beds, personal entertainment systems, and gourmet dining options. The airline also features an exclusive Concorde Room lounge at its hub in London Heathrow, which offers a luxurious dining experience, private cabanas, and a full-service spa. First-class passengers can also access the airline’s other lounges, which feature spa treatments, showers, and private sleeping rooms.

Final Thoughts

First-class travel to Europe offers an unparalleled experience that is worth every penny. The airlines mentioned above are some of the best in the industry when it comes to first-class travel. They offer luxurious amenities, personalized service, and gourmet dining, making your journey to Europe an unforgettable one. While the cost of first-class travel may be steep, the experience is one that you will cherish for a lifetime. So, the next time you plan a trip to Europe, consider flying first class with one of these top-rated airlines.

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The airline has 12 Boeing 787-9s on order, and the first of those jets should be delivered to the airline late this year for entry into service in early 2024.

The airline has now revealed the full details of what interiors we can expect on these Dreamliners.

Hawaiian Airlines’ new Boeing 787-9s will feature 300 seats.

This includes 34 fully flat business class seats with direct aisle access, representing the first time that the airline has offered direct aisle access from every business class seat.

Business Class seats are in a 1-2-1 configuration and feature doors.

On top of that, the airline will have 266 economy class seats, nearly one-third of which will feature extra legroom.

The airline selected the Adient Aerospace Ascent seat which is the same product that Qatar Airways has on its Boeing 787-9s.

American Airlines is expected to use a customized version of this product as its new long haul business class seat.

The business class seats will be known as the Leihōkū Suites, and each seat will have an 18″ personal entertainment monitor, power outlets, and wireless charging.

The centre seats are designed in such a way that couples will essentially be head-to-head in the reclined position if the partition is lowered (though it’s not a double bed, in the typical sense of the word).

Hawaiian Airlines’ current fleet of A330s feature flat beds, though they’re in a 2-2-2 configuration, and aren’t particularly comfortable.

The seat seats on the 787 are a huge improvement and UCT looks forward to reviewing them in the future.

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However, the industry was still impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ACI released the top ten busiest airports worldwide for 2022.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) remains the world’s busiest overall, and Dubai International (DXB) is the world’s busiest international hub.

Total Passenger Traffic

The top ten airports for total passenger traffic represented 10% of global traffic and closed in 2022 with an 85.9% recovery versus pre-pandemic 2019 results.

Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson International remained the world’s largest hub with 93.7 million passengers in the year.

Compared to 2021, Atlanta, Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Denver (DEN), and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) remained the top four airports in the world.

Dubai International reached the number 5 position, which last year belonged to Los Angeles (LAX).

The last four spots (seven to ten) of 2021’s top ten did not crack this year’s list.

These airports were Orlando (MCO), Guangzhou (CAN), Chengdu (CTU), and Las Vegas (LAS).

Instead, Istanbul, London, New Delhi, and Paris became the top ten as borders opened.

ACI said that the biggest jump in the top ten was recorded for London Heathrow (LHR) which improved its ranking from the 54th position in 2021.

International Passengers’ Results

Dubai International retained its spot as the world’s busiest international airport, receiving 66.06 million travelers, a 127% increase versus 2021 levels.

This was still 23.5% below pre-pandemic traffic trends.

Amsterdam Schiphol retained its spot as the number three globally, and Paris was number four.

London Heathrow soared back to the international top ten.

Last year, the number two busiest international airport was Istanbul, which this year fell to the fifth position.

In 2021, some odd airports cracked the top ten busiest international hubs, including Antalya International and Cancun International.

This year, none of these two hubs cracked the top ten.

FAQs

1. Which airport is the world’s busiest overall?

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the world’s busiest overall airport.

2. Which airport is the world’s busiest international hub?

• Dubai International (DXB) is the world’s busiest international hub.

3. How many passengers were there in 2022?

• Close to 7 billion passengers traveled globally

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The route is back in action and expected to attract a large number of passengers from Victoria and South America.

The thrice-weekly flights will be operated on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, providing passengers with a convenient way to travel to more than 140 destinations, including Rio De Janeiro, Lima, and Buenos Aires.

The route is also expected to save time as the trans-Pacific journey is only 13 hours, shaving three hours off the airline’s current daily Sydney to Santiago route, which is via Auckland.

The flight schedule for the Melbourne-Santiago route is as follows:

• LA804 departs Melbourne every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 12:25 pm and arrives in Santiago at 11:20 am on the same day.
• LA805 leaves Santiago at 12:55 am every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and lands in Melbourne at 5:30 am a day later.

Passengers traveling on LATAM’s Dreamliner can enjoy a comfortable lie-flat business class with various modern amenities, such as direct aisle access, a spacious console, and a shelf to store their belongings until required.

LATAM has the most extensive network in Latin America, with connections to 144 destinations, including some of the world’s best bucket list destinations.

This allows one-stop itineraries to cities such as Buenos Aires, Rio, and San Paulo.

For passengers still planning to travel from Sydney, the airline will maintain the following schedule:

• LA800 departs Sydney at 11:35 am each day, stops in Auckland at 4:40 pm, and arrives in the Chilean capital at 1:40 pm.
• LA801 takes off at 12:40 am, touches down in Auckland at 5:15 am, and lands in Sydney at 9:35 am, just in time for a late breakfast.

Qantas resumed its non-stop flights on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner in October last year.

Santiago is a city known for its rich artistic and cultural heritage, from the historic Plaza de Armas main square, which is home to several impressive monuments, including the Metropolitan Cathedral, to the bohemian Bellavista neighborhood.

LATAM’s new-look Santiago lounge is almost double the size of its predecessor and one of the largest airport lounges in South America, with a 4,000 square meters space.

The resumption of LATAM’s non-stop flights between Melbourne and Santiago de Chile is excellent news for travelers who want to experience Latin America.

Guide: LATAM

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Lufthansa plans to acquire a minority stake initially, with options to purchase the remaining shares at a later date.

Lufthansa’s motive for investing in ITA Airways is to increase its market share in Italy, which is its second-largest international market after the United States.

By cooperating with ITA Airways, Lufthansa could poach more market share in Italy from competitors, especially for long-haul service.

However, Lufthansa seems to ignore history which has not been favourable to airlines that buy a loss-making airline in the hope of affecting a turnaround.

The history of Alitalia which was on the verge of bankruptcy for years hardly inspires confidence.

Alitalia morphed into ITA Airways in October 2021 after years of the Italian flag carrier being kept on life support by the Italian Government.

ITA Airways suffered a massive loss of €486 million in its first full year of operation, so the jury is still out on whether the new airline can actually perform better than Alitalia.

Other airlines have tried to turn around Italian airlines, Etihad in the case of Alitalia and Qatar Airways in relation to the short-lived Air Italy.

Although Covid was a contributing factor for the latter, the history here has been of significant failure.

It has been widely reported that the negotiation will wrap up in mid-April.

Should the takeover proceed it will be fascinating to see if Lufthansa can succeed where everybody else has failed.

The post Is Lufthansa About To Buy ITA Airways? appeared first on Upper Class Traveller.

Air Canada’s nonstop service to Edinburgh from Toronto will be the only direct flight operating between Scotland and Canada.

The schedule will vary depending on the season, with daily flights offered between June 1 and October 28, 2023.

The flight departs Toronto at 7:05 p.m. and arrives in Edinburgh at 6:35 a.m. the following day. The return flight departs Edinburgh at 9 a.m. and arrives in Toronto at 11 a.m.

For the winter season, between October 29, 2023, and January 9, 2024, the flight will depart Toronto at 7:50 p.m. and arrive in Edinburgh at 7:15 a.m. the following day.

The return flight departs Edinburgh at 9 a.m. and arrives in Toronto at 11:20 a.m.

Air Canada’s fleet of Boeing 787-8 aircraft will operate this route.

The Dreamliner is equipped with spacious business-class seats, state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment, and a range of amenities for passengers.

WestJet also offers a 3x-weekly service from Calgary (YYC) to Edinburgh, allowing passengers from western Canada to fly nonstop to Edinburgh.

Passengers can fly direct to Edinburgh from seven airports in the US, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Newark, New York, Orlando, and Washington-Dulles.

Edinburgh is a magnificent city and one of UCT’s favourites.

it is great to see increased travel opportunities and the convenience of nonstop flights to the Scottish capital.

Guide: Air Canada

Air Canada and Emirates Launch Partnership

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The thrice-weekly A321neo flight will shave off four to six hours off alternate travel times.

With the new route, PAL’s total weekly flights from Australia have increased to 20, with Perth joining the airline’s existing gateways of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

PAL’s new non-stop service from Perth to Manila marks its return to the Western Australian city after a decade-long absence.

The airline briefly served the Perth route via Darwin in 2013 before abandoning it the same year.

Although plans were previously made to commence the service in 2019 with a tentative launch date in late March 2020, the pandemic caused delays.

Now, travelers from Perth can enjoy a comfortable seven-hour flight aboard the fully flat business class-equipped A321neo.

The PAL A321neo provides three rows of flatbed business class seating in a 2-2 configuration, offering a secluded and comfortable option for travelers.

The new service, with flight number PR223, departs Manila at 12:05 am local time every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, landing in Perth at 7:15 am.

On the return flight, PR224 leaves Perth every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, taking off at 8:30 am from Terminal 1 and arriving in Manila at 3:50 pm local time.

In UCT’s opinion, The Philippines is a significantly underrated luxury travel destination.

The country is home to 7,641 islands with white-sand beaches and dramatic volcanic landscapes.

It offers a rich cultural mix, warm locals, sensational cuisine, and numerous opportunities for shopping.

Sadly PAL doesn’t have a partner airline in Australia or a membership with a global alliance.

Travellers can, however, join the airline’s Mabuhay Miles frequent flyer program, which is free to join.

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Service will resume from Munich on June 1, 2023.

The German flag carrier announced in August 2021 that the airline had retired its A380s for good due to the Covid pandemic’s impact on air travel.

However international travel has rocketed since then and with the increase in demand for long-haul travel, Lufthansa has obviously changed its mind.

Before the pandemic, Lufthansa had 14 Airbus A380s in operation, flying to destinations such as Bangkok, Delhi, New York, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Since then, 6 of the stored aircraft have been sold.

However, the airline plans to operate four of its Airbus A380 aircraft by the end of 2023, with two confirmed routes:

• LH 424/425: Daily flights between Munich and Boston, starting on June 1, 2023.
• LH 410/411: Daily flights between Munich and New York-JFK, starting on July 4, 2023.

The A380 is a firm favorite of UCT owing to its spacious cabins and smooth flying.

Unfortunately, the Lufthansa version, with 509 seats, is not really cutting edge in terms of its first and business-class product.

The upper deck of the jumbo boasts eight open suites in first class,

This is still an amazing experience but Lufthansa has revealed a significant upgrade is coming in 2024.

Business class contains 78 lie-flat business class seats that stretch almost the entire length of the cabin.

Unfortunately, Lufthansa’s business class is a decade behind other significant airlines and is desperate to be replaced.

If you’re a fan of flying first class though, you should add Lufthansa’s A380 to your aviation wish list.

The seat may be less than class-leading but the experience remains brilliant.

Lufthansa’s decision to reintroduce its A380s into service is a welcome surprise, and UCT is always excited to see them back in the skies again.

Guide: Lufthansa

New Lufthansa Group First and Business Class

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Qantas will add the A380 – currently their only aircraft type with first class – to the Melbourne – Los Angeles route from 30 October this year.

The double-decker Airbus will operate the light three times per week with the additional flights still operated by the 787 that maxes out at business class.

The Qantas A380 fleet has enjoyed a significant refresh that saw first-class touched up to present a new modern product.

This was not as significant as the upgrade to the business class that saw the installation of the highly regarded “Business Suite” and away from the outdated “Sky bed II” seat.

One World stablemate Cathay Pacific will also be bringing first-class back to LAX with the addition of the flagship 777-300ER to the route.

The flights will begin at the end of March.

At the same time, Cathay will bring first-class back to its Beijing route.

These new routes with first-class complement their existing roster of first-class flights to London, Paris and Tokyo.

Cathay Pacific operates a small cabin of six first-class pews on the 777-300ER.

The seats are no longer cutting edge but the overall product continues to be amazing – starting with some of the world’s best first-class lounges in Hong Kong.

Guide: Qantas

Guide: Cathay Pacific

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But it has been revealed Saudi Arabia will acquire significant aircraft for the existing flag carrier Saudia as well.

The order is worth up to US$37 billion, although airlines would usually get a discount on list prices.

Riyadh Air, which has incredible aspirations to build a new Emirates, will receive 39 787-900s with the option of 33 more jets.

The first jet will be delivered in 2025.

By 2030 the airline aims to be servicing 100 destinations around the world which is quite extraordinary.

It has also been reported that the new CEO, Tony Douglas, who was poached from Etihad to run the airline had resigned but that appears to be false as he was all over this announcement.

Saudia will order 39 787-900 and 787-1000s with options for another 10.

This is a very significant investment in making Saudi Arabia a global aviation hub.

Both airlines are owned by the Government and are part of a larger strategic ambition to rapidly build tourism in the country.

Astonishingly there will also be another government-funded airline, Neom Airlines, starting up in the near future as well.

Neom Airlines is expected to launch next year and will focus on serving the planned futuristic city of Neom which Saudi Arabia is building in the North-West of the country.

It will be fascinating to see how Ridadh Air and Saudi Arabia’s aviation hub ambitions develop from here.

Guide: Saudia

Can Saudi Arabia Build a New Emirates?

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