Vehicles & Machines
The World's Best First Class Airlines
The top 10 in Skytrax's 2026 World Airline Awards for first class, voted by travellers and announced in London on September 18, 2026. Air France won for the first time, ending Singapore Airlines' two-year run.
Pictured: Air France's new La Première suite, from the airline's own video. Air France is #1 in 2026.
Basis and caveats: Skytrax's World Airline Awards are based on its survey of airline customers, which ran from September 2025 to August 2026 for the 2026 awards. Skytrax publishes the first class ranking only to 10th place. The 2025 column comes from Skytrax for the top three; places 4 and below come from reports at the time, because Skytrax has since replaced its 2025 pages. "Flagship first class" is the airline's newest or best-known first class suite and the aircraft that carries it. The suite count is per aircraft, and older planes in the same fleet may have a different, older seat. Lufthansa's and SWISS's newest cabins have three suites each, one of them a double for two travellers.[1][2][3]
The Top 10
#1
Air France
Air France's first win, after third place in 2025 and second in 2024. Its new La Première suite first flew between Paris and New York on April 8, 2025. There are only four per Boeing 777, each with a chaise longue that becomes a 2-metre bed, and curtains rather than doors. Air France also won Skytrax's 2026 awards for first class lounge dining, at its Paris lounge, and for first class amenities. Trek Trendy has reviewed La Première several times, including Paris to Dubai and Paris to Mexico City.[1][4]
#2
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines won both of the previous two years and also took Skytrax's World's Best Airline title for 2026. Its A380 Suites, introduced in 2017, have a sliding door and a swivelling armchair separate from the bed, and the two centre suites join into a double bed. Skytrax named it the best first class seat of 2026. The video is Trek Trendy's review of the Suites.[1][2]
#3
Lufthansa
Lufthansa rose from fifth on the strength of Allegris, its new first class on the Airbus A350-900. The cabin has just three walled suites with sliding doors. The centre one, Suite Plus, is a double whose two seats form one bed. Lufthansa also won the 2026 award for the best first class catering. Its older first class, in the nose of the Boeing 747-8, is still flying; Trek Trendy reviewed that one in 2021 and 2022.[1][5]
#4
Emirates
Emirates has 14 private suites with doors on each of its A380s, plus two onboard shower spas and a bar. Its Boeing 777 "Game Changer" suite has floor-to-ceiling doors and, in the middle suites, "virtual windows" showing a camera view outside. Trek Trendy has flown it more than any other first class, in over a dozen videos; this one covers both the A380 and the 777.[1][6]
#5
Cathay Pacific
Cathay's first class is six open seats on the Boeing 777-300ER, and it is shrinking: refitted aircraft get Aria Suite business class instead, and a new first class is planned for the 777-9. Skytrax named Cathay's first class lounge, The Wing at Hong Kong, the world's best in 2026. The video is Cathay's own film of that lounge.[1][7]
#6
SWISS
SWISS climbed two places in the year its new SWISS Senses First went into service on the Airbus A350-900, from Zurich to Boston on January 1, 2026. Two window suites and a centre Grand Suite for two have sliding doors, and the seats can be heated or cooled. Trek Trendy reviewed the older SWISS First from Zurich to Dubai in 2021.[1][8]
#7
Japan Airlines
JAL held seventh for a third year running. Its newest first class, on the Airbus A350-1000 that entered service in 2024, has six enclosed suites with doors. Trek Trendy flew it between Asia and the US in 2024.[1]
#8
ANA
ANA's first class, THE Suite, has eight suites with sliding doors on the Boeing 777-300ER, launched in 2019. Trek Trendy flew it from Tokyo to New York in 2023, and earlier from London.[1]
#9
Qantas
Qantas is back in the top 10 after 11th place in 2025. Its A380 First Suite, designed by Marc Newson, has 14 seats, each with an armchair that swivels to face the window and a separate bed. Six new first suites are due on the A350-1000s that Qantas has ordered for nonstop flights from Sydney to London and New York (Project Sunrise). Trek Trendy flew the A380 from Sydney via Singapore to London.[1][9]
#10
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways has first class only on its A380s, eight open seats. Its best-known seat is in business class, the Qsuite, which is #1 in Skytrax's 2026 business class ranking. Trek Trendy flew the A380's first class from London to Doha in 2021, after the A380s returned from storage.[1]
For business class, see The World's Best Business Class Airlines; for luxury on rails, The Most Luxurious Train Rides Covered by Trek Trendy.
Sources
- Skytrax, World's Best First Class Airlines 2026 — worldairlineawards.com
- Skytrax, "Singapore Airlines named World's Best Airline at 2026 World Airline Awards" (September 18, 2026) — worldairlineawards.com; 2025 press release — worldairlineawards.com
- Skytrax, Top 10 First Class Airlines 2024 — skytraxratings.com; FlightQueue, best first class airlines (2025 order) — flightqueue.com
- Business Traveller, "Air France debuts new La Première suites on New York JFK route" (April 10, 2025) — businesstraveller.com
- One Mile at a Time, Lufthansa Allegris first class guide — onemileatatime.com
- Emirates, First Class — emirates.com; Trek Trendy, Emirates first class reviews — youtube.com/@TrekTrendy
- Executive Traveller, "Cathay Pacific's new 777X first class, business class" — executivetraveller.com
- SWISS, SWISS Senses First — swiss.com
- One Mile at a Time, Qantas Project Sunrise — onemileatatime.com
