Flying business (or first) class is about as good as it gets – especially if you’re using points to book it. But not all business class seats are created equal … not even close.
Lucky for you, there are many amazing options to fly business class around the world – and the list keeps growing as airlines continue upping their game. There are standbys like Qatar QSuites, Delta One Suites, United Polaris, SWISS business class, and more. Newer options like ANA’s The Room, Virgin Atlantic’s latest suites, Finnair’s funky new lie-flat seats, and even Iberia’s new business class seat on the Airbus A321 are arguably even better.
But if you’re not careful, you could wind up forking over the same amount of points for a business class cabin that looks nothing like what you see in our reviews or glossy airline photos. Ranging from simply outdated to downright dreary and awkward, there are business class seats out there that you may want to avoid when booking your next trip.
The key is to look before you book – and there’s an easy way to figure it out: If an airline’s website isn’t giving you the answers you need, head over to Aerolopa, the best collection of incredibly detailed airplane seat maps out there. Just find the plane you’re aiming to fly on – check the details of your route through Google Flights or plug it into the Flighty App – and pull it up on Aerolopa.
Look: Any lie-flat seat is a treat … but when you can easily do much better, there are a few business class seats you might to avoid from the very beginning. Here are our picks.
Older Delta One Seats
Flying Delta One Suites overseas can be downright dreamy. You know what I’m talking about: The big, spacious-yet-private suites with the closing door and the high-end service travelers expect for their long-haul journey. They look like this.
That’s one of the best ways to fly, period. The photo below, however, is definitely not what you’ve been dreaming of – even if it’s the exact same price (a mountain of SkyMiles).
The airline’s older Delta One seats are a far cry from the modern suites – and unfortunately, the majority of Delta’s long-haul fleet is equipped with relics like this in business class. Just look at that TV screen and the rest of the tech. These seats are from the stone age, but are often priced exactly the same as Delta One Suites.
Yet some seats are even worse, like the cramped and outdated business class seats on Delta’s Boeing 767-300s – a fixture on the airline’s flights to Europe. They’re practically ancient, don’t offer an ounce of privacy, and are incredibly narrow.
Where to Find It & How to Spot It
You’ll find these ancient seats on Delta’s A330-200, A330-300, and Boeing 767-300 aircraft. The only A330s that have Delta One Suites are the A330-900neos.
The A330-200s and A330-300s have a seat map that looks like this on Aerolopa.
The seats you’re actually looking for are these Delta One Suites, which will appear like this on Aerolopa.
Luckily, you won’t have to go through to the seat map to figure out which product you’re getting when you book with Delta. On Delta’s site, you can easily tell which seats are Delta One Suites and which are Delta One. Still…it’s insane that these two things are the same price!
If you’re booking Delta One flights with a partner airline like Air France/KLM Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic, however, you’ll still need to verify which plane you’re flying to ensure you get the best seat.
United’s Ultra-Awkward 2-4-2
From its Boeing 767s to 787 Dreamliners and the massive 777s, the vast majority of United’s widebody fleet is equipped with its newest Polaris business class seats, all with direct-aisle access.
But then there are a select few United planes with a truly dreadful setup in business class: A 2-4-2 seating arrangement … with some seats facing one another. It’s … so … awkward!
Walking through this cabin makes you want to keep walking, in some cases. It’s one of the weirdest business classes in the world.
Where to Find It & How to Spot It
You’ll find this strange setup on United’s 777-200 aircraft, specifically on type “77G.” Look for a seat map that looks like this and has 28 seats onboard.
Fortunately, these planes almost exclusively operate on domestic routes, so you’re unlikely to find one flying overseas. Some of them do fly to Hawaii from United’s hubs in Chicago-O’Hare (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston-Intercontinental (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO). You can also find it on flights between many of those hubs on a daily basis as well.
Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Feet Seats”
Can we all just agree that airplane seats should never face each other?
In the year 2025, what on earth is Virgin Atlantic doing with planes these ridiculous seats? For one, the seats are angled toward one another other, offering next-to-zero privacy. But also, you can see everyone’s feet in the aisles. Gross…
From “Feet Seats” to “Coffin Class,” some Virgin Atlantic business class seats have many indelicate nicknames and should be avoided at all costs – particuarly when it’s fairly easy to book another Virgin flight with a far superior seat, like this one.
Where to Find It & How to Spot It
You’ll find these seats on Virgin’s A330-300 and their 787-9 Dreamliners. You’ll be able to tell which ones they are because they are setup in a 1-1-1 configuration, which looks like this.
All other Virgin Atlantic “Upper Class” seats – on their Airbus A350-1000s and A330-900neos – are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, like this.
The 2-2-2s: Qatar, Turkish, Lufthansa & More
I’m calling these the “Terrible 2s” because they’re all of the same ilk: A simple 2-2-2 lie-flat business class from a different era of air travel.
All of these seats are perfectly comfortable. They get the job done with a ton of extra legroom and a lie-flat bed. But they’re nothing like the new business class seats we know and love that have direct aisle access for every traveler, forcing travelers to hop over their neighbor to get out and head to the bathroom – a massive pain in the butt on a long-haul flight.
When most of these airlines also offer planes with far superior configurations in business class, why choose this?
The main culprits for operating these seats are Qatar, Turkish, and Lufthansa … because all three airlines offer much better seats you should aim for instead.
Where to Find It & How to Spot It
Qatar‘s 2-2-2 configurations can be found on all its A330-200, A330-300 planes, plus some Boeing 777-200LR and 777-300ER. On Aerolopa, those seats are called either “Diamond” or “MiniPod” business class seats. You’ll also notice there is no large, gold “Q” next to the fare when you’re booking on Qatar’s website.
Fortunately, Qatar generally doesn’t use any of these planes between North America and Doha (DOH) – you’re far more likely to see them flying around the Middle East and in eastern Europe. The 2-2-2 configuration is easy to spot on the seat map during booking.
Turkish‘s crowded business class configurations are far more ubiquitous, unfortunately. But that means it’s much easier to tell you which planes have the good seats. That would be the A350-900s and the 787-9s, which have these excellent lie-flat seats you can enjoy on the way to Istanbul (IST), including a select few Airbus A350s with private suites.
That’s a huge step above Turkish’s A330s all have 2-2-2 formats while their 777-300ERs have an even nastier 2-3-2 setup, where there’s a middle seat … yes, even in business class. These planes with subpar business class cabins are common flying between the U.S. and Istanbul, so you’ll need to watch out.
And with Lufthansa, it’s a real grab-bag. We can’t even tell you which specific plane types to avoid … because some aircraft have different business class cabins onboard.
For starters, all Lufthansa’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft all have direct aisle access in business class, including a few with the brand-new Allegris seats that we loved.
But then there are Lufthansa’s Airbus A350s, which may have the new Allegris seats … or an older cabin with 1-2-1 seating in business class … or a 2-2-2 configuration. You’ll really have to study your route to make sure you’re on the plane you want.
Finally, all of Lufthansa’s Airbus A330s, A340s, A380s, and Boeing 747s have 2-2-2 seating in business class cabins. On the 747s, the upper deck business class cabin is arranged in a 2-2 configuration.
Oddly, there’s just one – yes, one – seat that breaks this rule: Seat 4D on the main deck of Lufthansa’s 747-400s.
Emirates 2-3-2 Angled Flat Seats
Emirates has some of the finest premium cabin seats seats in the sky – complete with a bar at the back of the business class cabins and onboard showers in front of Emirates First Class on its A380s.
But the Middle Eastern airline that’s practically synonymous with “luxury” also flies some of the most-crowded business class cabins, too – including some seats that don’t recline fully flat.
It’s a funny juxtaposition of the best and some of the worst out there, so there’s plenty to beware of.
Where to Find It & How to Spot It
If you fly Emirates’ signature A380s or a brand-new A350s, you’re going to have business class seats laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.
But many of the airlines’ other business class cabins are quite busy.
Virtually all of Emirates’ 777-300ERs and 777-200LRs have business class cabins in a 2-2-2 or even 2-3-2 layout. To make matters worse, many of them aren’t truly lie-flat seats but angled-flat, so you don’t get that bed in business class you’re likely looking for.
Emirates has begun retrofitting its 777 fleet to install a more moderin business class cabin, but it will likely be many years before business class seats laid out 1-2-1 become common on those jets.
Intra-Europe Business Class
Over in Europe, “business class” means something entirely different than here.
You’ll almost never find a bonafide business class seat flying within Europe … heck, you won’t even find the first class recliners that we all know here in the states. With few exceptions, here’s what business class gets you across the pond.
Forget a wider, plusher seat. Forget about getting some extra legroom. Within Europe, you get a standard economy seat with the middle seat blocked off in each row. That’s better than nothing, and you’ll get a meal and drink service … but it’s nowhere near the “business class” experience many travelers are expecting.
So unless you’re booking a long-haul business class award ticket with a connection within Europe – for example, from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and onward to Munich (MUC) – it’s probably not worth the extra points (or cash).
Where to Find It & How to Spot It
Honestly, it’s everywhere.
If you’re flying on a narrowbody plane – think an Airbus A320, Boeing 737, or even an Embraer – within Europe, you can pretty much guarantee you’ll have these glorified economy seats in business class.
Bottom Line
Business class seats aren’t created equal … yet they’re often priced equally.
When you’re splurging for business class, you want (and deserve!) the best. So you’d be wise on being careful to select a flight that’ll get you a lie-flat suite in a 1-2-1 configuration … and take pains to avoid those older, crowded business class cabins.
