September may be coming to a close, but Premium Travel Insider is still going strong. This month we’re focusing on the Middle East Three (aka ME3) – Qatar, Emirates and Etihad. These three products are known for being some of the most “over the top” first class products in the sky. But does over-the-top mean good? Read on to find out in the September expanded first class reviews.
As a reminder, Premium Travel Insider aggregates reviews from around the web and scores them on a 1-3 scale. A 3 indicates that a given category exceeded reviewer expectations, a 2 indicates it met expectations, and a 1 failed to meet expectations. We evaluate a variety of categories, the most important of which we call the “Big 5” that are most important to a premium travel experience: seat, food, drink, service, and in flight entertainment. You can learn more about our methodology here.
Qatar
Qatar’s business class product is considered one of the best – if not the best – in the sky. Its first class is rarer, as it is featured only on their smaller fleet of A380’s. But how does their first class measure up? Based on the 10 reviews we just added, it’s a great product, but it’s not the best in the sky. That’s not to say most of us won’t enjoy it. But when compared to some of the other first class products – including those in the ME3 – while it’s great, there may be better options out there. Read more here.
Emirates
Emirates first class was already in our database, but we’ve expanded from six to 12 reviews, featuring nine different sites. Emirates was already considered one of the best – averaging 2.83/3.00 overall – and that rose to 2.88/3.00 with the new reviews. Food also increased from 2.83/3.00 to 2.91/3.00. Service declined slightly, as did lavatory and amenity kits. Overall however, Emirates is deservedly considered one of the best first class products in the world. Read more here.
Etihad
Closing out our September expanded first class reviews is Etihad. Etihad first class was also already in our database. Now we’ve expanded from five to 15 reviews, featuring nine different sites. With these new reviews, Etihad is averaging a superb 2.80/3.00, a decline from the previous 2.90/3.00. Seat saw a slight decline from a perfect 3.00/3.00 to 2.93/3.00, while food increased from 2.80/3.00 to 2.86/3.00. One common complaint from bloggers and reviewers is that Etihad has had cost cuts, resulting in (slightly) less over-the-top liquors and wines and inferior amenity kits. Nonetheless, Etihad remains a superb airline. Read more here.
Look Before You Book
Points and dollars are hard to come by for most of us, so make sure you’re getting the best possible travel experience. See what the experts have to say for both Business and First class before making any decisions. It might be the difference between the flight of a lifetime or a disappointment.