We’ll be switching it up a bit with this week’s face-off, where we’ll be looking at the who has the best first class drinks – Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa or Swiss? However, instead of our normal face-off format, we’re going to be adapting it a bit.
The drink section is one that has often bedeviled me. It is a critical part of the soft product, and AvGeeks love comparing champagne served in business and first class across the world. However, beyond that, I have found the drink reviews to be somewhat lacking. Apparently most of the bloggers and reviewers out there are generally not big drinkers – although some are. This has, for our aggregated reviews, historically necessitated me making my own judgment call when menus are available on an airline’s program (we cover this in our methodology), leveraging my own disturbingly robust knowledge of alcohol. This hasn’t been my favorite way to do things, but has been a trade-off I’ve made to date.
To experiment with a deeper, more accurate analysis, we’ll be testing a new format for the face-off for drink programs only. This will include a head-to-head, based on the most recent menus, of several categories of the drink program:
- Champagne served, based on price and quality. First place gets 3 points, second gets 2 points, third place 1 point.
- Top spirit served, based on price and quality. First place gets 3 points, second gets 2 points, third place 1 point.
- Cocktail list. First place gets 3 points, second gets 2 points, third place 1 point. No cocktail list gets 0 points.
- Non-alcoholic drink selection, including local specialties or the like (such as milk tea). First place gets 3 points, second gets 2 points, third place 1 point.
- Coffee and tea selection. First place gets 3 points, second gets 2 points, third place 1 point.
- Other. If there are any unique offerings that don’t fall into a category (the blackberry liquor shots on LOT come to mind) or an offering is particularly weak in my judgement, I reserve the right to add or deduct points. This is a benevolent dictatorship, after all, but at least I’m transparent.
I expect I’ll refine this over time, but the face-off format is the perfect way to experiment in figuring out who is the best of the best when it comes to airline drink programs. So on to the main event – let’s see who has the best first class drinks – Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa or Swiss!
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.
Champagne – Best First Class Drinks
| Airline | Top Champagne Served | Rank |
| Air France | Vueve Clicquot La Grand Dame 2006 ($140/bottle, 4.5 stars on Vivino) | Tied – #2 |
| British Airways | Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle ($145/bottle, 4.5 stars Vivino) | Tied – #2 |
| Lufthansa | 2004 Grand Cuvee Rose Alexandra, Champagne Laurent-Perrier ($300/bottle, 4.6 stars Vivino) | #1 |
| Swiss | Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle ($145/bottle, 4.5 stars Vivino) | Tied #2 |
Let’s get the party started with Champagne, which is how all great and terrible days and nights always start. First, credit where credit is due for this – menus are sourced from the following reviews:
- British Airways from my own recent review from October traveling on a BA 747-400
- Air France from One Mile at a Time’s recent amazing trip on an Air France 777-300ER
- Lufthansa from Simple Flying’s journey on a Lufthansa 747
- Swiss from Flight Hacks’ adventure on a 777-300ER
Now then, Champagne was pretty straightforward, with Lufthansa serving an incredible bottle of rose that clocked in at $300 per bottle, blowing the competition out of the water. British Airways and Swiss serve the same great Grand Siecle. Air France switches theirs around, and while there was some legitimate critique from some reviewers that this is actually the same bottle that’s served in EVA business, it’s still a great champagne, so I gave them the tie. Score so far:
- Air France – 2
- British Airways – 2
- Lufthansa – 3
- Swiss – 2
Spirits – Best First Class Drinks
| Airline | Top Spirit Served | Rank |
| Air France | Cognac HINE Antique XO Grande Champagne ($125/bottle) | #2 |
| British Airways | Johnnie Waker Blue Label ($270/bottle) | Tied – #1 |
| Lufthansa | Johnnie Waker Blue Label ($270/bottle) | Tied – #1 |
| Swiss | Bowmore Islay Single Malt 18 ($100/bottle) | #3 |
You’re not supposed to mix champagne and liquor, unless you’re in first class, and then it’s awesome. Actually, it’s really not, altitude and alcohol don’t mix, stay hydrated and safe folks. Spirits got interesting, with some high-end and unique offerings. The clear winner here was the Johnnie Walker Blue, something I over-indulged in (well, it’s not really over-indulging when it’s $270 scotch) during my trip. But the second place winner was Air France with the high-end cognac. Air France also had an Armagnac that clocked in at $120, making them a clear second. Swiss finished last, with a respectable but overshadowed Bowmore 18. Score so far:
- Air France – 4
- British Airways – 5
- Lufthansa – 6
- Swiss – 3
Cocktails – Best First Class Drinks
| Airline | Cocktail Selection | Rank |
| Air France | No Cocktails | Tied – #2 |
| British Airways | Cocktail selection with 7 options | #1 |
| Lufthansa | No Cocktails | Tied – #2 |
| Swiss | No Cocktails | Tied – #2 |
Cocktails were pretty straightforward, with British Airways offering a cocktail list… and everyone else not offering one. Score so far:
- Air France – 4
- British Airways – 8
- Lufthansa – 6
- Swiss – 3
Non-Alcoholic – Best First Class Drinks
| Airline | Non-Alcoholic Selection | Rank |
| Air France | Coke products, water options, tonic water, juices | Tied – #2 |
| British Airways | 2 mocktails, water options, multiple custom tonic waters and Fever Tree ginger ale | #1 |
| Lufthansa | Coke products, water options, juices, and a “recovery” drink | Tied – #2 |
| Swiss | Coke products, juices, waters | #3 |
Rolling into the soft stuff, we see British Airways remaining in the lead with two mocktail options, as well as a number of customs drinks. Air France and Lufthansa were tied for second, and Swiss had the weakest soft offering overall. Score so far:
- Air France – 6
- British Airways – 11
- Lufthansa – 8
- Swiss – 4
Coffee/Tea – Best First Class Drinks
| Airline | Coffee/Tea Selection | Rank |
| Air France | Unspecified tea and coffee selection, hot chocolate, and espresso drinks (note: these were powdered per some reviews) | Tied – #2 |
| British Airways | 7 tea options, espresso drinks, Union coffee | Tied – #1 |
| Lufthansa | 6 teas, coffee, and espresso drinks | Tied – #1 |
| Swiss | 4 teas, coffee provided by Nespresso (coffee/espresso) | Tied – #2 |
The one thing you need after a flight of heavy drinking is caffeine. All of the carriers had fairly robust options, but British Airways and Lufthansa both took the lead based on the widest selection. Air France had hot chocolate, which was unique, but the lack of specificity kept them from taking over. Swiss had a decent selection, but it’s important to note they also serve Nespresso. Some people hate Nespresso… I personally love it. Score so far:
- Air France – 8
- British Airways – 14
- Lufthansa – 11
- Swiss – 6
Other Notes – Best First Class Drinks
I’m glad we had this bonus section, because it came in handy. I’d like to award several points as follows:
- Air France – 1 point for local liquors
- British Airways – 1 point for strong beer selection
- Lufthansa – 1 point for strong German beer selection, 1 point for a very robust spirit list overall, including a special rotating monthly option (rye whisky the month of the review we used)
- Swiss – 1 point for local liquors
With that, we reach our final scoring:
- Air France – 9
- British Airways – 15
- Lufthansa – 13
- Swiss – 7
Conclusion: Best First Class Drinks – British Airways, Air France, Swiss or Lufthansa
This was a fun exercise, as we got to dive deep into the offerings of every carrier. British Airways ended up in the lead, driven by their cocktail program, which none of the other carriers had. Lufthansa was right behind them – with a cocktail program of their own, they might have taken the lead.
This begs the question – does it matter? I would argue it does. The goal of a true first class product is to have a superb dining and drink experience that makes you forget you’re in a metal tube 30,000 feet in the sky. A cocktail menu adds an element of sophistication that matches what you’d get on the ground. Anyone can pour wine or spirits into a glass – having drinks takes it to the next level. Of course, many flyers aren’t obsessed with drinks, so you’ll want to look at the full reviews of each of these carriers, found here:
Not happy with those carriers? Check out all of our first class reviews to find a carrier more to your liking. Or perhaps you’d like to save some money and downgrade to business class? No matter how you fly, Premium Travel Insider has you covered.