If you won the lottery and could fly Business Class for the rest of your life, which airline product should be the only one to fly if you compare Etihad, KLM, Qatar and Turkish Airlines?

Let’s face it: most of us can’t afford to fly Business Class all the time – and sometimes not even once. But if you could choose between these 4, or if you could only try it once, this is an objective and detailed comparison.

BUSINESS CLASS UPDATE POST COVID: One person comparing Etihad, KLM, Qatar and Turkish Airlines over a 4-month period.

One of the Thacks Awards panelists had the pleasure (and luck) of comparing the Business Class offering of 4 international carriers over 4 months. What are the highlights and the lowlights when comparing Business Class offerings? Read this personal account and thoughts on value for money.

“BUSINESS CLASS DREAMS
Yes, Business Class travel is something that most of us only dream of. But the good news for frequent flyers since the covid pandemic grounded flights and dreams, is that hot towels have finally returned to Business Class!

My personal history of flying:

My flight experiences have always been self-funded except for a few economy flights for work to London, Malta, Bucharest, Lviv, Nairobi, Dar and Kampala. Normally I only fly Business Class by taking up fantastic upgrade offers or using airmiles to upgrade – so it’s never a case of throwing money around or a decision taken lightly. I follow a website and app to get some good Business Class deals if they’re offered, and do always book my long-haul flights more than six months in advance.

To buy a return Business Class flight is crazy expensive and I’ve only done that with 3 of these 4 airlines on post-pandemic offers; and when you think that you arrive on the same plane, at the same place, at the same time, it does seem like an extravagance that is often not justified when most of us live to budgets. But for those who are lucky enough not to have to worry about finances or those who get this luxury treatment for work, Business Class travel is certainly a massively different experience to Economy travel.

And if you’re ever able to be lucky enough to select which carrier you would choose to fly Business Class with, this blog is for you.

Nowadays kids often fly with their parents and take flying for granted. With budget airlines travelling to different countries and the world becoming a smaller place as a result, travelling with children has become second nature for many. My first domestic flight was taken when I was 16 years old. I won a national radio competition and my mother and I were flown to the radio station headquarters to collect my prize. It was ‘just’ a domestic flight on a national carrier, but at the time I was certainly feeling very lucky!

My first international flight happened when I was 19 and I’d saved enough money working as a waiter and summer lifeguard for a gap year to London so I booked my first ever return economy ticket.
My first taste of Business Class was a free upgrade on Iberia when I was 26 – my only free upgrade in my many years of flying:
I miraculously received the free upgrade to Business Class when I flew from London via Madrid to Johannesburg, but that was the one and only upgrade I’ve ever received for free. Nowadays you don’t often hear about people receiving free upgrades and airlines are more likely to try and upsell their Business Class seats instead of giving them away.

If you told my 19 year-old self – who saved very hard for that first international flight – that I’d be undertaking four Business Class flights on four different carriers over 4 months in 2022, I wouldn’t have believed it. But this is what happens when at the end of a pandemic, you can book some really good value Business Class deals. My first ever paid-for Business Class flight was with Qatar Airlines in 2018 when I coincidentally travelled with two of my fellow Thacks Awards panelists to Bali and we paid for an upgrade offer on one of the return legs. Sometimes I wish I had never taken that upgrade offer so that I wouldn’t know what I’d be missing…

BUT WHICH CARRIER OUT OF ETIHAD, KLM, QATAR AND TURKISH AIRLINES IS BEST WITH THEIR BUSINESS CLASS OFFERING? Here are the overall scores:

ETIHAD:  9/10

KLM: 7.5/10

QATAR: 9.5/10  

TURKISH AIRLINES:  8/10

Qatar won a 2021 Thacks Award for their consistent flight offering (in Business Class and Economy) even through the pandemic and they are no strangers to awards. It is hard to fault them – except when you book (and pay for) a Q-Suite cabin and Qatar change the aircraft type a day before your flight. It’s happened to me and I was not happy – but there is nothing you can do about it. However I won’t let that affect this objective onboard experience comparison.

Etihad do also offer a solid and consistent offering and is almost as impressive, though the cabin crew and meal offering at Qatar scored slightly higher.

Turkish Airlines lost a few points for their Business Class transit service at Istanbul, seat privacy and their lack of offering during and at the end of the pandemic compared to the other carriers. Although Turkish Airlines have now reintroduced much of their offering at the time of writing, I was bitter using thousands of hard-earned miles for an upgrade to Business Class only to find my 9 hour layover in Istanbul on a Friday night meant no alcohol or hot food options even in the Business Class lounge – and the lounge was quite full. And Covid is always a valid excuse – though strange that the virus thrives in alcohol consumption or hot food presentation just in Turkey. On flights from Europe to Istanbul a cold lunchbox was all that was offered whilst Qatar maintained hot food offerings although it was served on a tray.
I was also disappointed that Turkish Airlines’ steak meal offering was so limited on my last flight from Cape Town to Istanbul so many of us on the Business Class flight didn’t get the option – though the veg pasta was tasty.

KLM dropped some points for their food offering/presentation (breakfast squeezed into a box?) and the fact that menus weren’t on offer on my flight from Buenos Aires to Amsterdam. Their food and drinks offering is also not as premium as the Middle East carriers which offer a surprisingly good wine selection. KLM’s service on the leg from Amsterdam to Buenos Aires was rather nonchalant and less personal compared to the impeccable cabin crews of the Middle East carriers – though I’m sure that KLM is perhaps the best airline to be a staff member of. Their flight from Amsterdam to Buenos Aires was full in Business Class with chatty ‘customers’ (who kept the crew very busy) who turned out to be mostly cabin crew travelling to work on another flight to Chile.

BUSINESS CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

It is commonly known that the Middle East carriers offer the best five star service in the skies – their wine lists and food options are impressive; and their service is great. It will always be hard to beat them; but let’s see what the best elements of the four carriers were over the past 4 months:

ETIHAD –  
The seats and modern feel to the planes stood out; as did the amenities and the onboard bathrooms.  The food was tasty and well presented.

KLM –
The breakfast croissants were great. The collectable delft houses with Bols liqueur were a great touch and keepsake to take home. The International lounge in Amsterdam was spacious and fresh and the staff there were welcoming.

QATAR –
The overall quality of the ‘dine on demand’ meal experiences and presentation; combined with the Q-Suite exclusive feel and the friendliest cabin crew in the skies (who seem to sense if you need anything before you ask) makes you love this Business Class offering – with all your heart!

TURKISH AIRLINES –
The slippers are super comfy and great to wear at home. The onboard chef idea with a trolley is great and the food options are impressive. The beautiful red roses in the Business Class lounges in Istanbul are also worth a mention. The cabin configuration for shorter flights from Europe with dedicated Business Class seats (not just a curtain divider from economy) is great compared to European carriers and all their planes I’ve flown in recently have been more modern than European carriers – on par with the Middle East carriers.

LACKING

It feels like a sin to be complaining about Business Class aspects when it’s still obviously a lot better than economy class. But let’s just try to be objective:

ETIHAD –
The cabin crew seemed less attentive than Qatar’s and when you rang the dreaded call button (since they seemed less intuitive than Qatar’s team who seem like they couldn’t do enough for you), they seemed inconvenienced to be called.

KLM –
For some reason the female flight attendants were much warmer and welcoming than their male counterparts on two transatlantic flights. The wine options (although sourced from sustainable wine companies) were not as premium (or good) and on a long-haul flight from Buenos Aires to Amsterdam we didn’t receive menus or wine-lists. The release buttons for the video monitors were very hard to push and seemed old compared to the other 3 carriers. When I used the call button (I don’t use it often) I was ignored for more than 5 minutes, then only after I dreaded to ring it again someone came. I had to ask for things that the Middle East carrier cabin crew team offer – like a second drink after meal service.

QATAR –
I honestly found it hard to fault anything on the flights. No this is not a paid for or incentivised article. They are just that good. Sadly I can’t have the same compliments for their customer service teams and online booking processes – but their onboard crew stand out. Each individual person.

TURKISH AIRLINES –
Although the food looked impressive and the onboard chef is a personal touch; it wasn’t as tasty as the Middle East carrier offerings. Transferring and boarding in Istanbul airport was extremely painful in more than one instance and in my experience, Business Class passengers didn’t get shorter queues. The ground staff and boarding staff for my connecting flight after my long-haul flight were simply rude and lacked customer service training. At Istanbul airport wifi connectivity was also frustratingly limited outside of the lounge – and although I used their hotel service once it was really confusing and time-consuming.

THE OUTCOME AND COMPARISONS CONCLUSION

The winner for overall onboard experience was Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways won a Thacks Award in 2021 for their excellent overall offering, even throughout the covid pandemic. The closest rival, Etihad, another middle east carrier does also offer a similar ‘luxury in the sky’ offering but Qatar’s Q-suite product, faultless customer service and friendliness of their cabin crew, gives Qatar Airways the edge.
If you’ve ever dreamed of paying a small fortune for a Business Class ticket and want the proper experience, Qatar Airways is the one to try. In terms of value for money – the flight-price difference of Business Class vs Economy is easily equivalent to a lovely weekend break away anywhere pretty in a premium hotel – so it is something I always think about when booking and paying for flights!

Did you knows/pointers:

Some seats on Qatar’s Q-suite are backward-facing. If you get motion sickness you might want to ensure you select a forward-facing seat.
You get slippers on all 4 of these Business Class offerings. Turkish Airlines offered me the most comfortable slippers. Qatar airlines offer you pyjamas on overnight flights which are comfy to wear at home.
Qatar offers ‘dine on demand’ so you can ask the crew when you want to eat. Pre-order your meals and eating times if you want to sleep. It’s best to choose a seat near the front of the Business Class cabin to ensure availability of all menu options.
KLM were the only carrier which didn’t provide a Business Class menu option for all flights – and the Spanish translation on one of their menus was incorrect. Their delft Dutch house gift was a unique keepsake offered to all Business Class passengers.
Business Class premium transit services are featured at all hubs in Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Doha and Istanbul. But Doha’s is best with a VIP Business Class transit bus or sky bridge exit and the shortest queues even through security.
All four of these airlines offered comfortable flat beds in their Business Class offering and amenities/creams/sprays – even with touches like fresh flowers in the bathroom.“

If you won the lottery and could fly Business Class for the rest of your life, which airline product should be the only one to fly if you compare Etihad, KLM, Qatar and Turkish Airlines? written by John T – one of the international Thacks Awards panelists, living in Spain. When not traveling and wine-tasting, John is an iGaming specialist reporting into director level in the sports betting industry with a degree in Information Technology.

SEE THE REST OF 2022’s ‘THACKS AWARDS’ WINNERS HERE.

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