Airlines Are Expanding Business Class Into Even More Exclusive Tiers

On a May flight from Chicago to London, the most noticeable feature of American Airlines’ new business class was not the sliding door.

It was the space behind it.

Seat 10L on AA86 was one of eight Flagship Suite Preferred seats aboard American’s new Boeing 787-9. Positioned in the aircraft’s smaller second business-class cabin, it benefits from a configuration that gives the Preferred suites a larger, more open footprint than the standard seats. American says they offer 19 percent more bed space and 42 percent more living area than the regular Flagship Suite. The airline introduced the new 787-9 interior in the second half of 2025 and has made Chicago–Heathrow one of the showcase markets for the aircraft.

The Preferred suite has the same basic architecture as the standard Flagship Suites surrounding it: direct aisle access, a sliding privacy door and a seat that converts into a fully flat bed. But once reclined, the additional room becomes more apparent. The footwell is less confining, while the larger footprint creates more space to shift position and stretch out.

But it became clear that American also designed the suite to be useful during the time passengers are awake. The seat can be positioned in a chaise-like lounge setting between upright and fully flat, while the suite includes a 17-inch 4K screen, wireless charging, Bluetooth connectivity and several separate storage areas. The Preferred seats also receive upgraded bedding, a mattress pad, pajamas and an enhanced amenity kit. “The objective was not just to add features and build the most souped-up seat,” Raphael Girardoni, American’s managing director of customer experience product and design told Robb Report. “It was to create an environment that feels calm and elevated to our customers.”

The extra room doesn’t showcase a single feature, but is distributed across a larger sleeping area, additional storage and more open space around the seat. The black-marble counter surface, which could’ve looked a bit hokey if American hadn’t got the color pattern right, added elegance and calm to the space.

American’s Preferred seats also point to another development in premium travel: the subdivision of business class itself. For years, the same seat was offered throughout, with the best positions going to those who booked early. Now airlines are building different tiers into the same cabin. American has its eight Preferred suites; United has Polaris Studio; Air New Zealand offers Business Premier Luxe; and Lufthansa’s Allegris gives passengers a choice among different seat types. These new cabins are now designed as places to spend time rather than just endure long flights.

A few weeks later, the same crossing offered a useful comparison. British Airways flight BA294 from Chicago to Heathrow was on one of the carrier’s refurbished Boeing 777-200ERs, fitted with its Club Suite. British Airways replaced the airline’s old Club World configuration with the Club Suite several years ago. The entirely revised layout put every passenger in a forward-facing 1-2-1 suite with direct aisle access, a sliding door, a 79-inch fully flat bed, and 40 percent more storage than the previous product.

The door was a particularly significant breakthrough, helping to establish what is now common for the enclosed business suite. On BA294, however, the space was only part of the experience. Exceptional service provided a useful counterpoint to the suite’s amenities. The flight attendant was attentive without being intrusive, handling meal service and smaller requests in an efficient but friendly manner that made the overnight crossing feel personalized rather than just riding in a comfortable space. Service is harder to quantify than bed length or screen size, but it feels like an important differentiator as the physical differences between the leading business-class products narrow. The cuisine was also noteworthy, a generous choice of cocktails, wines, and cuisine with hints of contemporary English inspiration, while avoiding being British stodgy.

United is attempting to take the business-class-plus concept a step further, both with its cuisine and amenities, with its redesigned Boeing 787-9. The aircraft, which began international service earlier this year, has eight Polaris Studio suites positioned at the front of the cabin. They are 25 percent larger than standard Polaris seats and add privacy doors, 27-inch 4K OLED screens and, in six suites, an ottoman where a companion can sit. Behind them, the standard Polaris suites also get privacy doors and 19-inch 4K screens.

Food has also become a competitive feature of business class, but United’s partnership with Chef’s Table gives it an edge over other airlines. Earlier this month, it introduced 11 menus created by chefs profiled in the Netflix series, featured on specific flights departing from the chef’s home cities. Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza in L.A., for instance, created a contemporary Italian-inspired three-course meal, while chef Tashi Gyamtso of Jimgu focused on locally sourced ingredients for his Japanese feast. Starting in October, the menus will change seasonally. Haute cuisine and larger suites have created a more expensive tier within United’s business class—a strategy other airlines are also pursuing.

Lufthansa’s Allegris takes the idea in another direction. Instead of one business-class seat, the airline offers five variations, including a front-row suite with closing doors, a wardrobe and minibar; a privacy seat; and an extra-long bed measuring more than seven feet. The dividers and doors are also unusually tall at 4.6 feet. The seats also incorporate heating and cooling, wireless charging and Bluetooth connectivity. Several of the preferred positions carry an additional charge, making the seat itself part of the airline’s premium pricing strategy.

ANA’s the Room FX, designed for the Boeing 787-9, includes 48 business-class seats with privacy doors and an unusual sofa-like design that can be reclined into a bed. The suites include 24-inch 4K screens, wireless charging, Bluetooth connectivity and multiple storage areas. But the biggest selling point is the seat width, up to 41.5 inches across (almost twice as wide as some competitors), which means you can roll over in the bed. This new version was designed specifically for the 787-9, a narrower aircraft than the 777s carrying its original non-FX the Room configuration. The extra width means fewer business-class seats than many competitors, but more space and comfort for ANA’s clients. The Room FX will debut on three of ANA’s fleet this year, with more scheduled for 2027.

For years, there was only one important question for business class: Does the seat lie flat? That question has long been settled. Now this prime real estate, which has replaced first class for multiple airlines, is becoming less about the seat and more about the territory around it—and, behind the enhancements, how much of that territory an airline thinks passengers are willing to pay for.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.