The sofa on the left side of that photo converts into a bed.
In the last six years I've earned and redeemed about 2.5 million frequent flyer points, so I've managed to fly first or business class around the world several times over. Beds in flight, top-shelf champagne, 21 year old Japanese whiskey, caviar, showers in the sky, complimentary limos to and from the airport, free massages at the airport. When I flew first class on Lufthansa out of Frankfurt they drove me across the tarmac to my plane in a Porsche.
Last year I flew to New Zealand and back via Asia in first class. Outbound I flew Cathay Pacific in first via Hong Kong, then returned using Air New Zealand business class, Singapore Airlines first class and All Nippon first class via Sydney, Singapore and Tokyo. All told about 180k miles and a couple hundred bucks in taxes and fees.
I paid cash for this one. I don't have status or miles on AA or BA and probably wouldn't have burned them on BA First if I did. My miles are with another alliance and I'm saving them up for an around-the-world trip with an Asian airline. Cathay/Singapore/Emirates/Etihad are the only first class products worth blowing miles on, IMHO.
I've flown pretty much every single first class long-haul product. There are some great first on non-Asian airlines too. You name Emirates / Etihad. I'd say my all time favorite first class is Swiss, and Lufthansa is great too.
Here's the full list I'd consider aspirational and worth flying in long-haul first:
- Swiss
- Lufthansa
- Air France
- Garuda Indonesia
- Singapore
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Korean Air (on 748i and 77W only)
- Thai
Not quite at the same level but still great:
- JAL
- ANA
- Qatar
- Asiana
- Cathay Pacific
As a drinks nerd, it always kinda annoys me that so much of the good/rare stuff gets drunk in airplane where due to the pressurization your since of taste is considerably altered/decreased. But good gig if you can get it, I suppose...
I managed to use AA miles to fly Eithad's first class apartment from Abu Dhabi to JFK.
http://zooxel.com/etihad_new/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/resi...
The sofa on the left side of that photo converts into a bed.
In the last six years I've earned and redeemed about 2.5 million frequent flyer points, so I've managed to fly first or business class around the world several times over. Beds in flight, top-shelf champagne, 21 year old Japanese whiskey, caviar, showers in the sky, complimentary limos to and from the airport, free massages at the airport. When I flew first class on Lufthansa out of Frankfurt they drove me across the tarmac to my plane in a Porsche.
Last year I flew to New Zealand and back via Asia in first class. Outbound I flew Cathay Pacific in first via Hong Kong, then returned using Air New Zealand business class, Singapore Airlines first class and All Nippon first class via Sydney, Singapore and Tokyo. All told about 180k miles and a couple hundred bucks in taxes and fees.