A keen traveler who has flown on more than 30 business classes around the world has revealed which ones he considers to be the best.
Drake Pooley, from New York City, took to TikTok to share a series of slideshows to explain his thoughts.
He listed out some of the most popular airline carriers across the globe before giving them a rating and dishing his main takeaways from the experience.
Drake, who works for a venture capitalist firm, concluded that topping the charts was Qatar Airways’ Qsuite, which he awarded 9.5 points out of 10.
Although he did not reveal what route he traveled on, tickets for Qatar’s Qsuite experience cost thousands of dollars, with the price of a round-trip flight from New York to Doha totaling around $14,000.
Drake Pooley, from New York City, took to TikTok to share a series of slideshows to share his thoughts
He listed out some of the most popular airline carriers across the globe before giving them a rating and dishing his main takeaways
He explained: ‘I will go out of my way to fly Q Suite. Incredible experience, amazing food, amazing service. I never want to get off’
The best of business class – and the worst: Drake’s rankings revealed Lufthansa: 2/10Air New Zealand: 4/10TAP Air Portugal: 4.5/10 All Nippon Airways (old seats): 5/10 Hong Kong Airlines: 5/10Saudia: 5/10 Swiss: 5/10 Air Tahiti Nui: 5/10 Ethiopian: 5.5/10 Scandinavian Airlines: 5.5/10 American Airlines: 5.5/10 Turkish: 6/10 KLM: 6/10 United Airlines: 7/10Emirates (777): 7/10 Emirates (A380): 7.5/10 Air Canada: 7.5/10 Qatar (not Qsuite): 7.5/10 Etihad: 7.5/10 EVA Air: 8/10 Singapore: 8.5/10 All Nippon Airways (new seats): 9/10 Qatar Qsuite: 9.5/10
Drake, who has more than 56,600 followers on the video-sharing platform, began by giving a brief introduction.
He wrote: ‘I’ve flown 30 business class international products across 20 airlines – many multiple times – these are my thoughts on which airlines are worth it.’
Drake then launched into his reviews, which were in no particular order, and stated: ‘Lufthansa: 2/10. No privacy, sterile lounges, old tech, cold flight attendants, awful food. I said what I said.
‘Air New Zealand: 4/10. Super outdated seat but ANZ has a personality and at least it shows through all their service offerings. Really tight configuration, no privacy, awkward to sleep.
‘United: 7/10. Best bedding of any airlines hands down. Flight attendants on best routes are often most senior, not best at the actual job. Have had awful flight attendants on $10,000 flights. Food good not great. Can be hit or miss.’
But the content creator did not stop there as he reeled off yet more of insights.
‘All Nippon Airways (old seats): 5/10. I think a robot designed these seats. So plastic and rigid. Entertainment very limited. Service amazing, food generally very good.
‘All Nippon Airways (new seats): 9/10. Definitely best seat out there. Service always amazing, food very good. My last flight all the TVs broke though. Needs better bedding for western style sleepers.
‘Emirates 777: 7/10. People love to hate this seat because it is skinny and not direct aisle access for all but they pack a ton in a ton of these seats and service is always professional and high quality.
‘Emirates A380: 7.5/10. More privacy but this thing is so gaudy and ugly. Service can feel a little impersonal because these planes have so many business seats.’
Drake, who works for a venture capitalist firm, concluded that topping the charts was Qatar Airways’s Qsuite
Drake shared: ‘All Nippon Airways (new seats): 9/10. Definitely best seat out there. Service always amazing, food very good’
Drake delved further still into his experiences, as he continued: ‘TAP Air Portugal: 4.5/10. This is bare bones business class but it’s priced affordably. These seats do feel like sardines compared to other products. Food not great and not elegant service but Portuguese wine selection is prime.
‘Ethiopian: 5.5/10. Seat is fine, not all direct aisle access. Entertainment meh, transiting in Addis Ababa is kind of crazy. Food is amazing, oh my god I’ve never had a larger meal on a flight or felt more love from a flight attendant.
‘Hong Kong Airlines: 5/10. My first business class flight because I overpacked and my suitcase was an extra $200 or I could upgrade for $210.
‘Quick service, fine seat, felt a huge language barrier with staff and not nearly as polished as Cathay.’
And he was quickly flooded with comments as one viewer wrote: ‘Me watching this with no money for flights in my account but taking notes.’
Another added: ‘Not me reading every slide when I can’t even afford economy anywhere.’
And a third said: ‘Good to know! Not that I can afford it but good to know!’
Drake delved further still into his experiences, as he continued: ‘TAP Air Portugal: 4.5/10. This is bare bones business class but it’s priced affordably’
And he was quickly flooded with comments as one viewer wrote: ‘Me watching this with no money for flights in my account but taking notes’
Following the encouragement, Drake decided to share yet another slideshow to cover some of the airlines he had previously missed.
He began: ‘Saudia: 5/10. It’s just… fine I don’t know. Feels kind of sterile. Doesn’t really bring in any Arabian or local influence, service was good not great. I understand why Saudi is creating a new airline to compete globally.
‘Qatar Qsuite: 9.5/10. I will go out of my way to fly Qsuite. Incredible experience, amazing food, amazing service. I never want to get off. ANA’s new seat slightly better but this is the best overall package.
‘Other Qatar: 7.5/10. Still amazing service, but so obviously different from the Qsuite.
‘Swiss: 5/10. I lowkey love everything Swiss but this loses two points for the most egregious WiFi pricing I have ever seen. I felt insulted. I do think this feels very “Swiss” though.’
Nearing the end of his extensive list, Drake addressed the final few carriers as he explained: ‘Singapore: 8.5/10. My second favorite airline after Qatar. Even better service than Qatar, wider seats, but can be kind of firm. World class food, transiting in Singapore is a pleasure.
Following the encouragement, Drake decided to share yet another slideshow to cover some of the airlines he had previously missed
He ultimately scored Lufthansa the lowest, claiming there was: ‘No privacy, sterile lounges, old tech, cold flight attendants, awful food. I said what I said’
‘Etihad: 7.5/10. Slightly plastic feeling but they do have style in service. The soft touches are nice. Abu Dhabi airport was awful but they just opened a new terminal, excited to see it.
‘Turkish: 6/10. These are their older seats which are a little awkward but great feet space. Food amazing, they have a “chef” on board. Hot take: the new Istanbul airport is pretty poorly designed and I don’t think the lounges are as good as everyone says they are.’
He finished with: ‘American Airlines: 5.5/10. United was a 7/10 – AA’s lounges are slightly worse and their bedding too. They both have a flight attendant/service problem. AA just feels very generic, there’s no cohesive brand here.
‘Air Canada: 7.5/10. AC lowkey shocked me. Signature lounge in YYZ was some of the best airport food I’ve ever had and the plane felt very clean and fresh. I’ve heard not great things about AC and this is only based off one experience flying to Dubai.
‘KLM: 6/10. Whole experience felt a little dated but to be honest you get a little Dutch house as a souvenir and I want them all.
‘Scandinavian Airlines: 5.5/10. Interesting seat, food was okay but SAS is in financial trouble and I think in general they’re starting to slack on everything.
‘EVA Air: 8/10. Seat is good, service is almost too perfect? They checked in on me but maybe that’s just me. Bonus point for making a plane Hello Kitty themed, it was fun.
‘Air Tahiti Nui: 5/10. Food was bland, very clearly a leisure airline, felt they cut corners a bunch. Airport experience in Tahiti pretty awful.’
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