• Airlines continue to upgrade business class at travelers demand more luxury at the front of the jet.

• Korean Air and Turkish Airlines are bringing their planes up to standard with sliding doors.

• Qatar’s new QSuite NextGen builds upon what is already considered the world’s best business class.

New business-class seats seemingly pop up every few months.

Air India introduced new suite-like seats in January, Cathay Pacific Airways unveiled an upgraded “Aria” business class in March, and Lufthansa welcomed its versatile Allegris product in April.

Big players Korean Air, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines are also following the trend to strengthen their position in the premium long-haul market. All three unveiled new business-class seats at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.

These global airlines are responding to the growing demand for more space and privacy at the front of the plane, which is where carriers make their money. This is especially important as post-pandemic business demand further rebounds and airline operating costs remain higher than ever.

The more recent announcements show Qatar is still leagues ahead of its rivals, but its clear doorless cabins and middle seats are largely becoming a thing of the past in business class.

Qatar Airways has set the bar for business class.

Qatar has won the title from Skytrax nine times since 2014, setting the bar with the QSuite’s first-of-its-kind double bed and spacious quad seating.

Qatar has equipped all of its Airbus A350-1000s, some of its Airbus A350-900s, and most of its Boeing 777s with the QSuite.

The airline is one-upping itself with the QSuite NextGen.

Business Insider toured the new cabin during its world debut at the airshow. It is expected to be fitted onto Qatar’s future Boeing 777X planes, which it has ordered 94 of.

The airline told BI it expects the first 777X, which is already five years behind schedule, in early 2026.

A key new feature is the face-to-face window seating.

Qatar’s original QSuite has sets of four seats that can face each other by dropping the wall, creating a large space for dining or chatting.

Qatar has added the option to its window seats. This means people traveling together can face each other and enjoy the view.

The 22-inch television can be used as a privacy divider to turn them into solo seats.

The NextGen seat has bigger double beds and wider seats.

Qatar maintained its quad-seating and double bed design in its 2.0 version, but the bed is now four and a half inches wider and one inch longer.

The seats are two inches wider.

Turkish and Korean Air’s business classes are getting more significant upgrades.

Turkish was recently named the world’s 10th-best airline for business class by Skytrax, thanks to its Boeing 787 and A350 cabins. But the airline’s dated Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 cabins are still behind the times. The former will be replaced with the new “Crystal” business class.

Meanwhile, Korean Air’s old long-haul “Apex Suite” is famous for its insanely spacious window seats, but privacy for the aisle was lacking. Its newly announced “Prestige Suites 2.0” will introduce modern upgrades.

Turkish will no longer have a middle seat in business class.

Turkish’s existing Boeing 777s feature a 2 × 3 × 2 layout, meaning the middle and window seat passengers don’t have direct aisle access. Air India is one of the few airlines still sporting the dated design.

However, Turkish’s new seats are configured in the standard 1 × 2 × 1 layout.

Every lie-flat Crystal seat will have a sliding door.

Sliding doors have become the expectation rather than the exception in business class, with carriers including Lufthansa, Air India, British Airways, and American Airlines announcing new door-equipped seats in recent years.

Turkish’s new door-equipped seat will be installed on its 777 planes and its newly delivered A350-1000s, which are expected in 2026. It’s unclear if the new Crystal product will replace Turkish’s existing Boeing 787 or A350-900 business class.

Pairs can enjoy the ‘honeymoon’ seats and wireless charging.

A divider can divide or combine every other set of seats in the center section, meaning people traveling together can essentially sleep, dine, or watch television side-by-side.

It’s not quite as close as Qatar’s double bed, but it’s likely to attract customers.

Other perks include the 22-inch television, wireless charging, marble-style tables, and power ports.

Korean Air’s Prestige Suite 2.0 is a night-and-day different from its old Apex Suite.

The Apex Suite is Korean Air’s standard long-haul cabin. It is known for its unique 2 × 2 × 2 layout, which provides direct aisle access via a unique walkway and nearly endless space for the window seat.

BI found it almost like flying on a private jet if you were on the Boeing 747’s upper deck.

However, the configuration is not the most efficient, and the aisle seat didn’t get the same privacy or space as the window. The new cabin, which will debut on Korean Air’s upcoming Boeing 787-10s and eventually its Boeing 777-300ERs, appears more balanced with its 1 × 2 × 1 layout.

The suites resemble competitor planes, complete with sliding doors and honeymoon seats.

The announcement was quieter than Qatar and Turkish, the latter two bringing mockups to the airshow to show off to the media.

Korean Air opted for just a press release announcing its July launch, accompanied by a photo kit.

The airline has expectedly added doors that stand 52 inches high and designed its center section seats to be flexible for solo travelers, families, or couples.

Korean Air has ditched its staple light blue color scheme.

Korean Air’s planes have historically featured pastel blue cushions, which complemented the same color scheme worn by flight attendants and painted across the fuselage.

However, the Prestige Suites 2.0 boasts browns, tans, and beiges, suggesting a move away from the airline’s traditional color patterns.

Neither Korean nor Turkish jumped on the ‘business-class-plus’ bandwagon.

Airlines like Qatar, Virgin Atlantic Airways, JetBlue Airways, and Condor have contributed to the premium trend known as “business-class-plus.” This takes advantage of the extra space in the front row of the plane by adding a companion seat by the bulkhead.

This allows people traveling together to dine, chat, or meet in the same seat.

Most airlines offer it for a fee in addition to the regular business class fare, while others, like Singapore Airlines and Air France, reserve it as a loyalty perk.

Qatar was already the best of the best, but Korean and Turkish are catching up.

Business class is among the biggest money-makers for airlines. The Motley Fool reported in December the lucrative cabin could represent 75% of a flight’s profits, though just 12% of an airline’s passengers book business class.

Further, post-pandemic business demand is continuing to rebound.

It’s no surprise these modern, min-hotel-like cabins are on the rise as airlines vie for a piece of the market — though Qatar’s fan-favorite QSuite will be hard to beat.

Read the original article on Business Insider