What flying First Class gets you these days

Let's face it, the amenities and service flying these days has hit an all time low. Airlines have streamlined their costs to compete in the low fare world and have stripped out everything they can think of. Wondering what effect this might have had on First Class? Well, just the opposite.

"Right now, first class is all about creating an over-the-top experience for passengers," says Edward Plaisted, chief executive of Skytrax, a London-based airline and airport-quality ranking firm. At a time when some carriers have eliminated first-class altogether (in order to focus on business class), 35 others have not only kept it, but kicked it up a gilded notch. The ones keeping it, says Plaisted, are striving for "that wow factor."

Thinking wow - how about Singapore Airlines' first class, which gives their passengers a choice between Dom Perignon and Krug champagne, and while fliers change into their Givenchy sleep suits and slippers in the extra-large bathrooms, their seats are turned into actual beds with sheets, a down duvet and oversize pillows.

Emirates first-class seats are mini-suites with sliding doors offering passengers total privacy. Cathay Pacific actually has skillets and rice cookers on board for its top-tier fliers, which means that eggs are made to order and rice dishes are prepared fresh.

Of the roughly 35 airlines worldwide who do offer first class, fully flat beds, a three-to-one passenger-to-crew ratio (in business class, it is typically 10 or 15 passengers for one crew member), and sumptuous meals are par for the flight. However, a handful of carriers are trying to distinguish themselves by improving passengers' airport experience.

"Passengers complain that going to the airport is becoming more hellish with longer security lines and more time wasted before the flight," says Plaisted, "so some airlines are focusing on making the ground experience pleasurable for first-class fliers."

Qatar Airways is an example. First-class passengers flying out of Doha have access to a new separate $90 million terminal that resembles a five-star hotel with marble floors and cascading waterfalls. Passengers are cosseted from the moment they arrive at the airport. An attendant takes their bags, checks them in and leads them to a lounge, which has several fine-dining restaurants, a medical center and a spa with a sauna and Jacuzzi.

The luxe factor continues on board when fliers get caviar service, full-size pillows, white linen mattresses, Australian wool blankets and Bulgari toiletry kits. Each seat also has a 23-inch meal table, which lets two people dine across from each other, like in a restaurant. It's amenities like these that give Qatar the distinction of the best first-class airline in the world on Skytrax's annual survey, which lists the top 10 in this category.

How about Thai Airways? First-class passengers are waited on hand and foot from the moment they arrive in a private section of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi's Airport. A personal concierge checks them in and escorts them through security to a lounge with Wi-fi, a sauna and a spa that offers Thai massages. When flying into Bangkok, a concierge fast-tracks them through immigration, customs and bag pick-up. The perks onboard aren't bad either: passengers receive Bulgari toiletry kits and have a choice of 22 entrées, which can be pre-ordered.