The Japanese airline, All Nippon Airways, is the best first-class airline to travel on when considering factors such as seat size, legroom, lounges, cost and baggage allowance.
We all dream of travelling in business or first class, however, it is a luxury that most travellers cannot afford. Therefore, the travel experts at money.co.uk have analysed Google Flights data to determine the airlines with the smallest difference in prices between economy and business or first class and reveal the most affordable airlines to upgrade with.
Traveling business class comes with so many advantages. Not only do you get a specially curated menu, you also benefit from the immense amount of leg-room, cozy seats, better service, last boarding and first deplaning. Different airlines and flights have tons of additional benefits when it comes to business class or first class seats. Once you start using business class, it will be very difficult for you to go back to the economy again.
Top 5 cheapest airlines to upgrade to first class with
|
Rank |
Airline |
Economy |
First class |
Difference |
|
1 |
All Nippon Airways |
£4,328 |
£12,316 |
185% |
|
2 |
Thai Airways |
£1,371 |
£5,668 |
313% |
|
3 |
Korean Air |
£855 |
£4,354 |
409% |
|
4 |
Lufthansa |
£1,088 |
£6,271 |
477% |
|
5 |
Garuda Indonesia |
£553 |
£3,469 |
527% |
The airline where the difference between economy and first-class tickets is smallest is All Nippon Airways. However, this is partially because ANA tickets are so expensive to begin with, with the average economy ANA ticket from Tokyo is £4,328.
In second is Thai Airways, where a first-class ticket is 313% more expensive than an economy one (on average). The majority of services on Thai Airways are between Asia and Europe, including a direct route from Thailand to London Heathrow.
All three of the airlines with the smallest price differences are based in Asia, with Korean Air coming third. With Korean Air, average first-class tickets cost over 400% more than economy, but that’s still one of the most affordable first-class prices (£4,354).
Further study insights:
- The Japanese airline, All Nippon Airways, is the best first-class airline to travel on when considering factors such as seat size, legroom, lounges, cost and baggage allowance.
- LATAM is the best business class airline to travel on, when considering factors such as seat size, legroom, lounges, cost and baggage allowance.
- The cheapest airline to upgrade to business class with is Vietnam Airlines.
- The airline with the biggest price difference between economy and first class is Etihad Airways with a 1,019% increase.
- The airline with the biggest price difference between economy and business class is JetBlue Airways with a 611% increase.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
