Privacy suites, double beds, Christofle cutlery: Business class cabins have been on a dizzying luxury climb for years now.
But the game is changing. With so many carriers revamping their aircraft interiors and premium seats, airlines are now upgrading some of the smaller points of their front-cabin services, such as amenity kits and meals. (If you’re in the back of the plane, it’s still business as usual.) Also read | Luxury train travel is booming. That’s why you should book your trip
“Generally speaking, leisure travelers want experiences,” says Brian Summers, aviation expert and founder of the Airline Observer newsletter. “Airlines have realized that if they want to compete for premium travelers, they have to make them.”
Travelers with unfortunate amenity kits are known to be nothing new. It’s been nearly a decade since airlines began partnering with high-end retailers to boost their brands, such as business bedding from United Airlines Holdings Inc. from Saks Fifth Avenue. But the latest additions are partnerships with some of the world’s most famous luxury powerhouses, as well as Caviar and Champagne services that harken back to the glamor of air travel in the 1950s. “Airlines shout from the rooftops: we are premium!” says Sumers, adding that these high benefits tend to be more of a reputational benefit for airlines than increased sales for their associated retailers.
Here are the latest luxury amenities you can expect in premium cabins this year.
Sets of noble convenience
With India being one of the fastest growing markets for luxury travel, its national carrier is taking note and following suit with new amenities introduced in December. On most Air India flights, first and business class flyers will now find Ferragamo cosmetic bags, each with . It’s all part of a big push for India’s flag carrier after its 2024 merger with India’s premium airline Vistara as part of Tata Group’s restructuring; Brand new cabin interiors on Airbus A350 aircraft include flat beds in private suites in business class. Also read | Villas, hidden gems and unique stays: 7 top travel trends of 2024 that will redefine how we explore the world
Also, since December, business class flyers on long and ultra-long routes of Singapore Airlines with many high-class restaurants and hotels. The kits include a lip balm, face mist and pen, all neatly zipped up in a waxed pouch designed for the redesigned passport holder.
The trend of increasing the height of convenience is expanding the state. Last year, Delta Air Lines Inc. introduced Missoni-Brand kits, while JetBlue debuted mint bags in partnership with New York City brands like Caraa.
Perhaps the most decadent kit of them all is found at Dubai-based Emirates, which recently launched a first and business class flyer gift with amenity kits from LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Se-Bulgari; In addition to the Eau de Parfum bottle, they include a golden mirror from the Italian brand.
However, Deutsche Lufthansa AG may be taking a page from luxury hotels with its understated spa brands and limited-edition merchandise. Its new amenity kits—due to major beauty brand, Augustin Bader—exclusively available in the airline’s new Allegris first-class suites—whose seats can be heated and cooled with temperature control. In a peculiar twist, the airline is also giving first-class passengers on select flights limited-edition loungewear commissioned by Japanese artist Shibuya throughout February; The ombre pattern is like a gradient sky printed on satin cotton.
Caviar (and fast food)
Last summer, Qatar Airways began serving caviar, in particular, Siberian bulk and in business class on 13 international routes from Doha, including flights to New York, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Singapore and Sao Paulo. A serving clocks in at 0.53 ounces (15 grams) paired with Balik-style salmon and sides of warm blinis and Melba toast. It’s a service that can add up quickly, with most places running about $50 to $86 an ounce of Siberian sturgeon, without any extra trimmings. Since August 2024, when the service began, there have been about 200,000 servings of caviar in business class, the airline said.
And in keeping with a culture that marries caviar with chicken nuggets, Delta’s answer to first-class decadence is the Shake Shack Cheesburger, which appears on the first-class menu; It started in December 2024. Banana Pudding from Magnolia New York Bakery is also served on United First on select flights over 901 miles.
High class champagne
On January 1, United Airlines announced that it will begin serving Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Champagne in Flyers’ Polaris Cabin.
Also doubles on Premium Bubbly: Singapore Airlines. In December, the airline announced that its first-class suite would be the only place to enjoy Cristal at 36,000 feet, thanks to an exclusive arrangement with French champagne house Louis Roederer. In particular, Vintage Winemaker 2015 will be served on flights from Singapore to Delhi, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo; Additional routes will welcome PERK in March. (The airline will also continue to serve Circle Grande Cuvée and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne.) Also read | Your next luxury trip to Hong Kong is just cheaper! Here’s how
A sense of place
If fashion, beauty and wine partnerships are the hot aviation trends of early 2025, Turkish Airlines may be planting the seeds for what’s to come: amenities that double as a masterful souvenir of the place you’re about to visit. Its new kits, introduced on January 2, include bags decorated with traditional EBRU, an art form recognized by UNESCO as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. And yet, hand cream, body lotion and lip balm within the brand’s Parisian luxury fragrance ex nihilo, not a local outfit.
The UNESCO Voyage Packages “serve as a unique introduction to the diversity and vibrancy of Turkish culture, inspiring passengers to explore the wonders of our home country,” Akif Connor, chief operating officer of Turkish Airlines, said in a press release. If rose water-infused creams and argan oil serums filled bags in a future iteration, we’d consider that a luxury of another order.
