Business class. What may have simply been a wider seat and a glass of champagne to soothe the journey once upon a time has evolved over the years into an epitome of luxury. Those lucky enough to experience business travel in 1970 and then again in 2026 might be shocked to discover that what used to attempt to simply bridge a gap to first class through a touch more space on board has come to be a personal cabin, housing a flat-bed, a touch-screen, and sometimes even a mini-bar.

Indeed, business class offerings have come by leaps and bounds since the idea’s inception and early examples of the likes of the Boeing 747. Today, fierce competition wherever you look around the world fuels continuous development and a need for carriers to constantly trump rivals with what they offer to business passengers. Be that lounge access, cuisine, chauffeuring, or perhaps most importantly: privacy on board.

Qatar: Last Year’s Best Business Class Offering

Credit: Qatar Airways

Heading into 2026, Qatar Airways boasted the title of the world’s best airline for business class travel. According to the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards, the Middle Eastern airline outdid Singapore Airlines and ANA All Nippon Airways to nab the top spot, with its Al Mourjan Garden Lounge and its Qsuite business class seat dominating for yet another year.

Qatar’s Qsuite marks the airline’s top-tier business offering. Available on a range of long-haul routes from its hub at Doha to major cities worldwide, passengers can expect a fully enclosed pod with movable panels that allow solo flyers complete privacy or pairs to effectively share their space. Such cabins are laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration. With rows facing in alternating directions – a feature synonymous with Qatar’s top offering – the privacy on offer appears top of the range still.

“It’s so comfortable, I wouldn’t be opposed to another round in the air,” a review of the service aboard an Airbus 350-1000 by Abroad With Ash noted in mid-2025. “I often find that business class disappoints when you consider how much more it costs […] Not so with Qatar.” Need more be said?

Can Singapore Knock Qatar Off Its Perch?

Credit: Shutterstock

Singapore Airlines fetched 2025’s title as the world’s best in terms of cabin crew and first class, but had to settle as runner-up in the business category of Skytrax’s rankings. Needless to say, some of the best songs failed to reach number one, and Singapore’s business offering is similarly a work of art worth being appreciated in its own right.

Passengers will once again find a 1-2-1 layout in Singapore’s business class cabins, with an extendable divider able to be pulled across to split those in the middle, or left open for pairs. Wrap-around seat shells also offer some cover for those passing through aisles, but the privacy we are focusing on here is limited to this, with Singapore falling short of offering Qsuite-esque sliding doors that allow business class flyers their very own enclosed space.

World’s Best Business Class Airlines 2025 – Skytrax

That said, Qatar’s bragging rights in this instance may be short-lived. Alongside the delivery of its new 777Xs, Singapore has also previously detailed plans to splash over $800 million on retrofitting first and business class cabins on dozens of its Airbus A350s. While delays mean passengers may still have awhile to wait and see what the upper classes on Singapore’s 777X offer, the retrofits are slated to begin rolling out this year, bringing the famed sliding doors to some of the airline’s business class cabins. Whether this means an end to Qatar’s stint as the best for business class – well, we will have to wait and see.

Related

The Airlines With The World’s Most Innovative Business Class Seats In 2026

Business class is going from strength to strength.

ANA, Cathay, Air France: Strong Contenders For Privacy

Credit: Shutterstock

Such sliding doors are actually a feature among several of the most highly-ranked business class cabins. Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific both offer similar options, for instance. Note that while Singapore may be playing catch-up on the feature, the airline still topped both to rank first on Skytrax’s list of the best business classes across Asia last year. However, much like Singapore’s initially, fully enclosed business pods are only available on select aircraft operated by each carrier.

ANA sports variations of a self-contained space across business cabins on some of its B777-300ER and B787-9s, known as The Room. Similarly, Cathay’s Aria Suite also offers a completely enclosed space and is gradually being rolled out on its Boeing 777-300ERs. Neither format is standard across either airline’s fleets, though, much like Qatar’s and its award-winning Qsuite.

Outside of Asia, Air France was fifth in 2025’s Skytrax business class ranking and marks another to offer what it calls a “private bubble”. Again, the option of a sliding door is only available to business passengers on the French flag carriers’ newest aircraft, in keeping with the wider industry as it stands.

Other Honorable Mentions

Credit: Delta Air Lines

Away from the rankings, a host of airlines deserve an honorable mention for the luxury and privacy they can offer to business class customers. Whether it be British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, or Delta, several offer premium business class cabins with all-out privacy similar to the best-rated.

British Airways offers its Club Suite, for instance, while Delta One and Virgin Upper Class are among other so-called premium business class products. Although that is just to name a few, each features the same-style door to encapsulate passengers and close them off from their surroundings on board.

Finding the best seats for the most privacy is therefore less about the airline and more about choosing routes based on the specific aircraft that fly them. Generally, airlines offer improved business class cabins on newer or refurbished aircraft, so for the best service and most luxurious seats, keep this in mind.

Related

What Are The Benefits Of Flying In Emirates’ Business Class On The World’s Largest Commercial Aircraft?

From private pods to onboard lounges, Emirates’ A380 business class is the epitome of luxury.

Privacy Aside

Credit: Shutterstock

Important as it is, privacy is just one of several benefits airlines look to entice their business class customers with. Amenity kits are a common feature of business class travel, much like enhanced meal offerings, flat beds, priority boarding, and increased baggage allowance for such passengers, but based on the carrier, the benefits don’t stop there.

Take Emirates, whilst not listed among Skytrax’s top ten business class carriers for various reasons, its benefits still impress. The price of a business ticket on the UAE flag carrier includes a chauffeur service up to 70 miles to and from select airports, alongside the likes of lounge access, an at-seat mini bar, and even an invitation to onboard bars aboard its fleet of A380s. Abu Dhabi-based peer Etihad, which is not in Skytrax’s top ten, offers similar benefits, including a dine-on-demand service. Realistically, the pros and cons of business class travel can be found on each carrier, with benefits varying hugely between airlines.

Of course, forking out for a business class seat, one would want the best possible situation for the flight itself. If that is indeed privacy, ensuring that a flight is on a string of newer aircraft with the most recently updated business cabin is a good place to start, given that the addition of doors for such passengers is only increasing. However, the added bonuses airlines offer are worth keeping a keen eye out for and, such as with Emirates, can make for a luxurious trip before even stepping foot on the plane.

The Best Might Be Hard to Find

Credit: Shutterstock

A key point worth repeating is that the supposed best business class offering, Qatar’s Qsuite, is not standard across its fleet. Therefore, booking without double-checking if the specific A350 and 777, being the two Qatar offer the service on, actually features Qsuite would be ill-advised. The same goes for Singapore, with its most private business class cabins still a long way from being featured regularly across its fleet. In fact, wrap-around-style seats remain the most common within business class cabins on the majority of carriers’ aircraft for the time being.

Full privacy looks to indeed be where business class travel is heading, and perhaps one day the entirely enclosed pod-like layout will be standard across the business class industry. However, limited options remain for the time being, leaving it up to passengers to ensure their business class ticket is for an aircraft with the most private options available.