Three premium cabins offered by oneworld airlines worth checking

May 24

Written By Miquel

If you have been boarding airplanes lately you would possibly have struggled to count any empty seats at the front of the plane. The reason for this is the fact that premium travel is on the rise. Lounges are full, business class cabins are full and even executive jet operators are reporting records numbers. And most of this, I am told by sources in the industry, is driven increasingly by leisure travelers.

Since premium travelers usually account for the lion’s share of airlines’ revenues, no wonder many carriers have rushed to boost their business class offerings and, in many cases, to introduce new premium economy products, as well.

A recent visit to London Heathrow (LHR) airport courtesy of oneworld, offered me a chance to have a first person glimpse of the premium cabins which three of the alliance’s members offer on three different types of widebody aircraft: an American Airlines B787-9, a Cathay Pacific B777-300ER and a Qantas A380.

And while I didn’t get to fly any of them this time, the visit onboard those aircraft provided a good overview of what passengers can expect on three of the world’s leading airlines.

Please note that, while a very important element, this post only captures part of the “hard” product these airlines are offering. There are many more elements, from the food and inflight entertainment to the service onboard and the loyalty perks, which also contribute to make a great product. But this is a story for another day.

In the meantime, you can check in the pictures below what the following cabins look like:

American Airlines Boeing 787-9

Flagship Business Class
Premium Economy
Economy Class

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300ER

Aria Suites Business Class
Premium Economy
Economy Class

Qantas Airbus A380

First Class

American Airlines B787-9 Flagship Business Class

“Flagship” is American Airlines’ brand new premium offering. It was introduced in 2025 and it is American’s bet to compete for the premium passengers on key routes.

The first aircraft to get it are the new B787-9 American is getting from Boeing, but they will also be fitted in A321XLR aircraft and retroffited into the carrier’s B777-300ERs later on. It will also replace American’s legacy First Class product.

With Flagship, American Airlines has acquired a business class to the latest best standards, including cocooned suites with direct aisle access (the configuration on the B787-9 is 1-2-1) and privacy doors.

It is worth noting that eight seats, the first row on each of the B787-9 two business class sections (which are divided by one of the galleys), is designated as "Flagship Suite Preferred” (which you can see in the right hadn picture above these lines) and it is a little bit more premium and with a bit more space than the standard business class seats. It is visually differentiated by its slightly different colour palette, featuring darker shades of grey.

As of May 2026, American Airlines’ Flagship suites is available internationally on routes linking the US to London Heathrow (LHR). The next routes to get Flagship service will be those linking the US to Australia and New Zealand.

You can also see here the Premium Economy (above) and Economy Class cabins (below) onboard American Airlines’ newly delivered B787-9s.

Cathay Pacific Aria Suites business class (B777-300ER)

First presented in October 2024, Aria Suites is Cathay Pacific’s latest business class cabin. At the time of writing these lines it is progressively being retrofitted into the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER fleet.

As you can see here, Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suites are designed to the latest standards for this type of premium product: hard shell seats with privacy doors and direct aisle access, large HD screens, wireless charging (on the marble-like side table) and an interesting feature that it is the first time I see on an aircraft: a smart on-screen system that tells you whether the aircraft’s lavatories are free or occupied.

Together with the Aria Suites, in October 2024, Cathay Pacific introduced, as well, a new premium economy cabin for its B777-300ER fleet. These seats, I was told, are getting considerable positive feedback, since they provide also a considerable level of comfort (which it is something I can confirm, since I tried them breifly during the visit onboard!)

And finally, a quick peek into the Economy Class cabin of this Cathay Pacific B777-300ER. What do you think?

Qantas First Class- A380

Flying in comfort takes a whole new dimension when you are flying all the way to Australia. The pictures below will give you an idea of what does it mean to do so on Qantas First Class on an Airbus A380.

Qantas offers 14 First Class suites onboard its double-decker aircraft. These are located at the front of the lower deck. I really liked the light colours and the sense of spaciousness they provide. Also interesting is the fact that the seat swivels to one side, so you are facing straight during take-off and landing but facing towards the window, with your back to the aisle, if you wish to switch to sleep mode.

Btw, they were not covered during this visit, since the cabin was being cleaned, but Qantas business class section is on the upper deck of the A380. Also worth noting is the Aesop amenity kit that Qantas’ First Class passengers get, which, in addition to the wellness set and very soft slippers, includes also a super cozy Qantas-branded pyjama!