Big players Korean Air, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines are also following the trend to strengthen their position in the premium long-haul market. All three unveiled new business-class seats at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.
The more recent announcements show Qatar is still leagues ahead of its rivals, but its clear doorless cabins and middle seats are largely becoming a thing of the past in business class.
Qatar Airways has set the bar for business class. Qatar Airways QSuite on a Boeing 777.
David Slotnick/Business Insider
Qatar has won the title from Skytrax nine times since 2014, setting the bar with the QSuite's first-of-its-kind double bed and spacious quad seating.
Qatar has equipped all of its Airbus A350-1000s, some of its Airbus A350-900s, and most of its Boeing 777s with the QSuite.
The airline is one-upping itself with the QSuite NextGen.Amenities, pamphlets, and a wireless charging port.
Pete Syme/Business Insider
Business Insider toured the new cabin during its world debut at the airshow. It is expected to be fitted onto Qatar's future Boeing 777X planes, which it has ordered 94 of.
A key new feature is the face-to-face window seating.The face-to-face window seats can be separated with the television.
Pete Syme/Business Insider
Qatar's original QSuite has sets of four seats that can face each other by dropping the wall, creating a large space for dining or chatting.
Qatar has added the option to its window seats. This means people traveling together can face each other and enjoy the view.
The 22-inch television can be used as a privacy divider to turn them into solo seats.
The NextGen seat has bigger double beds and wider seats.The QSuite Next Gen quad configuration.
Pete Syme/Business Insider
Qatar maintained its quad-seating and double bed design in its 2.0 version, but the bed is now four and a half inches wider and one inch longer.
The seats are two inches wider.
Turkish and Korean Air's business classes are getting more significant upgrades.Turkish (pictured) and Korean have upgraded not only the seat's comfort and perks but also the colors and aesthetic.
Pete Syme/Business Insider
Turkish was recently named the world's 10th-best airline for business class by Skytrax, thanks to its Boeing 787 and A350 cabins. But the airline's dated Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 cabins are still behind the times. The former will be replaced with the new "Crystal" business class.
Meanwhile, Korean Air's old long-haul "Apex Suite" is famous for its insanely spacious window seats, but privacy for the aisle was lacking. Its newly announced "Prestige Suites 2.0" will introduce modern upgrades.
Turkish will no longer have a middle seat in business class.Turkish Airlines' old 777 business class has middle seats.
Turkish Airlines
Turkish's existing Boeing 777s feature a 2 × 3 × 2 layout, meaning the middle and window seat passengers don't have direct aisle access. Air India is one of the few airlines still sporting the dated design.
However, Turkish's new seats are configured in the standard 1 × 2 × 1 layout.
Every lie-flat Crystal seat will have a sliding door.Turkish Airlines business class.
Pete Syme/Business Insider
Sliding doors have become the expectation rather than the exception in business class, with carriers including Lufthansa, Air India, British Airways, and American Airlines announcing new door-equipped seats in recent years.
Turkish's new door-equipped seat will be installed on its 777 planes and its newly delivered A350-1000s, which are expected in 2026. It's unclear if the new Crystal product will replace Turkish's existing Boeing 787 or A350-900 business class.
Pairs can enjoy the 'honeymoon' seats and wireless charging.An overhead view of the Crystal display.
Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images
A divider can divide or combine every other set of seats in the center section, meaning people traveling together can essentially sleep, dine, or watch television side-by-side.
It's not quite as close as Qatar's double bed, but it's likely to attract customers.
Other perks include the 22-inch television, wireless charging, marble-style tables, and power ports.
Korean Air's Prestige Suite 2.0 is a night-and-day different from its old Apex Suite.Korean Air's old (top) and new (bottom) business class.
Taylor Rains/Business Insider, Korean Air
The Apex Suite is Korean Air's standard long-haul cabin. It is known for its unique 2 × 2 × 2 layout, which provides direct aisle access via a unique walkway and nearly endless space for the window seat.
However, the configuration is not the most efficient, and the aisle seat didn't get the same privacy or space as the window. The new cabin, which will debut on Korean Air's upcoming Boeing 787-10s and eventually its Boeing 777-300ERs, appears more balanced with its 1 × 2 × 1 layout.
The suites resemble competitor planes, complete with sliding doors and honeymoon seats.The honeymoon seats are common airlines and are good for parties traveling together.
Korean Air
The announcement was quieter than Qatar and Turkish, the latter two bringing mockups to the airshow to show off to the media.
Korean Air opted for just a press release announcing its July launch, accompanied by a photo kit.
The airline has expectedly added doors that stand 52 inches high and designed its center section seats to be flexible for solo travelers, families, or couples.
Korean Air has ditched its staple light blue color scheme.The cushions on Apex Suites are tealish blue.
Taylor Rains/Insider
Korean Air's planes have historically featured pastel blue cushions, which complemented the same color scheme worn by flight attendants and painted across the fuselage.
However, the Prestige Suites 2.0 boasts browns, tans, and beiges, suggesting a move away from the airline's traditional color patterns.
Neither Korean nor Turkish jumped on the 'business-class-plus' bandwagon.JetBlue Airways Airbus A321neo's Mint Studio.
Thomas Pallini/Business Insider
Airlines like Qatar, Virgin Atlantic Airways, JetBlue Airways, and Condor have contributed to the premium trend known as "business-class-plus." This takes advantage of the extra space in the front row of the plane by adding a companion seat by the bulkhead.
This allows people traveling together to dine, chat, or meet in the same seat.
Most airlines offer it for a fee in addition to the regular business class fare, while others, like Singapore Airlines and Air France, reserve it as a loyalty perk.
Qatar was already the best of the best, but Korean and Turkish are catching up.A Qatar Airways flight attendant and a QSuite configured as a double bed.
Pete Syme/Business Insider
Business class is among the biggest money-makers for airlines. The Motley Fool reported in December the lucrative cabin could represent 75% of a flight's profits, though just 12% of an airline's passengers book business class.
Further, post-pandemic business demand is continuing to rebound.
It's no surprise these modern, min-hotel-like cabins are on the rise as airlines vie for a piece of the market — though Qatar's fan-favorite QSuite will be hard to beat.
