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Study ranks airports from all over the world to reveal which is the most comfortable for luxury travelers
Summary:
- Travel experts Cheap Deals Away use five key criteria to rank top airports in terms of comfort for high-end travelers
- Charles de Gaulle, Heathrow, and Dubai International top the list as the best airports for business travelers
- Expert explains why top airport facilities are essential for a luxurious business-class experience
The experience of luxury air travel often begins long before boarding the plane. For business travelers, comfort, efficiency, and amenities significantly impact a journey, so the quality of the airport is crucial. But which airports lead the way in business-class comfort and convenience?
Dawn Morwood, Co-Director of Cheap Deals Away UK, and her team have conducted a new study into which of the world’s top airports boasts the most comfort for business-class travelers.
The study used five criteria – the number of business-class lounges, an airport’s Skytrax rating, the number of flight destinations available, the average number of delayed flights, and WiFi speed. Combining these scores gave each airport an overall Business Class Score, which was then used to rank the airports.
The Top 10 Best Business Class Airports
| Rank | Airport | Number of Business Class Lounges | Skytrax Rating | Number of Flight Destinations | Average Delayed Flights | Wifi Facilities (Mbps) | Business Class Score |
| 1 | Charles de Gaulle Airport | 21 | 4 | 276 | 25% | 107.13 | 81.47 |
| 2 | Heathrow Airport | 39 | 4 | 221 | 28.00% | 58.44 | 81.38 |
| 3 | Dubai International Airport | 31 | 3 | 264 | 23% | 64.84 | 80.21 |
| 4 | Frankfurt Airport | 25 | 4 | 291 | 29% | 84.12 | 78.74 |
| 5 | Dallas Fort Worth International Airport | 19 | 3 | 258 | 22.00% | 119.92 | 76.80 |
| 6 | Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport | 18 | 3 | 237 | 17.00% | 91.64 | 76.10 |
| 7 | Istanbul Airport | 7 | 5 | 307 | 23.00% | 59.14 | 74.44 |
| 8 | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | 10 | 4 | 262 | 20% | 90.24 | 73.68 |
| 9 | Singapore Changi | 25 | 5 | 144 | 19% | 28.24 | 72.84 |
| 10 | John F. Kennedy International Airport | 28 | 3 | 193 | 33% | 151.59 | 67.20 |
What Makes These Airports So Special?
Charles de Gaulle Airport, known by frequent flyers as Paris CDG, is the ‘hub’ or home base of France’s national airline, AirFrance, and the busiest airport in the EU. Named after the famous French politician and military officer who led the French government in exile during World War Two, the airport is fourteen miles north of Paris.
“Paris CDG is known for servicing a huge range of destinations, which is one of the key reasons it scores so highly on the table, along with its high WiFi speed and SkyTrax rating,” Dawn explains. “Skytrax is an independent air travel rating service that uses highly detailed audits to rate airports, airlines, and lounges. Airports are graded on the layout, design, and comfort of the terminals and the quality of service staff provide, including their efficiency, attitude, and language skills. Since 1999, they’ve been recognized as an authority when it comes to airport quality.”
Heathrow and Dubai International Airport are hubs for two of the world’s biggest airlines, British Airways and Emirates, and Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport is the second largest building in the world by floor space. It also ranks as the world’s busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic.
“Both of these airports have an impressive number of business-class lounges,” Dawn explains. “Heathrow claims the highest number of lounges overall, which is the main metric that pushes it into such a high position on the table. Dubai International is right behind, but Dubai beats Heathrow in terms of destinations served and average number of delayed flights. Heathrow’s higher Skytrax rating is also a big point in the airport’s favor, putting it ahead of Dubai. The metric that puts both of them behind CDG is their slow WiFi speed, as both Heathrow and Dubai International are nearly 50 mbps behind CDG.”
Dawn Morwood, Co-Director of Cheap Deals Away UK, comments:
“When we talk about traveling for business, the importance of an airport’s infrastructure and amenities can’t be overstated. Some may think of airports as nothing more than transit points, but a traveler’s experience in an airport can really influence their productivity and mindset, whether positively or negatively.
“Business lounges, in particular, are essential and are much more than just comfortable seating areas. Travel fatigue and jet lag can throw anyone off kilter, which isn’t ideal when a business traveler is making an important work trip and needs to be at the top of their game. A business lounge’s shower rooms, food options, and sometimes even spa services really help with this.
The opportunity to travel business class is not to be missed, but the price tag is hefty. There are ways to get bumped up to business class with no extra fee, though. Traveling at quiet times and being the first on the flight to check in can both up your chances of getting an upgrade. Paying a little more for economy upgrades like more legroom and additional baggage can also put you further forward in the queue, as can joining your airline’s loyalty program – and the latter is usually free! Dressing nicely and being kind to staff have both worked for people I’ve talked to, as has the most obvious option – just asking.”
About Cheap Deals Away
Cheap Deals Away UK has one simple aim, to ensure people are not overpaying for their holidays. Choosing a holiday is one of the biggest decisions of the year and booking one can be frustrating with so many websites and conflicting advice. The company selects holidays based on great value for money, allowing the customer to make significant savings on the cost of their holidays. With holidays from all major UK airports, Cheap Deals Away UK makes it easier to find your next holidays for a fantastic price.
Sources
Dubai world’s busiest airport: Emirates 24/7.
Dubai’s Terminal 3 is the second-largest building: Dubai International (archived).
About Skytrax: Skytrax About.
Methodology
The airports chosen are the top 10 in terms of passenger numbers, as reported in the 2023 Airport Traffic Report published by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Data on the number of business lounges was obtained from
The number of direct destinations was taken from
Average delays were taken from average delay statistics for different airports.
WiFi speeds were taken from .
We used the download speeds.
Weightings:
– Number of Business Class Lounges: 25%
– Skytrax Rating: 20%
– Number of Destinations: 20%
– Average % of Flights Delayed: 15% (lower is better)
– Wi-Fi Facilities: 20%
A factor of x1.25 was applied to all final scores to get the business class rating.
Full data can be seen here.
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