The Pier First Lounge
For some, airports can be a pleasure. Why? You can bet lounges would have something to do with it! Have you ever wondered what are the best First Class Lounges Worldwide?
I’ve flown over 2 million miles across more than 200 airports on all six continents with the privilege of visiting countless lounges. This gave me valuable insights into what truly defines a remarkable lounge.
This ranking follows my Top 5 First Class Airlines listing. A top-tier First Class offer amenities at an elevated scale, renowned chef curated dining that simply doesn’t translate well at altitude. The best lounges provide a haven of tranquillity amid the airport’s hustle and bustle.
I am keeping the criteria the same as Business Class rankings but naturally First Class experiences are far more refined and elevated. A top lounge provides an encounter with great, purposeful design, quality a la carte dining, Spa and relaxation experiences , a private place to nap rooms etc
Creating an exceptional airport lounge hinges on several factors, spanning from the quality of staff and service to architectural design, practicality, creature comforts, catering and entertainment offerings.
Rather than constructing a subjective ranking, my approach is to thoroughly assess each of these vital elements and assign ratings accordingly. By adopting this methodology, I aim to minimize any personal bias and provide a more objective evaluation.
Every lounge listed here. I has been visited on multiple occasions. I will utilize eight distinct categories, each with a maximum score of 10, to evaluate circa 12 lounges.
Largely determined by the size of lounge, deco and how busy the lounge gets. Being able to relax in some quite and privacy is an important aspect for regular frequent travellers. A great lounge should feel somewhat exclusive?
The architecture & aesthetics of the lounge. Good architecture provides a space a flow, clarity with well designated areas for different facilities. It has the power to directly impact the mood of the clientele and informs the ambience above.
Some areas can energize and inspire while others are created purely for peace and tranquillity. We all crave for these things at different points in the journey.
For a First Class space, you can expect a level of opulence above that of Business. Be that in the form of physical architecture or simply unique interior features/ornaments or art work.
Largely self explanatory. What is the catering like? Does the lounge provide a good variety of food and beverages? Attentive la carte service? Do they provide a decent champagne?
When you are travelling and especially on transit, being able to freshen up is a god send. But not all shower facilities are the same.
Top lounges though go beyond showers and provide facilities such as spa treatments (some complimentary and some add on ), saunas and steam rooms are a feature of good Scandinavian lounges also.
Choice and availability of seating, comfort, stylish?
The essentials here would be ease of connectivity/Wi-Fi/power which is enough for you to entertain yourself. But many good lounges go beyond this, and provide amenities like games rooms, pool tables, art, sculptures etc, self playing piano etc etc
There’s an array of things airlines can offers customers in a lounge. Sometimes even small thoughtful details help going beyond your standard sterile room feel.
Things like fresh flowers, garment presses, waiter service throughout all spaces, efficient ordering system, sleeping arrangements, massage, yoga rooms are all things that are offered by airlines.
This may not seem an obvious marker but you only ever notice this when a lounge just happens to be in a very inconvenient location within the airport terminal. Is it easy enough to get to from and to your onward gates?
Sometimes a lounge may not be accessible at all if you are transiting just by nature of that airport ( Looking at you Lufthansa ! )
| Location: 5 Design: 7 Ambience: 7 Seating: 8 Food & Beverage: 8.5 Showers & Spa: 8 Entertainment: 6 Additional facilities: 7 | In some ways, Lufthansa First Class Terminal seems rather remarkable, in that it is it’s own Terminal. You will have a personal escort with super VIP security. A great a la carte offering despite occasional wait to get a table in the restaurant itself. Fully private bedrooms are available for your total relaxation. And the best of all, a Porsche Chauffer to take to directly to the aircraft! How cool is that?? Lack of views does take away from a true aviation experience however. If you were based/living in Frankfurt, this lounge would rank much higher. The problem is the location and it’s total disconnect from the rest of the airport/terminal. Thus most passengers connecting into and out of Frankfurt would have a rather stressful and distinctly unsexy journey to get there in the first place !
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| Location: 9 Design: 8.5 Ambience: 8.5 Seating: 8 Food & Beverage: 9.5 Showers & Spa: 6 Entertainment: 5 Additional facilities: 5 | ANA First Class also known as the ANA SUITE Lounge can be perfectly summed up as understated luxury. It is not flashy but the level and quality of service is impeccable with an exquisite gourmet dining restaurant offering tantalizing dishes. There are good facilities all around whether you want to unwind by the windows gazing at aircraft passing by, desire a little more privacy with massaging chairs in booth style seats. There is particular attention business travellers. The lounge can get busy at peak hours . |
| Location: 9 Design: 8.5 Ambience: 9 Seating: 9 Food & Beverage: 9.5 Showers & Spa: 8 Entertainment: 5 Additional facilities: 6 | Singapore Airlines Private Room is super exclusive. With a shrinking First Class across it’s network post covid, there are far fewer guests eligible for entry. While recently refurbished, with a more slick modern deco. Materially not much has changed besides the addition of 4 new sleeping rooms. The service I experienced each time was second to none with a gourmet dining service and great attention to detail to maximize your comforts. The atmosphere can be so intimate, just like onboard, the crew know your name and flight boarding status, where-ever you happen to be within the lounge! It lacks some of the extra frills that some of the other top First Lounges provide, but you will hardly notice that. What you will also notice though is the lack of any views/natural light. |
| Location: 9 Design: 8.5 Ambience: 8.5 Seating: 9 Food & Beverage: 9 Showers & Spa: 9 Entertainment: 6 Additional facilities: 6 | Cathay Pacific still reigns supreme in the First Class lounge game. It has been many years since this Wing Lounge has been open and it is still a solid offering. Sip on champagne in your own private cabana with a plush bathtub that was as grand as any top tier hotel. It is one of the best lounge features out there. Other’s like Lufthansa have tried to emulate this, but they just can’t do it as good ! But it doesn’t stop there! You still enjoy a great a la carte dining experience, champagne bar, fresh flowers and great views out of taxiway and departing aircraft just overhead! |
| Location: 9 Design: 9 Ambience: 9.5 Seating: 9 Food & Beverage: 9 Showers & Spa: 9 Entertainment: 5 Additional facilities: 6 | This boutique airline has a super small First Class footprint and yet goes all the way in it’s lounge offering. It is a beautifully designed space with an elegant feature bar with top shelf liquors, curved walls and gold trimmings throughout. Superb a la carte dining and complimentary Spa treatments courtesy of the Shangri-La Spa upstairs. I spent 9 glorious hours in this lounge all by myself with 4 staff looking after me, making me feel like a total celebrity ! When it’s time for boarding, you will have a private escort to take you to your aircraft whenever you are ready ! |
| Location: 9 Design: 8 Ambience: 9 Seating: 9 Food & Beverage: 9.5 Showers & Spa: 9 Entertainment: 7 Additional facilities: 7 | Emirates offers by far the most opulent First Class experience as a whole. The Dubai lounges are so huge they would almost classify as a private terminal. If you are connecting, you can find an escort or buggy service to take you to the lounges. Once there the offering is extensive. Formal dining restaurant with exquisite menu, water fountains to relax by, spa with a good range of complementary treatments, private duty free. When it’s time to board, a direct lift straight to your gate from within the vast lounge! The deco is now over a decade old and could do with a refresh, however. |
| Location: 9 Design: 9.5 Ambience: 9 Seating: 9 Food & Beverage: 9 Showers & Spa: 9 Entertainment: 6 Additional facilities: 7.5 | Just like it’s Business Class sister lounge, Cathay Pacific has two superb First Class lounges that merit their own place in this listing. The zen-like Pier First Class is amongst my favourite lounges in the world. It is unique amongst First Class lounges to be able to provide a space that feels more like a retreat than an airport lounge. On top of thoughtful design touches, there are private day rooms with views out of the tarmac, massage rooms with a complimentary treatment, superb bar with good champagne offering and off course a la carte dining !
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| Location: 9 Design: 9 Ambience: 9.5 Seating: 9.5 Food & Beverage: 9 Showers & Spa: 8 Entertainment: 7 Additional facilities: 8 | Qatar Airways Al Safwa transports you into another world entirely. You may wonder if you are in a Art Gallery or a huge Spa retreat? The lounge is on a grand scale, quite unlike anything else. With a mammoth feature water wall leading you into a collection of art and sculptures directly from the Museum of Islamic Art, a focal waterfall feature in the central area providing a soothing backdrop where ever you happen to sit. You also have private sleeping rooms and a Spa with Jacuzzi hot tub. The formal restaurant with a la carte offering can seat more guests than there will ever be in the whole lounge. It is still not perfect however. Unless you are very lucky or have a super long layover, getting a private sleeping room or that jacuzzi is nigh on impossible as they get booked up. For the amount of space available, it is a shame the lounge does not have more of those! |
I did not expect Al Safwa Lounge to make it into number one position. It is a superb lounge, but in general I would say Cathay’s Pier First Class would be my favourite on most occasions.
British Airways Concorde Room unfortunately did not make it in this list even though it was not far behind Lufthansa scoring. Removing Elmis Spa and still offering hospital like shower rooms just does not scream First Class retreat to me !
While Qatar Airways indeed keeps the Al Safwa Lounge very exclusive, you can buy a “First Class” ticket within the Middle East that won’t break the bank. These flights offer more business class like services but are marketed as First Class. Likewise, Cathay Pacific is rather generous to allow top tier oneworld frequent flyers, those with Emerald status or it’s equivalent entry into those Hong Kong lounges.
Lounges that might be expected to be on this list would be Air France or Swiss First Class offering in Zurich, I’ve had several Swiss First Class trips having to be cancelled and I will now just wait till 2025 when both Swiss and Air France has a new product offering.
Faze, founder of Wander Up Front and Elevate Your Stay, is a London-based travel specialist with a deep passion for aviation. With over 2 million miles flown, he has spent the last 7 years focusing on First and Business class experiences.
Faze provides straightforward, no-frills insights into premium airline products and services, sharing what matters to help travellers make informed choices.
Follow him on his adventures and behind the scene stories on Instagram !
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