Inside the New 3 Seat First Class Era

First class isn’t dead. It’s just hiding behind elite status and 200k miles👇🏼

Friends,

SWISS just gave us a reminder that first class still matters. Their new “SWISS Senses” suites—quiet, elegant, fully enclosed cabins debuting on the A350 to Miami later this year—are a signal that even the most moneyed travelers haven’t given up on commercial aviation.

The product is also, semi-unsurprisingly, a virtual carbon copy of parent company Lufthansa’s new Allegris first class.

This all comes alongside a broader trend: airlines aiming their most premium cabins not at frequent fliers, but at private jet passengers. Back in May, The Wall Street Journal reported on this exact shift—how carriers like Air France are designing long-haul products specifically to siphon high-net-worth travelers out of Gulfstreams and into commercial suites. These are not “enhanced” business class seats. They’re designed sanctuaries. High privacy. Concierge-level ground service. Fewer seats. No overhead bins.

Air France saw this first and moved early. Their new La Première cabin, unveiled this spring, has completely reset the bar: nearly 38 square feet of private space, five windows, a separate chaise lounge and bed, floor-to-ceiling curtains, and what’s widely considered the best ground experience in aviation today. It’s not a suite. It’s a studio. And they offer just four per flight. The scarcity is part of the signal.

SWISS is following with a similar tone—elegant but restrained. Lufthansa Allegris took a similar path. The era of gold-plated vanity projects is fading. Understatement is the flex.

And yet, the business class arms race continues. Which raises the obvious question: why isn’t business class enough?

Because at the top of the market, it no longer signals anything. Everyone offers lie-flat seats. Everyone serves decent champagne. There’s little scarcity, little mystery, and very little differentiation. For travelers spending $10,000+ per round-trip—or redeeming north of 200,000 miles one-way—it’s not about comfort. It’s about identity. The best first class products understand that.

And if you play in the points-and-miles world, that changes the game a little.

How to (Maybe) Book These Seats Without Spending $20k

Let’s talk reality. You’re not booking SWISS or Air France First on points unless you know exactly what you’re doing—and even then, it’s a long shot.

Air France La Première is arguably the best first class product in the world right now, but FlyingBlue makes it deliberately exclusive. You can’t book it with miles at all unless you’re a Flying Blue elite (Platinum or higher), and even then, they typically only release one award seat per flight, often close-in. Expect to pay 220,000+ Flying Blue miles one-way from the U.S. to Europe—sometimes more, plus taxes and surcharges.

That said, it can be booked. You’ll need:

  • Flying Blue elite status (earned or matched)

  • Transferable points ready to go (Amex, Chase, Citi, Bilt, Capital One all work)

  • Flexibility to book within 30 days of departure (though not always)

Don’t expect a unicorn fare to just show up on a search engine. This is the kind of redemption you plan around, not stumble into. For what it’s worth, the onboard experience is worth every mile if you pull it off: a private suite, Michelin-starred food, pajamas, and one of the best ground experiences in aviation.

SWISS First, on the other hand, is pretty much locked unless you’re a Miles & More Senator or HON Circle member. They don’t release award space to Star Alliance partners at all. No Aeroplan, no LifeMiles, no game-day surprises. If you see it and you’re not elite in Miles & More, it’s probably a glitch—and it probably won’t last. Lufthansa’s Allegris first class cabin, to my understanding, is not yet even bookable on points (paying for an upgrade from business class seems to be the only “points-esque” way in).

The larger reality? This new class of ultra-premium isn’t about maximizing load factors. It’s about brand gravity. These products act as halo signals. They are an attempt to say, “this is who we are.” They reinforce the airline’s promise—which Emirates has written the book on—even if most people will never fly them.

And of course, SWISS and Air France aren’t the only ones playing this game. Emirates still runs its gold-trimmed showers and fully enclosed suites (they fly the most first class seats around the globe every day). Singapore, JAL, ANA, and Cathay Pacific all maintain ultra-premium cabins with serious pedigree. Qantas is refreshing its A380 first class, and even British Airways has quietly kept theirs alive (if not exactly competitive). The common thread? First class isn’t gone—it’s just evolving into something smaller, more intentional, and more theatrical than ever.

It’s probably an experience worth trying more than ever before, too.

Fly well.

P.S. North American carriers have shown themselves the door in the world of true first class products, but that is a post for another day.

NEWS

United Flight Attendants vote down their most recent Tentative Agreement.

You can now assign a seat on Southwest flights on or after January 27, 2026.

Airlines are loss leaders for their loyalty programs (per this analysis).