Have you ever wondered what it's like on the other side of the business and first class curtain? The VIP treatment, the free-flowing drinks, gourmet meals/fine dining, the comfy seats or, better yet, beds. Ahhhh...the good life. And what about those secret perks in the complimentary "airline amenity kits" - your own personal in-flight "swag" bag?
The Cheapflights.ca team of travel experts looked through, tested, photographed and rated 48 economy, business and first-class kits from 27 of the world's leading airlines to reveal the "secrets of the VIP experience".
Part Hollywood A-list swag bag and part practical travel accessory, amenity kits are where airlines roll out the red carpet for their elite customers. So, it was no surprise to learn that the First-Class kits are stuffed with luxury brands (Loewe, Tumi, Chopard, Bulgari, Dior, Ferragamo, L'Occitane) - and contain everything from eye masks and shoe horns to "pulse point oil" and "pillow mist".
In total, just five of the 27 airlines achieved a six-star review, with Middle Eastern and Far Eastern airlines dominating, as kits from Emirates, Etihad, Japan Airlines, Qatar and United came out on top.
Lufthansa and Royal Brunei took joint top honors for the "Best Male Accessory"; Lufthansa for its German football kit-themed bag and Royal Brunei for its super luxury slippers.
Polish airline LOT grabbed "Best Female Accessory" for its nail file; while Qatar was - literally - the comfortable winner for the "Best Kids' Accessory" with a Spongebob Squarepants backpack (in a Qatar captain uniform) that also doubles as a pillow or booster seat.
Amenity kits, you could say, are the icing on the proverbial cake, and every airline has its own recipe.
See all the airline reviews:
American Airlines: 4 Stars
Air Berlin: 4 Stars
Air Canada: 3 Stars
Air New Zealand: 5 Stars
Austrian Airlines: 4 Stars
British Airways: 5 Stars
Condor Airlines: 3 Stars
Delta: 5 Stars
Emirates: 6 Stars
Etihad: 6 Stars
Garuda Indonesia: 5 Stars
Iberia: 3 Stars
Icelandair: 5 Stars
Japan Airlines: 6 Stars
JetBlue: 4 Stars
LOT Polish Airlines: 4 Stars
Lufthansa: 4 Stars
Malaysia Airlines: 5 Stars
Qantas: 5 Stars
Qatar: 6 Stars
Royal Brunei: 5 Stars
SWISS: 5 Stars
TAM: 4 Stars
Turkish Airlines: 5 Stars
United Airlines: 6 Stars
Vietnam Airlines: 4 Stars
Virgin Atlantic: 5 Stars
Our star rating system:
One star = Taxiing
Two stars = Approaching cruising altitude
Three stars = 35,000 feet
Four stars = High life
Five stars = Edge of space
Six stars = Fly me to the moon