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The prospect of a flight overseas changes a lot for the rich, powerful and lucky who are seated in the front section of the plane. The land of lie-flat beds may be mysterious to most travellers, however Cheapflights is shedding light on the VIP experience.

Our team of travel experts searched through, tested, photographed and rated 48 economy, Business and First Class kits from 27 of the world’s leading airlines to reveal the “secrets behind the curtain”.

It was no surprise to learn that the posh kits are stuffed with luxury brands (Loewe, Tumi, Chopard, Bulgari, Dior, Ferragamo, L’Occitane, SK-II) – 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.

Air New Zealand and Qantas are both five-star airlines.

Lufthansa and Royal Brunei took joint top honours 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.

See all airline reviews

  1. American Airlines: 4 Stars
  2. Air Berlin: 4 Stars
  3. Air Canada: 3 Stars
  4. Air New Zealand: 5 Stars
  5. Austrian Airlines: 4 Stars
  6. British Airways: 5 Stars
  7. Condor Airlines: 3 Stars
  8. Delta: 5 Stars
  9. Emirates: 6 Stars
  10. Etihad: 6 Stars
  11. Garuda Indonesia: 5 Stars
  12. Iberia: 3 Stars
  13. Icelandair: 5 Stars
  14. Japan Airlines: 6 Stars
  15. JetBlue: 4 Stars
  16. LOT Polish Airlines: 4 Stars
  17. Lufthansa: 4 Stars
  18. Malaysia Airlines: 5 Stars
  19. Qantas: 5 Stars
  20. Qatar: 6 Stars
  21. Royal Brunei: 5 Stars
  22. SWISS: 5 Stars
  23. TAM: 4 Stars
  24. Turkish Airlines: 5 Stars
  25. United Airlines: 6 Stars
  26. Vietnam Airlines: 4 Stars
  27. 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

The full amenity kit contents Top Ten (by popularity of items: “=” denotes tie):

  • 1 Brush/ comb
  • 2= Eye mask
  • 2= Toothbrush
  • 3 Socks
  • 4= Earplugs
  • 4= Moisturiser
  • 4= Toothpaste
  • 5 Lip balm
  • 6 Tissues
  • 7 Shoe horn

 

 

And then we created our dream kit:

  • Etihad’s kit bag
  • Japan Airlines‘ toothbrush
  • Garuda’s hair brush and shoe horn
  • Turkish Airlines’ two-tone ear plugs
  • SWISS’ La Prairie moisturiser
  • Air New Zealand’s “Beware I Sleepwalk” eye mask
  • Vietnam Airlines’ Chopard lip balm
  • Turkish Airlines’ non-slip socks

About the author

Oonagh ShielContent Manager at Cheapflights whose travel life can be best summed up as BC (before children) and PC (post children). We only travel during the school holidays so short-haul trips and staycations are our specialities!

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