The last few years have seen an explosion in demand for premium aviation, in line with a broader post-pandemic recovery for the aviation industry. Carriers have responded with a race to the top to offer their passengers the best possible service and comfort. 2026 appears to be no different. Many airlines have announced the introduction of new business class products that will define where the industry moves next.

This article introduces the seven most interesting of these products. It includes The Room FX by All Nippon Airways, United Airlines‘ United Elevated, and Air Canada‘s narrowbody take on business class with its A321XLRs.

Singapore Airlines

New first and business class seats

As with many airlines on this list, Singapore Airlines has made advancements to its business class experience aboard the Airbus A350, of which the carrier has 41. The new business class cabin is expected to be revealed early this year and to arrive in the first half of the year. However, little is known about what will be included beyond a few teaser images. The pictures suggest that the business class will feature uniquely high walls and doors, giving passengers a new level of privacy.

The Instagram post from Luxury Travel Expert embedded below gives an impression of what Singapore Airlines business class looks like aboard the carrier’s Airbus A350-900:

Singapore Airlines originally designed its 2026 business class product with the Boeing 777X in mind. Ongoing delays with this aircraft have led Singapore to move ahead with A350s already in its fleet.

All Nippon Airlines

The Room business class expanded with The Room FX

Another business class product set for arrival in the first half of 2026 is All Nippon Airlines’ The Room FX. The product is based on The Room, a business class cabin currently deployed on the carrier’s refurbished Boeing 777s. You can see what this cabin looks like in the photograph for this section. Previously, The Room was too wide for the narrower Boeing 787 fuselage; The Room FX updates it to fit within the aircraft. The cabin will have a 1-2-1 layout with both forward and backward-facing seats. Readers who have experienced Qatar’s Qsuite will be familiar with such a configuration.

For entertainment, passengers can use a 24-inch (61 cm) 4 K Bluetooth-enabled screen. As with Finnair’s AirLounge, The Room FX won’t feature an electric recline, although you will still be able to lie flat. The seats will be provided by Safran, while design work will be done by the British design consultancy Acumen.

Tomoji Ishii, Executive Vice President, Customer Experience of ANA, said: « ANA is dedicated to providing the highest level of customer experience and is investing in the future of the most advanced and comfortable travel with the new ‘THE Room FX’ seat. This seat represents our commitment to exceeding expectations and shaping the future of luxury flight. »

United Airlines

United Elevated seats update Polaris business class seats

United’s business class experience is famous for its mid-2010s Polaris seat (pictured), but it is time for an update. The carrier calls it United Elevated, set for launch in early 2026 aboard the carrier’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliners. It will then bring the product onto refurbished aircraft that it already owns. United Elevated uses the Adient Ascent seat. This seat is already part of Qatar Airways’ business class aboard its 787-9 and American Airlines, which is installing the Adient Ascent aboard its new aircraft. The business class seats will also feature doors for added privacy.

United Airlines has announced that it will debut its Elevated 787s on flights from San Francisco to Singapore and to London Heathrow. The trip to Singapore is 8,440 miles (13,583 km) one-way with nonstop flights averaging around 16 to 17.5 hours. Meanwhile, flying from the US West Coast to London takes 10 to 12 hours, with an average distance of 5,350 miles (8,615 km). This route selection is a clear statement of intent to be competitive on some of the world’s busiest long-haul arteries.

Air Canada

A new A321 business class seat

Air Canada has recently begun taking deliveries of the Airbus A321XLR. It will use this jet to service transcontinental routes defined by their long and thin characteristics. These are the routes that don’t have the demand needed for a widebody jet to be economically viable.

The business class product will be in a 1-1 configuration with 14 seats at the aircraft’s front. It is expected Air Canada will launch this product in mid-2026, primarily used for flights from Montreal to European destinations like Edinburgh, Toulouse, Palma and Dublin. However, little beyond that has been released to the public.

Air Canada has been having difficulties with the A321XLR. It remains to be seen how the new business class product will fit into this complexity. Speaking to The Airline Observer, Air Canada’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mark Galardo said: « If you’re in a smaller airport where you have an obstacle at the end of the runway, or you have a short runway, or you have heat concerns, it starts to cut down the payload. That’s something I don’t think we factored in when we made the purchase decision. »

Riyadh Air

Launch of commercial services flying new 787 Dreamliners will come with a new business class product

2026 will also be the year Riyadh Air, the latest Saudi Arabian carrier, finally begins commercial operations with its new Boeing 787s. These are expected to start as early as this month. Previously, the carrier was using an ex-Oman Air Dreamliner.

With this new aircraft, it will be a fresh business class product. The carrier will use Safran’s Unity seats, already in service aboard Qantas, Air India, and JAL planes. The cabin will be styled with purple tones, central to Riyadh Air branding. The cabin will also feature a ‘canopy twist’, which the airline hopes will mirror traditional Arabic tents. Tradition meets cutting-edge technology, as the seats will also feature a 24-inch (61 cm) 4K Bluetooth-enabled screen.

Riyadh Air has been working hard to get everything ready for its entrance into commercial aviation. Most recently, Boeing’s test pilots completed a test flight of the airline’s first Boeing 787-9 before its delivery. The airline said: « This milestone represents a pivotal step in Riyadh Air’s journey to receive its fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and reflects the company’s steady progress toward operational readiness. »

Lot Polish

Polish carrier to launch a full 787 cabin retrofit

By late 2026, LOT Polish’s retrofitted Boeing 787s are expected to arrive, each featuring an upgraded business class product. Previously, LOT Polish 787 business class had a 2-2-2 layout. With two seats in each row not having direct aisle access, this product was not competitive. Meanwhile, the new layout will be in a 1-2-1 configuration.

LOT Polish has done more than simply select a more spacious layout; it has upgraded the seat itself. The business class product will use the German Recaro R7 seat, currently used by Iberia’s A350 ‘NEXT’ aircraft. The technology aboard will also be better, using 17.3-inch (44 cm) 4K screens with Bluetooth pairing and more charging ports.

The Polish carrier has a history with Recaro. In October 2023, LOT Polish announced that Recaro would be its exclusive seat supplier for its long-haul fleet, and over 2,000 seats were scheduled to be delivered by 2030. Originally, CL6720 was to be used in business class and PL3530 in premium economy.

China Southern

New business class suites aboard A350-900s

China Southern hopes its new business class product, arriving in late 2026, will be far more stylish than anything the other mainland Chinese airlines have achieved in the past. The carrier has developed a fresh interior in partnership with Tangerine, a UK-based design company, with cream, platinum, and powder blue accents popular in private aviation. The London design consultancy claims to be « Making creative leaps to design innovative customer experiences that exceed expectations. » Its interventions aim to be controlled, commercial, and considerate.

The business class product will center around the Thompson’s extended Vantage XL+ seats, with China Southern being the first carrier to feature them. These seats give passengers more personal space and are perfect for wide aircraft like the A350. However, passengers who value privacy will be disappointed to see that the new business class cabin does not have doors.

When announcing that China Southern would be the seat’s launch customer, Keith Anderson, CEO of Thompson Aero Seating, said: « We have worked in close collaboration with the airline team to bring to life what started as a spark of an idea. Our philosophy at Thompson is always to enhance and evolve our seats and China Southern has been a great partner in enabling us to do this. »