I am in the process of planning for my first Business Class experience. We are flying to Vietnam from California. My airline choices are: Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Tried google but my search wasn't particularly helpful. Please tell me your preferred airline and the reasons why. Thanks.

Can't help other than to say my choice would be Cathay, but only because I've always heard such good things about them (although I haven't checked recently).

I just noticed that you wrote "from California" but I assumed it was LAX. Another nonstop option to Asia would be SFO. What California airport would you use?

IDK about Korean.
Cathay Pacific has always been highly rated, at the top. I had booked LAX-HKG and checked out the seating/service. Looked great. Had to cancel.

JAL has Sky Suite on LAX-KIX (Osaka) and I prefer not that (2x2x2). Apparently, they will start using their A350 on that route soon.

Two dailies to Tokyo from LAX:
Tokyo(Narita Intl) JL061 / 789 Operated by Japan Airlines
That is Sky Suite III and is 1x2x1

Tokyo(Tokyo Intl Haneda) JL015 / 351 Operated by Japan Airlines
Am surprised and excited to see this is an A351. They just started using it on this route this summer.

351 is A351 is Airbus 350-1000
JAL international Business Class Seats
I would love to get that and might stop right there (all other things being equal or somebody else is paying for my ticket)
(the bonus to me is Aadvantage Miles earning plus maybe an overnight or stopover in Tokyo)

You can see what Cathay offers now. I would want to find out if their Aria Suite is on LAX-HKG. Google says no.

You can go to youtube to get reviews. Am sure there are reviews for those airlines on the LAX-Asia routes in business class. There might not be a review yet for JAL A351 from LAX yet but am sure can find one for JFK or DFW.

Also, this: World's Best Business Class Airlines 2025 | SKYTRAX
But I flew DOH-IAH on Qatar and was not impressed even though it was ranked #1 (or 2) when I flew it. It really comes down to the aircraft type that you fly on. That is, maybe my Qatar flight didn't have their best business class seats (IDK why it wouldn't be their best for a 16+ hour flight between a couple of oil capitals)

I just noticed that JAL is ranked #3 on the Best Business Class Airline Seats list after Qatar and ANA. (scroll down on the skytrax page)

My most recent business class experience was on JAL and I liked it very much. Previous experiences were too long ago to be useful & this one was with miles so can’t comment on price comparisons. But I was certainly satisfied with the experience.

I’m a JAL business class fan though premium economy on JAL is also very good at a more reasonable price. We’ve been flying more on ANA recently because Amex points are transferable to ANA’s mileage program so using those. Where I fly out of I prefer JAL simply because of gate location, ANA is at the very last gate on the far west side of the airport so a long slog to immigration and customs.

I have flown to Asia from SFO on Cathay, Singapore, JAL, Delta and United. I prefer Cathay, but JAL was quite good. Have never flown on ANA or the Korean or Taiwanese airlines, but those are choices too with lots of options from LAX and SFO.

My most recent experience was JAL and I found the service, food and comfort better than Singapore. Been a while since I've flown Cathay but always remember liking it. I'd probably pick the one that makes the best connections because all of them are pretty good.

Two questions; I'll explain later.

1. When will this trip take place?

2. Do you have any other significant travel plans occurring within a year before or a year after the trip? If so, where and when?

Of those airlines I have only flown business class with Japan Airlines and it was excellent. I have also flown BC with Vietnam Airlines London to Saigon - it was not good!

All of those airlines, all will be pretty good but I would just check out exactly which plane they are using on your route and whether it will be the latest iteration of their business class cabin/seat. Even on the same airline, standards can vary greatly.

I am currently research the options to visit family in Australia and looked at the "usual " business class options. Then I looked at specialist "round the world" BC fares which were coming in around the same price or even cheaper and provided a greater degree of flexibility in terms of changes and rerouting. The main proviso being that you have to continue on around the world the same way. If you have the time (I would say around 30 days min). I normally book direct with airlines but this is one time where a good travellagent can save to time and cash.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond and make suggestions. We are flying out of SFO into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City. Looks like Cathay Pacific has the best itinerary and cost for Business Class. CuriousGeo - might look into Japan Airlines premium economy. Thanks for that idea.
Also thinking about business class to Vietnam and premium economy to SFO

"...I am currently research the options to visit family in Australia and looked at the "usual " business class options. Then I looked at specialist "round the world" BC fares which were coming in around the same price or even cheaper and provided a greater degree of flexibility in terms of changes and rerouting. The main proviso being that you have to continue on around the world the same way. If you have the time (I would say around 30 days min). I normally book direct with airlines but this is one time where a good travellagent can save to time and cash..."

This was what I was going to suggest as a possible option for the OP. Round the world (or RTW) tickets can be good value in business class, provided you have the flexibility (or ambition) to optimize their use.

We don't know when the OP is traveling nor how long they plan to be in Vietnam, or if they're going someplace else (or interested in someplace else) while they're in Asia. Timing can matter, especially with travel via Japan in the springtime or in other areas during the lunar new year period; airfare can jump up sharply.

The thing about RTW tickets is that they're priced very differently depending on the country where travel begins and ends (not the traveler's home country.) The price differential can be very high, sometimes with the base price more than double in one country compared to another.

That can be good news and bad news for some travelers. For example (and this is why I asked in my post above about other travel plans on either side of the Vietnam trip) if the traveler begins in a "cheap" country for business class RTWs, they can fly to their (high priced) home country during the course of the 12-month lifespan of the ticket. The trip home becomes a "stopover" that could last for months, before the traveler carries on to complete the circuit.

Example using the OP's information, such as we have it. First, a couple of basics.

RTW tickets issued by airlines of two of the three big alliances (Oneworld and Star Alliance; Skyteam's RTW product was discontinued after Covid) allow up to 16 flights (takeoffs and landings) and are good for a year from the first flight. You have to go around the world, crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in the same direction; however, you can zigzag and backtrack within a continent. The Oneworld RTW (the Oneworld Explorer) is priced according to how many continents you touch (or overfly) in the course of the trip, from 3 to 6. Star Alliance RTWs are priced depending on how many flown miles are included, with various tiers ranging from 26,000 miles to 39,000 flown miles. Changes in the ticket are easy and free or fairly inexpensive depending on the nature of the change, usually way less expensive than changes to "ordinary" tickets. The (continent) based Oneworld ticket limits the number of flights that can be taken on each continent visited, with a maximum of four flights within all of the continents except North America, in which you're allowed six flights. Note "North America" includes Central America and the Caribbean, and "Europe" includes the Middle East and Mediterranean Africa.

So back to the OP's plan. Here's an imaginary scenario.

The OP lives in California. Prices for RTWs issued by both alliances are very high when travel begins in the USA. A three-continent Oneworld RTW ticket with a USA "country of origin" carries a base price of US$10,669. However, the same ticket, with the same stops but with a different start/end country, costs $5103 if starting and ending in Norway, or $5343 if starting and ending in Japan. In other words, the base price is half or less if you start someplace overseas.

Now obviously you have to "position" yourself in, say, Norway in order to start the RTW there, so that's an additional expense that has to be factored in. And that's why I asked the second question in my post above. Does the OP have any travel plans for the months leading up to the Vietnam trip, or the months following, such that the idea of a "stopover" at home might, in essence, turn one trip into two or three?

Say the OP would like to do some domestic travel around North America in the months following the Vietnam trip. So they fly to Norway (one way, around $300 on TAP Portuguese Airlines - in coach) then "activate" the RTW ticket. They fly from Oslo to Doha on Qatar Airways (in business class - not sure if there will be "Q-Suites" on the flights - depends on when. They connect in Doha to Ho Chi Minh City, also on Qatar.

After the visit in Vietnam, they fly to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, or to Tokyo on Japan Airlines, or both, stopping over in either/both as they'd like. Then it's over the Pacific to home in California (I think the Bay Area?)

Over the next - what, 9 or 10 months? - they use the six allowed segments in North America for personal or work travel. Maybe the Caribbean for a sun break, or maybe Alaska for a cruise, or following the Maya around Guatemala? Or just New York or maybe Montreal or Quebec City. Then back home.

Months later - if they want - it's back to Europe. Maybe a stop in Italy, or Scotland, or...? In any event they end up in Norway before the ticket turns back into a Pumpkin 12 months after the first flight. Here's an imaginary map -



They'll have earned enough frequent flyer miles for a business class flight back to California, or maybe they pop for another RTW, this time one that includes Africa or Fiji or South America or Australia and New Zealand... and the beat goes on.

Now all this requires something of a "master plan" but if one possesses a bucket list, this is a pretty easy way to start emptying it, even if that means there's more room in the bucket.

In terms of cost, the base price with taxes and fees added, will be around $6K. That compares to around $5.5K for a business class round trip to Vietnam from SFO, depending on the season. The "positioning" cost would be additional, but if they're planning a Europe trip in the target price range, then it might be a moot point.

Anyway, that was my point. Maybe it's off the table for the OP, in which case, fine. But if the Vietnam trip is one of several travels planned or possible, then it might merit some thought.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of these three. They are all highly rated Per the latest Skytrax rankings:
JAL is # 5.
Cathay is #8.
KAL is #10.

I would say get the best deal and route and go.

JM2C.

Larry.

>> So they fly to Norway (one way, around $300
Or to Tokyo at that price in economy or Zipair lie-flat for $1300 to $1800 from SF or San Jose - nonstop

Gardyloo - wow! Don't know how you keep track of it all. Sounds great but beyond what I am able to do. I appreciate the time you took to explain the RTW option. Thank you.
PS. Have plans to go to Africa August 2026.

Thanks very much for that explanation Gardyloo, Very, very helpful. I have done something similar for other BC flights. Based in the UK, a country renowned for massive airline/airport taxes, for the last couple of years taxes I have had a lot of Avios points to use and found that by sourcing a relatively cheap flight from LHR to MAD I could take advantage of the much reduced points needed for Business Class flights 80k compared with 180k from MAD to Mexicao and Guatemala AND save taxes of around £5-600, more than enough to cover the cost of positioning flights and hotels in Madrid.

It didn't occur to me to try the same for RTW tickets - I will now!!

Okay, I don't want to belabor the point or come off as a fanatic on the subject, but consider this:

You fly to Norway on your own dime (or on award miles, whatever) and start a four-continent RTW there. The base price for adding a fourth continent (Africa) is around $500 more than a three-continent ticket in business class.

You fly from Oslo to Vietnam for your visit - into Hanoi, out from HCMC, to, say, Hong Kong. You fly home on Cathay Pacific.

Same scenario as above - use the allowed North America flights as you see fit, ending back at home until August 2026. Remember the ticket is valid for a year from the first flight. Then you fly to Doha and connect there to whatever your preferred African destination might be. Qatar Airlines flies to most major cities in Africa - Joburg, Cape Town, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Entebbe, Addis...

You then return to Doha and then back to Western Europe, ending back in Norway. Here's another sample map, showing flights into Cape Town and out of Joburg (transfer on your own) but it could be anywhere in Africa.



You'd earn more than enough frequent flyer miles in this plan to fly home from Norway in business class as an award, so in essence you'd be getting two separate overseas trips in business class for around $6K. If you max out the 16 segments allowed by the ticket and add in the two flights to get home (probably Oslo - London - SFO) that comes to 18 flights in the pointy end, for around $333 per flight, not bad for SFO-Chicago, but dynamite for HKG-SFO.

(I should also mention that if you're okay flying in economy, the same route on Oneworld would carry a base price of $2000. If starting and ending in the US the base price would be $5900.)

I'll stop here.