Private Aisle

How travel companies are going to great lengths to keep their high rollers happy.

- Sheila Marikar

IN 1944, JEAN-PAUL SARTRE wrote that hell is other people, a maxim that perhaps most accurately describes the current state of commercial air travel, what with the long lines for security, overbooked flights, questionable “emotional support” animals, and the guy in 14F who can’t keep his elbows to himself. But for those lucky or savvy enough to fly in first or business class, hope is on the horizon as airlines double down on experiences and amenities for their most-prized clientele.

“Privacy is a theme,” says Brian Kelly, founder of the Points Guy, a travel website that reviews airlines. Take Delta’s new A350 aircraft, where every business-class seat comes with a sliding glass door, or Qatar Airways’ recently launched Q-Suite, with walls that push down for communal activities (work meetings and meals) and pull up for pursuits best enjoyed solo (movie binges and shut-eye).