How first class became more like a ‘personal apartment’

Flying in first class has always, by definition, been about treating passengers to the very best – even as business class steadily closed the gap, beginning with the world’s first business class flatbeds way back in 2000.

First class quickly evolved to double-down on its inherent exclusivity by becoming truly private spaces.

Etihad’s A380 superjumbos were crowned by first class Apartments and the three-room Residence.

Etihad Airways raised the bar with its A380 Apartment suites.

Emirates took the cues for its new Boeing 777 first class from old-world railway cabins and modern yachts, while Singapore Airlines most recently re-imagined its superjumbo first class as a Skyroom – almost a boutique hotel room above the clouds.

One of the Skyroom concepts for Singapore Airlines' latest Airbus A380 first class.

But years before that, in 2014, this first class concept from JPA Design channeled what the firm described as “a personal apartment approach.”

Named Domus, after the Latin for ‘home’, the open suites were shaped by a decidedly residential approach.

JPA Design's Domus first class concept.

The extra-wide seats with overlapping side-tables, marble-patterned coffee tables, ottomans and cinematic video screens – if you deconstructed those elements, they could each be items from an upmarket home furniture catalogue.

JPA Design's Domus first class concept.

JPA Design says Domus “took a premium hospitality inspired approach to first class.”

JPA Design's Domus first class concept.

"When the design was developed in 2014, Domus might have looked a step far beyond commercial first class…. but since then the latest generation of first class interiors, such as those from Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Etihad, have made it a realistic proposition.”

JPA Design's Domus first class concept.

Brazilian carrier TAM (now part of South America’s LATAM) adopted a similar approach with its 2012 Boeing 777 first class cabin.

TAM's short-lived 777 first class.

This was more than just a seat, the airline said – it was a “living room in the sky.”

(It was also very short-lived, with TAM scrapping its 777 first class after just two years.)

TAM's short-lived 777 first class.

While some airlines persisted with the open suite approach to first class – most notably Qatar Airways’ A380 first class, which debuted in 2014 – Air France embraced the home-inspired vibe with its Boeing 777 La Premiere first class, introduced in late 2014.

Air France's elegant 777 La Premiere first class.

With a 3m² footprint carefully dressed and finished in luxurious style, a standout feature is the use of soft curtains instead of a sliding door, while the bedside lamp brings an additional ‘just like home’ touch.

Air France's elegant 777 La Premiere first class.

It’s no accident, then, that Qantas’ forthcoming A350 first class has been likened to a cosy studio – one with a separate armchair and bed – and it now remains to be seen how the next generation of first class suites from Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines might advance this trend even further.