Fly in Style: Holiday flights with those added extras

Something wonderful is in the air if you’re planning a winter break or big summer holiday in 2023.

For our biggest airlines are sprucing up their older planes and taking delivery of lots of shiny new ones. We’ll first see the difference on planes taking us to long-haul destinations such as California, New York, the Caribbean, Dubai and the Maldives. But new touches of luxury will be on offer in every cabin on almost every route.

Here’s why there’s never been a better time to fly.

SEATS v SUITES

It’s no surprise that the biggest improvements go to the people who pay the highest fares to sit at the front of the plane (or to those who use Air Miles to upgrade to the fancy cabins).

Treats include Virgin Atlantic’s new Retreat Suite that will see two lucky passengers relax in one of the biggest private spaces in the sky. Sit at the front of the Upper Class cabin and you don’t just get seats that transform

The loft on Virgin Atlantic 

into fully-flat, 6ft-plus beds. You also get extra mini-seats that allow up to four people to dine together in the lap of luxury.

British Airways is also upgrading its big, business class seats into sleek, personal suites, where you can close sliding doors to create something worthy of a private jet.

Its roll-out of the game-changing new Club World cabins is well advanced. You can already enjoy them on every flight to New York and on multiple daily flights to the likes of Los Angeles, Miami, Barbados, Cape Town, Dubai and Toronto.

ECONOMY EXTRAS

Improvements are also coming to the rear of planes. Virgin’s upgraded premium economy cabins are set to include wireless charging pads while economy passengers can enjoy its largest ever 13.3in seat-back touchscreens.

Emirates is busy re-upholstering economy seats with softer materials. It’s also introducing new menus including a vegan option.

Mood lighting, bigger meals and extra storage are promised by Qantas, while TUI’s long-haul premium seats offer noise-reducing headphones and amenity kits from skincare firm Rituals. You also get duvets and pillows on night flights.

Not flying long distance? Even shorter flights can be made special. With Jet2 you can pre-order a bottle of champagne for a mid-flight treat. Or surprise loved ones by ordering them a bottle even if you’re not flying yourself.