If you're booking a lie-flat seat across the Pacific this year, the airline you pick matters more than ever — and the gap between Asian carriers and US airlines keeps widening. Skytrax's 2026 business class awards tell the story: of the top ten business class airlines, seven are Asian carriers flying transpacific routes. Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, ANA, Hainan Airlines, STARLUX, Japan Airlines and EVA Air all make the cut, while Delta (13th) is the only US carrier in the top 20. American sits way down at 65th.

So which seats are actually worth chasing? ANA's The Room is the standout. Fitted to select Boeing 777-300ERs, it's an enclosed suite with a sliding door, up to 38 inches of seat width and a 24-inch 4K screen. The alternating forward- and rear-facing layout maximises privacy, and a movable partition between paired seats means couples can open up the space or close it off. Some travellers rate it closer to first class than business.

Cathay Pacific's Aria Suite took the top spot in AirlineRatings.com's 2026 rankings. Rolling out across selected 777-300ERs in a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone layout, each of the 45 suites has its own door, lie-flat bed, wireless charging and sculpted leather headrest. For 2026, you can catch it on transpacific runs from Hong Kong to Los Angeles and San Francisco, plus Vancouver.

Japan Airlines' new A350-1000 cabin is another strong pick, with 54 seats in a rare 1-1-1 staggered layout — every passenger gets direct aisle access. Seats recline into a 78-inch bed, and translucent doors keep the cabin feeling open. The aircraft itself helps: its composite design allows higher cabin pressure and humidity, which means less fatigue and dry eyes on long hauls. You'll find it from Tokyo Haneda to New York JFK, Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth.

Taiwan's STARLUX, only flying since 2020, is the ambitious newcomer. Its A350 suites come with doors, flat beds, pajamas and a design philosophy built around feeling at home. It now serves five US cities from Taipei: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Ontario (California) and Phoenix.

If you're locked into US carriers, Delta One suites on the A350-900 and A330-900 lead the pack. United's Polaris Studio on newer 787-9s (try the San Francisco–Singapore route) brings 27-inch screens. The wildcard is Alaska, which is building a widebody operation from Seattle challenging Delta — its 787-9s fly nonstop to Tokyo Narita and Seoul with lie-flat suites and doors. One caveat: retrofits are ongoing, so you can end up in an old cabin depending on the airframe assigned.

For anyone booking a long-haul trip to Asia, the takeaway is simple: a few extra hours of research into aircraft type and route can be the difference between a genuine suite with a door and an ageing 2-2-2 layout.