Travelling for business can be one of the more quietly satisfying parts of professional life. Settling into your seat on a long-haul business class flight from Sydney to Dubai, Melbourne and Brisbane, or even crossing the Pacific on a route like Brisbane to Los Angeles, the right premium airline choice can make all the difference for how you arrive at your desired destination.
Today, more than 75 airlines operate services from Australia, including more than 60 international carriers, giving professionals a wide range of choices when planning work travel across Asia-Pacific, Europe and the United States, so it can sometimes be difficult to select the right one.
Whether it’s the domestic dominance of Qantas, Singapore Airlines’ award-winning hospitality, the private luxury suites of Qatar Airways, or the expansive North American network of Delta and American Airlines, these are the best airlines for business travellers when the next trip is already on the horizon.
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Best for Australian Domestic & Regional Business Travel
Qantas Airways
Australia’s flag carrier, Qantas, easily has the biggest domestic network of flights and options for anyone who finds themselves packing the carry-on on a more regular basis than most. It’s why Qantas continues to set the standard for business travel in Australia, offering its frequent flyers extensive benefits such as Status Credits, points and lounge access throughout the country.
Second only to Virgin Australia for reliability, Qantas gives its travellers peace of mind during any interstate travel, whether attending the AO, Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, or simply catching up with important clients in-person; travellers want to know that they’ll always arrive on time, and that their luggage will always follow them too.
Members of the Qantas Business Rewards (QBR) program even earn further benefits every time the wheels up, like up to 10% off flights, double points and discounted memberships across the entire Qantas ecosystem. It’s just a small number of the many ways that Qantas tries to stay ahead of its local competition.
Virgin Australia
Whilst Virgin Australia still enjoys the lion’s share of business across Australia, Virgin Australia sits right up there for the traveller who values reliability above all else, without the heavy legacy feel of older carriers.
It’s fair to say the airline has worked hard to position itself as the relaxed professional’s choice in recent years, giving its customers better value for money and more competitive pricing options for a certain standard of carrier; one with a slightly more modern cabin experience on interstate work trips, especially between Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, where frequency really matters.
Virgin’s lounge network and partnerships are huge pulls for customers used to more frequent interstate visits, particularly when chasing comfort before boarding. It’s interesting how many Australian consultants and sales executives choose Virgin Australia when their calendar is packed with short, high-impact meetings across the east coast.
The airline handles millions of domestic passengers every year, and for many travelling Australian men who live out of a carry-on, Virgin’s consistency remains its biggest selling point.
Best for Asia-Pacific Routes (Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Bangkok)
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines’ award-winning service is widely considered one of the best in the world, ranking second in the 2025 Skytrax Awards, pipped to the top spot by Qatar (which still features in our list, don’t worry).
For international jet-setters looking for consistent 5-star service every time they travel, Singapore Airlines has always struck me as the airline that caters to all levels with equal attention and hospitality, whether that’s in economy or more premium options like its Suites and Business Class.
For those in Business Class, however, Singapore Airlines aircraft are fully flat and optimised for long-haul productivity, giving travellers the option keep working with good screen space and power access, or sleep properly on overnight flights after the credits roll on the airline’s premier in-flight entertainment.
Furthermore, the airline operates very high-frequency routes from major Australian cities to Singapore, with connections to Japan, China, India and European hubs through Changi Airport. The airline’s hub strategy is extremely practical for business travel because it means that the chance of missing connections is reduced, as there’s usually another service ready to pick up the slack.
Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong remains one of the major financial and trading gateways in the Asia-Pacific, so Cathay Pacific will always be a strong choice for Australians doing business in the region.
The national carrier operates up to 4 daily flights on the Sydney–Hong Kong corridor during peak demand and multiple options from Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, so if you’re a jet-setter on the move, you’ll have the most flexibility across a range of different options. If you’re transferring through Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific’s The Pier remains one of the best lounges we’ve ever visited.
What’s more, Cathay Pacific has just relaunched its Aria Suite on Boeing 777 retrofits for Business and Premium Economy passengers, providing better comfort and privacy in a 1-2-1 configuration.
Storage has also been improved with concealed compartments and additional lockers for personal belongings, allowing passengers to rest or work on long flights with greater confidence that their items are safely stored during some well-earned shut-eye.
I’ve found that loyalty really matters when you’re flying often, and Cathay Pacific does this well through its loyalty program, called Cathay (which integrates the old Marco Polo Club and Asia Miles), and its participation in the oneworld network schemes.
You earn miles and tier points as you move around the network, which can then be redeemed and spent for a range of perks and fares across a number of different airlines (like Qantas). If you’re on the move regularly, points will start to stack on your account before you know it.
Best for Europe
Qatar Airways
For international travel, it’s hard to look beyond Qatar, the world’s number one airline for 2025.
I’ve always liked how Qatar Airways makes it easy to move between Australia and the rest of the world, flying from all the major Australian gateways with regular services into Doha. Their partnership with Virgin Australia also helps connect Canberra travellers into the wider network via Melbourne, which is surprisingly convenient if you don’t live near the big international hubs.
Unwind at the Al Mourjan Business Lounge, the airline’s hideaway within the airport that reminds me more of a 5-star hotel lounge, rather than a luxury add-on for the price of an airfare. From Doha, you’re looking at connections to more than 170 global destinations, which is one of the strongest international networks available.
The real standout is Qatar’s Qsuite business class, which is probably one of the most private business cabins you’ll find anywhere.
The airline calls it ‘Super Business Class’ for a reason: sliding doors, lie-flat seating and even the option to convert the space into a double-bed setup make long-haul flights much easier if you need to actually sleep and arrive ready for work.
Emirates
Emirates is the obvious pick if you’re headed to Dubai with any frequency – there are roughly 70-plus flights each week on that corridor alone, with many services operated on the carrier’s fleet of Airbus A380, those double-deck behemoths built for unrivalled space and comfort.
For business travellers, another 1-2-1 seating layout gives you direct aisle access, and the seats themselves are wide enough that you can actually work if necessary, or sleep and arrive well-rested at your destination. On the A380, some business seats even include a small personal minibar, so you don’t have to wait for the crew (who I’ve always found to be excellent) to order your next refreshment.
The biggest standout for Australian travellers choosing Emirates is the upgrades the airline has made to its ICE in-flight entertainment system, which is honestly one of the best entertainment libraries in commercial aviation.
As someone who flies to London most summers, having too many titles from which to choose can make all the difference for my own long-haul sanity.
Best for Trans-Pacific Business Travel (US & Canada)
Delta
If the US is your main business hub, Delta Air Lines tends to be one of the more dependable options for crossing the Pacific, especially through the West Coast corridor, where Delta sends daily nonstop services from both Sydney and Melbourne into Los Angeles.
The connection through Los Angeles International Airport also works well because you can continue onward across North America or even into Europe using Delta’s domestic network.
Delta’s One Suite is a strong modern long-haul option for international travel, with a fully flat seat design, direct aisle access and privacy doors as standard. Delta run a fleet of Boeing 777 and 767 models too, so I’ve found that the cabin feels modern and purpose-built for long trans-Pacific sectors.
One thing that Delta passengers enjoy is the airline’s unmatched reliability, which consistently ranks highest in U.S. performance metrics for on-time arrivals, low cancellations, and minimal baggage issues, which, if you’re travelling for work often, allows you to efficiently plan the next leg of the journey.
American Airlines
Alternatively, American Airlines’ growing Australia–US network is becoming more and more useful for business travellers on this side of the world, with a strengthened partnership with Qantas Airways improving scheduling across the Pacific.
For fans of modernity (which I certainly am), American Airlines’ new Flagship Suite, which only launched last year, offers the carrier’s first fully enclosed Business Class suite. It even sits in a 1-1 configuration on the Brisbane–Dallas route, so if you want to sleep, work, or simply avoid eye contact with your travel buddy on a long trans-Pacific flight, you can enjoy unrivalled privacy in your own personal room.
Back on the ground, American Airlines is also part of the Oneworld alliance, joining Qantas, BA, and a host of other carriers that share points, perks, and further benefits across partner airlines.
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