China–US First Class vs Business Class 2026: Which Airlines Have Which Cabin

For flights between China and the US, business class is the long-haul cabin that Delta, United and American describe: Delta One, United Polaris and American Flagship Business. On Delta tickets, a "First" label can sit on a US domestic connection while the long-haul leg is business class. Air China's aircraft pages show a first-class cabin on every Boeing 747 and 777 layout they list, and China Southern's pages show first class on some of its aircraft. No page says which layout flies which route, so the seat map for your date decides whether your flight has a first-class cabin.

Quick answer by situation

• Flying from Beijing or Shenzhen: Air China. Its schedule page (Summer/Fall 2026) lists flights between Beijing and Washington Dulles, New York JFK, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Shenzhen–Los Angeles on Tuesdays, on aircraft labelled "747" or "773".
• Flying from Guangzhou or Wuhan: China Southern. Its summer 2026 timetable (rows end 21–24 October 2026) lists Guangzhou–New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Wuhan–San Francisco, with no aircraft shown.
• Flying from Shanghai: Delta's October 2024 release planned Los Angeles–Shanghai with Delta One Suites, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin, and an American release of September 2024 lists Dallas–Fort Worth–Shanghai for summer 2025. The China Eastern pages listed under Official sources do not show its US routes; check China Eastern's own schedule for your date.
• You want a lie-flat seat more than a cabin name: business class on Delta One, American Flagship Business, China Southern or China Eastern. Their pages say lie-flat or 180-degree (for China Eastern, Delta's page), as does United's May 2025 release for its new Polaris Studio seats. Air China's aircraft pages do not say whether its business seat lies flat.
• You want to pre-order a meal: Air China Zixuan first or Zichen business class on the Beijing flights its meal page lists, by 16:00 the day before departure.

Does "First" on a Delta, United or American ticket mean international first class?

Delta's agency page for Delta First (updated 8 July 2026) calls Delta First a premium cabin on domestic routes, within the 50 U.S. states and between them and Canada, and says select international flights may offer Business Class service in lieu of Delta First. Delta's Delta One page (same date) places it on long-haul international flights and select long-haul domestic markets.

Delta's branded-product mapping guide (2024 edition, Chinese-language page) shows how the labels collide. For a Delta One ticket, the connecting US domestic flight is shown as Delta First, while the cabin in booking tools and the GDS (the reservation systems travel agents use) is Business.

American's Flagship Business page says Flagship Business and Flagship Business Plus are for international flights between the U.S. and Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand and South America. An American release of 2 September 2026 says Flagship First will no longer be sold on Boeing 777-300ER aircraft for travel from 19 November 2026, or on U.S. transcontinental routes for travel from 28 March 2027; it names no China route. United's lounge-access page lists United Polaris on trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic flights.

Which airlines list China–US flights, and which show first class?

The table shows only flights that a page lists. It is not a full route map.

China Southern's PDF says flight times are subject to change and lists no winter timetable. Neither Delta's release nor American's gives a 2026 China schedule, so look at each airline's own schedule for your travel date. The China Eastern pages listed under Official sources show no US routes or aircraft, and United's lounge-access page lists no China route.

Which aircraft have a first-class cabin?

Air China's Boeing 747 and Boeing 777 pages show seat tables without naming the variants; picture file names from the Chinese-language pages are in parentheses.

Every Boeing 747 and 777 layout on these pages has a first cabin. Air China's Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 pages show no first class. Its Airbus A330 page lists one first-class layout among five (301 seats: 30 first, 16 business). The schedule page shows none of these aircraft on the US routes above, which does not mean they never fly to the US.

China Southern. None of its pages says which aircraft flies Guangzhou or Wuhan to the US. They show three things:

• The Chinese-language B787 layout page describes 228 seats: 4 first, 24 business, 200 economy. First and business seats recline to 180 degrees. Seat pitch is 84 inches in first and 74 in business, and seat width is 26 inches in both.
• The Hong Kong site's "Boeing 777-300ER First Class" page describes a semi-box first-class design in which each seat becomes a fully level bed, with no seat counts.
• The Singapore site's layout page for the B777-300ER (773) lists 361 seats: 28 business, 28 premium economy, 305 economy, no first class. Its business-class page for the 777-300ER describes a 180-degree flat seat.

China Eastern. Delta's partner page for China Eastern says it offers three cabins: First Class Suites, Business Class and Economy, while Delta's mapping guide (2024 edition) lists only "China Eastern business class", cabin type Business. Neither is a China Eastern page, and the guide only shows how Delta's system displays partner products, so neither settles whether your China Eastern flight has first class. Delta's "Delta in China" agency page (copyright 2024) says China Eastern Business Class has 180-degree recline, flat-bed seats.

Delta, American and United business cabins.

• Delta One: 180-degree lie-flat seats, most with direct aisle access, and chef-curated meals. Delta's page adds suites with full-height doors on most Airbus A350 and A330-900 flights, and says seat configurations vary by aircraft type and size.
• American Flagship Business: only on aircraft with lie-flat seats (Boeing 777-200, 777-300, 787-8, 787-9 and Airbus A321T). The page also describes a multi-course meal paired with wines.
• United Polaris Studio: United's release of 13 May 2025 describes eight lie-flat suites with privacy doors, 25% larger than standard Polaris, in the first row of each business section of a new Boeing 787-9. The first routes it planned were San Francisco–Singapore and San Francisco–London, not China.

The Delta, American and United pages above give no seat width or bed length.

What do first and business class give you?

What do the meal pages say?

Air China's first-class and business-class meal pages describe the same basics for both cabins: at least 3 hot dishes to choose from at lunch and dinner on flights of 1.5 hours or longer, snacks between meals, and French estate wines for all premium-cabin passengers since 2009. The first-class page adds ice cream in several flavours, and Air China's page for Zixuan (紫轩) first class and Zichen (紫宸) business class adds a tea service named Zijin Xiangming (紫金香茗) in first class. The pages state no other difference.

The same premium-cabin page covers meal booking. Passengers in Zixuan first or Zichen business class departing Beijing on the flights listed can book, change or cancel a main meal (not breakfast or snack meals) until 16:00 the day before departure, through Air China's Beijing ticket office or the hotline +86 10 95583. A delay, cancellation or aircraft swap can affect a booked meal. The page lists Beijing–New York CA981, Beijing–Los Angeles CA983 and CA987, and Beijing–San Francisco CA985 as US flights with meal booking, not the Washington flight CA817. This is not a list of first-class flights.

What do you get on the ground?

Air China's VIP member handbook (effective 1 March 2022) lists a first-class lounge and a business-class lounge at Beijing Capital T3-E (2nd floor; first class west and business class east of the central landscape area) and at Shanghai Pudong (both Terminal 2, 4th floor, No. 71). The handbook does not say that a first- or business-class ticket gives lounge entry; ask Air China about entry conditions, and see who gets into the lounges at Beijing and Shanghai airports.

Air China's Beijing airport guide (Chinese-language page, undated) says first- and business-class passengers on Air China-operated international flights leaving Beijing can check in at the Air China VIP check-in area on T3-C, 4th floor, zone A (entrance Gate 2 on the departure level). For carry-on, Air China's international baggage conditions allow first- and business-class passengers two cabin items of up to 8 kg each, and economy passengers one item of up to 5 kg; each item may measure up to 55 × 40 × 20 cm.

Which cabin is best for whom?

How do you check the cabin on your own flight before you pay?

1. Write down the flight number of every segment, then find the aircraft for your date.
2. Open the seat map on the airline's booking page for that date and look for a first-class cabin above business class.
3. Read the cabin of each segment, not the top-line cabin of the itinerary. A "First" label on a US domestic connection does not make the China–US leg first class.
4. Note the fare brand and booking class code, because the change and refund rules below differ by fare option and booking class.
5. Check the seat map again before departure, because aircraft can be swapped.

Which rules should you check before you book?

How much checked baggage do first and business class get?

Air China's baggage page adds that each free piece on international flights may not exceed 158 cm as the sum of length, width and height, and that 32 kg per piece is an acceptance limit, not the free allowance. The piece-concept document gives members one extra free piece: up to 32 kg in first or business class for PhoenixMiles Lifetime Platinum, Platinum, Gold and Silver card holders, and up to 23 kg in any cabin for Star Alliance Gold passengers. See which frequent-flyer programme to credit.

Delta's baggage page says Delta One and Delta First passengers should follow the 70 lb limit per piece, against 50 lb for Main, Comfort and Premium Select. It, like the United and American pages above, gives no free-bag count for China flights; that is on each airline's baggage page for your route and cabin.

What do the change and refund pages say?

• Air China, international tickets: the Voluntary Refund and Change Rules of CA International Tickets (revised November 2023, effective 1 November 2023) say fees are calculated by the date you cancel and special fare products follow their own rules; the page text has no fee table. When the repriced total is lower than you paid, a change to a different cabin (the page's example: first class to business class) or to a different booking class in the same cabin can be handled as a voluntary refund plus a new ticket purchase.
• Air China, free refund within 2 hours: for international tickets that Air China issued through the TravelSky system, showing CA flight codes on Air China-operated flights, and sold on or after 5 August 2024, a refund request made within 2 hours of issuance is free of charge in First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy when the first segment departs at least 14 days later. It does not apply to mileage redemption, group or standby tickets, and tickets already changed, checked in or partially used follow the ordinary voluntary refund rules. A multi-segment ticket must be refunded as a whole, and a passenger can use the policy once for the same flight on the same date.
• Delta One: Delta's agency page (updated 8 July 2026) lists three options. Basic Business allows changes for a fee, and a cancellation gives a partial eCredit minus cancellation fees. Delta One Classic gives an eCredit on cancellation. Delta One Extra refunds to the original form of payment.

This article has no change or refund rules for China Southern, China Eastern, United or American premium cabins; read the fare rules on your ticket.

Which lounge and priority conditions apply?

• United: the lounge-access page says Polaris passengers with a same-day boarding pass for a long-haul international flight can use United Club locations at departure, connecting and arrival airports; guests are not allowed. A footnote says re-entry after clearing customs is not permitted without further eligible onward travel, and arrival access is available to customers who have already made a domestic connection.
• Delta: the Delta One page on delta.com lists Delta One check-in, the Delta One Lounge at JFK, BOS, LAX and SEA, and Delta Sky Club access. Both Delta pages say Basic Business does not include Delta One check-in or the Delta One Lounge for travel on or after 19 January 2027; the delta.com page also says, without a date, that Delta Sky Clubs exclude Basic Business.
• American: the Flagship Business page lists priority check-in, security, boarding and baggage, the Flagship lounge in select hub cities, and Admirals Club lounges elsewhere.
• China Eastern: its SkyPriority page covers first- and business-class passengers on China Eastern- or Shanghai Airlines-operated flights: priority check-in, baggage check-in, boarding and baggage claim, plus priority immigration lanes and security at certain airports.

Is there a check-in deadline?

A China Eastern North America notice dated 6 May 2026 says that from 1 May 2026, China Eastern check-in at Los Angeles International Airport closes 60 minutes before departure.

What about upgrades and entry paperwork?

Delta's agency page says post-purchase upgrades with cash or miles are done on delta.com. For upgrade rules on Chinese airlines, see how upgrades work at Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Hainan Airlines. Entry paperwork is a separate step; see EVUS registration for Chinese passport holders.

FAQ

Is Delta One a first-class cabin?

No. Delta's agency pages describe Delta One as a long-haul cabin and Delta First as a domestic cabin, and Delta's 2024 mapping guide shows a Delta One ticket as Business in booking tools and the GDS.

Does Air China have first class on its China–US flights?

Air China's aircraft pages show a first-class cabin on every Boeing 747 and 777 layout they list, and its schedule page shows "747" and "773" aircraft on its US routes. Neither says which layout flies a given flight, so check the seat map for your date.

Does China Southern have first class on its US flights?

China Southern's pages show first class on one 787 layout (4 first seats) and describe a first-class cabin on the 777-300ER, but its 361-seat 777-300ER layout has none. No page says which aircraft flies Guangzhou or Wuhan to the US.

Can you pre-order a meal in first or business class?

On Air China's Zixuan first and Zichen business cabins, yes, on the Beijing departures its meal page lists. You can book, change or cancel a main meal until 16:00 the day before departure.

Need a business class quote?

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