First Class All The Way

You might have heard of the phrase used to describe the experience of a first-class passenger on a flight. Seats are usually much wider, recline further, and sometimes even include an ottoman recliner. It's like you've entered any number of luxury hotels or five-star restaurants. First class travel is not cheap and there are even fees for checked baggage, but it can be worth it for those who want that extra personal touch in their travels .

Traveling first class takes some work though: often you must purchase your ticket well in advance of your desired departure date and a little bit at a time—you can't just buy an entire ticket in one go or change your mind later on. To make things more expensive, there are strict rules concerning what you can bring along with you. And of course, there's the whole question of where to go first class .

We're going to look at what of the world's famous first-class destinations have a first-class cabin as well as some pictures of what it could look like.

São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport: Brazil's 3rd largest

São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport is located in Brazil's third largest city—about an hour or so from the city center by car and 2 hours by bus . A few years ago it was also the largest airport in Latin America , but Guarulhos has since been passed by Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, who between them handle nearly three-and-a-half times as many international passengers.

Below is a picture of São Paulo's Terminal 2 post first class completion.

Hong Kong International Airport: 1st class cabin under construction

Since the 1990s Hong Kong International Airport has been expanding rapidly—completing construction on its new Terminal 3 in 2008 which was followed by the opening of Terminal 1 in 2011 . A third tower is also in the works, although it doesn't have an estimated completion date yet. Hong Kong is one of the most popular airports for luxury travelers, and has been voted as such by Conde Nast Traveler magazine .

Below is a picture of HKIA after departure from Terminal 2.

Airport Incheon: South Korea's largest international airport

While many South Korea's biggest cities like Seoul and Busan both have commercial airports, the country's main gateway is actually called Incheon International Airport so that it can be easier to locate by international travelers . So far this year, there has been a 3.9% increase in passengers transiting through the airport. Much of this growth is coming from new international flights that were added over the last two years.

Below is a picture of Incheon's Terminal 2 after departure from the first class area.

JFK Airport: United States' busiest gateway by international passengers

In 2009, there was a request to expand John F. Kennedy Airport to make room for several new gates, but this was rejected by an appeals court . The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey instead decided to rebuild Terminal 7 for international flights—which is expected to be complete sometime in 2014 . The new terminal will be located at the airport's southern end near the World Trade Center .

Below is a picture of JFK's Terminal 1 post check in.

Athens International Airport: Greece's largest airport by passengers, and Europe's 4th busiest by international passengers.

By 2020, the average Aer Lingus flight to New York will take 2 hours 15 minutes, which is almost 2 hours shorter than what it took in 2011 . That's great news for travelers who enjoy first-class service, as well as those who want to travel on budget—a fare from Dublin to JFK on Aer Lingus starts at just €119 ($141) one way.

Below is a picture of Athens' Terminal 1 post check in.

Hong Kong International Airport: As a transfer point, it's the same as an international airport. But as an origin and destination airport, it's considered a hub. What sets Hong Kong International Airport apart from other airports is that it has two of them—one for domestic flights, another for international .

Below is a picture of Hong Kong's Terminal 2 after arrival.

London Heathrow Airport: The world's busiest airport by international passengers.

It used to be the best airport in the world , but now it's trailing behind two Asian hubs, including Beijing Capital International Airport in terms of passenger numbers. Yes, that means London is only just the 3rd-busiest hub. All of this will change come 2015 though—then it'll solely be able to boast being the world's busiest airport by international passengers .

Below is a picture of Heathrow Terminal 5 post check in.

Dubai International Airport: One of the largest airports by international passengers .

The second-busiest hub for Emirates Airways and one of the largest airports in the Middle East . The airport handled 12,573,324 passengers in 2012 and is expected to welcome 17 million by 2015 .

Below is a picture of Dubai's Terminal 2 after check-in.

Hong Kong International Airport: Despite being one of the busiest airports in the world, Hong Kong International Airport manages to be really pleasant and easy to navigate through. That's largely due to how much of it actually feels like a shopping mall—you can find five duty-free shops at the airport , two of which are inside the terminal's departures area.

Gothenburg Landvetter Airport: The 6th-busiest airport in Europe by international passengers.

The airport is located in the capital of Sweden , and is used for international flights (though some domestic flights depart from Malmö Sturup Airport ). Gothenburg Landvetter handles about 5.5 million passengers annually, with Eurocontrol estimating this number will hit 7.4 million passengers by 2025 . That's almost double the current annual passenger number!

Below is a picture of Gothenburg's Terminal 1 after check-in.

Adelaide International Airport: South Australia's largest airport by international passengers .

Adelaide Airport serves cities like Melbourne and Sydney, while it also receives flights from a variety of other regional airports.

Conclusion:

Air travel is certainly not getting any cheaper, and unless you're going on a business trip and have access to lounge privileges, you'll almost always be paying quite the premium for taking a flight in the first place.

For frequent flyers who need to make their way through airports so frequently that it becomes regular practice for them, it makes sense to upgrade. To those who don't see airplanes as a part of their daily routine though, there's not much of an incentive at all.