A daunting task lay before Global Traveler’s product testers as we looked over the contents of the dozens of packages delivered to the office during the previous several months. The day of reckoning had arrived. It was time to evaluate the copious array of in-flight amenity kits and products we had received for Global Traveler’s amenity kit survey.

The task at hand involved separating first-class kits from business-class kits — an exercise that revealed just how few airlines still offer a first-class cabin. The decision by many airlines to fly two-class service aircraft (in our opinion, premium economy is still economy resulted in a 2-to-1 ratio of business-class to first-class kits submitted for the survey. The realization was startling to me
because I remember when first-class amenity kits were something you brought home to use over and over again. I still use a Turkish Airlines men’s amenity kit for my travel shaving kit. The brown
leather bag is well-worn, but still looks great after six years. Back then, the kit came complete with a Remington electric shaver — not my style, but still stowed in a drawer at home. My wife still uses
some of the manicure items that came with the women’s version of the amenity kit she received on the same flight.

Overall, it appears the quality of amenity kits has dropped, a factor undoubtedly tied to the economic plight of the world’s airlines suffering the effects of SARS, a downturn in the global economy, the events of 9/11 and rocketing fuel prices, all of which have led to cuts as consumers call for lower and lower fares. Still, other reasons are worth considering.

Finnair decided to cut its kit, not for economic reasons, but for ecological reasons. Markku Remes, Finnair’s product manager for intercontinental flights, explained:

“Finnair offers amenities on a by-request basis to seated passengers, and products are available in the business-class restrooms. This ecological service procedure helps save the environment and Finns
are very much interested and concerned with practices that help the global environment. We feel that all our passengers consider this is a positive step. In the restrooms, there are full bottles of cologne
and perfume as well as all the basic amenities such as individually packaged toothbrushes and razors. Flight attendants also offer an assortment of amenities, including eyeshades, socks and such.”

Men’s Fragrance
Whatever happened to cologne and perfume? Very few of the first- or business-class kits we received contained personal fragrances. The trend now is to display these items in the lavatory. Frankly, GT’s testers prefer personal samples. It makes us feel fresh and awake during long flights. On the other hand, we do like the larger bottles available in the lavatory — perhaps a different scent or an assorted selection. We blind-tested the following fragrances to be sure we weren’t influenced by the brand names. Here are the results.

Men’s Fragrance

FIRST CLASS
Malaysia Airlines
Eau De Roche
Qatar Airways
Hermes Eau D’Orange Verte
Emirates Airlines
Roger & Gallet
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Somo
Unisex Fragrance
BUSINESS CLASS
Qatar Airways
Hermes Eau D’Orange Verte
Malaysia Airlines & Turkish Airlines
Crabtree & Evelyn Eau Fraiche
Emirates Airlines
Roger & Gallet

Taking the prize as best men’s fragrance in first class is Malaysia Airlines with Eau de Roche cologne. With a fresh citrus smell, the scent was strong, refreshing
and clean, but not overpowering — an important factor in an aircraft
cabin. Next in line was Hermes Eau D’Orange Verte. The scent, offered in Qatar Airways’ first-class amenity kits, was a close runner-up, but just slightly overpowering. Emirates Airlines’ Roger &
Gallet Eau de Cologne garnered third place, followed by Saudi Arabian Airlines in fourth place.

“Emirates Airlines is dedicated to providing our guests with the most comfortable flying experience possible,” said Terry Daly, senior vice president, Emirates Airlines. “From the Clarins lotions
and Labello lip balm, to hydrate the skin and lips, to the Bvlgari refreshing towel, we aim to anticipate every need of our first- and business-class passengers.”

With only three business-class entries in the men’s cologne category (two airlines offered the same product), Qatar Airways’ Hermes Eau
D’Orange Verte — the same fragrance featured in the airline’s first-class kits — got our nod for best men’s cologne. In second place, offered by both Malaysia Airlines and Turkish Airlines, was Crabtree & Evelyn Eau Fraiche, which was clean and light. Finally, Emirates Airlines earned third place with the Roger & Gallet cologne it offers in both its first- and business-class kits.

It’s interesting to note that as more airlines move away from offering distinctive kits to its male and female passengers, the fragrance selection either sticks to a middle ground — something that
appeals to both men and women — or caters to men while ignoring the growing percentage of women in the international business travel
market. That may contribute to the choice many carriers have made to offer fragrances in the lavatories rather than in the individual kits.

Women’s Fragrance
On the women’s side, testers were not overly impressed with the offerings. Again, the first-class selections were scarce. The best in
the pack was almost masculine in scent — so much so that we had to
reconfirm it was, indeed, the women’s fragrance. Malaysia Airlines’ fragrance for women was not pleasing at all. It was overpowering
and had what one tester dubbed “an old lady smell.”

In business class, Emirates was the only airline that offered a fragrance for women. We will note, though, the lack of a feminine fragrance is arguably offset by the abundance of lotions and creams
not included in the men’s kit.

Women’s Fragrance
FIRST CLASS
Emirates Airlines & Air France
Clarins Eau Dynamisante
Saudi Arabian Airways
Somo
Malaysia Airlines
Woods of Windsor Wild Rose
BUSINESS CLASS
Emirates Airlines
Clarins Eau Dynamisante

Spa Products
Hurtling through the atmosphere 35,000 feet above ground at 600 mph, the air in plane cabins tends to dry out. During a recent flight over Europe, my lips were so dry I couldn’t wait to rip into the amenity kit. I found and applied the lip balm, then got a bit nutty sampling the other products, including lotions and eye cream. I’m not
embarrassed to admit, by the time I finished I was as soft and supple
as a baby’s bottom. Back on terra firma, a review of the products
submitted for this survey revealed some surprising — and some not
so surprising — results.

Spa Products
FIRST CLASS
Emirates Airlines
Clarins and Chrome
Asiana Airlines
Bvlgari
Qantas Airlines (Women’s)
La Prairie
EVA Airways
Lancome
Air New Zealand
Evolu
BUSINESS CLASS
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Vie
BMI
The White Co.
Emirates Airlines (Women’s)
Clarins
Air New Zealand
Evolu

Emirates’ first-class “vanity tray” was the clear winner. The overall presentation won high marks — one tester even noted the tray complemented Emirates’ first-class suite (reviewed in Global Traveler’s September issue). Stocked with Clarins products, the tray with two scents plus an assortment of lotions and creams was a big hit. In addition to the items on the vanity tray, men flying in Emirates’ first-class cabin get Azzaro
“Chrome”-scent after-shave cream in their personal kit, while women’s kits contain extra lotions by Clarins.

Asiana’s Bvlgari offering — lip balm, face cream, body cream and
after-shave lotion — was a close runner-up. The selection even included shampoo for a quick pick-me-up in the airport lounge. One tester was particularly fond of the Bvlgari scent.

“It is a great honor to get second place on amenity-related area
among many of the airlines,” said Sun C. Baek, general manager, cabin commerce team, corporate headquarters, Asiana Airlines. “We express sincere gratitude to our customers for this honor. Asiana has been developing its standard of services to fulfill the customers’ expectations which has enabled such an honor. Asiana will keep in mind ‘total customer satisfaction’ and will aim at perfecting our services for customers.

“To innovate on the first-class service, Asiana has examined every aspect, including the amenity kit, which could be used not only in flight, but also throughout the whole journey,” Baek added. “We have carefully reviewed many products of top-quality brands and selected Bvlgari products as a perfect match to our elegant and luxurious first-class image.”

“To innovate on the first-class service, Asiana has examined every aspect, including the amenity kit, which could be used not only in flight, but also throughout the whole journey,” Baek added. “We have carefully reviewed many products of top-quality brands and selected Bvlgari products as a perfect match to our elegant and luxurious first-class image.”

In the same category, the packaging of Qantas Airways’ women’s amenity kit — a silverfoil shopping bag filled with La Prairie products, including lip balm and three creams — won our testers over. EVA Airways was also in the running with Lancome products packaged in EVA’s corporate green color scheme and what one tester described as a “clean and refreshing” scent. Finally, Air New Zealand’s Evolu products, produced in New Zealand, earned high marks for colorful “earthy”green packaging and eucalyptus lip balm.

Turning to business class, we faced three times as many choices. We reviewed each of 38 airlines’ spa products before whittling the winners’ list to American Airlines, BMI, Emirates (women’s kit),
Philippine Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Close runners-up included CSA Czech Airlines, Emirates (men’s kit) and Qantas (women’s kit).

In business class, the clear winner was Virgin Atlantic with its quirky but soothing hot water bottle and spa products — including lip balm, leg and eye cream and lotions by Vie. The gel eye mask was a hit was well. A surprise sleeper in this category was BMI with its products by The White Co. If it were not for Virgin’s hot water bottle, BMI would have taken first place.

“It is essential that BMI constantly assess the quality of the products within our amenity kits and gauge their continuing usefulness to our customers,” said Adrian Parkes, BMI commercial
director. “In our partnership with the White Company we ensure that our business customers receive the highest quality products from a renowned brand.”

We also enjoyed American Airlines’ Temple SPA products, including All in All Body Balm, All Talk Lip Balm, Take A Grip Dry Shower and AAAHHH! Leg and Foot Balm. We say “ahhhhh” to American’s product selection. Lastly, Air New Zealand made the grade with the Evolu products also offered in its first-class cabin.

Toothbrushes
We want full-sized toothbrushes — ones that will safely clean our teeth without stripping the enamel. We were pleased with those offered by Gulf Air, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand, Philippine Airlines, China Eastern, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar. And since we take our dental hygiene seriously, we asked a qualified dentist to review and comment on the toothbrushes and toothpaste submitted for the survey.

“When asked to rate the toothbrushes distributed to first- and business-class passengers, I thought I would have a very difficult time,” said Robert J. Shimborksi, DDS. “This, however, was not the case.” Read on for his report.

“It was very easy to eliminate most of them from my recommended list by using the first criteria that came to mind, which was handle size. A full-sized handle enables the user to use proper technique and force to clean their teeth. The next criteria I used was bristle texture. I, like most dentists, recommend a soft polished bristle. The last category I used to judge the toothbrushes was head
design. Some of the toothbrushes has only three rows of bristles. Four rows provide better cleaning action; therefore all of the toothbrushes with three rows were eliminated. Head size was also a
factor. Some of the toothbrushes had heads that were too small — similar to the heads on toothbrushes I distribute to children under the age of 6. They would not be acceptable for most adults.

“I narrowed the list to the following five toothbrushes for each class of traveler. Listed alphabetically, they are:

Toothbrushes

FIRST CLASS

China Airlines
Gulf Air
Lufthansa
Malaysia Airways
Swiss International Air Lines

BUSINESS CLASS

Cathay Pacific
Gulf Air
Lufthansa
Qantas Airways
Swiss International Air Lines

“All of the packages contained a toothbrush and toothpaste. Some first-class packages also contained mouthwash, a nice touch. One thing that I found lacking in all of the packages that I evaluated was dental floss. We all know how uncomfortable and distracting it can be to have something lodged between your teeth that you can’t remove with just brushing. It would be nice if a small piece of dental floss were included.

“Still, it’s important to note that the toothbrushes in amenity kits are for the convenience of the traveler and are intended to be disposable, a single use to freshen up after a long flight before you begin your day. All of the brushes would certainly prove satisfactory for this.”

Shaving Products
I’m guessing many of our male readers will recognize this scenario.
Getting ready to run out the door on the way to the airport, you toss your shaving kit into the bag you intend to check. Then your checked bag is delayed, so you arrive at your destination without any shaving gear. This happened to me during a trip to the Middle East, and I was stuck shaving with a hotel-supplied razor that felt like a samurai sword. Had the airline I was flying supplied me with a good razor, my trip would have been seamless. Unfortunately, evidence suggests airlines don’t consider shaving supplies a necessary component of their amenity kits. Only six of the kits we received for this survey included them in their first-class kits. Only three included shaving products in their business-class kits. For the record, we prefer real cans of shaving cream, not tubes or foil bags containing creams that don’t work.

Shaving Supplies
FIRST CLASS
Qantas Airways
Shick FX Razor and real (small can) of Shick shaving foam
Emirates Airlines
Gilette razor and a can of Foamy
LAN Airline Aliance
Gilette razor and Roche shaving cream in a tube
Philippine Airlines
Gilette Disposable with Caire shaving cream in a tube
Air France
Bic Disposable with a foil-pack of shaving cream
BUSINESS CLASS
Emirates Airlines
Gilette razor and a can of Foamy
Qantas Airways
Shick razor and shaving foam—disposable type
Philippine Airlines
Gilette Disposable “Good News” with Caire shaving cream
Best Overall Amenity Kit
So we come to the best of the lot, and the clear winner in first class is Emirates Airlines’ men’s kit. It contains virtually everything you need packed in a very functional, black leather, soft-sided, zipper case. Unfortunately, it would be difficult to reuse due to its pocket size — you’d have to restock with mini items not readily available. Nevertheless, the kit feels rich — it must have cost a bundle to produce.

Second place goes to United Airlines’ amenity product, which functions as both a kit and as a CD case. Most airline amenity kits end up stowed in a drawer back home until someone cleans the
drawer and tosses them. This one is something you might continue to use yourself or (dare I say it?) regift to your teenager.

Gulf Air’s kit came in third. Its clean style features zippered compartments with netting covering them so products can “breathe.” Hang it on a hook and the kit remains intact — very functional. Then it rolls smartly to be sealed with a Velcro catch. Saudi Arabian Airlines has everything you need in a clean hardsided case, and British Airways’ kit is a classy canvas bag imprinted with a silk-screened image of a “Flying Boat” dating to the dawn of international air travel.

Due to the overwhelming number of business-class kits, it was very difficult to select a top five. Our best effort awards the top spot to Emirates Airlines’ men’s amenity kit with its shaving razor, cologne and “Chrome” aftershave all wrapped in a neat, zippered, canvas-sided bag. TAP Air Portugal earned second place with its wonderfully designed selection of kits (that’s right, selection). TAP offers eight different kits, including several tin kits screened with depictions of vintage aircraft. Following TAP, Qantas’ simply designed and well-stocked men’s and women’s kits caught our attention. Virgin Atlantic was next up with kits that included a nifty pen with the tail of a Virgin plane sticking out the end. Lastly, Saudi Arabian Airlines’ were wellstocked and functional.

Best Overall Amenity Kit
FIRST CLASS
Emirates Airlines (Men’s)
United Airlines (Unisex)
Gulf Air (Unisex)
Saudi Arabian Airlines (Men’s)
British Airways (Unisex)
BUSINESS CLASS
Emirates Airlines (Men’s)
TAP Air Portugal (Unisex)
Qantas Airways (Men’s & Women’s)
Virgin Atlantic Airways (Unisex)
Saudi Arabian Airlines Men’s & Women’s)

Best Package/Presentation
For some airlines, amenity kits are just the beginning when it comes
to ensuring passengers’ in-flight comfort. In its first-class cabin,
Saudi Arabian Airlines offers passengers pajamas (men’s and
women’s) and comfy slippers. Kids flying in all classes get backpacks
stocked with sunglasses, a toothbrush, a wallet, a baseball cap, a coloring book and colored pencils, socks and a cool little travel puzzle. Women traveling with infants in tow get a baby bag filled
with a changing pad, diapers, bottle, pacifier, bib and three bottles of Baby Magic products (lotion, shampoo and bath). In our opinion, these extras put Saudi Arabian Airlines over the top.

Varig Brazilian Airlines offers a really nice flight bag — definitely something you would use again — and terrific slippers. Emirates, like Saudi, offers his-and-hers PJs which, combined with its vanity
tray, earns it high marks. Finally, the two “Qs” — Qantas and Qatar, follow with fine pajamas.

Business class is another story altogether. Virgin Atlantic has really taken to pampering its business-class passengers. Its kit is clean and functional, but the “extras” take the airline to new heights (no pun intended). The hot water bottle is a case in point. When it’s time to convert your business-class seat into a lieflat bed (reviewed in Global Traveler’s October 2004 issue), the flight attendant places a hot water bottle on your bed. As you get ready to recline, you break a little disk inside the bottle to cause a chemical reaction that heats it. This is a fantastic perk that was loved by our reviewers. On top of that, Virgin offers relaxing gel eyeshades that can be cooled in ice for a relaxing eye treatment (regular cloth eyeshades are also available).

But that’s not all. Virgin adds its signature touch with two intriguing publications. The first is a sort of children’s book written for adults. At first I thought it was a bit ridiculous, but when one of our reviewers began to read it aloud, like a mother reading a story to a child, we were doubled over in laughter. (Note to Virgin Atlantic in-flight crew management: Have the flight attendants read this book to Upper Class passengers just as they tuck in for the night. It’s all in the delivery.) Virgin also produced a book titled Jetrosexual, a play on the popular “metrosexual” term coined a few years ago. Wordspy (www.wordspy.com) defines a metrosexual as “a straight man who styles his hair using three different products (and actually calls them ‘products’).” Virgin’s publication stretches the theme for men who live their lives on the go.

In second place, Saudi Arabian Airlines’ earns accolades for its his-and-hers kits, pajamas, kids’ backpacks and mothers’ kits. “Whether children or adults it is important that all of our passengers have the best possible experience when flying with us while enjoying our traditional Arabic hospitality. To that end, whatever we can do to enhance that experience is essential,” said Thomas Quinn, vice president marketing, Saudi Arabian Airlines.

Varig rolls in at third place for its kits that come complete with totally reusable Ipanema-brand rubber flip-flops. One of our colleagues at Global Traveler still uses his flip-flops when he showers at the gym. Emirates Airlines’ functional and wellstocked kits earn it fourth place. Finally, we’re compelled to add Martinair Holland to the list for its retro-style tin kits depicting a Martinair flight attendant in various Martinair gateways. Granted, there’s not much to its contents, but we liked the look.

Best Package/Presentation
FIRST CLASS
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Varig Brazilian Airlines
Emirates Airlines
Qantas Airways
Qatar Airways
BUSINESS CLASS
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Varig Brazilian Airlines
Emirates Airlines
Martinair Holland

When all is said and done, you may not choose your airline based on its amenity kit, but there’s no doubt quality products make flying more enjoyable. And, amenities sure come in handy when you find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere without lip balm, lotion or a razor!

Worth a Mention
AIRLINES WITH DIFFERENT KITS FOR MEN AND WOMEN
Saudi Arabian Airlines
Emirates Airlines
Malaysia Airlines
Qantas Airways
Cathay Pacific

AIRLINES WITH DIFFERENT KITS FOR INBOUND/OUTBOUND

Varig Brazilian Airlines
TAP Air Portugal
Martinair Holland

Pampered Perfection

The ideal amenity kit would include:

Cologne—Malaysia Airlines
Toothbrush/paste—Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Gulf Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Swiss International Air Lines
Spa Products—Virgin Atlantic and Emirates
Shaving Products—Qantas Airways
Case/Kit—Emirates Men’s First Class
Extras—Virgin Atlantic’s Hot Water Bottle and Saudi Arabian’s Amenities for Kids and Moms