Business & First Class Flights to Lagos

Delta flies New York JFK–Lagos nonstop on the A330-900 with Delta One Suites, and United flies Washington Dulles–Lagos with Polaris. The one-stops carry the bulk of premium traffic and include the only First Class on the route: British Airways flies London–Lagos on the 777 with First, Virgin Atlantic flies it in Upper Class, Air France via Paris, KLM via Amsterdam, Lufthansa via Frankfurt, Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, Emirates via Dubai with First on some frequencies, Qatar Airways in Qsuite via Doha, Etihad via Abu Dhabi, Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca, Ethiopian via Addis Ababa and Kenya Airways via Nairobi. From Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and the West Coast, the London or Gulf routing is frequently the same total time as connecting to JFK for the nonstop, in a better seat.

Murtala Muhammed's new Terminal 2 has improved the arrival, and the airport's protocol and fast-track services — which we can arrange — make the difference on a busy December night. The real variable is the road: Victoria Island, Ikoyi and the Lekki corridor are 45 minutes on a good day and two hours on a bad one, and hotels and families arrange transfers accordingly. Lagos is the hub for domestic flights to Abuja (an hour), Port Harcourt and the rest of Nigeria, and for onward West African connections.

December is the month, and it is the most concentrated premium peak on the whole continent. From the second week of December to the first week of January, every business seat on the Delta and United nonstops and the British Airways, Virgin and Air France connections is sold, at the highest fares of the year — book by early September, and if the nonstop is gone, a one-stop via London or Doha in a better cabin is usually still available. January through March is dry and quieter. The rainy season, April through October, brings the lowest premium fares, well below our $3,500 starting fare from New York. US citizens need a Nigerian visa, obtained in advance; we flag it at booking.