British Airways reveals new business class seat ahead of A350 arrival
James ChappleBritish Airways has unveiled its latest business class “Club Suite” seat, which will feature onboard its new A350 aircraft, the first of which it will receive in July.
Club Suite will offer direct-aisle access, a suite door for greater privacy and flat-bed seats in a one-two-one configuration, with 40% more storage, a vanity unit and mirror.
All Club Suite seats come with Wi-Fi, a 17 to 18.5-inch in-flight entertainment system with high definition “gate-to-gate” programming and both PC and USB power.
Its A350 aircraft, meanwhile, will be quieter, with higher ceilings and new ambient lighting, better air circulation and humidity control and cabin pressure equivalent to that of 6,000 feet.
The three-cabin A350s will feature a 56-seat Club World cabin and a new 56-seat World Traveller Plus cabin with new furnishings and bedding, and improvements to service and dining.
The remaining 219 seats will comprise BA’s World Traveller economy cabin, complete with Wi-Fi.
The new aircraft will be rolled out to minimise disruption to customers, says BA. Phase one will see BA’s first A350 operate short-haul between London and Madrid to allow crew to familiarise themselves with the new arrangements.
Phase two, starting October 1, 2019, see the A350 begin long-haul flying, whereby another three A350 will join the BA fleet. Two of its 777s will be retrofitted with the new Club Suite cabin.
Phase three will begin in 2020 with the rollout of Club Suite to more of its long-haul aircraft.
'We've worked hard to refresh every aspect'
Alex Cruz, BA chairman and chief, said: "Each new suite has direct-aisle access and comes with a personal door – design features which were incorporated as a direct result of the feedback we’ve had from our customers.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure every aspect of the Club World experience from the lounges we’ve refreshed, to the new gourmet menus from Do&Co on flights from Heathrow, and the luxurious bedding we’ve introduced from The White Company, exudes the very British style and quality customers expect from us.
"At British Airways, we have one of Europe’s largest long-haul fleets and most far-reaching global networks, so it will take some time to make the cabin available to everybody.
"We hope that, as more customers have the chance to experience it, they’ll enjoy travelling in it as much as we’ve enjoyed designing it."
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