British Airways has unveiled its long-haul business class seat that will arrive on the first of its A350 aircraft in July.
The new Club World cabin on the A350 will have 56 seats over 14 rows in a 1-2-1 layout. This is a huge improvement on the current 2-4-2 layout as it means all passengers have direct aisle access.
The new ‘Club Suite’ offers a suite door for greater privacy, has 40 per cent more storage than current versions, includes a vanity unit and mirror, WiFi, inflight entertainment screens between 17 and 18.5 inches, high definition gate-to-gate programming, and PC / USB power.
The airline will roll out the new suites over a period of time.
From July to October 1019, the first A350 aircraft will start some short-haul flying between London and Madrid to allow the airline’s teams to perfect their customer service delivery and familiarise cabin crew with the aircraft layout.
From October 1, 2019, the aircraft will begin long-haul flying. Over the following months another three A350 aircraft will join the British Airways fleet and two Boeing 777 aircraft will also be retrofitted with the new cabin.
At the start of 2020 British Airways will begin rolling out its Club Suite on further long-haul aircraft across the network.
Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO:
“The arrival of our first A350 featuring our new Club Suite is one of the most exciting developments in our £6.5 billion investment programme.
“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.”
The three-cabin A350 will also feature the latest World Traveller Plus cabin (56 seats) with new furnishings including a plush new pillow and warm quilt, new amenity kits and an enhanced service and an improved dining experience.
The World Traveller (economy) cabin offers 219 seats.
Passengers will also benefit from high-speed WiFi, allowing them to browse the internet on their personal electronic devices.
N.B. All images: British Airways
