BA plans for 380s and 787s

[The SSK]

BRITISH AIRWAYS MAPS OUT SEAT PLANS ON NEW AIRCRAFT

With the first of the airline’s new long-haul aircraft only six months away from delivery, British Airways has announced the cabin design and layout for its Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 aircraft.

Two hundred and fourteen customers will enjoy the comforts of the new British Airways Dreamliner and the A380 will be the largest aircraft in the British Airways fleet, with 469 customers.

The 24 Dreamliners and 12 A380s will feature the elegant cabin designs fitted on British Airways’ new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which have proved hugely popular with customers.

All eight 787-8s will feature a new Club World 2:3:2 layout, the latest generation World Traveller and World Traveller Plus seats. In addition, the new A380 will also have an enhanced version of First. The exact seating plans of another 16 787-9s on order have yet to be finalised, they could have three or four-cabin configurations.

British Airways is set to be the first European airline to operate both new aircraft types, with its first Dreamliner arriving in May and A380 deliveries starting in July.

Speaking in Seoul, Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group (IAG), said: “We are investing £5bn in British Airways’ new and upgraded aircraft, innovative technologies and customer services.

“We now have six Boeing 777-300ERs all fitted with our latest cabins. Our customer feedback and satisfaction scores show the seat and cabin designs have achieved the highest ratings we have ever seen.

“By next Spring we will have finished installing our new First cabins. The nine new aircraft we take delivery of in 2013 will feature our latest signature designs to ensure the customer experience maintains the highest standard across our fleet.”

The British Airways Dreamliner will have 35 seats for customers in the new Club World triple configuration of 2:3:2; 25 seats in a World Traveller Plus layout of 2:3:2; and a further 154 seats for those travelling in World Traveller, with a 3:3:3 configuration.

On the British Airways A380 there will be 14 seats in First on the main deck, with extra personal and stowage space; the Club World cabin will feature 44 seats in a 2:4:2 configuration; and there will be 199 seats in World Traveller, with a 3:4:3 layout.

The A380 upper deck will feature 53 seats in the new Club World triple configuration of 2:3:2; 55 seats in a 2:3:2 World Traveller Plus layout; and World Traveller will have 104 seats in a 2:4:2 configuration.

Both new aircraft will also feature the airline’s latest Thales in-flight entertainment system, which offers customers 50 per cent more movies, 200 per cent more TV shows and 200 per cent more audio programmes and music*.

Customers will also benefit from new larger screens in all cabins and an easier to use system with shortcut buttons. They will also be able to connect personal devices, such as laptops and use the in-seat power available for the first time in all cabins.

In 2013, British Airways will take delivery of nine new long-haul aircraft.

The first British Airways Dreamliner will be delivered in May 2013. A further three will arrive by the end of the year. The first A380 will be delivered in July, with additional deliveries in August and October. Two additional 777-300ERs will arrive in September and October.

British Airways will announce the routes the new aircraft will operate in Spring 2013.

[radeng]

Will the introduction of these aircraft lead to even longer queues at T5 immigration?

[TightSlot]

Well there we are... The future is rosy and nothing can possibly go wrong.

[Mr Mac]

So they have 15 new a/c operating by the end 2013 what about the rest of the L/H fleet and there passengers flying in this elderly fleet ?.

[PAXboy]

I'll tag into this thread for this amusing item, although I ought really to add to the BA thread in AA&R.

I thought you'd all enjoy reading of this great advance by BA customer service (doutless being rolled out with their new a/c). According to a breathless email to me from the hardworking marketing people ...

oneworld Global Support:
A backup plan when you need one.
Dear Mr PAXboy,
Catching your connecting flight should be stress-free—but sometimes things just don't go as planned.

So together with our partners, American Airlines and Iberia, we are working at select airports around the world to assist you in the event that you're at risk of missing your connection.

Our dedicated oneworld Global Support teams will make every effort to:

• Meet you upon arrival to help fast-track you through customs, immigration, and security

• Take special care that your baggage is transferred

• Give you up-to-date travel information, new boarding passes, and if necessary, assistance with overnight accommodations

It's just one of the many enhancements that British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia are proud to offer in order to serve you better. Find out what else is on the horizon for 2013.


So ... let me see if I cunderstand this correctly:
Our dedicated oneworld Global Support teams will make every effort to:
Their staff will make every effort to do what Imperial, BOAC and BA always used to do as standard?

Find out what else is on the horizon for 2013.
And they are going to introduce this next year? So that means they stopped doing this some time ago? No wonder the kidz in the boardroom get paid so much.

You can select your own 'smiley' because I can't find one that equates to just how impressed I am by this.

[crewmeal]

The future is rosy and nothing can possibly go wrong.

Well at least the future is not orange at T5 - yet!

[ExXB]

Their staff will make every effort to do what Imperial, BOAC and BA always used to do as standard?


Don't you mean "Should have done"? I recall making an on-line connection at the old LHRT4 in a queue for Security. One of the only times I actually had a F class ticket. I asked the BA person if we could be expedited as, due to their late inbound flight, I didn't think we were going to make our connection. No, was the reply, get in the queue like everyone else. I said I wasn't impressed and I was unlikely to choose BA again, to which she commented - I don't know why you idiots fly with us, I don't.

Alliances are always trying to describe and convey the benefits of travelling with them, when in reality all of the benefits are to them. You don't always get the best connection, you get the connection they want you to have. There isn't even a consistent level of service. While BA can be good, they often aren't, and AA and IB are much much worse.

[LondonPax]

@ PAXboy - isn't this just for Gold card holders?

[PAXboy]

@ LondonPax: No, I'm only Blue card as they are not my preferred long haul and this arrived as an Exec Club Blue email this week.

The future's bright, the future's .... [insert colour of your choice] :p

[Heathrow Harry]

someone in PR filling in some time before Christmas IMHO

[Mr Mac]

Paxboy
I got this too, and again only Blue Card now, but was Gold once upon a time before I saw the light.

[BALHR]

The 24 Dreamliners and 12 A380s will feature the elegant cabin designs fitted on British Airways’ new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which have proved hugely popular with customers.


A rather good idea, the problem is that Club World and First are rather flawed, CW has the problem of having the seats facing each other, CW are also not as good as a fair number of Business classes (like EK and SQ), First also has this problem (not only it is way behind the First class of EK and SQ, but even some business classes, like the new version on CX)

Personally I find them fine enough, but remember BA is competing with airlines such as EK and CX (and is compared with OW partners such as CX) and has a fairly big focus on the premium markets

So what I am suggesting that BA should adopt the New CX business class to replace both the current versions of Club World AND First In other words BA should ditch the 4-class system (only on 747s and some 777s) altogether and fully adopt the 3-class system across their long-haul services, this will mean First (which is rather basic compared to other First and even some Business cabins) is ditched and its enhancements over Club World should be adopted by a “improved” Club World

Would this be a good idea or be a step backwards for the sort of people that use Club World and First

[BALHR]

All eight 787-8s will feature a new Club World 2:3:2 layout, the latest generation World Traveller and World Traveller Plus seats. In addition, the new A380 will also have an enhanced version of First. The exact seating plans of another 16 787-9s on order have yet to be finalised, they could have three or four-cabin configurations.



So are BA introducing a new version of both Club World and First? (instead of the latest current versions)

Will the “new” CW be based on CX’s new Business class?

Will the “new” F be based on CX’s new First Class?

Also I highly doubt if there will be any 4-Class 787s, however I am sure they will be 4-Class A350s (if they ordered to replace the 777 fleet)

[BALHR]

The British Airways Dreamliner will have 35 seats for customers in the new Club World triple configuration of 2:3:2; 25 seats in a World Traveller Plus layout of 2:3:2; and a further 154 seats for those travelling in World Traveller, with a 3:3:3 configuration.

On the British Airways A380 there will be 14 seats in First on the main deck, with extra personal and stowage space; the Club World cabin will feature 44 seats in a 2:4:2 configuration; and there will be 199 seats in World Traveller, with a 3:4:3 layout.

The A380 upper deck will feature 53 seats in the new Club World triple configuration of 2:3:2; 55 seats in a 2:3:2 World Traveller Plus layout; and World Traveller will have 104 seats in a 2:4:2 configuration.


Well I hope the “new” First will be more of a match for some of the world’s best premium cabins (they should look at CX new designs for a start)

Also I strongly disagree with the seating plans for WT on the 787, whose idea was it to have 9-abreast seats (in WT) in a cabin that is designed for 8-abreast in economy, this will mean it will be rather cramped to spend several hours in, also do they really need that many economy seats? (If they wanted a long-range plane that can seat 9-abreast in economy, why did they not get the Boeing 777-200LR?)

The oter seating plans are decent enough however...

[BALHR]

So they have 15 new a/c operating by the end 2013 what about the rest of the L/H fleet and there passengers flying in this elderly fleet ?.


BA have introduced Club World on their entire 747 and 777 fleet, they will also compete the refurbishment of Club World in the entire L/H 767 soon

As for First (only on all 747s and some 777s), BA have introduced the latest version of First on all “High-J” 747s and some “Mid-J 747s” (which are likely to get them depending on how delayed are their retirements due to the BA/BD merger), the 777s that have First will all have the latest version by 2013

The big question is World Traveller and World Traveller Plus; all the 777-300ERs have them and I hear that the all the 777-200ERS will have them by 2013, along with all the L/H 767 after their refurbishment

As for the 747-400s, well I am not so sure, but since they will still be around for at least another 10 years, I would think at least some will get the latest versions of World Traveller and World Traveller Plus

BA have been way too slow to introduce the latest versions of all 4 classes, but they are getting there…

[DaveReidUK]

Is this what they call, in the theatre, a dramatic monologue ?

[BALHR]

Is this what they call, in the theatre, a dramatic monologue ?


I was only stating what my views are on this subject...

[Alsacienne]

a dramatic monologue

delivered in a conspicuous monotone ...

[Donkey497]

2-3-2 on BA 380's versus 1-2-1 for business on SQ 380's???

IMHO that's absolutely crap!!

I know that I can't make a direct comparison between the busioness class products on a yet-to-fly-commercially BA 380 & an in-service SQ 380, but I've done a route several times that is served by SQ, & BA / QF on codeshare.

I've had the good fortune to do LHR-SIN in 2-4-2 Club World on a BA 744 and SIN-LHR on the 2-2-2 Qantas 380 business class (on a BA ticket) as well as the same route in 1-2-1 business on SQ's 380.

Considering just the seat spacing on the two different 380's ,the QF experience was a huge disappointment, the cabin felt so much smaller with the extra seats across it & with BA adding an extra seat across the cabin, it can only seem smaller yet. When you add to it the BA fetish of forwards & backwards facing seats the cabin can only end up feeling shoehorned-in and tight. Next,given [as an example] that the basic cost of a LHR - SIN business return is currently around £100 more on BA than SQ, they're only on to a loser by cramming more people into the same area, as although the service level on BA in business is OK, it's just not a patch on SQ. In the end, if nothing changes, people will vote with their wallets and pay less for more room and better service and the extra seats will be left empty on competing routes.

As someone who has gone from blue to almost silver on BA in the past six months, I'm disappointed in their thinking about their new plane's cabins.:(:(

Also, I can't understand why they think that the BA cabins are that good, the consensus among my colleagues & me is that the BA special Beige/Grey colour scheme means that they're reminiscent of a mid 1970's minimalist's flat. The colour scheme has stayed the same since I started flying with BA back in the 1980's. Now they just look tired, even when brand new.

[PAXboy]

Donkey497... the consensus among my colleagues & me is that the BA special Beige/Grey colour scheme means that they're reminiscent of a mid 1970's minimalist's flat.Ah, but unfortunately, you and your colleagues are not qualified to tell a major company that sort of information! They will need to pay a consultancy firm a GREAT deal of money to learn that. :hmm:

For fairness, I should point out I said 'major company' not just the one in question. For they almost universally behave in this way. :rolleyes:

Just today a friend was telling me of his work crew telling the CEO of LTN about a particular problem. But it was only dealt with after the consultants had been paid a hefty fee. :yuk:

[vctenderness]

The beige interior scheme looks ok to me. As for being the same since the 80's you can't have flown BA much then as it was dark blue up until quite recently when 'new' Club World was introduced.

[Donkey497]

@VC

Each to their own as far as taste is concerned, but I checked some old 127 film pics from the mid 80's on shuttle flights before I posted and it was grey & beige. Mind you that was strictly cattle class until the past couple of years to get into Club on BA & maybe it's coincidence that I took pictures on wrongly coloured planes, maybe not - but then again interior decoration is not on the same par as world peace after all .




Bottom line is - with other airlines having a much more bright and airy feel to their cabin, the BA one just seems tired and dingy, even when you have the fortune to fly on a nearly new aircraft. I'm just so disappointed that this is almost a once in a generation opportunity being missed, to come up with a much better customer environment to make BA what it once was - "The World's Favourite Airline".

What's driving my thinking here is that SQ reworked & relaunched their business class product based on the introduction of the 380 to their fleet. BA have the golden opportunity of introducing the 380 & 787 within a couple of months of each other. How often does a major airline introduce not one, but two new types almost simultaneously?

[fincastle84]

Fortunately I don't have to travel to Singapore or Australia, can't stand either country. I regularly take my vacations in South Africa & Kenya & find the BA CW product to be absolutely fine.

Whilst I'm sipping my champagne & watching my movie I have neither the time nor the inclination to check out the decor. The pretty hosties' rear is much more entertaining!:ok: