British Airways has unveiled the luxurious new first class seat that it hopes will give it the edge in the battle to attract high spending passengers on flagship routes across the Atlantic.
The flag carrier, which is the only European airline to offer first class between London and the US, is said to provide passengers with “a modern luxury hotel feel, the seat also combines home comforts and thoughtful British touches”. It is the first update to British Airways’ first class cabin since 2020. Each “mini-room” will cost around £100,000 to make.
New features in the first class “suites” — arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration — include a wider and longer seat, a 32-inch TV screen, so called “buddy dining”, and a personal luggage space.
Bluetooth connectivity will allow passengers to use their own wireless headphones or those supplied by the airline.
The seat will be introduced on BA’s fleet of 12 double decker Airbus A380s as they are refurbished and should be in the skies by early 2026. It is part of a £7 billion overhaul of the on board experience across the BA fleet.
The new seat is three feet wide, and transforms in to a flat bed with a length of 79 inches, and includes a multi-purpose ottoman foot stool and stowable table, a 32-inch 4K TV screen, and adjustable mood lighting with options including ‘relax’, ‘dine’ and ‘cinema’. It is wrapped by a five foot high curved wall for privacy with a slatted door that allows passengers to see what is happening outside their suite.
For customers travelling together in the centre of the cabin, a divider slides open to create a shared lounge space, so passengers can experience ‘buddy dining’ in the seat with their travel companion.
The suite also features window blinds, activated by buttons on the internal control panel for all three windows per seat. There is also a “do not disturb” option on a wireless control tablet that notifies crew.
Storage including a leather lined exterior wardrobe with space for a full-sized rollaboard, and a cupboard that can fit a rucksack or handbag.
British Airways’ chief customer officer, Calum Laming, said: “We’re incredibly proud to launch the next era of First that pushes the boundaries of comfort, luxury and modernity, taking into consideration customer preferences and expectations to the finest detail.
“This coupled with our incredible colleagues delivering a world-class service, following the launch of our First Service Specialists scheme, as well as the many benefits of flying First such as First Wing entry, access to our award-winning lounges including our Concorde Room and priority boarding, means we truly believe we offer a winning combination in delivering an extraordinary experience for our customers.”
British Airways hired London-based design agency Tangerine to help it overhaul its First cabin. Tangerine previously worked with BA in the 1990s when it helped create the Club World seat.
The seat will be made by Northern Ireland based Collins Aerospace, while BA says it has also used leading British manufacturers such as Scottish luxury leather specialist Muirhead.
The route on which the new first class suites will debut has yet to be revealed, but A380s currently fly from London on US routes to Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco and Boston.
