British Airways teased everyone with their new Business class seat a few days back and using the clues given, and we tried to guess which seat would it be. The British Airways new Club World seat, better known as the Club Suite, was unveiled today. It is gorgeous and much better than the Club World seat which has been flying since 2006. Just have a look.
British Airways Club Suite will be in a 1-2-1 configuration with direct aisle access. The Club Suite will have a privacy door, putting the airline in the same league as Qatar Airways and Delta. It is a modified B/E Super Diamond seat. The seat will have forty per cent more storage than the current Club World seat.
British Airways new Club Suite
The Club Suite will have a vanity unit and mirror, WiFi, 18.5-inch IFE screens, high definition gate-to-gate programming, and PC / USB power outlets. The seat will have a 79″ bed. British Airways have tied up with The White Company for bedding.
If you carefully look at the above photos, the divider features a sliding window. It may indicate the divider is fixed. The Club Suite is the first reverse herringbone seat with a privacy door. With the rollout of this product, British Airways will stop with the reverse facing Club World seats which many people did not like in today’s day and age.
Here is a video released by British Airways of the layout of the new suite product.
The new Club Suite will debut on the A350-1000, the first of which will be delivered to British Airways in July 2019 as per the current timeline. British Airways’ A350-1000 will have 56 Club Suites spread over 17 rows. 56 World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) and 219 World Traveller seats (Economy) will take the total seat count to 331 seats on the A350-1000. That’s a premium heavy configuration on the A350-1000. There will be no first class.
The A350-1000 will initially operate short-haul flights between London and Madrid so that crew can familiarise with the new aircraft. Since Airbus will convey the delivery date for the A350-1000 only 30 days before, British Airways will convey the first flight details only in June 2019.
British Airways A350-100 Seat map
From October 1, 2019, British Airways will deploy the A350-1000 on long-haul flights. Around the same time, British Airways will receive three more A350-1000 and will have refurbished 2 Boeing 777 also which will be deployed on long-haul routes. From early 2020, more aircraft will be refurbished to feature the new Club Suite.
British Airways has already added the A350-1000 to their schedule. From October 1, 2019, the A350-1000 will operate BA 93/92 on London Heathrow – Toronto Pearson route. You won’t find the A350-1000 while searching on the British Airways website, but you will notice the change when you select your seat.
British Airways A350-1000 London-Toronto
British Airways will also deploy the A350-1000 on BA 106/107 on London Heathrow-Dubai route from October 9, 2019, as of now.
British Airways London Heathrow-Dubai A350-1000
According to Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO,
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.
British Airways new Club Suite
British Airways haven’t rolled out a timeline regarding when the rest of the fleet will feature the new Club Suite. The 747-400 are due to be retired by 2024, so I guess British Airways won’t be reconfiguring them.
Bottomline
British Airways kicked off their centenary celebrations in style. They initially started rolling out four aircraft in Heritage livery. Today, British Airways unveiled a new much needed Business Class seat, the Club Suite. They have joined the ranks of Qatar Airways and Delta to offer a Business class with a door. British Airways has done a fantastic job with the new Club Suite.
What do you think about the British Airways new Club World Suite? Are you excited for a new British Airways Business Class product after 15 years?
No details given on retrofit beyond 2019 – we do know that Club Suite won’t be installed on any of the B747s. Apparently BA have refused to confirm if Club Suite will be / won’t be retrofitted to the A380s. Guess time will tell – it’ll probably be a few years yet before decide what their plan is with the A380s – a lot will depend on the economic situation and whether or not BA have leased or bought their A380s.
Installation on each aircraft will be planned around any C or D checks, First or World Traveller / Plus enhancements. They’re starting with the B777-300ER first, no word which aircraft it’ll be after that. The challenge will be the actual supply and on-time delivery of the seats from the supplier.