After a long time, British Airways is heading into a refresher of their first-class seats. Currently, British Airways’ First is considered one of the world’s best Business Class, but this new seat might change that perception.

British Airways’ new First Class is coming soon on the A380.

British Airways has unveiled the designs of its brand-new First seat. The new cabin is part of the airline’s A380 retrofit plans, and it is expected to take to the skies in mid-2026.

The airline’s new First has been designed to feel like a modern luxury hotel, alongside home comforts and thoughtful British touches, at 35,000 feet. The seat has been curated by expert designers and world-class manufacturers from all corners of Great Britain and Ireland, including London, Glasgow, West Yorkshire, Kilkeel, and Dublin. It will be manufactured by Collins Aerospace in Ireland. Collins Aerospace has also been involved in the British Airways Club Suite and short-haul aircraft seats.

The new seat is ultra-wide (36.5 inches) and has a bed length of 79 inches. It features a multi-purpose ottoman and elegant stowable table, a 32-inch 4K TV screen, and adjustable mood lighting, including scenes such as ‘relax’, ‘dine’, and ‘cinema’.

The seat can be adjusted with the touch of a button. The whole set-up is located within a cocooned 60-inch curved wall for ultimate privacy while providing a spacious environment.

For customers travelling together in the centre of the cabin, the divider slides open to create a shared lounge space, and the stowable tables mean passengers can enjoy ‘buddy dining’ in the seat with their travel companion.

The curves throughout the cabin are inspired by British Airways’ Concorde wings, with a natural flow, giving the space and creating a welcoming environment. Passengers can now wheel their luggage into their personal luggage space, a la Emirates First Class.

Elsewhere, the suite features an ambient light with an eye-catching design that subtly references the airline’s speedmarque and further nods to Concorde.

The suite features window blinds, activated by buttons on the internal control panel for all three windows per seat. The soft panelling inside the seat also helps with acoustics and absorbs sound, adding to the sense of being in a cocooned, private space. Customers can also use the seat’s ‘do not disturb’ functionality on its wireless control tablet, which notifies crew if they wish to maximise their rest on board.

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.”

The airline listened to colleagues and customers to help shape design elements and specific features to suit preferences. For example, the carefully placed stowage is designed with useability and purpose. Following customer feedback, the airline also introduced its fully rectangular bed, replicating all the comforts of a home environment.

Bottomline

British Airways has unveiled its new first-class product, which looks like a nice step up over the existing experience. This is expected to be installed on A380s when they’re retrofitted plus on newly delivered 777-9s.

What do you think of British Airways’ new first-class designs?

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