Chris Jasper/LONDON
British Airways has launched a radical overhaul of its premium cabins, introducing aft-facing and flat-bed seats in business class and a new "upper economy" product. The move is aimed at increasing the proportion of business travellers on BA's long haul services, and cements its strategy of targeting high-yield passengers at the expense of market share.
The UK flag carrier's £600 million ($970 million) revamp will see the world's first bed seats in its Club World business class, with half of the seats aft-facing, while a new World Traveller Plus brand creates a fourth class, pitched above its standard economy product. BA's BAC-Aerospatiale Concordes will also be refurbished, as will its Boeing 747 and 777 first class cabins, which already feature flat beds.
The changes aim to make BA's relatively high ticket prices more acceptable and to woo back business travellers . The carrier has lost out as rivals have cut prices on key transatlantic routes and elsewhere.
The Club World revamp will increase seat pitch, yet allow more seats to be installed in the same space, while World Traveller Plus will cut the number of standard economy seats on offer and reduce the need for discounting. Post-revamp, BA 777 aircraft will offer 227 seats rather than 267: 14 in first, 48 in business (rather than 56), 40 in economy "plus", and 125 in economy (rather than 197). BA's 747-400s, which now offer 55 business seats, will be split into "sub-fleets", one offering 70 business and 177 standard economy seats, and the other 38 and 263 respectively.
BA is already moving to smaller aircraft types throughout its fleet, allowing it to shed economy seats. Its oneworld partner American Airlines is shedding 6% of economy class seats, raising average seat pitch to around 89cm (35in).
Source: Flight International
