British Airways unvelies its new generation “Club Suite” – Coming in July!

It’s been a long wait for this one – but it seems the press embargo has been lifted, and British Airways has for its new business class product – called “Club Suite”

The seat and controls . 

In bed mode

 
Privacy please.

Club Suite will debut on the Airbus A350-1000 – which is due for entry into service in July 2019

According to the airline, Club Suite will offer  direct-aisle access, a suite door for greater privacy and flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration – moving away from the Ying/Yang layout that has been the hallmark of Club World.

The seats will be fitted with

• Up to 40% more storage
• A vanity unit and mirror,
• WiFi
• A  18.5-inch in-flight entertainment screens
• PC / USB power

IFE side panel 

The cabin will be in a 1-2-1 formation, with a total of 56 seats. World Traveller Plus will also feature the updated World Traveller Plus seats and 219 Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 formation.

Planned Club Suite layout.

Soft features such as a plush new pillow and warm quilt, new amenity kits and an enhanced service and an improved dining experience.

Onto rollout

With a new plane type, there’s a learning curve. As such, the first Airbus A350 will fly between London and Madrid, mainly for familiarisation and also to allow the airline to s to perfect their customer service delivery and familiarise cabin crew with the aircraft layout.

Phase two is the big one, where the A350 will spread its wings to International destinations during this period another three A350 aircraft will join the British Airways fleet and two Boeing 777 aircraft will also be retrofitted with the new cabin.

At the start of 2020 phase three will begin which will see British Airways rolling out its Club Suite on further long-haul aircraft across the network.

In quotes

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said:

“The arrival of our first A350 featuring our new Club Suite is one of the most exciting developments in our £6.5 billion investment programme.

“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.

“At British Airways we have one of Europe’s largest long-haul fleets and most far-reaching global networks, so it will take some time to make the cabin available to everybody. We hope that as more customers have the chance to experience it, they’ll enjoy travelling in it as much as we’ve enjoyed designing it.”

Another win for the Collins AeroSpace Super Diamond?

It seems Collins Aerospace (B/E Aerospace) have got another win, with the design features and points (such as the headrest) pointing towards the Super Diamond seat. This seat has been flying a lot (for example, Qatar Airways, WestJet, Virgin Australia).

A bit of a giveaway. 

Probably the biggest giveaway – the headrest.

Compare this to a Qatar Airways Super Diamond, it’s not hard to see the family resemblance.

That takes away nothing from the seat – I’ve found it to be a good one to get shut-eye on a long haul flight.

It’s a positive step forward for an airline that is used to cramming passengers into their premium cabins (remember, the Boeing 777’s and 747’s can be as tight as eight-across in business class – there’s almost more width in World Traveller Plus).

What cost that will be to the passenger will be the important thing to watch – least of all, to fit this seat onto the premium-heavy routes could result in precious seat count drops…

All Images, British Airways