Last night at their media Christmas party, BA revealed the new First class seat for the A380s which had previously been announced. So what can we expect?
I spent a lot of time trialling the seat and speaking with the staff so if you have any questions please ask in the comments and hopefully my first hand knowledge will be able to help answer your questions.
In this post:
The design
BA says that they wanted to provide a “modern luxury hotel feel.” To achieve this, they worked alongside expert designers and world-class manufacturers, using the best of British craftsmanship.
The curves throughout the cabin take inspiration from British Airways’ Concorde wings, to give a feeling of natural flow to the space and creating a welcoming environment. The light also has an eye-catching design that subtly references the airline’s speedmarque and further nods to Concorde.
The seat
As you would expect the latest first product is a suite with doors and a 60-inch outer curved wall. The new seat is ultra-wide at 36.5 inches, with a bed length of 79 inches.
This is a huge upgrade from the current 22″ and 78″ on the A380. It almost feels like a small sofa and in our opinion is one of the best things about the new seat. It certainly should make sleeping feel almost like a bed and be much better for side sleepers. The bed will be fully rectangular like a normal bed when it is flat.
The suite features a multi-purpose ottoman which can be used for buddy dining as well as resting your feet. This is great news since buddy dining was taken away on the newer seats.
There is more good news as the leg rest is now independently operated. Currently, you have a dial, which means you can only go from sitting to sunbed to flat with degrees in between rather than being able to adjust the seat to your exact requirements. Now, you will be able to sit upright with your legs raised. The seat can be adjusted before take-off and moves 6″ backwards and forwards.
There is also a large wood finish stowable table and adjustable mood lighting with scenes such as ‘relax’, ‘dine’ and ‘cinema’.
One of the best new features is that the centre seats can be transformed into a double cabin which BA describe as a “shared lounge space”. It does not go as far as Qatar’s business class next-gen suite as there are no double beds and the space is not as open, but it is a definite improvement.
The large divider in the center simply slides open, meaning that you can actually move between the two center seats, which are great if you want to do buddy dining as you won’t need to walk around the cabin to do so.
The suite features window blinds, activated by buttons on the internal control panel for all three windows per seat. This is similar to the current design and a feature that looks very smart and is unique to BA.
The soft panelling inside the seat also helps with acoustics and absorbs sound. The brand-new ‘do not disturb’ function on the wireless control tablet notifies the crew if the passengers want to maximize their rest on board.
Storage
Another new feature is the elimination of overhead storage due to the individual wardrobes. This creates a more open feel in the cabin and means that you don’t have to lift heavy bags into the overhead locker. I really enjoy this feature, although I can see it causing a big headache as I often see people with way more hand luggage than is allowed. I have a convertible backpack as my hand luggage on many trips, and this is an awkward shape to fit into the existing wardrobes. Hopefully, these have more capacity.
The storage by the seat has been improved as well. It is a bit sparse on the current A380, and it is nice to have items put away before takeoff and during the flight so they don’t get lost. This has a whole cabinet of different storage options for everything from your headphones to amenity kit. There is also a mini bar with water and a glass.
As well as this area there is also storage for other items such as a smaller bag in a lower cabinet.
And a rather nice red leather pull-out drawer for anything important.
Technology
The suite has the latest technology you would expect to find such as wireless charging, USB A and C ports, Bluetooth paring for your own headphones/earphones and an individual air vent. There is a large wireless tablet that you can control everything from as well as the normal buttons which can be moved from the stand on the right hand side to a purpose built stand not he left hand side for easy access.
It will be interesting how responsive the tablet is as I find this an issue on other airlines with similar technology. Everything is easily accessible, which is also an improvement from trying to plug things into a storage area where larger plugs may not fit.
There is a large 32-inch 4K TV screen and the ability to set a “cinema” mode for the lighting.
When will the new seats be in service?
The A380 will start to be refitted in Q1 2026 and it will take around 12-18 months for it to be completed. The first aircraft should be in service by mid-2026.
The refit will also include a complete refit of all the cabins and fitting of the Club Suites. This should also improve the reliability issues BA have been experiencing with the A380s since Covid.
What configuration will they be in?
The seats will remain downstairs on the A380 in a 1-2-1 configuration. There will be 12 seats instead of the current 14. The good news is that they have no plans to reduce the number of crew members when they remove two seats from the cabin, this should make for an even better experience.
Will they retrofit other aircraft?
No, the airline says that there is no plan to retrofit other aircraft with the new seats. Most of the other aircraft, with the exception of the old B777s, have a modern First product, and suites have been installed on some of the B777-300s.
The seats will only be on the A380 and the B777X when it is eventually delivered.
Is anything else changing in First?
BA said that they will change some of the other first offerings as well, such as the amenity kit and pajamas, at some point, but no decisions have been made yet.
The verdict
With American Airlines stopping their international First class product shortly, it means that British Airways is the only carrier direct from the UK to offer a First product across the Atlantic. So given that this is where most of their seats are and there is little competition, have they gone far enough with the new design?
Are these seats groundbreaking? No. Pretty much all the technology has been seen before, even in business class on some airlines. The new wardrobes, while a welcome addition are similar to what is there now on the A380. The mini bar is similar to that on Emirates. Is it a great upgrade to the current seat? Yes. The seat is much wider, it has doors which most of BA First class does not and it dramatically improves on the personal storage space on the A380 which is lacking apart from the wardrobe. The opening up of the middle seats is also a welcome addition for passengers travelling together or families.
