KCR Spring 2025 Magazine - Flipbook - Page 63
Airline News:
New First Seat from British Airways
British Airways has unveiled a game changing new First seat for its customers, combining elegant design features, re昀氀ective of modern British
luxury travel. The airline is the only European carrier to o昀昀er First class
from London to the US and has worked alongside expert designers and
world-class manufacturers to produce a modern luxury seat, championing the best of British craftmanship. Carefully designed to provide
customers with a modern luxury hotel feel, the seat also combines home
comforts and thoughtful British touches. New features include a wider
and longer seat, a 32-inch TV screen, buddy dining, optimal sense of
space and privacy, with a personal luggage space.
Combining elegant design with expert British craftsmanship, the new
cabin forms part of the airline’s A380 retro昀椀t plans, expected to take to
the skies in mid-2026.
The airline’s new First has been carefully designed to provide the feel of
a modern luxury hotel, alongside home comforts and thoughtful British
touches at 35,000ft. The seat has been beautifully curated by expert designers and world-class manufacturers from all corners of Great Britain
and Ireland, including London, Glasgow, West Yorkshire, Kilkeel and
Dublin.
The new seat is ultra-wide (36.5inches), with a bed length of 79inches,
and features a multi-purpose ottoman and elegant stowable table, a
32-inch 4K TV screen, adjustable mood lighting including scenes such
as ‘relax’, ‘dine’ and ‘cinema’. The seat can be adjusted with the touch
of a button to 昀椀nd the perfect level of comfort and is located within a
cocooned 60-inch curved wall for ultimate privacy, whilst still 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 customers can enjoy ‘buddy dining’ in the seat with their travel
companion.
The elegant curves throughout the cabin take inspiration from British
Airways’ Concorde wings, giving a natural 昀氀ow to the space and creating
a welcoming environment. Customers can now simply wheel their
luggage into their personal luggage space, making it even easier to settle
in before their 昀氀ight.
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 absorbing sound,
which adds to the sense of being in a cocooned, private space. Customers can also use the seat’s brand-new ‘do not disturb’ functionality on
its wireless control tablet, which noti昀椀es crew if they wish to maximise
their rest on board.
British Airways’ Chief Customer O昀케cer, 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 昀椀nest 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 bene昀椀ts of 昀氀ying First such as First Wing entry, access
to our award-winning lounges including our Concorde Room and priority boarding, means we truly believe we o昀昀er a winning combination in
delivering an extraordinary experience for our customers.”
The airline listened to colleagues and customers to help shape design
elements and speci昀椀c features to suit preferences, such as the carefully
placed stowage with useability and purpose in mind. The airline also
introduced its fully rectangular bed following customer feedback that
replicates all the comforts of a home environment.
The airline also worked closely with world-class manufacturer, Collins
Aerospace RTX business, to create the First seat, following its involvement in carefully crafting British Airways’ Club Suite and short-haul
aircraft seats earlier this year.
British Airways is proud to be the only European carrier from the UK to
o昀昀er a First product across the Atlantic. Customers travelling in First
can experience the airline’s most luxurious way to travel, from a stylish
seat, exclusive access to lounges, fast-track security, use of the First
Wing at Heathrow and excellent service on board. The airline o昀昀ers the
most premium experience for travellers from the moment they book to
when they land in their destination.
The airline is continuing to invest in its overall customer experience and
has already rolled out over 120 initiatives as part of its £7billion transformation focus, from brand-new short-haul seats, free Wi-Fi messaging
on board to refreshing its lounges across its global network.
