British Airways announced the newest version of their Club World (business class) seat today, and it does look impressive.
The biggest change is that the seat is now 25% wider. I believe that makes it 25″ instead of the 20″ that is currently offered. They also have full audio/video on demand as well as regular 110V power outlets so you won’t need an adapter.
The airline has launched a website to show off the new seat, and you can find it here. I took this picture of the fully flat bed from the site.
There had been speculation that BA would get rid of the current set up with some seats facing backwards, but a look at the website shows that is clearly not the case. It makes a lot of sense to keep the configuration, because it allows BA to squeeze an extra seat in each row without compromising head space. Contrast their 8 across layout to Singapore’s new 4 across layout on a 777 and you can see why BA’s product is so attractive from an economic standpoint.
I like that BA has focused on keeping their product fresh. They were the first flat bed in business class, but even after a recent refresh, they knew it was time to step it up further in light of the competition’s efforts.
The new seat will start service in December of this year, but the rollout won’t be complete until 2008.
