British Airways has been investing quite a bit in their premium product.
Most notably, they’ve completely overhauled their business class soft product, and I’ve been really impressed. They’ve introduced new bedding and food, and this summer they’ll be introducing a new business class seat on their A350, which is long overdue.
This year they’ve also focused on improving their premium economy product, and the next phase of that will be rolled out in the coming days.
British Airways’ new premium economy seats
Last year British Airways introduced a new premium economy seat on some of their Gatwick based Boeing 777s. The seats are by no means cutting edge or anything special, though they do feature 50% larger entertainment screens, and six-way adjustable leg, foot, and headrests.
Interestingly as they’ve done this, they’ve also greatly increased the number of premium economy seats. For example, on the 777-200s that have been reconfigured, they’ve gone from 24 to 52 premium economy seats.
This seat will also be available on British Airways’ new A350 aircraft, which should begin flying soon. Furthermore, other planes should be reconfigured with these premium economy seats as well.
British Airways improved premium economy food
At the beginning of 2019, British Airways announced improvements to their premium economy soft product, which they call World Traveller Plus.
These changes included new amenities, an enhanced service, and an improved dining service.
The airline rolled out these changes as of February 1, 2019, with a third main meal option and a more substantial second meal later in the flight. That second hot meal sure was a nice improvement, given that the airline was otherwise serving cereal bars as breakfast on some routes.
Passengers can now also pre-order their main course in advance, to make sure they get their first choice.
Here’s how they describe some of the new menus:
Launch menus, will include braised British beef with roast new potatoes, onion soubise and bourguignon sauce, roasted guinea fowl with braised red cabbage, green beans, roast potato and mustard and chive jus and rigatoni pasta in a creamy garlic and herb sauce with leek, pumpkin and baby spinach.
Here’s a look at some of the new dishes in premium economy, along with the menus:
British Airways rolls out new amenity kits & blankets
This is the latest news when it comes to premium economy. As their next phase of premium economy changes, British Airways is rolling out new amenity kits and blankets in premium economy.
The timeline for these improvements is as follows:
- Out of Heathrow, the new amenities will be rolled out as of July 1, 2019
- Out of Gatwick, the new amenity kits will be rolled out as of July 1, 2019, while the new blankets will be rolled out as of August 1, 2019
As far as the new amenity kits go, they’ll feature materials from recycled plastic bottles, and will include eyeshades, socks, a pen, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and lip balm from Scaramouche & Fandango.
On top of that, British Airways will offer new quilts and cushions with herringbone designs.
Lastly, the airline will be introducing alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails to the World Traveller Plus bar menu, including Gin Fizz and Bloody Marys for cocktails, and a Citrus Twist for a non-alcoholic alternative.
Since alcoholic drinks were already included, I guess the “news” is that they’re suggesting those signature cocktails on the menu, since it’s not like you couldn’t order a bloody mary before.
Bottom line
British Airways has nicely been improving their soft product, and in my experience there has indeed been substance behind these changes, at least in business class.
The airline has now introduced new seats, food, and menus in premium economy, and will shortly be rolling out new blankets and amenity kits.
If you’ve flown British Airways premium economy in the past several months, what did you make of the changes?
Just flown Premium Economy on the direct flight from San Diego to London on 14/06/22 We can't complain about the space, layout or service but the breakfast/brunch offering was the worst we have ever had on any airline. A brown bag containing a very cold cheese or ham rolls. A cereal bar and a yoghurt and a water or juice. The roll was inedible . We could not believe the poor oresentation or quality. DINNER was equally poor. We won't be rushing to rebook with BA.
I flew on June 8, 2022 on BA flight 085 Premium class ticket, from LHR to YVR. The flight was over 6 hours late, they only provided one meal service and took the trays away before offering any tea or coffee service the entire flight! They said at the end of the flight after no sight of flight attendants for several hours that they needed to take a 3 hour break onboard or we would...
I flew on June 8, 2022 on BA flight 085 Premium class ticket, from LHR to YVR. The flight was over 6 hours late, they only provided one meal service and took the trays away before offering any tea or coffee service the entire flight! They said at the end of the flight after no sight of flight attendants for several hours that they needed to take a 3 hour break onboard or we would have never left London. It was due to technical issues on their part and all they offered us for the 6 hour delay was a 10 pound voucher at the airport after our 4th hour! I paid 2600. pounds for a one way ticket home on premium class as it was only a day before because my relative sadly passed away. I was appalled by the lack of service and also that they weren’t enforcing the proper wearing of masks onboard. I am now at home with CoVid and feel it was from the lack of masks in airport and improper wearing of them in the flight. Not at all impressed with British Airways at this point. We’ll see if compensation is a real thing but it still was a ridiculous price to pay for next to no service. Huge disappointment!
I'm curious whether you lose out on the fancier three-course meal in premium economy. If you order a special meal like vegetarian. I was hesitant to order a Hindu meal for my flight from Heathrow to San Diego because I do want to see what options they will present since I paid for the higher class ticket anyway. Basically don't want to end up with a coach meal, so maybe it's best for me not...
I'm curious whether you lose out on the fancier three-course meal in premium economy. If you order a special meal like vegetarian. I was hesitant to order a Hindu meal for my flight from Heathrow to San Diego because I do want to see what options they will present since I paid for the higher class ticket anyway. Basically don't want to end up with a coach meal, so maybe it's best for me not to make any requests at all? I feel the opposite of true of coach where getting a Hindu or vegetarian meal can offer be much better than whatever the standard offering is... Any thoughts are insight? And perhaps I can still order off the menu even if I requested a vegetarian meal :-/
@paul nelson
Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately there's no where I should fly that Air Belgium goes. I am afraid I won't be able to try their product any time soon.
@Nicola
Air Belgium hasn’t actually installed premium economy seats on any of their planes, though. Instead, the rear business class cabin is reserved for premium economy passengers. This means that if you buy a premium economy seat you actually get a flat bed with direct aisle access, which is a heck of a deal.
BA remain an overpriced under delivered embarrassment. The inconsistency of product and service means you don't actually know what you're buying and in my 15 yrs of globe trotting I've seen them go from good to beyond abysmal. Offering a blanket pillow an amenity bag equivalent to eg Lufthansa economy does nothing to change the; filthy cabins, broken seats and screens, ever shrinking space, surly onboard service, and total absence of ground service and rip...
BA remain an overpriced under delivered embarrassment. The inconsistency of product and service means you don't actually know what you're buying and in my 15 yrs of globe trotting I've seen them go from good to beyond abysmal. Offering a blanket pillow an amenity bag equivalent to eg Lufthansa economy does nothing to change the; filthy cabins, broken seats and screens, ever shrinking space, surly onboard service, and total absence of ground service and rip off pricing (with extra charges not included) IF you want value or to be treated as a customer then book elsewhere and #flyabba because they remain Beyond Abysmal.
what about PE from the US? not from the UK...
A week ago I flew BA in first syd-sin on a 777 then connected with their 380 to LHR in first. It was average and I can say the absolute worst bathrooms for that class of travel. I was surprised how poor they were, barely an amenity, as small as economy and not even a dried up flower, but it was the size of the bathroom that left me amazed.
We’ve booked a LGW JFK return flight in July and it’ll be on the newly kitted 777. We’ve been offered PE upgrade for £230 pp on the outbound and £208 pp on the inbound.
Are those prices worth it and also, if we choose to upgrade just one leg, is it better to be in PE for a day flight or an overnight flight?
Question answered, regrettably BA has gone 8-across PE on the A350 which will make it by far the least comfortable aircraft in the fleet in that cabin.
A new amenity kit doesn’t disguise the fact the PE in the A350 will be the same width as 9-across Y on the 777... gutting the product again, like SQ and CX did.
I keep thinking I'll try BA business and then I can't stomach the absolute tightness of the space. I'd rather get PE and pay far less, or pay a little more than business class and get first. Which I am loving with the new menus and amenities. I highly recommend it since its half the cost of any other airlines first class and is not much more than many airlines business class, with better food, service and amenities than most any business class in my opinion.
Having flown to AUH on the 7879 in WTP on two days ago, I was very surprised by the quality of the first hot meal which I had pre-ordered online it was restaurant quality albeit the school dinner presentation. I was taken by surprise when the second meal service on a flight that landed at midnight was a Margherita pizza, served in a cardboard pizza box on a paper napkin. Has anyone else come across such 'fast food' in a premium cabin?
@Aaron
Just flew PE last week with BA on a B777, LHR-DXB and portions were definitely more generous. Besides in my opinion also the quality of the food was slightly better, served with metal fork/knife and all plates were ceramic. Also the bread is offered same as in Business.
Seats are very nice. Inclination is better than most other PE with other airlines. It’s a very valid and solid product, worth the price.
I actually think BA has long offered one of the better premium economy products... separate, intimate cabin, main meal from business class (compared to Cathay for example where the main meal in PE is from economy).
The new seat looks alright on the 777, but has anyone seen a seat map for the A350? They will definitely not be able to keep the same seat width if they go 8-abreast on the A350... to...
I actually think BA has long offered one of the better premium economy products... separate, intimate cabin, main meal from business class (compared to Cathay for example where the main meal in PE is from economy).
The new seat looks alright on the 777, but has anyone seen a seat map for the A350? They will definitely not be able to keep the same seat width if they go 8-abreast on the A350... to use CX as an example again their 8-Across PE on the A350 is much narrower and far less comfortable than flying in that class on the 777. The difference is so big that they routinely charge substantially less in PE on their LGW departure (flown on a 350) than on their LHR departures (flown on 777s)
I hope BA chooses to go 7-Abreast on the 350 but alas I highly doubt they will....
Are the portions the same size as economy served on nicer plates? Lots of airlines offer the same food in economy and premium economy...
Yet to fly the newly improved British airways premium economy service. Is the dining experience any better as we were not overly impressed last time we flew.
@Nicola: I think BA contracted Air Belgium to operate BA104 until march 31.
After that it'll be operated again by BA on the 777.
This post is a nice coincidence because I have just booked a BA flight Dubai to London for the coming July. After completing my purchase in Economy class (known as World Traveller) I have been offered an upgrade in Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus) and I decided to take it.
Then while searching infos on the class (the last one I experienced was in 2013 and was the old one) and guess what? Found out...
This post is a nice coincidence because I have just booked a BA flight Dubai to London for the coming July. After completing my purchase in Economy class (known as World Traveller) I have been offered an upgrade in Premium Economy (World Traveller Plus) and I decided to take it.
Then while searching infos on the class (the last one I experienced was in 2013 and was the old one) and guess what? Found out that the very same flight is operated by Air Belgium on behalf of BA. So while performing the booking the aircraft shown is B777-200. But on Flight Radar is Air Belgium A340.
Now my question. Isn’t this deceptive information? I mean, maybe the product that I will experience its no less, but isn’t my right to know what I am purchasing?
Good improvements, althought still lacking compared to Virgin's PE (ground, soft and hard product), but way much better compared to the horrible seat and service of the pseudo-PE offered by Air France.
Hope BA continues the improvements especially the BoB service for intra Europe flights.
In attempts to economize, I tried BA PE on my last TATL E/B. Not impressed. Don't really care much about food as long as my bottom is happy. It wasn't. Perhaps the new seats will be an improvement.
BA premium economy is the world's best regular economy.
What about the checkin/airport experience? My understanding is WT+ entitles you to exactly the same checkin/airport experience as regular economy. I would at least like to stand in a shorter checkin line for the extra money.
@TLS,
Yeah, on our trip just weeks’ ago my partner and I encountered both the “old school” Asian-based excellence in service AND the “let’s be copy the crappy USA airlines” situation you noted in your reader comments.
Except the outcome surprized us with one airline that was much better than we thought it would be, with another that is a shadow of its former self and clearly is NOT the legendary airline that it was...
@TLS,
Yeah, on our trip just weeks’ ago my partner and I encountered both the “old school” Asian-based excellence in service AND the “let’s be copy the crappy USA airlines” situation you noted in your reader comments.
Except the outcome surprized us with one airline that was much better than we thought it would be, with another that is a shadow of its former self and clearly is NOT the legendary airline that it was for many decades.
Yeah, after waiting a lifetime to fly Cathay Pacific (albeit a short flight in Economy from Manila to Hong Kong), that airline’s flight ended up being a bit of a let down overall, with the “breakfast” served being some sort of very, very, very, bread-y pastry plus a thin layer, or “schmear” (as we say in NYC!), of something attempting to pass for scrambled eggs and a paper thin slice of ham inside.
Two domestic/inter-island flights taken on Philippines Airlines Express were pleasantly surprising, and exceeded my expectations for the onboard service despite one flight (the return) departing Tagbilaran (Bohol) more than an hour late, and then arriving 90 mins late after circling Manila for 20 mins.
But the winner by far for best inflight service, again in Economy, was Taipei-based China Airlines!
That airline’s service on the ground and in the air (for two short-haul segments, TPE-MNL and HKG-TPE, and two long haul flights JFK-TPE-JFK [these were in PE]) really impressed us, with meals, be they on the long haul flights, but especially our short-haul connecting flights in Economy class, easily being among the better meals and onboard service either of us (and my partner flies far more often than I do as his work includes quarterly trans-cons JFK-SFO-JFK, plus occasional trips to Shanghai to meet with production teams based there for the company he works at, along with other ad hoc trips to Europe, Florida and elsewhere) have had on any airline, domestic and foreign, and in any class (domestic USA/medium haul international business, PE, and standard Economy).
We loved all four of our China Airlines flights!
But, what really impressed us were the two short-haul flights between Taipei and Manila, where we were served one of our favorite inflight meals in a very long time (a delicious and satisfying breakfast consisting of a very generous portion of yummy pork chunks in sauce liberally spread over noodles, with green veggies [I think it was baby bok-choy from the pic], a carrot slice, a very tasty brown egg, fresh fruit wedges, and a dessert bar) as well as the even shorter flight from Hong Kong to Taipei, where we also were served one of the better inflight meals we’ve had on any airline in any class (except for meals served in long-haul 1st/Business class as neither of us has the bank accounts, or in my partner’s case, corporate travel approval, that allows for flights where the champagne flows freely and “celebrity chef driven”/curated meals would obviously and easily put to shame even those tasty China Airlines Economy class pork over noodles meals that to us were so good they instantly zoomed to the top of our “Best Inflight Meals” list!
For me, this was the type of service quality and inflight experience I was looking forward to aboard the Cathay Pacific flight.
Alas, that was not to be with Cathay Pacific’s best years clearly behind it and that airline now succumbing to the cancer of the sleazy and passenger hated, product degradation business models that are all the rage at our USA-based airlines, that’s now being “emulated” elsewhere.
But, China Airlines sure did NOT disappoint, and if anything, pleasantly surprised us with some of the best inflight service and meals, and ground/airport staff of ANY airline either of us has flown in a very, very, very long time!
Here’s hoping China Airlines remains comitted to excellence, as to me, this airline embodies the very best quality that Asian-based airlines are known for that airlines around the world should be emulating - instead of seeking to copy the garbage quality found at most of our USA-based airlines which has only worsened by leaps and bounds during the current era of very limited, if any, competition arising from an administration so devoid of any sense of decency, morality and principles that our airlines’ senior-most managers know they can pretty much “shoot (or rather, relentlessly screw with reckless abandon) their passengers in broad daylight on 5th Avenue (in NYC) - and get away with it...” since any semblance of meaningful consumer protection is anathema to the incompetant nincompoops running (and ruining) our country right now :(
I flew BA Premium Economy on 777-200, both ways. I was not impressed and felt as though I wanted a considerable amount of money. Entertainment system was ok. Food ok. Seat......well let's just say that while eating my meal the person in front of me was in my lap, so much so that I had to have them move their seat forward so I could hand my tray to the crew member when I was done. Definately not worth the money.
On my one and only flight in BA Premium Economy, I was served a salad with no salad dressing and the meal came with no salt and pepper packets. When I hit the call button and asked for salt and pepper packets I was told they have none. That is the rock bottom baseline from which BA is working on. I’m glad to see the BA is making some effort to climb out of the gutter they currently wallow in. But I still won’t risk flying them ever again.
@ Speedbird - all the crew working in the premium cabins had to do a full two day premium service training within the last two years. You obvs don't think it worked? lol
Reading things like this, I'm so happy I live in Asia and travel with airlines that great their customers as customers, regardless of travel class. You get decent meals, generally great service and decent seat sizes. Sadly they seem to have started to take lessons from the US and Europe recently, which isn't a good thing imho.
BA Need to start training their premium cabin crew right before I consider flying them again. Last time I flew them I literally had to ask for everything from sugar for my tea, to a spoon to stir the sugar with. (I then got a table spoon in response) Food was literally thrown on my tray table. And I was lucky enough to be in First! Imagine the rest of the airplane.
"...and a more substantial second meal later in the flight"
Are they gonna add a pack of peanuts with the cereal bar?
https://onemileatatime.com/british-airways-cereal-bar-breakfast/
Great. Finally more airline related news which I can read anywhere else and less travel reporting. Keep up the good work.
Are they doing anything to improve service within Europe? Connecting from a tolerable product to an awful one doesn’t do much for your brand.
BA supposedly serves main courses from Club World in World Traveller Plus (which aren’t great to begin with) so I hope it won’t be a downgarde. At least starter and dessert look way better then the World traveller trays which were cluttered with disposable Tupperware save for the main course served on China.
The single course second meal service looks great though.
Interesting to see that BA will go from two to three main course choices in WTP. One thing I find kind of annoying is that when airlines give extra 'choice' it can often result in even more disappointment. The reason being that most airlines that offer a choice of three mains in economy or premium economy still cater to exact numbers with no buffer unlike in Business or First class.
I flew Virgin Atlantic in...
Interesting to see that BA will go from two to three main course choices in WTP. One thing I find kind of annoying is that when airlines give extra 'choice' it can often result in even more disappointment. The reason being that most airlines that offer a choice of three mains in economy or premium economy still cater to exact numbers with no buffer unlike in Business or First class.
I flew Virgin Atlantic in PE last month and they offer three choices. They give out a nice menu. I picked out the option I liked. Unavailable, So I went for my second option. Also unavailable. And I was offered the pasta. The nice F/A explained that they are only catered the exact number of hot meals as they have passengers and the ratios are done by 'historical data' and as I was sat on the last row and everyone else took a meal it was unfortunate.
Sometimes it pays to not take it out on the crew and be polite and take it in your stride. A few minutes later the same F/A came back with an Upper Class menu and offered me a main course from there.
Pre-order is the way forward if meal choice is important. I know BA offer this ex LHR but they still don't from outstations despite it being launched from their gateway hub years ago.