In the summer of 2019, British Airways took delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000, which represented a huge step forward in the carrier’s fleet renewal efforts. The A350 is not only fuel efficient and a pleasure to fly as a passenger, but it’s also the plane on which British Airways debuted its new Club Suites.
The next step in British Airways’ fleet renewal efforts involved the Boeing 787-10, and the airline just took delivery of its first such aircraft.
I have a hard time imagining that any airline is excited about new aircraft deliveries at this point given what has changed, but I still wanted to cover what you need to know about this plane, now that it’s joining BA’s fleet.
In this post:
British Airways Receives First Boeing 787-10
British Airways yesterday took delivery of a Boeing 787-10 for the first time, as the airline has a total of 12 of these planes on order. The next 787 is expected to join British Airways’ fleet within the next week. This represents quite a delay, as BA was supposed to take delivery of this plane at the beginning of the year.
The aircraft, with the registration code G-ZBLA, operated the 7hr12min flight from Charleston to London Heathrow Saturday night, arriving Sunday morning.
These new 787-10s will join British Airways’ existing fleet of 30 Dreamliner 787s, including 12 787-8s and 18 787-9s.
What’s Special About The 787?
The Boeing 787 is an incredibly fuel efficient aircraft. It’s known for having a carbon fiber fuselage, allowing the internal cabin altitude to be the equivalent of 6,000 feet, offering better humidity, and reducing the drying effect of the air.
The plane is also known for having big dimming windows, and for being quieter than previous generation aircraft.
The 787-10 specifically is the largest aircraft of the 787 family, so it’s the highest capacity, but it also has the shortest range. This shouldn’t be an issue for British Airways, though, given that the airline doesn’t operate many ultra long haul flights.
British Airways 787-10 Cabins
British Airways’ 787-10s are in a four cabin configuration, meaning that the planes feature first class (unlike the similarly sized A350-1000s, which don’t have first class).
British Airways’ 787-10s have just 256 seats, including:
- Eight first class seats
- 48 business class seats
- 35 premium economy seats
- 165 economy seats
This is a very premium heavy aircraft, as you can probably tell based on the seatmap above.
The eight first class seats are similar to the current 787-9 first class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration.
In business class there are new British Airways Club Suites, which are reverse herringbone seats with doors. These newly delivered 787s having Club Suites will contribute towards British Airways having these seats throughout their fleet by 2023 (at least that was the plan before the current pandemic started).
It’s funny to see that the business class seats will have doors, while the first class seats won’t.
British Airways’ 787-10 Routes
British Airways’ 787-10 deliveries have been delayed significantly, so the route plans for the plane have been adjusted significantly as well. As of now it looks like 787-10s will operate two long haul routes as of August 1, 2020.
British Airways 787-10 To Atlanta
British Airways will begin flying the 787-10 daily between London Heathrow and Atlanta as of August 1, 2020. This route had been suspended for a while, but was previously operated by a 787-9.
The route will operate with the following schedule:
BA227 London to Atlanta departing 4:00PM arriving 8:15PM
BA226 Atlanta to London departing 10:20PM arriving 11:30AM (+1 day)
British Airways 787-10 To Seattle
Also as of August 1, 2020, British Airways will begin flying the 787-10 daily between London Heathrow and Seattle, replacing a Boeing 787-8. The route will operate with the following schedule:
BA49 London to Seattle departing 3:25PM arriving 5:10PM
BA48 Seattle to London departing 7:15PM arriving 12:35PM (+1 day)
Bottom Line
British Airways has now taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-10. This is something that was very exciting at one point, though obviously with the current pandemic there’s not much fanfare surrounding this delivery.
It’s great that these planes are in a four class configuration, and feature Club Suites. That being said, overall I still have a preference for the A350-1000 in terms of comfort.
You can expect British Airways to start flying this aircraft type to Atlanta and Seattle as of August 1.
Anyone still have plans to fly the British Airways 787-10?
On a BA flight London to BWI it was a superior quality flight. Full flight as usual to BWI. The quality far surpassed that of any other airline we ever flew. Congrats BA and look foreword to our next flight on BA whether a787-8, 787-9, or 787-10. So far we have flown on the 8 and 10 to BWI friends were on the 9 from Heathrow to BWI they loved it. BA needs more flights to BWI and less to Dulles.
Can anyone tell me how many flight attendants are on the 787-900 (Iah to LHR). I would like to bring the flight crew treats! :)
Did you ever find out how many to take? We are doing to the same flight you took.
Hi,
Travelling as a couple from LHR-SEATTLE on the 787-10 in business class and wonder what seats are best to sit together as on the map it looks like no seats are couple orientated?
Thanks in advance
Audrey
On the 787-10 it has to be the 2 in the middle
Just got back from the US three days ago ,we bought our ticket San Diego / London return ,three weeks before our departure , we were informed , we have to fly from LAX , and they wont pay for our transport from San Diego , which cost $298 plus tip. The food on the LA was really bad ,I didn’t bother on wasted calories. For business class is unacceptable , and raid the larder...
Just got back from the US three days ago ,we bought our ticket San Diego / London return ,three weeks before our departure , we were informed , we have to fly from LAX , and they wont pay for our transport from San Diego , which cost $298 plus tip. The food on the LA was really bad ,I didn’t bother on wasted calories. For business class is unacceptable , and raid the larder was very very poor ,crisp and few biscuits , unbelievable . If there were other airline fly direct from London to San Diego, I wont fly BA. The stewards / stewardess were excellent as usual. Not at the checking , there was one American Chinese very arrogant and rude. They have a long way to go BA sadly .
I have to say, our last 4 flights with BA in Club...I walk on thinking "I hope this is a nice cabin crew".
I don't know how it got to this point where you pay many 1'000s for a seat and hope you get treated nicely? Several flights I have where cabin crew is dour at best and darn right rude and snippy at worst. Bit like the old britt disease of "well you...
I have to say, our last 4 flights with BA in Club...I walk on thinking "I hope this is a nice cabin crew".
I don't know how it got to this point where you pay many 1'000s for a seat and hope you get treated nicely? Several flights I have where cabin crew is dour at best and darn right rude and snippy at worst. Bit like the old britt disease of "well you think you are posh...let me show you" kind of kindergarten antics.
Don't get me wrong, some fabulous crews out there (Welsh David, Janine, Jack - you know who you are :-) ) ..we just had some real duffers too and I have recently had more than my fair share.
June 14 update on deployment. My July 9 BA293 LHR IAD is now a 781. Will be first time on 781 :-)
@Stuart - We must never have been on the same flight as my husband and I always avail ourselves of the dine-at-the-same-table option. :) I dine at his seat outbound and he dines at mine inbound. It is a tight fit on the foot rest, to be sure, but good fun nonetheless (barring some less than stellar catering from time to time). In August 2021 we're booked in 1E and 1F outbound (SEA>LHR) so we'll...
@Stuart - We must never have been on the same flight as my husband and I always avail ourselves of the dine-at-the-same-table option. :) I dine at his seat outbound and he dines at mine inbound. It is a tight fit on the foot rest, to be sure, but good fun nonetheless (barring some less than stellar catering from time to time). In August 2021 we're booked in 1E and 1F outbound (SEA>LHR) so we'll enjoy the "side-by-side" option for the first time. On the trip home we're 2A and 2K so, alas, we'll dine alone for the first time. Boo hoo.
Whatever the new airframes, BA's attitude, additional charges (Seat choice in business? WiFi?) and abysmal catering, IFE, etc mean they will remain distinctly uncompetitive in all areas except their inherited and undeserved dominance of LHR slots and associated timings.
Real competition and new leadership can't come soon enough for the Best Avoided, Below Average, overpriced and under delivered profiteers charter that is BA in 2020.
BA now showing a 787-10 on the LHR/MIA for Q1 2021, which later changes to an A350.
What aeroplane will BA fly to Cape Town? LHR to CPT was 747 and LGW to CPT is 777. CPT cannot (yet) take A380s. It’s an 11.5 hr 6005 mile flight. Any answers please?
Sarah the relevance probably being the much delayed delivery flight of the first of the -10 on Sunday...the second is expected this week
These Zombie articles are really out of control. Would request Lucky to somehow highlight that this is an updated article but will probably be told “it's my blog and I’ll write how I want”
@iflyfar The August schedule is yet to be modified. Right now the schedule represents a pre-COVID placeholder. You can even find daily BA flights to Beijing and Shanghai, which is impossible under the Chinese gov's restriction (one flight per week per carrier). I doubt if BA's 787-10 will be running in August.
Nice to see an all new plane with FIRST class. The extra personal service of first can never be replaced by a cabin of 50+ business seats.
Some explain to me how BA will adequately clean these planes with a 2 hour turn around in both ATL and SEA. Standard cleaning plus a deep Covid clean in under two hours will not be possible.
I suspect landing slots at JFK are so expensive that older, higher-capacity aircraft still win out, unfortunately. I have a trip booked for October and the options remain all 747 & 777 metal. If the 777s get retrofit with...
I suspect landing slots at JFK are so expensive that older, higher-capacity aircraft still win out, unfortunately. I have a trip booked for October and the options remain all 747 & 777 metal. If the 777s get retrofit with the new club suites in the next year or two then they’ll be just fine, honestly.
(Context: I’m a New Yorker and AA frequent flyer. AA/BA across the pond is by far my most frequent international itinerary.)
Looks like the SEA 787-10 flights are summer only. Google flights show 777 returning For fall/winter on BA48/49. Bummer since we already have seats in first for December. seat map also still shows 777/200. Was hoping to get lucky...
So can the 787-10 fly LAX-LHR or is that not possible? Talking about a premium heavy plane with both business and first, this would be a perfect route for it, wouldn't it (provided it can fly that far)?
But the real question is really, why is the LAX-LHR-LAX route not being refreshed? They're using a really outdated product on this route, and this is a route where most of the premium cabins are/could be paid premium? I don't get it.
@Lucky, I booked BA for December 2020 from Seattle to London. The flight # is what you mentioned above but when I reserved the seat, the first class is with 14 seats. Will this change or they switch to old craft slower month?
My April 15th flight still shows the 787-10, departing LHR 4:00 PM, arriving ATL 8:15 PM. I look forward to flying the new aircraft, but if it reverts to 787-9 it's not a huge deal since the two of us are in first. When I booked this months ago as award travel, it still showed the 787-9. I opted to redeem for first to avoid the abysmal business class. When they announced the new plane...
My April 15th flight still shows the 787-10, departing LHR 4:00 PM, arriving ATL 8:15 PM. I look forward to flying the new aircraft, but if it reverts to 787-9 it's not a huge deal since the two of us are in first. When I booked this months ago as award travel, it still showed the 787-9. I opted to redeem for first to avoid the abysmal business class. When they announced the new plane with the improved business class, I tried to downgrade to that but there was nothing available. So, it's anybody's guess I suppose as to what will appear on 4/15.
I trust the battery on the 350 kore than the 787. Actively avoid post McDD Boeing product.
Have thought about visiting some of the island resorts but the airport experience sounds horrible. I thought Mumbai was worse then Cairo but it may have been the day or time.
Thanks for the warning.
So much unhappiness with BA. Whatever carrier you prefer to BA, just fly that carrier. It's like Lucky bashing AA yet cannot go without EP status.
@Sven
No the date has been pushed back not forward.
If it had changed for the 29th to the 10th then it would have moved forward but it’s the reverse.
Bad luck for me this time. I have two F flights and one J to Dallas and Seattle this year. Miss two by a couple weeks, another is the wrong daily flight. Bummers.
@Ben
The ATL flights are moved forward from MARCH 10th to MARCH 29th
Love that Atlanta is getting one of these right off the bat. But with BA's surcharges. it's hard for me to justify flying BA to LHR rather than Delta (assuming you are can find saver seats on that route). I just booked ATL-JFK-LHR, changing onto Virgin's A350 with the new Upper Class in New York. Sure, a non-stop would be preferable (well for normal people, but I am looking forward to the layover in the...
Love that Atlanta is getting one of these right off the bat. But with BA's surcharges. it's hard for me to justify flying BA to LHR rather than Delta (assuming you are can find saver seats on that route). I just booked ATL-JFK-LHR, changing onto Virgin's A350 with the new Upper Class in New York. Sure, a non-stop would be preferable (well for normal people, but I am looking forward to the layover in the Virgin Clubhouse, though my wife would probably offer a different perspective!), but still getting on a great product for the transAtlantic leg and saving hundreds of dollars per ticket makes the connection on my rare flight to Europe a good trade-off.
@ BrewerSEA wow. Thanks for the intel. That’s exciting ! New plane for me ! Flying the A350 after my layover.
@Omar Shahine
You are mistaken. It shows the seatmap of a Type 77M 777-200ER
Refurbished four class: 8F 49J 40W 138M; fitted with new Club World Suites.
G-RAES is the only airframe currently configured like this according to FlyerTalk.
The March 14 BA 48 from SEA to LHR says 777 but shows the seatmap of a 787-10.
@trevor
The 777 cabin is shrinking but the seats are the same. They haven't been refreshed. Missed opportunity for sure. There's a review today on a rival travel blog....
The main feature of the 787 is how uncomfortable it is in economy, with the narrowest seats of any recent longhaul aircraft.
Not sure if it’s related, but it seems that BA has changed the seatmap on their 777 first class from NYC to London to only include 8 seats (at least as of April when I am scheduled to fly). Do you know if they are refreshing these cabins?
Are they adding the electric blinds in First class?
Qatar have added them to make the 787 more comfortable.
As an aside to the debate about the cabin experience of various longhual hulls across several airlines, what I would like to point out operationally for these -10's is that the omission of the OFAR saves each airframe about one tonne of weight, furthermore BA has exploited an increase of Max Take off weight over its -9's 247T to just shy of 251T.... added to the omission of the OFAR fairly well offsets the increase...
As an aside to the debate about the cabin experience of various longhual hulls across several airlines, what I would like to point out operationally for these -10's is that the omission of the OFAR saves each airframe about one tonne of weight, furthermore BA has exploited an increase of Max Take off weight over its -9's 247T to just shy of 251T.... added to the omission of the OFAR fairly well offsets the increase in weight of the stretched fuselage...pretty well pitching the 10 alongside the 9 operationally. Range as a result should come out fairly similar as the whooping 101T fuel tanks pretty well never get filled even for a SCL...turning to the point about industrial rest required by cabin crew, this is true of the World Wide legacy crew BA is still operating with on certain routes, however on a ratio of almost 1:1 the newer Mixed Fleet have no such agreement, operating up to EASA limits straight out of the box. The bunks are a class one rest provision, class three a seat at the back of the cabin curtained off is surprisingly enabling for extending a duty. These aeroplanes have legs...be in no doubt of this...BA historically have made numerous decisions like this one, only to arrange a fudge to take an aeroplane to further pastures new. With mixed fleet the seeds have been sown. You may just see a -10 further afield than the opening group of routes.
Whatever this third world airline does it will be done on the cheap. Been on the 350 club six times already and on four of them seen broken suite doors that required reseating the passenger. Put my water bottle in the water bottle holder and was told to take it out because it’s not an approved storage place. The foam rubber padding between the seat and the wall was falling off - which i’ve seen...
Whatever this third world airline does it will be done on the cheap. Been on the 350 club six times already and on four of them seen broken suite doors that required reseating the passenger. Put my water bottle in the water bottle holder and was told to take it out because it’s not an approved storage place. The foam rubber padding between the seat and the wall was falling off - which i’ve seen several times on the 777s which don’t appear to have been cleaned for 20 years.
@ stuart - there is no 'buddy' dining on the BA 787-9 seat. The TV is fixed in position unlike the other seats and there is no second seatbelt on the foot stool.
@Aaron, The 787-9 does have the ability for someone to dine with you in F. The foot rest extends out and can be used as a seat best I can see. I imagine the same config as the -10 in F.
I never understand though why this matters. Not once in all my years have I used it, seen anyone use it, or imagined why you would want to cram yourself into that space and share a table.
Flew yesterday on the 787-9 to IAD in F. The paid ($800) last minute upgrade to first from a discounted paid Business was worth it given the old Club config. But I would never pay that for the 787-10 given the new Club which, quite frankly, looks just as good if not better.
I agree, not sure what BA is thinking, especially given the launch routes. Seems like this aircraft is better utilized for premium heavy JFK and BOS flights.
I read somewhere recently that Nashville has been doing extremely well for BA. Close to 90% passenger load factor so I’m not surprised to see them invest in it and bring in the -10 with more payload ability
Very cool they are having F. I too would like to see the A350s with F. I love the 747 but would take the 787 or the A350 with F over it. Of course the A380 is still my F choice!! Never flew either as LAX hasn't offered them as an option when I have flown.
During the summer BA48/49 is a 747. Really sad to see it be replaced.
Any rationale as to why Nashville is ahead of Boston for such premium heavy aircraft?
@Sharon, Nashville has plenty of first demand. The city has a huge entertainment, healthcare and automobile manufacturing base. Plus with BA being the only European service, there are no other direct choices.
@Sharon, not sure what your point is with the United comparison in seat numbers - UA have no F, a more space efficient but somewhat cramped seat in J with 4 less seats in the cabin and a PE cabin that’s almost half the size. BA’s 787-10 will be a much nicer place to spend time than UA’s and BA will be hoping they can charge for it accordingly.
"The 787-10 specifically is the largest aircraft of the 787 family, so it’s the highest capacity, but it also has the shortest range"
The 787-10 official range is 11,910km ... whilst BA's longest flight (to SCL) is 11,632km ... so it's not that the range "shouldn't" be a problem for BA ... it *won't* be a problem !
But as @DuckLing outlines - it's the lack of crew rest area that is the limiting factor for BA operations, not the fuel tanks !
Mike,
Yeah, there is a special place in hell for people who spend 10/20 minutes in the bathroom an hour out of Heathrow to "freshen up".
There's a nice arrivals lounge at LHR T5 where you can do that.
while 787 in Y is not a great experience, it's a lovely experience in business/first. I just LOVE the huge windows. even if you're not seated by one, you can clearly see out from either side.
Kinda wish the A350 had nice huge windows. I mean, their bigger than any other airbus model but it pretty much matches the 777 windows in terms of size. I'm glad airbus got windows right for once. I do love the quiet ride the A350 too....oh and that tail cam tho!!! <3
@ Drew - You are right there are a lot of issues regarding the doors on the Club Suites, mainly that customers are using the emergency release handle (which to be fair isn't clearly labeled) to force the door which derails them from the track. Once this happens the doors are unable to be locked open for take off / landing and the seats become blocked until fixed. I don't think there are any plans...
@ Drew - You are right there are a lot of issues regarding the doors on the Club Suites, mainly that customers are using the emergency release handle (which to be fair isn't clearly labeled) to force the door which derails them from the track. Once this happens the doors are unable to be locked open for take off / landing and the seats become blocked until fixed. I don't think there are any plans to remove them though. BA are instead looking at alternatives such as a plastic guard over the emergency handle.
@ brian mckeeve - historically LHR-SEA has been operated by a 777-200 without crew rest. Not all 77-200's at BA are kitted out with crew rest facilities. LHR-SEA is more or less the limit before rest facilities are required.
Word in the industry is that BA are taking the doors out of the new club suite ...as well as a new hard product for F
@ Drew -- Any source/public discussion on that? That's the first I've heard of that (though would hope there's a new F on the 777-9).
Is it me or aren't some of the new routes chosen odd?
This plane has LHR to JFK written all over it in my opinion.
Considering that United fits 60+ more seats on the same plane, it seems that BA did not effectively allocate seats, they should have been able to fit at least 270 seats.
How does Nashville have the ability to support the first class? Beats me
The only way back to ATL from LHR for two using AAdvantage awards in April, 2020 was, as usual, on BA. Vowing to never fly their inferior business class on the 787-9, I ponied up the extra cost to fly in first. Now they've substituted the 787-10 which has the new business class seats. Had that been available when I booked, I'd have passed on first. Yeah, they have better Champagne, which I don't drink,...
The only way back to ATL from LHR for two using AAdvantage awards in April, 2020 was, as usual, on BA. Vowing to never fly their inferior business class on the 787-9, I ponied up the extra cost to fly in first. Now they've substituted the 787-10 which has the new business class seats. Had that been available when I booked, I'd have passed on first. Yeah, they have better Champagne, which I don't drink, and you can get a massage at the Concorde Lounge, which to me seems quite a stodgy place, but I'd rather have redeemed fewer miles. First world dilemma, right?
Meanwhile, LAX > LHR still gets 8 across in J. Pathetic.
Also the 787-10 will be on the daily Nashville route from September 3, 2020.
The 787-10 will be put on the Dallas/Fort Worth route from May 1, 2020 to October 24, 2020.
Boston will get the A350-1000 starting 1 August, but it does make me wonder why. They will get six 787-10s in 2020, and surely by August one of those would be available for Boston.
BA just swapped my aircraft this summer from a 747-400 to a 787-10 on LHR -> SEA BA 49. Wohoo!
I Just received an email from BA regarding an upcoming flight next September from LHR > SEA.
Aircraft/seat change from B744 to B781. More than 9.5hrs scheduled. No crew rest ?
Looks like another BA 787 with a terrible passenger to washroom ratio in premium cabins. CW will have just 3 washrooms for 48 pax, and where they put them (2 on the left side, 1 on the right) - isn't very convenient. That last hour of a morning arrival into Heathrow, when everyone needs to use the washroom to freshen up, change, and/or transact some other “business”, is going to be so much fun.
Lucky, I have recently flown the BA A350 in PE, and the aircraft is a HUGE downgrade in hard product and comfort from all other aircraft in the BA fleet. In fact, the Club Suites cabin is the only one that has been improved. PE is 8-Across on the A350 which a much narrower aircraft than the 747 and 777, meaning the seats are incredibly small - honestly more similar to standard coach on a...
Lucky, I have recently flown the BA A350 in PE, and the aircraft is a HUGE downgrade in hard product and comfort from all other aircraft in the BA fleet. In fact, the Club Suites cabin is the only one that has been improved. PE is 8-Across on the A350 which a much narrower aircraft than the 747 and 777, meaning the seats are incredibly small - honestly more similar to standard coach on a 9-abreast 777 than the PE product offered on the rest of the BA fleet. The economy class seats on the A350 looked every b it as bad as the 787.
So, looking very much forward to BA introducing more 787s with much more comfortable 7-across PE, new Club Suite, and First Class. This will be a more comfortable aircraft in very cabin (except coach) than the A350.
Interestingly, also chatted with a Flight Attendant who told me crew are not a fan at all of the A350s due to the cramped galley spaces and super narrow aisles. Passenger reaction was visibly negative in PE cabin.
@mkcol - This is the first time BA has chosen to install Overhead Flight Crew rest for pilots but not Overhead Attendant Rest for Cabin Crew. The industrial agreements for pilots are more limited than the cabin crews and on certain three pilot routes BA would have to block out a Club World Suite if there was no dedicated rest area for them.
Definitely no OHAR though on the -10 which will make it an unpopular aircraft for the cabin crew to work on.
Dear T,
you wrote: "It is mind boggling to me when people compare airplanes (350 v 787 in this case) and talk about the interior."
I am convinced that some specifications of the airframe are clearly influencing which decisions for interior an airline has and how the passengers then will feel.
Just think about the different width of the shorthaul air frames between the B737 series (even if not grounded) and the A320/321 family....
Dear T,
you wrote: "It is mind boggling to me when people compare airplanes (350 v 787 in this case) and talk about the interior."
I am convinced that some specifications of the airframe are clearly influencing which decisions for interior an airline has and how the passengers then will feel.
Just think about the different width of the shorthaul air frames between the B737 series (even if not grounded) and the A320/321 family.
Or about the different location of the doors on the main deck. Enabling to have customers of the B747 enjoying a completely unique and quiet cabin with now foot traffic. Even late passengers have to go from M1L to the right and don't pass what you would call "Zone A".
Or the epic discussion about the width of the fuselage respectively Economy Class seats in the B777 compared to the A 380.
So the air frame sets the space limitations and economics, the designers of each airline then can realize their ideas.
Best regards
New seats are needed rapidly for this aircraft. Ive just flown club from Doha to LHR on their 787 and felt I was in a coffin. I’d avoid BA Club like the plague until the revamp!
@Duck Ling Are you sure overhead crew rest isn't there? Coz I can see a set of stairs in the seatplan.
I have flown both planes and there is no doubt that the A350 is a much quieter aircraft than the 787, irrespective of where you are sitting. It’s very similar to the comfort of its big brother the A380. The big dimming windows is jus a gadget and anyway most of the time it’s the cabin crew who controls the dimming - not a plus for me. Moreover the inflight entertainment system is much better on Airbuses than on Boeing’s.
@T -- "... It is mind boggling to me when people compare airplanes (350 v 787 in this case) and talk about the interior. THE INTERIOR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MANUFACTURER! ... " --
I know your frustration, as I've also made the same comments before on other reports! In truth, comparing the A350 vs B787 is comparing apples and oranges, anyway, because the size capacities are so different! The A350 is in...
@T -- "... It is mind boggling to me when people compare airplanes (350 v 787 in this case) and talk about the interior. THE INTERIOR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MANUFACTURER! ... " --
I know your frustration, as I've also made the same comments before on other reports! In truth, comparing the A350 vs B787 is comparing apples and oranges, anyway, because the size capacities are so different! The A350 is in the passenger capacity class of the B777, and, as a result, is longer and has a wider cross-section with which to accommodate wider seats, etc. I guess readers often overlook this very significant physical difference! :-(
The 787-10 seems to have ‘Boston’ written all over it, since that route is a ‘premium-heavy’ winner for BA. It will be interesting to see when the plane shows up in the BOS schedules. My guess would be this time next year, or W20-21.
Yes, seems like the premium heavy configuration coupled with the lack of overhead crew rests means that US/Canada East Coast coupled with may be middle east is the likely destination.
Seems like they're serving as the new version of the non-ER 777s (the "Z" series)
It is mind boggling to me when people compare airplanes (350 v 787 in this case) and talk about the interior. THE INTERIOR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MANUFACTURER! Will you people please get this through your skulls. The airline customer picks every single option on the inside.
The 787-10 will almost certainly be contained to routes under 9.5hr and most likely the big bucks (and F demand) routes from the UK to the US East Coast and Middle East.
BA will be limited as to the routes it can operate the -10 to because it has elected to NOT have the -10's fitted with Overhead Attendant Rest areas. The 787-8, 787-9, A350, A380, 777-300 and 747's all have cabin crew horizontal rest...
The 787-10 will almost certainly be contained to routes under 9.5hr and most likely the big bucks (and F demand) routes from the UK to the US East Coast and Middle East.
BA will be limited as to the routes it can operate the -10 to because it has elected to NOT have the -10's fitted with Overhead Attendant Rest areas. The 787-8, 787-9, A350, A380, 777-300 and 747's all have cabin crew horizontal rest facilities as do around 50% of the 777-200's.
BA has both pretty strict regulatory requirements and Industrial (union) requirements as to which routes require horizontal rest for cabin crew. Generally speaking any route that is over 9hr30min block time will require bunk facilities to be EASA compliant so LHR-ATL is probably going to be one of the longest routes seeing the 787-10.
Having the 787-10 delivered without OHAR could be a costly mistake on BA's part. When they initially took delivery of the '747-lite' BA elected not to have OHAR as it would be a 'dedicated sub fleet' serving shorter longhaul routes. Exactly the same as they are now saying about the 787-10. Of course they found that operationally this was really restrictive for them. Because if the 747 on the LHR-HKG went tech and the only replacement 747 was a 'lite' without OHAR the airline would have to offload and block out eight Club beds. Over time the cost of this outweighed the cost of installing OHAR into the 747-lites. And eventually the decision was made to later install OHAR on the Lites at great expense (same for some of the 777's).
It's disappointing that BA has decided not to have an F cabin in the initial lot of A350-1000 aircraft, whereas the B787-10 will have it. Besides the cramped seating on BA F and J cabins on the B787-9, the high-pitched sound of the engines irritates me enormously. Clearly they have ignored these issues when considering the cabin layout for the A350-1000 and B787-10.
Immensely dissatisfying. About to board a BA A350-1000 to DXB. First time...
It's disappointing that BA has decided not to have an F cabin in the initial lot of A350-1000 aircraft, whereas the B787-10 will have it. Besides the cramped seating on BA F and J cabins on the B787-9, the high-pitched sound of the engines irritates me enormously. Clearly they have ignored these issues when considering the cabin layout for the A350-1000 and B787-10.
Immensely dissatisfying. About to board a BA A350-1000 to DXB. First time in the new Club Suite. Should be worthwhile, I hope.
Do you consider "just recently" to be July 26, almost four months ago? Since the first delivery, the A350-1000 has flown LHR-DXB and -YYZ. Will be added to TLV by year-end, then BLR.
One thing that the First Class seats have going for them is if you're traveling with someone, you can dine together at someone's seat....the 787 seats don't seem to offer that, which takes away the one advantage the First Class seats usually offer.
Ever, not every.
The 787 is also know for having the worst economy class every, unless you fly JAL.
Having flown it in business with both Singapore Airlines and Thai, I can also say that compared to the A350, it's also horrible in business, with really narrow seats, especially in bed mode. I try to avoid it when possible.
Very cool!! Good to see them keeping F, improving Biz and modernizing.
Wow, this is a surprising configuration. United fits 44 Polaris seats on their Dreamliner -10 and has 318 seats total. This would have been an ideal replacement for the JFK to LHR ‘shuttle’
Big upgrade from that BA 7 across J class 787-8 I flew in July. 9 hours flying backwards in an uncompetitive narrow J seat was no bueno indeed.
Where will the 787-9 fly after the -10 will be replacing it on the ATL route?
The ATL-LHR route is currently being operated by a 4 class 777. I'm currently booked on this route for a return ticket with the first leg on December 18th (which is a 777) and the return on Febuary 28th so I should hopefully get to sample it. That would be my first 787 flight :)
You mean cabin air pressure is higher, not lower on the 787 compared to say the 777. The cabin altitude is lower.
Forgive me if I'm asking a naive question but what is the purpose of introducing the 787-10?
They have the 777s, the 787-8s and -9s and the A350s so not sure what yet an additional type really gets them? Unless these are intended to replace the older 777s.
I have no idea why the 787-10 would get F while the 350-1000 doesn’t. The 350 is longer and wider, which would be more suitable for F. Not to mention the 350 is much more comfortable than the 787.