In April I wrote about British Airways’ announcement that they plan on revamping their business class experience. This is long overdue, as I think British Airways has one of the worst business class products of any major airline. Some of these changes include the following:
- £400m in Club World (long-haul business class)
- Introducing Club Europe on UK domestic services
- New lounges
- First Wing direct security and lounge access at Heathrow
- Latest generation Wi-Fi fitted on long-haul and short-haul fleets over the next two years
- Self-service check-in and biometric boarding gates to speed up the airport journey
A few of these things have already been implemented, though the investments in their longhaul business class (known as Club World) haven’t started yet.
Today British Airways has outlined some of the changes that they plan on making to Club World. Perhaps the biggest announcement is that British Airways will be partnering with The White Company to supply the bedding and amenity kits for their Club World product in the future. Here’s how the new amenities are described:
Later this year, customers traveling in Club World between Heathrow and New York JFK will be given a new elegant day cushion which will double up as a fantastic lumbar support when working or relaxing on board.
Exclusively for British Airways, The White Company have also designed a bespoke, luxuriously soft large pillow and white cotton pillowcase to enhance customers’ comfort and to help them sleep well in the sky.
Customers will also be given a super-soft woven blanket with satin trim and a specially developed luxury duvet to improve their quality of sleep, as well as a padded mattress cover giving an extra layer of comfort. The new bedding from The White Company will then be gradually rolled out across British Airways’ other long-haul routes.
The new Club World amenity kits come in an elegantly designed bag from The White Company and contain products from the retailer’s ‘Restore & Relax Spa Collection’, as well as a super-soft jersey eye-mask, offering a further touch of luxury in the sky.
As you can see, this will initially roll out between New York and London “later this year,” and then should be extended to other routes in 2018.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWIImDnnYo-/?taken-by=british_airways
There are some other service enhancements coming soon. British Airways will begin handing out breakfast cards in Club World, so that passengers can decide in advance if they want to have breakfast or prefer to sleep in. Furthermore, in the fall, British Airways will introduce new display trolleys in Club World, that allow guests to select dishes from them.
On top of that, British Airways will introduce a new Club World seat with direct aisle access from every seat in 2019. This is something we’ve already sort of known. While this is an exciting development, it’s going to be two years until the seat is first introduced, and then probably another five or so years until it’s available throughout the fleet, so…
Do you think these changes to Club World will make a substantial difference in terms of the overall experience?
(Tip of the hat to Jesse)
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