British Airways has started the process of retrofitting its Airbus A380 interiors, a project that is long overdue, given the state of these planes. The first A380 is currently getting new cabins installed, and is expected to enter service in the coming months.
While British Airways had already revealed what we can expect from the carrier’s new first class suite (debuting on this plane), the airline has just shared more details of what we can expect on the A380s, including all-new cabins, plus an updated version of the carrier’s business class.
British Airways A380s getting new seats in all cabins
British Airways has today unveiled the new cabins that will be installed on the carrier’s retrofitted Airbus A380s, with a nose-to-tail transformation. The plane will feature redesigned interiors, new seats in every cabin, plus upgrades to the onboard experience.
Here’s how British Airways CEO Sean Doyle describes these updates:
“This is a major milestone for British Airways and the future of our A380 fleet, marking one of the most significant transformations we’ve ever undertaken on any aircraft. We’ve completely reimagined the customer experience, introducing new and updated seats in every cabin, all carefully considered to deliver greater comfort and an elevated customer experience.”
“At the heart of the transformation is our brand-new First suite, but this investment goes far beyond a single cabin. From redesigned interiors and upgraded dining to new amenities and service delivery, every detail has been thoughtfully designed with our customers front and centre, helping them to have a more seamless and memorable experience when they fly with us.”
First, as we’ve already known, British Airways will debut an all-new first class product, featuring proper doors, much improved technology, and plenty of additional storage. This product will debut on the A380, and then the same cabin is expected to be installed on British Airways’ Boeing 777Xs, which will be delivered at some point in 2027 and beyond (probably more likely 2028 or 2040 or never, I dunno).
While I doubt this will be the world’s best first class, it’s still a significant improvement over what the airline currently offers. For what it’s worth, while there was initially talk that first class could move to the upper deck, that’s not the case, and it will in fact be staying on the lower deck.
Next, British Airways plans to introduce a Club World (business class) cabin that takes up the entire upper deck, consisting of 106 seats, and spread across four zones. This will make it the world’s largest business class cabin. Here’s what’s interesting — British Airways isn’t just installing its existing Club Suites business class, but instead, it’s evolving the product.
Now, I’d consider the evolution to be minimal here, but the idea is that it’s a refreshed design with a new color scheme, inspired by the carrier’s blue, red, and cream accents. The new business class seats will reportedly have more storage and improved functionality, but otherwise British Airways is light on details here. There’s also going to be a Club Kitchen snack bar area.
Lastly, British Airways is also promising “brand-new seats and upgraded cabin interiors” in World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and World Traveller (economy). However, the airline hasn’t released many additional details there, beyond the below renderings. However, we do know both cabins will be entirely on the lower deck, since the upper deck will be dedicated to business class.
How British Airways’ Airbus A380 seat count will change
For context, British Airways’ Airbus A380s are currently configured with 469 seats, including 14 first class seats, 97 business class seats, 55 premium economy seats, and 303 economy seats.
Once the planes are reconfigured, capacity will be decreased to 417 seats, including 12 first class seats, 106 business class seats, 84 premium economy seats, and 215 economy seats.
As you can see, this will be a massively premium A380 in terms of the layout, as the airline will have an extra nine business class seats and an extra 29 premium economy seats, though in the process it’s losing two first class seats and 88 economy seats.
Admittedly we knew the airline would lose some cabin density, given the awful old seats that British Airways had in business class on these planes. At least the cabin layout will be much more logical, with business class on the upper deck, and first class, premium economy, and economy, on the lower deck. Compare that to the current setup, where part of business class, premium economy, and part of economy, are on the upper deck, and first class, part of business class, and part of economy, are on the lower deck.
Anyway, I’m happy to see British Airways’ A380s getting a totally fresh life. After all, at the start of the pandemic, British Airways grounded its A380 fleet, as several airlines did. However, in the years since, the planes have been flying around in simply horrible condition, so it’s great to see that they’ll go from the worst planes in the fleet, to probably the best.
The only thing I’d mention is that the upper deck of the A380 isn’t as wide as the lower deck, so I’m curious how spacious the reverse herringbone seats feel, given that width can really impact comfort there.
Bottom line
British Airways is starting the process of fully overhauling its Airbus A380 cabins, with the first jet currently being retrofitted. We knew the airline would introduce a new first class product, but we’ve now learned a bit more.
British Airways is also introducing an updated version of its Club Suites business class product, as well as new seats in premium economy and economy. When you combine the general comfort of the A380 with these updates, it should be a pretty nice ride! I’d expect that these new cabins will also be what’s installed on the carrier’s Boeing 777Xs, if/when those planes are delivered.
What do you make of British Airways’ updated A380 cabin interiors?
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