British Airways has revealed a brand-new first-class seat for the Airbus A380 – and the Mail has given it a try.
The airline – a partner carrier with American Airlines – unveiled the suite at a glitzy ceremony on Monday night at its Waterside HQ next to Heathrow.
Harriet Sime and Laura Sharman from the Mail’s travel team tested it out.
After ‘listening to colleagues and customers to help shape design elements’, BA is calling the suite a ‘game-changer’.
But what did Harriet and Laura think?
Deputy Travel Editor Harriet said: ‘The seat is plush, with elegant curves and ambient lighting. It felt like a cocoon, with wide seats and acres of space on either side and in front.’
Assistant Travel Editor Laura remarked: ‘It felt like stepping into a sophisticated hotel suite. The seat was plush and cosy, both as a chair and when fully reclined as a bed. It certainly oozes luxury and style.’
Let’s run through some of the specifications.
In a statement, BA revealed that the seat is ‘ultra-wide’ – 36.5 inches – with a bed length of 79 inches (6ft 6in) and featuring a ‘multi-purpose ottoman’.
It also features a 32-inch 4K TV screen and adjustable mood lighting including scenes such as ‘relax’, ‘dine’ and ‘cinema’, with customers cocooned within a 60-inch curved wall, for ‘ultimate privacy’.
On the privacy front, BA added: ‘The soft panelling inside the seat helps with acoustics and absorbing sound, which adds to the sense of being in a cocooned, private space. Customers can also use the seat’s brand-new “do not disturb” functionality on its wireless control tablet, which notifies crew if they wish to maximise their rest on board.’
For customers travelling together in the centre of the cabin, the divider slides open to create a shared lounge space, and they can now wheel their luggage into a personal luggage space on the outside of the suite, ‘making it even easier to settle in before their flight’.
Harriet and Laura agreed that this feature looks handy.
BA added: ‘The seat has been beautifully curated by expert designers and world-class manufacturers from all corners of Great Britain and Ireland, including London, Glasgow, West Yorkshire, Kilkeel and Dublin.
‘We worked closely with world-class manufacturer Collins Aerospace to create the First seat, following its involvement in carefully crafting British Airways’ Club Suite and short-haul aircraft seats earlier this year.’
Any thoughts from frequent fliers?
Rhys Jones, Aviation Editor at frequent flyer website headforpoints.com, didn’t attend the launch event, but told MailOnline Travel that he thinks the new seat is taking BA in the right direction.
He commented: ‘British Airways has cleverly decided not to go head-to-head with the ultra-luxury offerings from Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines, some of which offer multi-room apartments to passengers.
‘The new cabin is a level-headed approach to first class with nods to the Ozwald Boateng-designed uniforms.
‘Compared to the existing seats, the new cabin should be more spacious. The question now is whether BA can deliver a service and soft-product to match [what looks like] an impressive new seat. The launch of a new First Service Specialists training program at BA should help elevate inconsistent service from crew.’
British Airways’ Chief Customer Officer, Calum Laming, said: ‘We’re incredibly proud to launch the next era of First that pushes the boundaries of comfort, luxury and modernity, taking into consideration customer preferences and expectations to the finest detail.’
The new cabin is expected to take to the skies in mid-2026. It may also feature in the new Boeing 777X.
Watch this space.
