British Airways is building what it calls the “world’s largest” business-class cabin and ripping out dozens of coach-class seats, the starkest example yet of how airlines are betting their future on high-spending travelers.
The changes are part of a massive overhaul of the British Airways fleet and its ground services, including lounges at its London Heathrow hub.
Here’s what’s changing:
- British Airways will outfit its Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, with a monster 106-seat business-class cabin, up from the current configuration of 97 business-class seats.
- First class will also be refreshed and will include 12 suites, down from the current A380 configuration of 14.
- Premium economy class will grow to 84 seats from 55.
- Standard economy seats will shrink to just 215 from 303.
British Airways said the 106 business-class suites, with sliding doors, will take up the entirety of the A380’s upper deck.
Airlines have been spending years and hundreds of millions of dollars to expand their pricier seats, capitalizing on demand for roomier options and travelers’ appetite for more luxurious trips.
British Airways’ joint-venture partner, American Airlines, last month debuted a 70-seat business class on its largest Boeing aircraft. Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson told CNBC in a recent interview that customers are seeking high-end options on long flights, like its Perth-London nonstop.
“There is absolutely a customer who wants this and is prepared to pay a premium for it,” she said.
Those more expensive seats command a premium. Even extra legroom on trips across the Atlantic can go for more than $200 per leg, with surcharges of more than $1,000 for premium economy seats after purchase.
The prices can be even higher if they’re selected at booking. The top-end seats regularly run $5,000 and even well over $10,000 on lengthier flights.
Deliveries of new aircraft have even been delayed because some of the new seats are so elaborate that carriers have been waiting for parts or federal certification.
British Airways’ overhaul of the cabins on its 12 A380s is also a bet on the jumbo jet, which many carriers have retired in recent years, opting for smaller, more fuel-efficient jets. Airbus delivered the last A380 to the plane’s largest user, Emirates, in late 2021.
