BA refurbishes fleet and takes delivery of new aircraft
Above: BA Boeing 747's Club World refreshed interior.
The sixth out of 18 iconic Boeing 747s earmarked for a major make-over, went back into service on Saturday, making its first flight since the revamp to Boston as the BA213.
British Airways also took delivery of its 11th brand new double-decker A380, which will start flying customers later this week, with the final 12th aircraft due for arrival later this year.
The third aircraft to join the fleet last week was the airline’s sixth hi-tech Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (above).
Troy Warfield, British Airways’ director of customer experience, said: “We know our customers appreciate the investment we are making in new aircraft and refurbishing our much loved Boeing 747s is also helping to make flying with British Airways an even more enjoyable and relaxing experience.
“The feedback from customers on our refurbished 747s has been extremely positive, as they are able to enjoy more comfortable seats, a better flying environment and the very latest state-of-the art in-flight entertainment.”
The refit of 18 of British Airways’ 747s is being carried out by British Airways’ engineers in Cardiff and involves a cabin interior refresh to bring them in line with the airline’s newest aircraft.
Each four-cabin plane is being fitted with an additional 16 Club seats, bringing the total number of fully-lie flat beds for business and premium leisure travellers to 86.
New seat foams are being installed in World Traveller and World Traveller Plus to increase customer comfort. Carpets and curtains throughout the plane are also be replaced to mirror the cabin interiors of new aircraft, along with mood lighting in every cabin. Each aircraft is also being fitted with Panasonic’s next generation eX3 entertainment system.
Customers in World Traveller Plus will also now have access to a universal power socket, capable of accepting plugs from the UK, US and Europe, while those in flying in World Traveller will have their own personal USB socket to power phones and tablets.
Newly refurbished 747s will fly customers between Heathrow and New York JFK, Chicago, Lagos, Dubai, Boston, Riyadh, Kuwait and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, from tomorrow (Tuesday, 9 February) with more to come for the Summer 2016 season.
Last week, the airline also took delivery of its 11th Airbus A380 (above). British Airways’ super jumbo can fly 469 customers in comfort and style to seven destinations around the world; Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, Singapore and Washington DC. The latest A380 will go into service later this week.
Meanwhile, British Airways’ sixth 216-seater Boeing 787-9, with the airline’s very latest First cabin, with just eight seats, departed on its first commercial flight last Thursday, as the BA095 to Montreal.
British Airways is due to take delivery of 16 787-9 Dreamliners, which are 20ft longer than its 787-8 predecessor, of which the airline has eight already in service.
All customers can enjoy mood lighting, larger windows with electronic dimmable blinds and a much more humid and comfortable cabin environment. Those flying in First can experience the airlines’ latest sophisticated First cabin, with a 23 inch TV screen, a smartphone like controller, improved seating with high quality soft leather and fabric trim, bespoke stylish lighting and extra storage space.
With a total of 42 787s destined to join British Airways, the aircraft is set to become the mainstay of the airline's fleet.
British Airways is also due to take delivery of its first Airbus A350 in 2018, with 18 aircraft on order, as well as 13 A320 NEOs and seven A321 NEOs, both due for delivery between 2018 and 2019.
