First revealed in 2019, British Airways' new long-haul business class product - Club Suite - took the world by storm. Until this year, most of the flag carrier's widebody fleet has been furnished with these lavish seats, from the Airbus A350-1000s, Boeing 787-10s, and most Boeing 777s. While left out for quite a few years, this year will see the Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s getting Club Suite too.

The initial retrofitting for these aircraft was planned much earlier, but the program was delayed due to the pandemic. Eventually, the flag carrier hinted that upgrades might happen from 2024 to 2025, but it seems it was brought forward to this year as the airline said:

"We remain committed to rolling out our award-winning Club Suite, and we're pleased that our Boeing 787-8 and Boeing 787-9 aircraft are next to be retrofitted. This will allow our customers to experience our latest business class product to even more destinations across our network."

More Dreamliners are getting the Club Suite

While the news is certainly welcome, there will be a bit of a wait to see the first refitted aircraft in service. The first upgraded Boeing 787-8s are expected to emerge towards the end of October. Concerning flight schedules, the first flight for the retrofitted fleet is expected to take off on December 3rd this year from London's Heathrow International Airport to Montréal–Trudeau International Airport.

The next route currently planned for flight services between Heathrow Airport and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on December 5th. However, British Airways comments that the routes are subject to changes but is confident that the first retrofitted Boeing 787-8s will fly before the end of this year.

On the downside, because the upgrading will apply to both the Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s, it's likely that this year will only see the Boeing 787-8s featuring the Club Suite business class. The retrofitting schedule for the Boeing 787-9s will probably spill over to next year. Still, it's great to see these Dreamliners finally getting the business class they deserve.

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Slight configuration changes with Club Suite

So how will introducing the Club Suite business class change the configuration onboard the Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s for British Airways? Currently, the Boeing 787-8s offers 214 seats, with 35 in business class, 25 in premium economy, and the remaining 154 in economy class.

According to One Mile At A Time, after the upgrades the aircraft will offer a reduced capacity of 204 seats, with 31 business class seats, 37 premium economy seats, and 136 in economy class. As for the longer Boeing 787-9s, they currently offer 216 seats, with eight in first class and 42 in business class. Premium economy offers 39 seats, while economy class offers 127 seats. The upgrade will see the capacity slightly reduced to just 215 seats, with business class offering 38 and economy class offering more, at 130 seats.

Bottom line

British Airways currently has 53 long-haul widebody aircraft featuring Club suite, including 13 new Airbus A350-1000s, five new Boeing 787-10s, 25 retrofitted Boeing 777-200ERs, and 10 Boeing 777-300s. The number should have been higher as nine Boeing 777s are yet to undergo retrofitting, which was intended to conclude last year.

With the Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s approved for their upgrades, this leaves the 12 Airbus A380s in British Airways' fleet yet to showcase the Club Suite business class. Hopefully, the superjumbos will get their approval soon to allow even more passengers to enjoy the significant business class upgrade.

Source: One Mile At A Time

• 

  British Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  BA/BAW

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport

  Year Founded:

  1974

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  Airline Group:

  IAG

  CEO:

  Sean Doyle

  Country:

  United Kingdom