Programs: BA Gold, BD Silver, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 6,065
Club World Guide
Introduction
Welcome to the latest iteration of the Club World Guide. At this time, BA's entire fleet of 747-436 aircraft plus all of the 4 class 777-236 sub-fleet are flying with the new cabin. The embodiment of the 3 class 777-236 sub-fleet is in progress with LGW's four aircraft now refitted and the remainder (5 aircraft based at LHR) following from September 2009. Also of note, are new 777-236 deliveries (4 aircraft) which are anticipated to join the fleet this summer. These will arrive with the latest cabin and IFE systems. The embodiment of three class 777s will also see the LHR based sub fleet standardise on a 48J/24W/203M configuration. You can read more on this in PhilH's road test, here
Current status
The embodiment programme to install new Club World business class seats and freshen up the cabin décor to BA's long haul fleet started in December 2006, initially with a refit to its fleet of 57 Boeing 747-436 aircraft. This step in the process was finally completed at the end of 2007 so if you are travelling long haul on BA in business class on a 747 operated flight, you are assured of the latest seat. BA's fleet of 747s fall into two straight-forward categories, based on the seat configuratons: High J (14F/70J/30W/185M) and Mid J (14F/52J/36W/235M). The latter replaced the now obsolete Low J 747-436 configuration.
BA confirmed in 2006 the new Club World seat shall not be fitted to its fleet of long haul 767-336 aircraft. The long haul 767s shall continue to fly with the first generation flat bed seats (NCW 1.3) until retirement comes. The Rockwell Collins (TES) inflight entertainment system has at least been upgraded and now supports AVOD capabilities throughout the fleet.
The refit of the current fleet of forty-two 777-236s is now underway. All aircraft are expected to receive the new seat however there will be noticeable variations in the inflight entertainment offering. The oldest aircraft originally fitted with GEC Marconi's GMIS system are not expected to receive AVOD capabilities but will feature larger 10.4' displays. Whilst the NCW seat will share a consistent look and feel, the older generation 12 channel GMIS system will plod on for the foreseeable future.
Those 777's currently fitted with the Rockwell Collins (TES) IFE system shall receive full AVOD capabilities as per the 747-436 fleet. In addition, the delivery of four factory fresh 777-236s is expected from Summer 2009. It is expected that these aircraft will be brought into service featuring the NCW 2.0 seat and with new AVOD technology.
For more information on the configuration of individual 777-236 aircraft, please refer to the schedules outlined in the post immediately below. Further details on BA inflight entertainment are available in the AVOD Guide (Will your flight have it and what to expect) thread.
How can I tell if my flight has the new seat?
Whilst it would be wonderful if we could provide forward predictions on which flights the refitted aircraft will be operating on, this information is near on impossible to obtain. As mentioned above, if you are travelling in business class on a 747-436 or LGW based 4 class 777-236, you are guaranteed the latest seat. There are a number of online databases which allow us to track current and past movements of specific aircraft. However these have limited value in predicting where specific aircraft are headed to next. So please, be mindful of this before asking the question
Thanks to the great work undertaken by Irish Lad, who has compiled a comprehensive monthly summary, this gives us a chance to view each long haul route and glance at the monthly statistics. So if you are wondering if your forthcoming flight will be fitted with the latest CW cabin, this provides you with a probability rating.
Historical summary of BA's lie flat New Club World seat
BA first marketed its long haul business product as New Club World (NCW) when it unveiling a new ground braking flat bed product back in Summer 2000 when services between London and New York JFK were fully embodied with the new Club World. BA proudly marketed this as the 'Lounge in the Sky', the world's first fully flat bed in business class. The product underwent minor alterations during its lifetime, as follows:
Code:
NCW 1.0 The original fully flat bed in business class
NCW 1.1 With this minor iteration, the cream hard shell seat divider leaf pairs were replaced by dark navy fans
NCW 1.2 With this iteration, the seat/bed cushions were replaced with softer
cushions following customer feedback that many passengers found the
bed too hard. This version is presently fitted inside Boeing 777 cabins.
NCW 1.3 Inflight entertainment system received a welcome update, featuring
popular audio and video on demand (AVOD). This variant is unique to BA's long haul fleet of Boeing 767 aircraft.
NCW 2.0 The latest offering that marks a significant generational leap in the
evolution of the New Club World product. You may also find this referred to on FlyerTalk as the Next Generation Club World (NGCW)
For more details on the NCW product and BA's seating policy, please follow the link [here]
All comments, questions and fresh information is very much appreciated. Please feel free to add to this guide.
Last edited by Prospero; Nov 11, 09 at 2:01 pm.
Reason: added link to October 2009 stats
Programs: BA Gold, BD Silver, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 6,065
The 777-236 fleet
The following schedules provides a break down of BA's existing fleet of 777-236 aircraft. The schedules will be updated periodically as the NCW refit programme progresses. Those aircraft in service that are known to feature the new cabin are identified in red. Those known to be undergoing conversion are greyed out.
Programs: BA Gold, BD Silver, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 6,065
Quote:
Originally Posted by lhrworker
I can check where it is going and let the board know if you need to.
Thanks, that would be fantastic. The information gleaned from the H/G Movements site is great for tracking historic movements but is of limited use in predicting forthcoming operations. Having said that, yesterday's SBS log actually provides predictive info on tonight's turnaround (at JNB).
Hey, guys am I flying in CW this week, please check for me if any of the flights are applicable.
British Airways BA 56 Wednesday, December 13, 2006
From Johannesburg / Johannesburg Int'l (JNB), Johannesburg South Africa 8:15 PM
Terminal: A
To London / Heathrow (LHR), London United Kingdom 5:15 AM
Terminal: 1 (Thursday)
Status Confirmed
Cabin Business
Aircraft Boeing 747-400
Flight duration 11:00
Mileage 5624 miles Disclaimer
Stop(s) 0
Meal Meal
Status: Confirmed
British Airways BA 117 Thursday, December 14, 2006
From London / Heathrow (LHR), London United Kingdom 8:20 AM
Terminal: 4
To New York / John F Kennedy Int'l (JFK), New York, New York USA 10:50 AM
