Originally Posted by
Stuckintheback
This will be my first time flying business on BA; I'm flying on the 787-8 out of Nashville to London. ......................TBH I am not overly impressed with the business class layout in comparison to other airlines I have flown. It appears that people closest to the window have to step OVER the aisle seat travelers if they have there seats in lay flat mode.
As per contributions so far, opinion varies as to the desirability of the current long-haul business class product on BA.
My own view FWIW is that it’s probably best to try to avoid making comparisons as per your comment above ; but to focus instead on recent improvements (bedding, catering) to the ‘soft product’.
BA were true innovators when offering the very first lie-flat bed / seat in business class almost 20 years ago. The seat itself received something of a refresh around five years later, but the original cabin layout/ config has basically remained as was, ever since.
The particular concern that you highlight - the
step-
over arrangement - has of course come to be seen as an outdated feature within the global market ; and this was the key issue that BA eventually decided to address in the planning of a new ‘Club World Suite’ (although as mentioned, this won’t feature on your own upcoming flight)
The airline’s CEO, Alex Cruz, has himself recognised that a certain amount of catch-up is needed, and was keen to stress that the new seat will resolve the issue of all-aisle access, of privacy (and also storage space) for a
ll business class pax, not just those able to secure one of the ‘favoured’ seats under the current configuration.
These were his own thoughts ahead of the introduction of the new seat, from a wide-ranging interview given around 18 months ago :
“BA was incredibly pioneering back in 2000 when we made this big announcement of the first lie-flat bed in the market, even in the world. But now we have ground to make up with our competitors,’ he says. The new beds will be introduced from next year. ‘There will be more privacy, more space”
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/...peaks-out.html
Early reports from those given the opportunity to see the seating onboard the newly-delivered A350 are mostly very favourable, although with such a large fleet it will, understandably, be some considerable time before the proposed roll-out is complete (at which point the competition will, perhaps, have moved on again ......)