sts603

I think that depends on the definition of premium. In my view, there is not a single carrier (legacy or LCC) that actually addresses the true premium market for European short haul travel. With the exception of some long-haul equipment on LHR-DME (BA/Aeroflot), LHR-IST (TK), and LHR-MAD (BA/IB) and Air Serbia, there is not a premium hard product in Europe. Y with a blocked middle doesn't count but given the competition, it is one reason that I've flown Vueling (once) within the last five years while I wouldn't fly Easy Jet or Ryanair.

email2markt

For me the proof of the pudding will be in the eating / seating. Overall, it's good to see BA trying opting for an efficient and hopefully comfortable hard product.

Good things:
- The new seats look fairly comfortable, I remember the first time i ever flew thinking what a gimmick the reclining seat was and I have rarely used it (exception long haul, but even then it doesn't recline enough to stop the sleepy head jerk moment).
- Glad to see duty free going too. Ever since we had to start paying taxes on duty for flights to/from Europe it totally lost its appeal for me and i still don't understand how it lasted this long. All the weight of those magazines felt wasteful.

Bad things:
- Still not offering a free cup of tea/coffee feels too cheap, especially when u pay a lot for your economy ticket

Further improvement suggestions:
- Has thought been put into where people put their tablets / mobiles for watching tv / charging on the flight. A holder at the right height for watching a show. It's this kind of thing which many brush off as a small detail, but it's also something people talk to their friends about when they get back from holiday, they then begin to expect it from competitors, it would pull new people to the airline. The seat is already ordered, but even some kind of velcro pouch would do. Having a glass object there i can understand might be a safety concern but if it is then I think it would be part of the emergency procedures (tear the velcro, put the iPad on the floor).
- Beyond the exit rows, i'd like to see more "Economy Plus" rows on short haul flights with extra leg room for tall people. I think there's a huge latent demand to pay a little more for it via seat reservations.

IAMORGAN

FlyerTalker688786

that is very true.

however I would like to argue the direction BA has taken is not wrong. HBO is a trend that can not be stopped. BOB is bound to happen yet the details I think could be debated. Non decline seating in back of coach is something could be tolerated in real life.

after all traveller will move on.

however, there is something wrong about how these strategies being implemented and communicated.

and thanks for these changes I have shifted my flight pattern to star alliance gradually. I only took less than 10 BA short hauls in 2017 to connect to my long haul flight ex EU and 2 long haul returns. So far in 2018 my booking is avios flights only.

my only complain about BA is the total BOB without free mineral water, coffee and tea. HBO is manageable. But I have no more reason to take BA if I have alternatives. It was a great marriage when I feel good. Once the mood changes, divorce is not far. And I am slowly adapting the life after BA. Amazingly I have so many mistress to choose from, LH, QR, CX, AA, JL and even the polish LOT, Scandinavian SK and Chinese CA are great choices. BA is like a middle aged lady who had past her prime. If she no longer offers the passion and worse became meaner and meaner, I have to accept the reality that I need to find excitement from someone else. No doubt I am not the only one.

there is nothing BA has done is wrong really. But my feeling is gone and BA does not care how I feel any more. She just want the money and gives me nothing back.

lost_in_translation

So, I assume the flight to PMI yesterday did not feature the seats / this has been pushed back - can anyone confirm when this will now begin?

Ldnn1

My point was in response to dinbangkok's about "the absurdly cheap premium add ons that Asian budget airlines offer". I'm fairly sure he was not talking about 'true premium' hard product in the sense that you are.

Dicksbits

I don't understand why BA spent all that money 2 years ago on densifying the short haul airbus fleet and now they're ripping out half the seats. Couldn't they have thought of this then?

Also: What will they do with the seats they take out? Will they use them to refurb the forward sections of the old BMI fleet at LHR & LGW?

layz

According to the BA Source the first aircraft to undergo conversion was on 2 Jan so looks like it started later than the OP was told.

British Airways A321 G-MEDN Positions to Prestwick Maintenance. | The BA Source

Any idea when it's now scheduled to be back in service?

flatlander

How wide are these Recaro seats going to be? Are they going to be as narrow as Easyjet seats, with a wider aisle, or as wide as the current Pinnacle seats and retaining the current aisle width?

One major downside to Easyjet seating for taller, broader-shoulders people (like me) is that the window seat has noticeably reduced shoulder room on the fuselage side, such that if I sit up straight, my shoulder is hard against the fuselage. BA doesn't have this problem, as their seat allows the same shoulder width in all seats. This does make BA a bit better (currently) than Easyjet, even at the same seat density.

Meanwhile, look at the Lufthansa seat map posted above and at any (true to scale) Easyjet seat map. The last two rows, and the last one in particular, are significantly narrower than the other rows. I estimate the seat is about 4cm narrower in the last row of Easyjet than most other rows. Beware of choosing a Pinnacle seat just behind the curtain on a BA NEO flight and being relegated to the last row when the curtain moves! I only made the mistake of not actively choosing an Easyjet seat once, a journey in 26E convinced me that advance seat selection is not optional when there is a risk of being assigned such a torture position.

lhrpete

I hope not! The old BD seats - which are actually very old LH seats at least still have armrests that move inwards making the seat a little wider in C. They are not as hard as the Pinnacle seats either and I now prefer them to any other BA offering.

Worcester

Yes the debate about the recline (or lack thereof) is a bit of a head herring compared to the actual comfort of the seat.

ahmetdouas

Does anyone know when the first aircraft will enter service? It's all speculation as to how the actual experience will be until we have bums on the seats!

navylad

orbitmic

My personal guess is that this is extremely unlikely to happen. The two points of the new seat are 1) to lighten things as much as possible to save on fuel costs and 2) to minimise the number of parts and mechanisms in the seat under the notion that it is as many things that can break down and need repair. What you suggest would increase weight and add a mechanism, so would negate both goals. I may well be wrong on that but personally I'd also guess that your hopes about people talking about it and it bringing new people to the airline are probably over-optimistic.



I'd guess that this is unlikely too. You mention the one or two rows of exit rows which anyone can book, and at the moment, I never find them fully booked on any of my flights. This suggests that whatever huge demand there is is actually lower than the capacity of 1-2 rows currently offered or they'd be fully subscribed on most flights. How many people would pay a significant extra for a middle seat with more legroom considering that they are not filling the almost limitless legroom of exit rows on the 321s?

skipness1E