February 18, 2016 – British Airways (BA) has put its latest refurbished Boeing 747 into service – the sixth out of 18 BA Jumbos earmarked for a major make-over. The refit of the aircraft is being carried out by BA engineers in Cardiff, Wales and involves a cabin interior refresh to bring them in line with the airline’s newest aircraft. The work includes fitting each aircraft with an additional 16 Club World (business class) seats, bringing the total number of fully-lie flat beds to 86. New seat foams are being installed in World Traveller (economy) and World Traveller Plus (premium economy) to increase customer comfort. Carpets and curtains throughout the aircraft are also being replaced to mirror the cabin interiors of the newer aircraft, along with mood lighting in every cabin.
Each aircraft is also being fitted with Panasonic eX3 IFE systems, giving customers a choice of over 1,300 hours of entertainment including more than 130 movies and 400 TV programs on larger, high-resolution screens, with selections made using touch and swipe gestures. Customers in World Traveller Plus will also now have access to a universal power socket, while those in flying in World Traveller will have their own personal USB socket.
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.”
February has also seen the airline take delivery of its 11th A380, with the final 12th aircraft due for arrival later this year, and the sixth of 16 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners on order, featuring the latest first class cabin.
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.
