British Airways has revealed more details of the refresh it is giving 18 of its B747 aircraft - with business travellers benefitting the most.
As reported last year (see news, September 2014), the carrier will have completed refitting the aircraft by August 2016.
BA has now confirmed it is upgrading 18 of the "High J" variant in its B747 fleet and will be adding another 16 seats to its Club World (business) cabin, with fewer seats in World Traveller (economy).
BA's current (left) and forthcoming (right) High J B747 configurations
Currently, BA's High J 747s have 14 seats in First, 70 in Club World, 30 in World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and 177 in World Traveller - a total of 291 passengers.
The refurbished "Super High J" configuration will have 14 seats in First, 86 Club World seats in zones B, C and D on the lower and upper decks, 30 in World Traveller Plus and 145 in World Traveller - a total of 275 passengers.
BA's Mid J B747s will remain the same.
The airline is also installing a Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system that will provide passengers with more than 130 films and 400 television shows.
Every World Traveller Plus seat will have access to a universal power socket — capable of accepting plugs from the UK, US and Europe —and a personal USB socket.
New seat foams will be installed in World Traveller and World Traveller Plus, while new seat covers will also be fitted to match those on BA's A380 and B787 aircraft.
The refit will also include a general cabin refresh, including replacing carpets and curtains throughout the plane, to bring the older B747s up-to-date with BA's most recent aircraft.
ba.com
Graham Smith
BA's current (left) and forthcoming (right) High J B747 configurations
Currently, BA's High J 747s have 14 seats in First, 70 in Club World, 30 in World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and 177 in World Traveller - a total of 291 passengers.
The refurbished "Super High J" configuration will have 14 seats in First, 86 Club World seats in zones B, C and D on the lower and upper decks, 30 in World Traveller Plus and 145 in World Traveller - a total of 275 passengers.
BA's Mid J B747s will remain the same.
The airline is also installing a Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system that will provide passengers with more than 130 films and 400 television shows.
Every World Traveller Plus seat will have access to a universal power socket — capable of accepting plugs from the UK, US and Europe —and a personal USB socket.
New seat foams will be installed in World Traveller and World Traveller Plus, while new seat covers will also be fitted to match those on BA's A380 and B787 aircraft.
The refit will also include a general cabin refresh, including replacing carpets and curtains throughout the plane, to bring the older B747s up-to-date with BA's most recent aircraft.
ba.com
Graham Smith 
