[Anonymous]

[LeTigre]

http://www.thebasource.com/rumours.html

Just noticed that the first 777-200ER has gone for the 77W style refit. 1 down 42 to go!

[Potakas]

They will not retrofit all the B777-200s, BA will only do it (WT, WT+) on those without AVOD (They will have Thales now), 18 aircraft in total iirc.

The rest of the B777-200s will take only NF.

[LeTigre]

Oh, how disappointing.

If BA do not want to upgrade their service standards, of which IFE is a key requirement, they have no right to complain when their Middle Eastern or Asian competitors take their traffic.

Even though Emirates is one of the competitors most complained about, even with a cramped cabin, they provide more meals in economy than all their competitors over the same period and their IFE is excellent.

Upgrade your planes BA or forever hold your silence!

[BGIWorldTraveller]

I can’t wait until G-VIIA, G-VIIB and G-VIIF go for the refits!

[LeTigre]

Why?

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

‘cos BGI is served from LGW and these airframes predominately operate from there (I guess.)

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

This seating issue of different seats is new to BA, but is becoming painful, especially on short haul services.

For a long time, BA had consistent seats across the fleets and a certain poster used to trumpet that as being a big advantage over EK and others.

But now we have a number of inconsistencies

747 – two types of 1st

777 – two types of 1st, 2 types of WT+, two types of W

767 LH – a NCW different to the 777/747

767SH – different seat config to the rest of the SH fleet and in C, some seats have extra space between them (the middle pair) and some don’t (the window pairs)

A32x – converter seats and spacesaver seats, with aircraft allocated apparently at random across the route network.

If you are flying in CW, then you are okay and know what to expect. IMHO, even the old NCW in the 767 is a good product IMHO and it wouldn’t bother me if a 767 replaced a 777 or vice versa, even thought the seats are different.

However, the CE situation is not acceptable, whilst a 45 minute hop is okay in a spacesaver (if not particularly comfortble), a 3-4 hour pull in a spacesaver seat is not on.

[BGIWorldTraveller]

DisgustedofSwieqi

You’re correct. These three aircraft serve the BA2155/BA2154 rotation each day (LGW-BGI-LGW).

[Henkel.Trocken]

If BA have to keep the spacesaver seats on the A320 which IMO would be best got rid of then surely these planes should be allocated to UK domestic routes only. There aren’t that many of them and a few tweaks to schedules should ensure that they don’t appear on CE routes. Of course to do that would require common sense, a quality which we know BA middle management don’t have in great quantity.

[VintageKrug]

Any large fleet will face short periods when inconsistent offerings are “live”.

In BA’s case – as the world’s largest operator of B747s and with over 100 longhaul aircraft – it does take time to switch interiors, especially against a background of low growth and other factors which have restricted the ability to rollout faster. This is no different from other airlines.

However, the Club World cabin is consistent across all 747/777 – has been for over a year – and will be consistent across 767s when they are refitted.

A very few 747s will have Old First in them; these will be retired from the fleet in around 12 months, as the new fleet (A380s/787) comes on stream, so no point in refurbishing.

There is less difference between the old and new WT+ and WT cabins, so that’s much less of an issue; this is only in 4 aircraft at present, all new deliveries will have this new product.

I really don’t see the sort of inconsistency here that is not any more prevalent in the fleets of other airlines of a similar size.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“I really don’t see the sort of inconsistency here that is not any more prevalent in the fleets of other airlines of a similar size.”

So now you have to admit that BA no longer has a ‘consistency’ advantage over certain other airlines?

And I notice that you do not try to defend Club Europe, whcih is just as well as it is pretty indefensible.

[VintageKrug]

If airline cabins remained permanently consistent there would never any improvement, and we’d still be in the era of regular seats rather than fully flat beds.

BA has a clear policy in place of aiming to offer a consistent product, unlike others which offer a range of products with no intention to harmonise; by the end of 2012 it will continue to offer a consistent product in longhaul J across all the fleet by refreshing the 8 767s which don’t have the new Club seats (barring two A318s, which are exceptions for lots of reasons) and will have a consistent F product in all but a few soon-to-be retired aircraft.

New deliveries will have the new cabins, and those aircraft remaining in the fleet long term will also get the new WT and WT+ cabins, which don’t materially differ from existing product, except perhaps for a larger IFE screen..

But of course don’t let that stand in the way of the constant – and now rather boring – beration of every activity BA undertakes.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

“But of course don’t let that stand in the way of the constant – and now rather boring – beration of every activity BA undertakes.”

Did you read my review of my mixed fleet CE flight, last week? I gave it a positive write up.

BTW, your manic promotion of all things BA is also boring.

And you still do not defend the CE seating. I think the ringing silence speaks for itself.

[VintageKrug]

One Swallow does not a summer make.

BA remains on track to have a consistency advantage over other airlines, although during the fleet changes and refits of 2011/2012 there will be a period where some variation exists; my historical statements remain accurate.

To refit over 100 aircraft at a rate of one per week seems reasonable given the range of constraints currently in play.

I have long been unerringly consistent in my position on CE seating.

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