BA Club Europe new seating

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    swissair
    Participant

    I hear that from spring 2009 that the seating configuration will change to 2+2. Does anyone one Know if it will actually be 3+3 with the middle seat empty and narrower seats ( though the dreaded middle seat will not be allocated) ? Swissair and Finnair used to be 2+3 but when Swiss installed new seating went for 3+3 ( I think Iberia is the same) . Finnair is now 3+3

    They could of course go for the USA domestic version of a proper 2+2 but this would restrict their use on UK domestic.

    Lastly they could just narrow the E seat and leave the wide remaining seats as they are.

    Any further info welcomed.


    BAGoldcard
    Participant

    This is the information on ba.com:

    ” British Airways is giving customers more comfort and privacy in its Club Europe cabin from February 23, 2009 by removing the use of the middle seat.

    This new configuration will offer those customers booked in the airline’s shorthaul business class cabin a guaranteed window or aisle seat, with the middle seat free. It will provide them with greater privacy and enhance their ability to work and rest onboard.

    Customers can enjoy a more relaxing travel experience, while maintaining the full range of onboard Club Europe services including extra legroom in a comfortable leather seat, a choice of hot and cold refreshments and a complimentary bar.

    Robert Boyle, commercial director at British Airways, said: “We’ve listened to customer feedback and taken the decision to leave the middle seat unoccupied to give our customers that extra privacy and sense of personal space.”


    d1rector
    Participant

    At very long last – a more civilised business travel experience from BA shorthaul. Three in a row is cattle class.


    VintageKrug
    Participant

    To be fair the advantages of Club Europe on such short European sectors are many and varied; dedicated check in, fast track security, lounge access to premium lounges with excellent food offerings, champagne on request, complimentary WiFi, newspapers and magazines as well as on board more space to store bags, hanging of your jacket and the enhanced food, wine and champagne offerings in flight, as well as being among the first to de-plane if that floats you boat.

    The seat is IMHO one of my minor concerns on a two hour hop.

    This change is not all it is cracked to be, however. What you gain in having a free seat, you will lose in terms of the width of the seat, as it seems the convertability option, which widens CE seats, will no longer be employed.

    This will save considerable amount of time and money, but will not please those of a more ample embonpoint.

    BA’s latest internal Cabin Crew News dishes the dirt:

    Why is BA Making this Change?

    The move to a 2:2 cabin configuration for CE will ensure we continue to deliver a truly premium experience. The new configuration will offer customers:-
    * a guaranteed window or aisle seat
    * middle seat kept free
    * provide CA customers with greater privacy
    * parity with our competitors, who already have a 2:2
    configuration in their short-haul business class cabins

    Will There Be an Impact on CA Availability or a Reduction in Seats?

    CE seat availability will be automatically protected by the demand systems in place, up to the maximum cabin capacity

    What Will Happen to the Middle Seat on the Aircraft?

    Seats will not be compressed/extended on either side of the cabin in the new configuration, the middle seat will remain in position but will not be occupied by customers in any circumstance (including times of disruption when the current service recovery processes would be implemented).


    kukuruza
    Blocked

    This new configuration will offer those customers booked in the airline’s shorthaul business class cabin a guaranteed window or aisle seat, with the middle seat free. It will provide them with greater privacy and enhance their ability to work and rest onboard.


    EU_Flyer
    Participant

    All this does is create a point of difference between CE and the forward cabins on EuroTraveller, which use the same seat and have the same legroom.
    The only added benefit now is that you KNOW that you won’t have anyone next to you wheras in Yclass you still could (where you are in a 3seat section on an A319/320/321).
    The upgraded food and lounge access given in CE do not justify the very steep increase in fare price, esp for short sectors compared to value derived by the much larger seats (in 2-2) used in Asia/Australia and the US for domestic short haul J class on B737/A320 family aircraft.

    Still, this appears to be a long held European trend that is unlikely to change.


    VintageKrug
    Participant

    As most CE sectors are relatively short (under two hours) a significantly larger seat and IFE are less important, relative to Lounges, well timed departures/arrivals (out and back in a day) and frequency of service etc.

    This is an old thread which has been bumped, the most recent thread on the matter is here:

    http://www.businesstraveller.com/discussion/topic/Rumour-BA-Club-Europe-Returns-to-Converted-Widened-Seating,-Remaining-2-2,-from-August-12

    Per my letter of complaint on the revised seating (when 3-2 but widened was switched to 2-2 but not widened) set out in the link above. BA revised its approach and now offers 2-2 seating in the original, widened format.

    CE seats are not the same as EuroTraveller; they are both wider and have marginally more legroom than Economy seats.

    It’s also not that much more expensive; if you can purchase a week in advance, CE can often be had for between £120-£200 in total per sector on most routes if part of a round trip ticket and can often be much less expensive than flexible economy.


    continentalclub
    Participant

    Although there can be more substantial differences in fare between Club and Euro Traveller at certain times and on certain routes, it’s true that the incremental supplements is often far from enormous.

    This applies as much to SWISS and Lufthansa as it does to British Airways. On BA, a number of passengers will also benefit from the increased checked luggage allowance offered in Club, which saves £32 for anyone wishing to fly with two checked bags.

    On an LGW-JER sector, for example, that £32 can often be more than the difference in fare between ET and Club Europe.


    NTarrant
    Participant

    Also on LGW-JER if you enter Euro Traveller and ask for cheapest earning tier points you get Club Europe.

    LGW-JER is also one of those routes where CE comes into its own from the point of view you can have a full day in JER with breakfast on the way out and a salad on the return.

    Not that I have used Flybe on this route I am told that their economy with baggage can work out more expensive than BA Club Europe!


    LHRtraveller
    Participant

    It might come as a surprise to you, but the last airbus A320 received since March 2010 are all equiped with a new slimmer fixed seats. Which mean that we are back to square one, Club Europe seats are the same width as Euro Traveller and BA block the middle seat. I do not know if the new seats will be roll over the entire aibus fleet.


    NTarrant
    Participant

    No they are not the same width, the seat is moved in so that A and C are wider and B is small that no one can sit in. DEF are pulled out and E is not used.

    If you travelled on the new A320 on Domestic then there would be no Club Europe.


    Bigflyer
    Participant

    LHRtraveller is right, the brand new A320 have a new fixed seat, so the middle one will be kept empty… I think they will retrofit the planes little by little


    EU_Flyer
    Participant

    Ahhh….. the power of one curtain to change the world!

    Having travelled extensively in CE and ET over the years whilst in Europe, I maintain that the only real difference between the two classes is the exclusivity of CE, the privacy of not having anyone directly next to you and the slightly improved meal service (which I never eat as the food in the BA lounges is rather good).

    Once I was travelling in CE and it was rather full, with a gentleman sitting along side me on the aisle seat. The forward 2 bulkhead seats of EuroTrav were free (it was a 767)- which I suspect had been done so for GoldCard holders.

    I asked to move there. I had wonderful legroom. It was this experience that made me wonder what real value CE offered.
    I must disclose, I am 6’5 (195cm) tall and leg room is a real issue for me (esp on flights over 2 hours). The availablity of bulkhead or exit seats in CE is quite limited compared to ET (even on A320s). Usually it is only 1 row compared to at least 3 in Y class.

    Therefore when faced with a full CE cabin and an available bulkhead/exit seat in ET, I chose to downgrade whilst still keeping my CE ticket for the points and tier/status credits.

    It is worth pondering that, compared with the stark differences between long haul Y class and J/F classes, the difference on short haul is quite limited.


    VintageKrug
    Participant

    Indeed, these new aircraft do not appear to have the convertible seats.

    It is not clear to me that these are restricted to Domestic services (I doubt it). I have never experienced a non converted seating CE flight.

    I feel another letter winging its way to Willie!

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