[Ah,Mr.Bond]

Never mind BA’s CW looking poor in comparison to this new BR/AA business class seat…. the layout and design is more or less identicle to BA FIRST Class! If BA continues with the current product offering they will have to totally rebrand. F= Business Class, CW=Budget Business, Premium Economy and Economy thus ditching proper F class altogether and creating a brand new cabin product, maybe that is what they are up to?

[Bucksnet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLHVNn7ggu0

It looks great but the only real issue seems to be lack of privacy, especially when sleeping.

[MartynSinclair]

Its such a shame BA do not come into the public domain about their intentions with CW. As many posters state, it was innovative, modern and a great product when launched. Too many airlines now have products that clearly overtake BA’s offering.

The only positive comment about BA’s business class that I can think of, is at least its the same product across the entire fleet.

I may only be one pax, but after October, my BKK business will no longer go to BA..

[millionsofmiles]

In fact, if BA would publish also their variants of travel classes, – As EVAR Air does!- they would also arrive at these numbers:
– Old an New First
– different CW versions
– CE
– WT an WT+

So I find it more honest to publish what is on offer in reality, an not to publish future dreams as the standard equipment

[MartynSinclair]

millionsofmiles – I know BA have Flat Bed variants on LCY/Openskies – but I was under the impression that all BA longahul scheduled services from and back to Heathrow/Gatwick and Manchester use a generic business class seat.

Am I wrong??

(oopps Glasgow included as well)

[esselle]

MartynSinclair

BA stopped operating its long haul services from MAN many years ago. If you want to do JFK from MAN today your direct choice is an old AA 757 with prehistoric J class.

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Hi Martyn

In one context you are right in that most BA Business Class is the same (747 / 777’s). However there are product variances on the LCY-JFK services along with the 767’s and A321 midhaul services. You can argue they are consistent in that they are all flat (except when a short haul 767 gets put on a longhaul flight). So it isn’t in the league of say switching an Emirates A330 business class to an A380 business class, but there are subtle (and maybe not so subtle) difference between the products. I haven’t flown them all so couldn’t go into detail. Others on here would be in a better position to go into detail on this.

[MartynSinclair]

thanks for the info esselle…

[IanFromHKG]

At least BA aren’t going the same route as PAL:

http://www.businesstraveller.asia/news/philippine-airlines-to-offer-low-cost-economy-s

[Bucksnet]

The new EADS Solstys seat looks nice also: –

http://www.ausbt.com.au/airbus-fully-flat-beds-lie-flat-seats-in-a350-xwb-business-class

None of us has flown this seat yet, so we will have to comment on the photos. It can clearly be seen that there are 8 seats across on the A350XWB in a 2-4-2 layout. The seats have been cleverly staggered so giving each seat direct aisle access: –

http://www.eads.com/eads/int/en/news/media.b4cf5123-2d5f-4ea7-a463-a58fa6b11386.-Solstys+Business+Class+seat.html

This is something BA should look at.

[AllOverTheGaff]

Did you particularly like the staggered layout with direct aisle access or did your photo show you 8 across again?

[Bullfrog]

@bucksnet

It appears to be a 1-2-1 layout, or am I looking at the wrong photos ?

[AllOverTheGaff]

Dog/Bone/Bizarre.

Zzzzzzz

[esselle]

Bucksnet

Look like 4 across to me, as in EK A380.

I simply not understand your fixation with 8 across. Have you flown on an EK A380 yet?

[Bucksnet]

Not this old argument again! And no I’ve not been on an Emirates A380 yet, so let’s not bring that up, and focus on the new EADS product that none of us have obviously flown on.

As can be seen from EADS own website, the end unit of one seat is to the right of another seat, and is part of that seat. The seat is not just the upright bit we sit in, but the entire oblong unit, which of course allows the conversion into a flat bed: –

http://www.eads.com/eads/int/en/news/media.b4cf5123-2d5f-4ea7-a463-a58fa6b11386.-Solstys+Business+Class+seat.html

So basically one entire ‘column’ of seats has been ‘pushed back’ about half a seat length. This does not mean the seat to the side is in another row. A seat plan is basically rows and columns, with ‘columns’ given letters, and rows given numbers.

So assuming the 2 seats in the EADS image are on the left hand side next to the window, one of them would be the A ‘column’ and the other would be the B. There is therefore 2 seats across the width of the cabin before you get to the aisle. Then you have 4 in the middle, and another pair of 2 units by the right hand windows.

[Author]

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