BA Seating

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Viewing 15 posts - 106 through 120 (of 183 total)

  • Ellwood
    Participant

    I think that you also will have to bear in mind the time at which the orders for these aircraft went in, especially the B787, and that they probably contracted their seat suppliers at the same time to produce a certain number of these seats, which the suppliers would have done while they had the production lines running and the guaranteed order from BA.

    I would not be surprised if there are a large amount of shrink-wrapped CW seats that have been sitting in a warehouse having been produced years ago that have just been waiting for the aircraft to fit them in.

    They could have had a similar situation with New First and, by virtue of it being different, is why they used it to upgrade some of the older F product as these aircraft became due for refits and they had the stock already there.


    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    Hermes1964 – 20/06/2013 03:46 GMT

    Hi Hermes

    Welcome to the forum, and thanks for your reply.

    (regardless of 787 and A380 coming on line, and that feeling like a very big missed opportunity.)

    It was the above which prompted my post in the first instance, and whilst I’ve been “unbecoming” on some threads about the A380, I have also stated that I do understand why fans of the airline are excited as it is indeed an exciting aircraft. (BA’s is also the most stunning liveried one I’ve seen thus far by a long way)

    My point was that with these launches of not one but two new ways to fly, which could have been a real triumph for the airline, and for many still is, does nothing to attract back the disaffected – e.g. – me. I’ve done A380’s with other airlines specifically because of the seating on BA which whilst innovative 13-years-ago has now been surpassed by many. Should BA come up with something new, which I have no doubt in time they will, they render their shiny-new planes as ‘old Club’ and “old First’ in an instant.

    Perhaps, as you go onto say later in your post, they feel their return with the older design is just fine, but I am not so sure. I very much suspect that Delta/United et al are looking at the new AA product and will be forced to react, which will then see BA’s dominant routes come under a bit more commercial pressure.

    Be interesting to see just how/when BA do react and what they put forward as their solution.

    Regards.
    AOTG.


    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    eejp1007 – 20/06/2013 09:28 GMT

    Ahh, see now that makes a lot of sense….thanks for that.

    Just how delayed were both aircraft?

    Rgds.
    AOTG.


    Ellwood
    Participant

    Dreamliners were supposed to go into service (not with BA, but ANA) in 2008 if I remember correctly? Finally flew commercially in late October 2011. They would have originally been delivered to BA in 2010 so a 3 year delay on that one.

    The A380 was a lot more managed delay I think but it will be eventually about 2 years behind the scheduled EIS if I remember rightly?

    Help on this one very, very much appreciated! Ed


    Cloud-9
    Participant

    The problem with BA is that they are slow to react to changing circumstances; in this case the prevalance of a superior hard product in many other airlines. Also, once they have identified that there actually IS a problem they are also slow to roll it out.

    When CX (for example) decided to update their seating, they concentrated on doing so.

    I would not associate the same speed with BA


    GordyUK
    Participant

    I think you make a good point AhMrBond…

    I’m happy to admit that I’ve been extremely pro-BA for a long time and has Hermes1964 above mentions, there is a desire to “want” to believe in your national airline and fall back on the historic way it used to be innovative & ground-breaking.

    I’ve flown in BA’s C & F enough times now to feel a right to comment. Old First, is a disgrace. I had the misfortune to pick up a dinosaur of a 747 on a LHR-LAX flight a few months ago. It was so old the crew were not only embarrassed to be on it, but some of them didn’t know how things worked. I had to take photos of burst seating, torn fabrics. The only saving grace was i’d burned Avios for this. If i’d paid for it, I would have been furious. Its got to the stage that if there is the slightest chance that a plane with have O/F on it, i’ll go Club World.

    Which brings me to New First… which in itself is an embarrassing name. Sure it was new… what 5 years ago.. I remember doing a product test of NF in a warehouse at Heathrow in 2008!! – The fact there are BA aircraft without this, still in the air is shocking. That said, I don’t hold with any of this B/S about it being to cramped. yes ok there are more seats in the nose of a 747 than with other airline’s F product, but please.. if you’re that precious about it, charter a jet!.

    The really alarming issue is that AA’s new product looks stunning and the 3 American friends I have, who have flown BA N/F seem bewildered and think that N/F is just a “nice business class”.. Judging by AA’s flagship suites, I can see why.

    But its not just the new products – I mean there will always be something newer or better.. EK A380 suites are incredible and much as VK hates me banging on about this, I think the shower spas are gorgeous, and not a gimmick as he seems to think. Once you’ve had a shower at 38,000 feet, you will sneer at the waste of space QS,AF & BA have made of their A380 front upper deck “side spaces”.. BA in particular have made themselves look decidedly the opposite of innovative with their bland “same old” seating for this too. What a waste of a golden opportunity.


    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    Hi Gordy

    I’ve just read the below article which CrazyCanuck posted on the BA A380 thread:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10131713/British-Airways-plans-unveiled-for-Dreamliner-and-A380.html

    BA’s merger with Iberia is “working out”, and as American Airlines emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, its alliance with BA will become “a raving success,” he says. “The new AA product is spectacular – as good as BA.”

    There is a lot in this article from Van der Post who has been brought on-board to improve BA’s service and products on-board. The last sentence astonished me, “as good as BA”…..

    As this thread is about seating, I thought I’d c n p that particular part of the article along with the below:

    Thanks to “the flying Dutchman”, much is new at BA. But not everything. The “back to front” seats in Club World will remain on the new aircraft. Critics point out that the seats are smaller than on rival carriers and there are more of them, making the cabin feel cramped. Many premium travellers – poor souls – hate having to sit face-to-face with a stranger and having to step over the footstool to get into the aisle. Club World passengers will not be able to eat at a time of their choosing, a service almost every other premium carrier offers.

    There will be no bars, which are popular on Virgin Atlantic and Emirates. There will be no showers at 39,000ft, which first-class passengers on Emirates enjoy. Perhaps most controversially the planes will not offer Wi-Fi, which is widely available on Virgin, Emirates and Qatar Airways. “We might get it later when the technology improves,” van der Post says.

    Oh well, that’s that then.
    Rgds.
    AOTG.


    GordyUK
    Participant

    I does worry me, not least because BA’s fleet is so huge that any changes take a glacial period to implement. “new” first is a prime of example of this.

    thanks for the article.. very interesting and not just because Mr Van Der Post seems to include SPIN in his list of qualifications. I read that article and it was trying to make me feel good about a shit situation…lol


    canucklad
    Participant

    I’ve also read the article…thanks CrazyCanuck for posting it!

    I was rather taken by this whole boutique hotel concept……

    And I’m not getting it….my perception of a boutique hotel is, as follows….

    Uniquely different
    Stylised with iconic themes
    Personalised to each customer’s needs
    Aspirational
    Innovative and leading edge
    Brave & confident
    Different

    As a BA planes flies above me I wonder if this is just SPIN !!..I hope not !

    And, training CC to think more like hoteliers is just rubbish…..I would expect far better service from someone who is serving me 1 to 1 for in a confining space, than the occasional contact I have with hotel staff!

    Get them to be proud of being the most valuable people in the BA family….and more importantly of all…
    Have the “ Pride” to stand up and say “ I am BA”


    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    AllOverTheGaff – 20/06/2013 11:09 GMT and CrazyCanuck – thank you so much for posting the link to that article. I suppose it is a good thing that BA are trying to put that much effort into improving the little things, but really I am still staggered that they haven’t fixed the big things.

    Two quotations from the article, which really caught my eye in the context of this thread:

    (1) To cap it all, BA’s 100-strong short-haul fleet of Airbus A321s, A320s and A319s will be refitted, from the pointy end to the loos in the back, over the next two years. “We’ve got lots of new toys!” van der Post says, grinning.

    Two years. Yeah, right… Well, perhaps I shouldn’t be so cynical, but…!!! And what sort of new toys??? On a short-haul fleet? Well, I would be thrilled if they introduced IFE and I can imagine some people might get excited if they introduced WiFi, but realistically what other toys are BA likely to be putting in? Not enough, I suspect, to describe them as “lots”

    (2) “The new AA product is spectacular – as good as BA.”

    It’s a wonder the interviewer didn’t end up on the floor howling with derisive laughter. I know I would have done! That one comment shows that v d P either (a) has no clue, or (b) has no credibility. Possibly both.


    AnthonyDunn
    Participant

    @ AllOverTheGaff – 20/06/2013 11:09 GMT
    @ Ian_from_HKG – 21/06/2013 03:03 GMT

    Gents, having also read the article, I dare say that there may have been the odd twitching, indeed raising of an eyebrow at one or two of VdP’s remarks. However, you can hardly expect him to go in for a Gerald Ratner moment can you?! If, as Head of Brand at BA, he doesn’t talk the talk (even if a tad suspect in places…) then who else can be expected to talk things up and offer a vision for an improved future after the past five years of cut-backs, retrenchment and …tatty seats.


    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    AnthonyDunn – 21/06/2013 03:14 GMT
    Gents, having also read the article, I dare say that there may have been the odd twitching, indeed raising of an eyebrow at one or two of VdP’s remarks. However, you can hardly expect him to go in for a Gerald Ratner moment can you?! If, as Head of Brand at BA, he doesn’t talk the talk (even if a tad suspect in places…) then who else can be expected to talk things up and offer a vision for an improved future after the past five years of cut-backs, retrenchment and …tatty seats.

    Aye, fair point Anthony, one I can agree with.

    Thomas Horton must be laughing up his sleeve a little though when Van den Plas gibbered on about AA’s new seats being “as good as” BA’s! Either than AA’s CEO flew into a rage….

    Rgds.
    AOTG.


    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    And in other news, CX are “refreshing” their first class prior to a complete upgrade to happen in 2018

    http://www.ausbt.com.au/cathay-pacific-to-revamp-first-class-bose-headphones-more-personal-space


    Bucksnet
    Participant

    AA’s new seating looks great: –

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20zshmYxhLw

    As good as BA? The seats seem better. I’ve not tried any of them yet so I’d better say seem, though I wonder if the service is anywhere close to BA’s best?

    BA are now way behind and need to catch up fast!


    capetonianm
    Participant

    I noticed a reply from Alex McWhirter to a query about why an elderly couple were not seated together on a BA flight.

    The answer was :
    “I asked BA why, when passengers are asked to provide passport details which would reveal their age during the booking process, behind-the-scenes staff would not have spotted your parents’ ages and remedied the situation. In response, BA says passport information is passed to the relevant government bodies. It cannot access such information.”

    If this is what BA says, then they are distorting the truth.

    The passport information is sent to the airline, in order to be transmitted to the relevant government bodies. To say that the airline cannot access such information is untrue.

    It is sent to the airline as an SSR (special service request) in the following format:

    SSR DOCS BA HK1 P/GBR/12345678/GBR/01JAN00/M/01JAN20/NAME/FICTITIOUS/JOHN

    This contains :
    Document type (P for passport)
    Issuing state code
    Document number
    Holder nationality
    Date of birth
    Sex
    Date of document expiry
    Passenger surname
    Passenger given name(s).

    It is visible to anyone who can retrieve the booking, obviously including the airline’s own staff.

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