The Dreamliners are finally getting the business class they deserve.
British Airways will soon begin upgrading its Boeing 787 fleet to the latest Club Suites business class, with the first of the redone Dreamliners expected to take wing at the end of October. As anybody who’s travelled in the Club Suites can attest it’s a dramatic uplift in every respect, from comfort and seat features to personal space and privacy.
BA’s original Boeing 787-8s are first in line, an airline spokesperson tells Executive Traveller. “We remain committed to rolling out our award-winning Club Suite,” the airline says, “and we’re pleased that our Boeing 787-8 aircraft is next to be retrofitted, allowing our customers to experience our latest business class product to even more destinations across our network.”
BA’s dozen 787-8s – which are typically seen on routes into North America, South America, and India – will however take some time to undergo their transformation, meaning the longer-range Boeing 787-9s will have to wait their turn.
British Airways originally planned to have most of the 787-8 and 787-9 jets upgraded, but progress on the fleet-wide program was unavoidably set back by the global pandemic. Executive Traveller understands the refurbished BA 787-8 business class will sport 31 Club Suites – a slight drop from the previous 35 – with 37 premium economy World Traveller Plus seats, up from 25. However, as before, the 787-8s won’t be graced with a first-class cabin.
In comparison, the upgraded 787-9s will see 38 Club Suites, and 38 premium economy World Traveller Plus seats, along with eight of the new-design first-class suites, which like business class include a sliding privacy door.
The airline was unable to provide a timeline for when its Boeing 787-9s are expected to go under the knife – and of course, this doesn’t come nearly fast enough to stop the BA15/BA16 Kangaroo Route between London and Sydney being downgraded from a Club Suites 777 to a Club World 787-9 as of March 26.