British Airways was recently voted among the worst airlines for long and short haul travel in a survey by consumer champion Which? – but the airline is likely to be more confident about its position in the 2025 rankings.
That’s because it has announced a £7bn “transformation plan”, with updates revealed across the business including new short-haul seats, a new website and mobile app, free on-board messaging and intelligence technology. artificial to improve its operations.
The investment will also bring a new first class cabin to the A380, which will debut in late 2025, and new lounges in Dubai and Miami.
The announcements were made last night at a glittering event in central London, with rows of the new short-haul seats on display in a model cabin.
MailOnline tested them and they looked impressive, although of course the only real test is during a flight.
British Airways has announced a £7bn “transformation plan”, including new short-haul seats. Pictured above are the new short-haul business class seats.
Pictured above are the new short-haul economy class seats.
MailOnline travel editor Ted Thornhill tests new business class seats for short trips
The new seats, from Collins Aerospace, will be present on the Airbus A320neos and A321neos, and will initially enter service on eight modernized aircraft from May, with larger overhead bins and superior ergonomics.
Calum Laming, British Airways chief customer officer, said: ‘(The seats) represent the best of Britain in terms of design. They’ve been made in Northern Ireland, have Scottish leather, there will be larger overhead compartments and feature USB A and C technology that’s right in front of you.
‘We are listening to our customers, that is crucial. Listening to the comments.’
The mock cabin, which included executive (Club Europe) and economy (Euro Traveler) seats, revealed how the USB ports are conveniently placed next to the tray table.
And the seats have a dynamic look, with vivid red piping around the headrests.
In terms of comfort, after a brief initial inspection, they seem perfectly suitable for short distance trips, with fairly decent padding and anti-drop fins on the headrests.
Ted is all smiles in new short-haul economy seats
USB ports are located very conveniently next to the tray table
The new seats, from Collins Aerospace, will be featured on Airbus A320neos (above) and A321neos, and will enter service on eight modernized aircraft from May.
Watch this space for a more thorough assessment.
Meanwhile, British Airways explained that the update to its website and app would offer “deeper personalisation”, adding: “The new ba.com browser is already in beta testing with platforms designed to offer a range of new services, including allowing customers to self-authorize service if they wish, taking control and making changes to their trips online, instead of having to call one of the airline’s customer service centers to modify their plans. Initial changes will begin to be implemented by the end of the year.
Wi-Fi upgrades are also being introduced for customers as part of the excellent investment package.
BA revealed: “From April 3, British Airways Executive Club members will start being able to send messages for free on a single device using the airline’s Wi-Fi, regardless of which cabin they travel in. The service will be available on all cabins Wi-Fi enabled aircraft within two weeks of the launch date.
BA revealed that from April 3 Executive Club members will begin to be able to send messages for free on a single device using the airline’s Wi-Fi
The flag carrier explained that a £100m portion of the investment was being channeled into “machine learning, automation and artificial intelligence across (the) operation”, a move that would “drive improvements from bookings to baggage handling and would help revolutionize operations, accelerate departures and respond to disruptions.”
BA added: ‘Innovative new tools are helping to predict delays, driving preventative action to reduce disruption, and to analyze real-time weather, aircraft capacity and customer connection data to help teams make better decisions. Since the introduction of the systems, along with a number of new processes and ways of working, the airline has seen improvements in the punctuality of its departures.’
At the event, BA also announced that flights from London to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur will return, restarting in October and November respectively.
The airline will operate daily flights between the Malaysian capital and London Heathrow on a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, as well as three weekly flights between the Thai capital and London Gatwick on a 777-200ER.
“We are on a path to better BA for our people and for our customers, underpinned by a transformation program that will see us invest £7 billion over the next two years to revolutionize our business,” Sean Doyle, British Airways’ President and CEO, he said.
‘We will take delivery of new aircraft, introduce new cabins, improve our customer service, focus on operational performance and address our environmental impact by reducing our emissions and creating a culture of sustainability. “We are also investing heavily in the development of a new ba.com website and app and are focused on transforming our business and solving any issues for our customers.”