British Airways reveals new short-haul seats and timeline for new transatlantic first class

British Airways last night shared details of its transformation plan, which costs 7 billion British pounds (around $8.9 billion). It includes new short-haul seats, new lounges and a rollout plan for its revamped long-haul first class.

Announced at the airline’s first “In the Skies” showcase event in London, the airline revealed an ambitious modernization outline spanning multiple areas of operation.

Among the more exciting announcements was the airline’s plan to roll out new short-haul seats and cabin interiors on its newest Airbus A320neo and A321neos, with eight aircraft set to arrive starting in May.

The redesigned cabins will be fitted with extra-large bins for overhead luggage, and they will also see the return of Club Europe’s leather middle seat tray tables.

All Club Europe seats will also be fitted with USB-A and USB-C power (60W) charging ports; the Euro Traveller seats will be fitted with USB-A and USB-C (15W) charging ports.

The airline also confirmed that it expects to roll out a brand-new first-class suite between the United Kingdom and the U.S. at the end of 2025 and early 2026. It will be aboard its refurbished A380 aircraft.

There was also good news for British Airways Executive Club members who, from April 3, will be able to benefit from free messaging on a single device using the airline’s Wi-Fi, regardless of the cabin they travel in. Additionally, the airline has also extended its current double-tier bonus offering with British Airways Holidays until the end of June 2025.

On the ground, BA also plans to open a new lounge at Dubai International Airport (DXB). It’ll be the first to feature the airline’s new lounge design concept, followed by the opening of a lounge at Miami International Airport (MIA) in 2025. There will also be refreshes of the airline’s current lounges at Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) in Lagos, Nigeria.

It will make investments across the operational side of things with an overhaul of the airline’s website and mobile app. This will offer deeper personalization for travelers and a 100 million pound (around $127 million) investment in machine learning, automation and AI. It will drive improvements in areas such as bookings and baggage handling as well as IT infrastructure (which, let’s face it, hasn’t been the best in recent years).

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

In addition to the above, we’ll also see a return of British Airways flights from London to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL). The services will restart in October and November, respectively.

The airline will operate three flights a week between the Thai capital and London Gatwick Airport (LGW) on a 777-200ER. It will offer daily flights between the Malaysian capital city and London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) on a 787-9 aircraft.

“We’re on a journey to a better BA for our people and for our customers, underpinned by a transformation programme that will see us invest £7bn over the next two years to revolutionise our business,” Sean Doyle, British Airways chairman and CEO, said. “We’re going to take delivery of new aircraft, introduce new cabins, elevate our customer care, focus on operational performance and address our environmental impact by reducing our emissions and creating a culture of sustainability.”