British Airways is set to retrofit its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet with its new Club Suites business class. The process planned to begin in late 2023. This is a great news for frequent British Airways flyers, as the Club Suite is a significant upgrade from the previous business class seats.

Club Suites: The New British Airways Business Class

The Club Suite is British Airways’ new business class seat and represents a dramatic upgrade over the old Club World seats. It was first introduced in 2019 when British Airways took delivery of its brand new A350s.

Club Suites are Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration. That means not only do Club Suites introduce a sliding door so each customer can enjoy some privacy, every seat features direct aisle access. The seats come with a lie-flat bed that’s 6’6″ in length, an 17″ high-definition touchscreen TV, and ample storage space.

This new product is a significant step up from the old Club World seats in a yin-yang layout. Since introducing the world’s first truly lie-flat business class seats in 2000, BA’s business class hard product had become out of date as competitors moved towards suites with doors that allowed passengers more privacy.

BA Club Suite Retrofit Progress

British Airways initially intended to introduce the Club Suite on retrofitted 787s as of 2021, but the pandemic caused the work to be postponed. As of now, the airline has taken delivery of 13 brand new A350s and 5 brand new 787-10s with Club Suite. It has also completed the retrofit of 25 777-200ERs and 10 777-300s.

If you’re flying BA in business, there’s a good chance you’ll experience Club Suite. British Airways has installed Club Suite on 53 of 104 (51%) of its total long-haul fleet. That’s an improvement from 36% of its total long-haul fleet in October 2021.

Still awaiting retrofit are the 787-8 fleet (12 aircraft), the 787-9 fleet (18 aircraft), the A380 fleet (12 aircraft), and nine 777s.

Changes to Seat Capacity

As they undergo retrofit, British Airways’ Boeing 787-8 and Boeing 787-9 fleets will lose some seat capacity.

The Boeing 787-8s will go from 214 seats to 204 seats, a 10 seat capacity reduction with a big increase in the number of premium economy seats:

• Business class: from 35 seats to 31 seats
• Premium economy: from 25 seats to 37 seats
• Economy: from 154 seats to 136 seats

The Boeing 787-9s will go from 216 seats to 215 seats, just a 1 seat capacity reduction:

• First class: 8 seats – no change
• Business class: from 42 seats to 38 seats
• Premium economy: 39 seats – no change
• Economy: from 127 seats to 130 seats

The 787-8s do not feature a first class cabin. The changes in layout reflect a slight reduction in business class seats. British Airways is focusing on premium economy, usually the most overbooked cabin on their flights and most profitable.

Bottom line

British Airways is set to retrofit its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet with its new Club Suites business class. The process is set to begin in late 2023.

The Club Suite is a significant upgrade from British Airways’ previous business class seats. They feature direct aisle access, lie-flat beds, high-definition touchscreen TVs, ample storage space, but most importantly: a sliding door for privacy. BA will also adjust seat capacity on the jets during the retrofit with a focus on increasing premium economy seats reflecting a shift in the airline’s strategy to focus on this more profitable cabin.

Tip of the hat to Head for Points.