British Airways A380 retrofit: biggest business class cabin ever

"This is a major milestone for British Airways and the future of our A380 fleet," CEO Sean Doyle said. "We've completely reimagined the customer experience."

British Airways has started retrofitting its Airbus A380 interiors, a project documented in detail by One Mile at a Time. The first jet is getting new cabins and is expected back in service in the coming months.

The upper deck will be entirely business class: 106 Club World seats in four zones. One Mile at a Time calls this the world's largest business class cabin. The seats are a refreshed version of the carrier's existing Club Suites, with a new blue, red and cream color scheme, more storage and improved functionality, plus a Club Kitchen snack bar.

On the lower deck: 12 first class suites with doors and improved technology, 84 World Traveller Plus premium economy seats, and 215 World Traveller economy seats. The airline hasn't released many details on the premium economy and economy seats beyond new designs.

Capacity comparison

| Cabin | Old seats | New seats | |-------|-----------|-----------| | First | 14 | 12 | | Business | 97 | 106 | | Premium economy | 55 | 84 | | Economy | 303 | 215 | | **Total** | **469** | **417** |

The reconfiguration drops 88 economy seats and two first class seats while adding nine business class and 29 premium economy seats. One Mile at a Time notes the layout is now more logical, with business class in one deck instead of spread across two.

"At the start of the pandemic, British Airways grounded its A380 fleet," One Mile at a Time reports. "In the years since, the planes have been flying around in simply horrible condition."

The new cabins are also expected on the carrier's delayed Boeing 777Xs, which likely won't arrive before 2028.

• Airbus A380
• British Airways
• cabin retrofit
• Club World
• First Class
• Sean Doyle