British Airways has unveiled a new first-class seat which it claims “pushes the boundaries of comfort”.
The seat has been designed to provide passengers with a “modern luxury hotel feel”, the airline said.
It is wider than existing seats in its most premium cabin at 36.5in (92.7cm), and longer when converted into a fully flat bed at 6ft 6in.
Features include a 32-inch 4K entertainment screen, the option to share space with a companion and adjustable mood lighting with settings such as “relax”, “dine” and “cinema”.
Passengers will be “cocooned” with a 60-inch curved privacy wall, the carrier said.
Curves throughout the new First cabin have been inspired by the wings of British Airways’ retired supersonic airliner Concorde.
The seat will initially be installed as part of the airline’s retrofitting of its Airbus A380 fleet and is expected to be in use from mid-2026.
British Airways chief customer officer Calum Laming said: “We’re incredibly proud to launch the next era of First that pushes the boundaries of comfort, luxury and modernity, taking into consideration customer preferences and expectations to the finest detail.”
He added that the seat, “world-class” onboard service, priority check-in areas and access to “award-winning lounges” will create a “winning combination in delivering an extraordinary experience” for first-class ticket holders.
The seat will be manufactured by Northern Ireland company Collins Aerospace.
Rhys Jones, aviation editor of frequent flyer website headforpoints.com, said it “looks very smart” and is “a good upgrade on the existing seat”.
He told the PA news agency: “I love the blue and the beige finishes. There are some nice touches like homages to BA’s heritage with Concorde.
“This is a front-on full-width seat, so hopefully that gives you a bit more sense of space and it means you have a full rectangular bed rather than a slightly angled bed, so from a sleeping perspective that should help a lot.”
He said the seat is “not going to compete” with what is offered by carriers such as Etihad and Singapore Airlines, but British Airways’ first-class tickets are “priced at more sensible levels than those really ultra-luxury products”.
