8 things coming to the British Airways experience, including new first class, lounges

11.06.2024 - 23:51 / thepointsguy.com / Calum Laming

British Airways has long been the largest European carrier serving the U.S., and now, the airline wants to make itself even more relevant to your travel plans.

The London-based carrier earlier this year announced a sweeping $9 billion transformation that touches basically every aspect of the travel experience. From new lounges to overhauled cabins to improved operations, the airline's transformation is a massive undertaking that will guide it through the 2020s and beyond.

As part of the effort, British Airways unveiled on Monday a few more details about what you can expect in the months and years ahead. TPG was at the airline's special showcase event in New York. Here are the key takeaways from that event and what you need to know about these improvements.

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Ever since British Airways introduced a new business-class product, dubbed Club Suites, many industry insiders have questioned whether the airline is committed to first class. After all, the new business-class product is in many ways more modern and more comfortable than the existing first-class offering.

The good news is that first class is here to stay on British Airways — and it's getting even better, said Calum Laming, British Airways' chief commercial officer, in an interview with TPG.

According to Laming, the airline will debut an all-new first-class product on board the Airbus A380 at the end of next year.

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Laming wasn't ready to divulge more details, but his eagerness to reply to TPG's question seemed to indicate he was very excited about the product.

The airline expects the new seat to debut at the end of 2025 or early 2026 as part of its A380 aircraft refurbishment.

While flyers may need to wait a little bit longer for the new first-class experience, elements of the overhauled service are already debuting.

This includes a new flight attendant training program for crew serving the first-class cabin. This program is designed to result in more personalized first-class service, with a particular emphasis being placed on teaching more about the airline's wine program.

Other enhancements include the introduction of new menus and modernized entertainment systems.

British Airways went from having one of the worst business-class products in the sky to one of the best. The new Club Suites are a night-and-day improvement compared to the old forward- and rear-facing lie-flat seats that even included a dreaded middle seat in business class.

The new Club Suites feature direct aisle access for every passenger, as well as sliding doors for additional privacy. They're based on the incredibly