British Airways adds First Class to its upcoming Boeing 787 orders

When the first batch of Boeing 787-8’s entered service with British Airways late last year, they were designed as three-class aircraft.  There is no First Class cabin at all.

There was some discussion at the time about whether this was the beginning of the end of First Class on BA.  However, the airline has now announced that deliveries of the (slightly larger) 787-9 aircraft – due from 2015 – will have a First Class cabin.

To quote from Business Traveller:

Frank van der Post, BA’s managing director of brands and customer experience, said: “Suffice to say immense attention has been paid to developing our award-winning First cabin, ensuring our signature style is maintained.

“We’ve also concentrated on the materials and technology used, the space around the seat and the comfort of the bed.”

He added: “We introduced an updated First cabin on the A380 when we launched that in September, which offers customers 30 per cent more personal space and 60 per cent more personal stowage and we’re getting great feedback.

“The new cabin on the 787-900 is a further development, which we think our customers will love. It will feel exceptionally elegant and beautifully British — exactly what our customers ask of us.”

It will be a very small first class cabin, with just eight seats compared to the current average of 14.

There are a couple of ‘teaser’ images in the article if you click through.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (January 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.