What we know about the new British Airways 787-9 fleet

British Airways is about to take delivery of the first of a huge order for 22 Boeing 787-9 aircraft.  Because this is simply a slightly longer version of the original 787-8 Dreamliner it is a fairly low profile event, but the new fleet will herald some major changes.

As it happens, I am scheduled to fly one of these down to Abu Dhabi next Easter so I will able to take a look for myself.

British Airways has a dedicated webpage for the new aircraft which you can find here.

The first flight is due to take place to Delhi on October 25th.  Abu Dhabi / Muscat and Kuala Lumpur will follow.

An article in the British Airways staff magazine, which I will not reproduce for copyright reasons, has added some extra information to what we already know.  This is what you can expect to find:

These will be four class aircraft, unlike the original 787-8 order which did not have First Class

The aircraft are 20 feet longer than the 787-8

Initial route selection is being driven partly by cargo considerations as these are very fuel efficient aircraft …..

…. apart from Abu Dhabi, which was chosen because Etihad is (and I paraphrase) wiping the floor with BA due to its far superior product offering and ‘all A380’ service from Heathrow

The seating configuration will be:

First Class : 8 seats

Club World : 42 seats

World Traveller Plus:  39 seats

World Traveller:  127 seats

With only eight seats, the First Class cabin will be smaller than the 14 seats found on the Boeing 777 aircraft it is replacing.  This is likely to impact Avios reward availability.

The number of Club World seats is slightly smaller (48 seats down to 42) with little change elsewhere on the aircraft.

World Traveller seats will be half an inch wider than those on the 787-8

Whilst not mentioned in the article, a piece in ‘The Times’ yesterday said that seat pitch was also being increased, by one inch

There will be no change to the World Traveller Plus or Club World product

The First Class seat will utilise the same footprint as the A380 seat but with a different layout.  The TV will be substantially larger at 23 inches, the tray table will be in a different place and there are more stowage compartments for glasses etc.

In total, British Airways has ordered:

8 x Boeing 787-8

22 x Boeing 787-9

12 x Boeing 787-10 (still in development – this will be a longer plane that the 787-9 but will not be able to fly as far)

The official 787-9 page on ba.com is here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 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.