British Airways releases first images of First Class on the Boeing 787-9

I recently wrote about the forthcoming Boeing 787-9 aircraft that British Airways is about to start receiving.  There were a few hints about what the ‘evolutionary not revolutionary’ First Class seat would look like – now we know.

BA released some images yesterday which you can see below.

The first flight will be to Delhi on October 25th, followed in quick succession by Abu Dhabi / Muscat, Kuala Lumpur, Austin and San Jose.

Whilst the new seat certainly looks impressive – although hardly likely to give Etihad executives sleepless nights about the performance on the Abu Dhabi route – it is important to remember that there are only eight seats.  This is down from 14 on the Boeing 777 aircraft it is replacing and will mean far lower chances of Avios availability, especially for multiple seats.

According to internal BA publicity, the key differentiators are:

New storage areas – a new ottoman next to the footstool shoes, handbags and personal items, a redesigned coat cabinet which is now accessible from their seat, a new locker at eye-level for smaller personal effects and a discreet stowage area next to the armrest for charging devices

Upgraded IFE – the handset will be integrated into the seat, the handset will have a small screen which can show a different service to the main TV (eg moving map on the handset, movie on the TV), the TV screen will be 23 inches

New controls – the ‘jog-dial’ now has five additional functions including the headrest and lumbar inflate and a ‘global’ lighting control

There are also the general benefits of the 787 – larger windows, greater humidity and a new pressurisation system which, apparently, is now the equivalent of being outside at 6,000 feet rather than the previous 8,000 feet.

I am due to fly a 787-9 next Easter, albeit in Club World, so it will be interesting to try it.

You can also learn more about the new 787-9 fleet on ba.com here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

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:

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

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.

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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

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.

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