Is this the new British Airways A350 Club World seat?

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An image appeared on Flyertalk yesterday which appears to show the new British Airways Club World seats for the forthcoming A350 aircraft.

I have not reproduced the image because it has been stolen from an internal British Airways IT system and, if genuine, is obviously under BA copyright.

You can, however, see it in the first post of this Flyertalk thread (unless BA has taken steps to have it removed by the time you read this).

The first thing you will notice is that the standard ‘ying yang’ layout has been retained.

Note the comment on the slide though – “Direct aisle access for every seat”. This would be a major step forward for the Club World product if confirmed.

It isn’t fully clear how BA intends to do this. The Emirates solution is to make the aisle seats shorter than the seats by the windows or in the centre of the middle block in order to create a gap for the other person to get out. The person who published the slide implies that the cabin may have one fewer row of seats in order to accommodate this.

You shouldn’t get too excited by any of this. British Airways only has 18 A350 aircraft on firm order with an option for 18 more, and they won’t start arriving until 2018. It has already stated that the new Club World seats used on these aircraft will not be fitted on the A380, 777, 787 or 747 fleets.

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Comments (49)

Simmo says:

6 Jun6 June 09:53

OT/ But still BA.

Travelling to a few of the Euro football games in the coming weeks with 3 friends, I am BA Silver, so will have no issue getting 2 of us in the lounges at T5.
However the 3rd person of course will not have entry – Any ideas on trying our luck? Asking a Silver/Gold CH stranger (is that a massive no/no?)
- Alan says:
  
  6 Jun6 June 10:14
  
  You only get one guest so it’ll be you plus one of them leaving two of them outside the lounge. I wouldn’t just approach folk, there used to be a guesting thread on Flyertalk but that has been closed for just now. Paid-for lounge access is your main other option, I guess?
  - Billy Buzzjet says:
    
    6 Jun6 June 10:32
    
    Hi.
    Yeah you’re definitely not on to a winner there. Even golds can’t get an extra person in, no matter how charming . BA is really strict about this now . I was only able to get my sister and nephew in because he was under two years old. Maybe your friends could check MMB and see if they’re offering an upgrade to CE.
    - Boris says:
      
      6 Jun6 June 14:31
      
      Get an Amex Plat for the Priority Pass or two, choose your lounges carefully, plus the bonuses, and cancel the card in 3 months.
- Genghis says:
  
  6 Jun6 June 10:20
  
  The lounges can get quite busy (i.e. lots of people traffic). You could go in with one mate then 10 minutes later leave (i.e. “go to Boots”) leaving your first mate inside. Then go back in with your second mate. You’ve nothing to lose I guess.
  - Simmo says:
    
    6 Jun6 June 10:28
    
    Ha I have always wondered this… always thought that the way they scan the boarding pass they would know if somebody else had been scanned beforehand as a flag.
    
    Guess it will have to be a quick dash in, load up on drinks and then go for lunch together elsewhere.
    - Rob says:
      
      6 Jun6 June 11:34
      
      Whenever I nip out of the lounge to buy something, I always walk straight back in, say ‘you scanned it last time’ to the person on the desk, and keep walking. Never, ever had a problem doing that. You could probably get away with it irrespective of whether you were meant to go in!
  - Alan says:
    
    6 Jun6 June 11:27
    
    Nice try, but that’s unlikely to work as they update the booking on their system to say which passenger you have guested in (flight number and seat) to stop folk doing just this, or them trying to guest folk into both Galleries North and South!
    
    As an aside to the OP – only Gold Guest List BAEC members get two guests.
    - Matt says:
      
      6 Jun6 June 13:15
      
      I’ve seen them threaten to close someone’s Executive Club account for abuse of the guest system, not worth it and a very awkward conversation to have
- Nick says:
  
  6 Jun6 June 11:43
  
  Massive no-no, I’m afraid. The best I can suggest is that you look at the price to upgrade one of them to CE. Can you upgrade one of them with avios? if not, the cash cost might not be that far off buying a few drinks and a bit of food in an airport restaurant.
  - Simmo says:
    
    6 Jun6 June 13:47
    
    Afraid not! – Cash rates at the moment are close to £700 Return in CE! and no Avios seats available (I’ve booked 3 of them in Y with avios).
    - Genghis says:
      
      6 Jun6 June 14:00
      
      Perhaps best to get some free bags of crisps etc from the lounge and then go somewhere else to eat. Enjoy the Euros! I’m heading out on Friday.
      - David says:
        
        9 Jun9 June 06:42
        
        I am BA Gold. Depending on where you are flying you might have better luck on the return leg. Despite us all flying on economy I managed to get both my wife and my daughter, (20), into the lounge at Venice Marco Polo last week. I suggest that you just be polite, acknowledge that it is an extra guest and hope for kindness. I think in general it will be very dependent on how full the lounge is. Different storey at T5.
Ronster says:

6 Jun6 June 13:12

This new J product does mean that the elusive “direct isle access”, that has really been the main advancement in J hard products will be met by BA. It does look like a good place to be and I would certainly consider using my Avios on flights of up to 7-8 Hours. Above that It will not change my Avios burning policy of only F when traveling 7-8 hours plus.

As commented by myself a week ago,if Mr Cruz has already stated that the above J new product is not special enough to be fitted in the other planes, (that Raffles mentions above), then the real surprise will come when that new J class is revealed.

It remains to be seen if the A350 gains F and if it will be the same as in the 787-9 or will that too be a totally new design as well?

Ronster
Bob says:

6 Jun6 June 14:20

It looks as though the shell around the footstool for the aisle seat has tapered down to stool level (on the diagram) – I guess this would allow them to leave a small gap, as you’d be stepping through barriers which are below knee level rather than squishing through at hip/chest level of a seat back…
Mark says:

6 Jun6 June 17:52

If i understand the diagram correctly, the two seats are different sizes. Although this msut add cost and complexity to design, build and maintenance, this seems a good idea that could be pushed further.

It makes seat selection even more critical but means you can make more efficient use of the weird spaces available in aircraft and keep more people happy (bigger seat for larger customers, smaller seats to fill up awkward spaces and make seat layout more efficient).
- Rob says:
  
  6 Jun6 June 18:07
  
  That is what Emirates have always done. Aisle seats are shorter.
  
  Bit annoying for as we put the kids together in the middle, even though they dont need the space, and then we get squeezed a bit on the outside seats.
- Bob says:
  
  6 Jun6 June 21:09
  
  I’m not sure that the diagram does show different sizes. It shows different widths for seat and bed because the arm rests in CW drop down to bed level as the seat reclines.
Paul says:

8 Jun8 June 14:31

Interesting you reported on this, despite it being pointed out by BA staff that this is NOT the seat coming on the A350.
The employee has found a seat proposal document made by a seat manufacture, there are also such detailed documents produced for other designs – including the ‘Sofa’ design that was patented.