The first ‘densified’ British Airways A321 – G-MEDN – is back from the hanger and is ready to fly!
(EDIT: This article has been edited to reflect the fact that the super-thin Recaro seats have not been installed.)
If you are travelling on Thursday, keep an eye on the following flights (list courtesy of Flyertalk):
LHR-GLA BA1474 0740
GLA-LHR BA1479 0955
LHR-NCL BA1332 1215
NCL-LHR BA1333 1425
LHR-GLA BA1488 1655
GLA-LHR BA1495 1915
This list only applies to Thursday. The plane is likely to be flying to entirely different cities on Friday.
It turns out this aircraft has NOT been fitted with the new super-thin seats. This will only be installed on new deliveries.
USB and standard power sockets have been added. That is the good news.
Here’s the bad news, as per cabin crew rumours online:
Total A321 seating goes up from 205 to 218 (I’m not sure exactly how that works with 13 extra seats instead of 12 but I quote directly from BA’s Investor Day presentation)
The rear toilets have been moved. Smaller, thinner toilets have been built into the back wall of the aircraft.
Two additional rows of seating are added
No duty free, as there is no space for the trolley (although today the aircraft is on domestic routes)
There will be no waste facilities or potable water supply at the rear of the plane, due to the need to free up space to fit in the loo. This means that all waste will be carried through Club Europe for disposal at the front, and all requests for free tap water will require a trip to the Club Europe galley.
The Club Europe wardrobe will remain but will also be used for general storage of medical equipment and may not be available for coats
If you find yourself on this aircraft today (registration G-MEDN) please take some photos and send them over!
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About Head for Points
As some with status with BA I have not sat anywhere beyond the exit row seats on more than 50 SH flights in the last couple of years. Thus regular flyers probably wont be effected by these new seats except positively with the addition of in seat chargers..
This is a massive downgrade even for Y pax. I really enjoyed the ‘iPad holder’ magazine rack freeing up my tray for BOB drinks….
O/T Rob is there an option in your wordpress installation so we can choose to view replies in chronological order of posting, rather than nesting? This is one of those fast moving topics whereby I’m going to lose track of replies due to the default nesting layout.
No. It is a global setting only I can switch, sorry.
Tomorrow’s flights are now in Flightradar 24 – it’s the turn of Manchester and Aberdeen to get it! https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/g-medn
09 March 2018
London – Manchester BA 1386 07:55 return BA 1389 09:55
London – Aberdeen BA 1308 12:10 return BA 1309 14:40
London – Manchester BA 1398 17:30 return BA 1405 19:25
No schedules for Saturday yet (if anyone gets them before they appear on FR24 let me know), if no one manages to travel on one today or tomorrow I’ll try and get one over the weekend.
“I would be surprised if even 20% of pax on a typical BA short haul had picked on price alone. Schedule is more important for corporates. And price is a function of other things too eg cost of getting to the airport”
Not to the corporate I worked for. If you didn’t pick the cheapest flight the system reported this to your manager. Any inconvenience in time or schedule was to be borne by the employee.
As others have said, for shorthaul I prefer the slimmer seat and when commuting weekly STN-AMS on easyJet was delighted if the aircraft had them installed.
People need to demand overtime or time off in lieu if they have to travel for business in their own time!
More fool any employee who accepts that. My time is far more valuable than a small financial cost to a large company.
A previous employer of mine had a similar system which meant you had to get approval if it wasn’t the cheapest available flight, but it was possible to “frig” the outcome by narrowing the search parameters. Meant I always flew from LCY at times convenient to me.
I was in a DL A-320 with the tiny loos last week and they’re fine (unless you’re perhaps very large!). A very good use of space.
I don’t see anything wrong with them either, at least BA allow you to use them during boarding rather than having to wait until after takeoff like easyJet and Ryanair
You can use them during boarding on easyjet
The loos themselves don’t seem such a bad idea unless you’re a bit of a cannonball. One bit of logical reasoning for the increase in number of rows in seats is reduced levels of compensation when things go belly-up. More passengers can be shifted more quickly when things aren’t extreme. Also: as someone who typically does 50+ short haul in economy per year – many segments are quite full. If the fuller ones get more revenue, then even if the less full ones do not, BA are still quids in?
Yes, BA are quids in. Passengers are not. On a flight which is not full to within 13 seats, no-one benefits from the new set-up but everyone in rows 13+ loses.
I don’t know why rob continually writes that the toilets have been REMOVED, they have been MOVED. That itself doesn’t seem a big deal.
And shrunk!
Are they rolling out wifi on the plane while they are reconfiguring the aircraft to the new seat config?
No, that is separate work.
Loos might be small but I bet they are still wider and with greater pitch than the new seats. They also come with privacy so they are undoubtedly the best seats on the plane, reserved for GGL only.
As somebody who does circa 50 European flights a year price is exceedingly important to me.
I would always prefer BA but after them Easyjet, Jet2, Norwegian and then Ryanair.
In my experience more and more employers are insisting on staff travelling at the lowest price and Easyjet have done well by frequent flights to the most important destinations.
Frankly BA can’t survive on the ‘posh boys’ flying as not enough of them to generate the revenue needed since the LCC’s seat costs are so much lower.
The constant bashing of BA on here is sad as I believe they are doing a pretty good job in an exceedingly tough market place. If BA don’t take the sort of action they have they will not be flying within Europe.
Other legacy carriers such as Lufthansa, KLM/Air France have set up LCC’s to compete.
Just a quick note as I get off the phone with Virgin Atlantic: Their customer service is fantastic.
I <3 dealing with Virgin!!! And I loathe having to contact BA – or whoever BA are outsourcing to…
ABBA
No recline is a positive step in my book. Nothing worse than someone that reclines into your lap. So inconsiderate.
Might appear uncomfortable and terrible pitch but reckon these seats might work out better tbh.
At the Boeing factory in Everett we were asked to test different cabin interiors and were surprised that we all choose the thinnest seat, with the least leg room.
Even the largest passengers were happier that seats didn’t recline. The fact they are adding wifi and removing the recline to me is a plus.
Adding more seats in theory will keep prices lower and increase their profits.
When I get 2+ hour trains I make sure I do not have to ever use the toilets on a train because they are gross. Toilets on a plane are also something of last resort.
None of this is an issue to the average traveller. And those of us on here who tier run and fly via Doha with Qatar can easily be bought with avios or a few glasses of champagne.
I think BA have got the right idea with most things and they will continue to make huge profits
Staffer told it’s a fair stretch to service the extra passengers on the shorter flights and the space taken from aisles makes traditional trolley service at back not possible.
On other matters recently experienced potential new ground instructions from certain airports on safety when loading which means unloading rear luggage storage hatch ( to avoid tipping !!) before letting passengers off. Given it’s hard to stop people at moment getting up when planes still moving that’s going to be a joy to experience…
Ps many of changes made in club last few years have been reversed so what odds free tea and coffee returning in econ…
A321 – G-MEDN = Armageddon