Inside British Airways new A320neo aircraft with its super-thin seats and power sockets

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• Peter K says:

  21 Apr21 April 12:45

  I sort of sympathise with BA. For the average person they want a cheap holiday/flight and every kilo of weight adds to the ticket price.
  Oil costs are currently low but if they go back to $90-100 a barrel then every kilo more than a LCC adds an extra reason not to fly BA for the average Joe, especially if we get another recession.
  There is also still an increase in there number of passengers every year so by increasing the number of seats pretty flight BA will need less slots/planes which again means lower prices and helps future proof themselves.
  It all comes down to economics and sadly BA needs to compete on price and to attract the average consumer that means going down the route it has gone.

  • Catalan says:

    21 Apr21 April 13:34

    Here here. Exactly!
    Would all the moaners (who probably don’t fly BA anyway) please step off the plane!

    • Nick says:

      21 Apr21 April 16:33

      Far from it. I think that you may find that the many people who have made comments on this thread have been flying with BA for many years, some indeed since inception. Heaven forbid, but some of us, including myself, have also flown BOAC & BEA, as well as the likes of British Caledonian, so I think that their comments are worth taking aboard. 🙂

      • Peter K says:

        21 Apr21 April 16:57

        I get that and wasn’t saying things haven’t got worse, just that market forces have basically put BA in a lose lose position. Either miss out on the mass market or alienate those who are used to better. Which would you choose if in their position?
        Maybe they have chosen the wrong option, but I can understand why they have. And as that is their game plan then Alex Cruz, with LCC experience, no doubt seemed a good choice at the time.

      • Nick says:

        21 Apr21 April 17:43

        Thanks for the post Peter and, I largely agree with you.

        The problem that I have is that BA have just gone too far in their general cost cutting and, IMHO, this has had, and will continue to have (unless they change their strategy), a negative effect on many of their core customers.

        I personally see most of the issues being down to the corporate’s who make these decisions, who probably just don’t understand the product & services that they offer and their customer base. I see this regularly now also with hotels and the ergonomic layout of rooms. There are now so many negative issues with hotel rooms, within the major chains today, that any regular traveller can point out, yet the people that make decisions about these rooms have probably never stayed in same to appreciate the issues.

        I’m sure that Rob could have a whole new thread on this, so won’t bore you and others any more for now! 🙂

        Anyway, just my view, but I believe it’s also true of many other regualr tarvellers today. 🙂

      • Lady London says:

        21 Apr21 April 20:27

        Er… @Nick did you really mean some HfP readers have been flying BA since its inception? BA is celebrating its 100 year anniversary next year….

      • Nick says:

        21 Apr21 April 20:58

        TBH, it really depends on which ‘British Airways’. I was referiing to the ‘new’ British Airways, which was incepted in 1974, incorporating BOAC & BEA, which I thought would have been evident when I mentioned the latter two companies as having flown with previously. 🙂

      • David says:

        21 Apr21 April 21:09

        Ridiculous comment Lady London.

        Nick mentions British Airways and also BOAC and BEA. Therefore unquestionably he is referring to the British Airways created in 1974.

        Personally I think it would be far more significant for BA to mark 45 years next year, rather than 100 years since Air Transport & Travel Ltd and which went into Liquidation.

        Indeed, I’d further have suggested it would have been better to have marked 30 years since privatisation (1987) last year. But, given we are heading back in the direciton of ‘Bloody Aweful’ – maybe 1974 British Airways is the anniversay to mark.

      • Arnold says:

        21 Apr21 April 21:16

        frayed anecdotes of yesteryear are rarely worth much credence

• John says:

  21 Apr21 April 19:37

  Amazingly thin amazingly tightly packed and amazingly uncomfortable… If I want low cost service and comfort I’ll book with someone who charges low fares…
  BA appears to be the only one who believes that charging premium and delivering low service is sustainable (when they bother at all)

• M says:

  22 Apr22 April 06:42

  Catastrophe. Those seats are extremely tight and uncomfortable for any flight longer than one hour. They are much worth than the currently ones. I do find the small BA Logo on the current seat quite chic. The new ones? LCC!

• Andrew says:

  22 Apr22 April 19:15

  I’ve yet to be in a BA economy seat where the headrest worked properly. I’m 6’3″ so like to put it up – they always immediately drop back down again.

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