Alex Cruz speaks about the new British Airways Club World and First Class seats

Alex Cruz, the Chairman and CEO of British Airways, gave a speech at a UK Israel Business event yesterday morning.  I went along and I know a few other readers were there too.

The main speech itself did not contain any surprises in terms of strategy announcements – not surprising, since UK Israel Business is not the platform you pick to announce big news.

During the questions – which were very polite and, coming mainly from UK Israel Business members and not members of the frequent flyer community, slightly bizarre in places – he did reveal some interesting information about the future of Club World and First Class.

The new British Airways Club World seat

It is well known that a new Club World seat will be introduced next year on the A350-1000 fleet as they come into service.  We also know that this will have aisle access for every seat and, via a comment made at World Travel Market last year, will have a lower seat density than the current cabin (ie fewer seats).

Cruz joked that 23 years ago British Airways unveiled the world’s first flat-bed business class seat – “but the bad news is that we still have it”.

He said that ‘2-4-2’ is no longer competitive.  This means, almost certainly, a move to some form of 1-2-1.  Remember that even little Aer Lingus has a mix of 1-2-1 and 1-2-2.

There is a mock-up cabin now built, containing test seats.  British Airways has drawn up 11 ‘red lines’ of features which it insists are included, down to proper storage for water bottles and spectacles.  “More privacy” is also a key consideration.

“It really is something else” he said.

There is an implication here that this will not be a fully off-the-shelf product.  This would also fit with a comment that (to paraphrase) “the delay in rolling out the new seat quickly will be entirely down to the inability to get them made fast enough”.

The new British Airways First Class seat

BA has stated numerous times that the current 14-seat First Class cabin on the 777 fleet is no longer relevant, but that there is definitely a long-term future for First Class.

Cruz said that (to paraphrase) “the new Club World seat will be so fantastic that we will have a serious problem with First Class”.

The answer is “to conceive the new First Class experience of the future”.  As the seat itself will no longer be a key differentiator between the cabins – because the new Club World seat is so good – there will need to be a full revinvention of First Class.  The implication is that this will only be partly about the seat and partly about everything else in the process such as food and service.

(It is fair to say that some of the most respected First Class offerings, such as Air France and Lufthansa, do not – by any standards – have the best seats in the air.  They make up for it in other ways.)

This will be a slow process unfortunately.  He talked about the long process of getting certification for a new product which implies that it will be something totally different and not a tweaked version of someone else’s seat.

Conclusion

As I have written before, Cruz – in person – comes across very well.  He has no entourage, he is willing to stop and chat to everyone and he is open and convincing about what he wants to do.  That doesn’t mean that he is always right, of course, but you can see where he is coming from.

Let’s dig this article out again in 12 months time, when we should be able to compare the reality of new Club World with the rhetoric.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 70,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (July 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 Card

30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express Credit Card

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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 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 points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 on the FREE standard card and 1 Avios per £1 on the Pro card. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 0.8 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 Card

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.

The American Express Business Platinum Card

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card

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.