British Airways rolling out new (and impressive) soft product in premium economy

In January we wrote about the new catering options that were coming to World Traveller Plus, the British Airways long haul premium economy product.

These were phased in from February, but we had been waiting to hear about the rest of the World Traveller Plus overhaul.

The good news is that British Airways has now announced that new amenity kits, cushions and blankets will be available in World Traveller Plus from 1st July for all Heathrow flights. A more staggered approach is occurring at Gatwick, with amenity kits arriving in July and bedding from 1st August.

It will be interesting to see if this can be rolled out smoothly or whether there will be teething issues, given the quick changeover.

We’ve been given photos of what this will all look like and, I have to say, I am impressed.  The amenity kit now comes in this smart pouch made from recycled plastic bottles:

and

This replaces the flimsy, transparent plastic kits that are currently available:

It will include an eye shade, pen, socks, toothbrush and lip balm from Scaramouche & Fandango.  I don’t think that Virgin Atlantic or Norwegian offer amenity kits in premium economy (EDIT: Virgin does, but only on night flights, sorry guys!) so it’s impressive to see British Airways making a real effort for customers.  The new kit is a clear step above what it was offering previously.

The herringbone pattern featured on the amenity kit is also present on the new (larger) cushion and quilt which, again, do look quite smart:

These look like an improvement on the weird grey-beige-brown blankets and cushions that are currently in service!

In a separate move, BA will also be introducing alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails to the World Traveller Plus bar menu.

British Airways has never been known to be particularly adventurous when it comes to design and styling in economy and premium economy, so it’s refreshing to see them rethink their offering.

With the new amenity kits, cushions and quilts, as well as the improved food offering announced in January, World Traveller Plus looks like it could be a really competitive product in the UK market.  This new soft product looks great and possibly even out-does Virgin Atlantic – although Virgin does still offer free seat selection, dedicated check-in desks and dedicated cabin crew for its Premium passengers.

You can find out more about BA’s World Traveller Plus product on this page of ba.com.

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