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What are the best seats on a British Airways A350?

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In this series

This is our guide to picking the best seat on the British Airways A350-1000.

Today, we are launching a new series of Head for Points British Airways seat guides.  These use exclusive seat plans which we have commissioned ourselves.  We will run a new article in this series every 2-3 days until we have covered the entire long-haul fleet, although it looks like we wasted our time doing the Boeing 747!  Once all of the articles are live we will go back and cross-reference them.  We welcome your feedback and we will incorporate any relevant comments.  For now, please consider them a ‘work in progress’ which will improve over the next 12 months.

The good news is that the A350 is one of the newest aircraft types in the British Airways fleet and is an excellent plane to be on.  It is one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft in the sky and the quietest twin-aisle aircraft available.  It also has a lower cabin pressurisation altitude which, in plain English, means that it should reduce the effects of jetlag.  The increased humidity levels will also reduce dehydration.

You can find out what aircraft is operating your British Airways flight by following the steps in this guide.

Our other seat guides are here:

British Airways A350 seat map and ‘best seat’ guide

British Airways A380 seat map and ‘best seat’ guide

British Airways Boeing 787-8 seat map and ‘best seat’ guide

British Airways Boeing 787-9 seat map and ‘best seat’ guide

For posterity: British Airways Boeing 747 ‘best seat’ guide

British Airways A350-1000 seat map

Here is the full seat plan for a British Airways A350. Click to enlarge:

British Airways A350 seat map

How do you select a seat on British Airways?

British Airways permits seat selection from the time of booking.

Executive Club members get free seat selection if they have Silver or Gold status (or oneworld equivalent).  Bronze members get free seat selection from seven days before departure.  However, for everyone else, you have to pay a fee.  This even includes passengers in Club World or Club Suite business class, which is very unusual.  Most airlines which charge for seat selection only charge in their Economy cabins, but not British Airways.  The only cabin where seat selection is free is First Class.

You can read the British Airways seat selection rules in our article here. This guide will help you choose the best seats on BA’s A350-1000!

What is the best seat British Airways A350?

What are the best First Class seats on the British Airways A350?

British Airways has chosen not to install a First Class cabin on its A350 fleet.   We’ll skip straight to the best business class seats ….

Best Club World / Club Suite (business class) seats on a British Airways A350

The British Airways A350 fleet was the first to get the brand-new Club Suite seat, with its 1-2-1 layout. You can read more about British Airways Club Suite here in our comprehensive guide.  It looks like this:

best club world club suite seat british airways A350

It is a genuine game changer for British Airways.  As the name suggests Club Suite is an enclosed ‘suite’ with a door that can be closed during cruise. Unlike the legacy Club World cabin with its yin and yang layout, all the Club Suites face forward, albeit slightly angled towards the window or middle.

best club world club suite seat british airways A350

British Airways is the first European airline to have a business class suite with a fully closing door.  Each seat now has direct aisle access – no more climbing over someone else’s feet! – as well as plenty of storage, a large sturdy tray table and an 18.5” in flight entertainment screen.

The good news is that there are no truly bad seats in Club Suite.  We do not recommend that you pay for seat selection because it isn’t worth the money.

British Airways A350 seat plan Club Suite

Whilst all the Club Suite seats are nominally identical the seats are not perfectly aligned with the windows in the A350-1000. This means that, depending on which row you are seated in, you have between one and two windows.

  • Rows 3, 4, 7 and 17 all have one window only
  • Rows 2, 5, 6, 8 and 16 have one and a half windows each
  • Rows 1, 9, 10 and 15 all have two windows

This is not a massive variance but might factor into your choice of seat if you are particularly picky!

Club World is split into two cabins on the A350.  Rows 1 to 11 are in the large forward cabin (44 seats in total), whilst rows 15 to 17 are in a considerably smaller cabin of just 12 seats.  Dividing the two are two lavatories and the self-service ‘Club Kitchen’ and galley area.

Whilst the second mini cabin is likely to feel significantly more private you are also likely to be last in the meal service. All the seats in this cabin are no more than two rows away from the two bassinet seats for infants in 15A and 15K. If you are sensitive to crying babies you may wish to move to the front cabin where you can be seated further away from the bassinet seat in 1K.

Couples may prefer the middle pairs which have a removable partition so that you can see and talk to each other.

Rows 1, 11 and 15 are close to the galleys and lavatories.  This may mean slightly more disruption from the crew as they prepare meal service and other passengers.

The best rows to be in are 3 to 8.   These are furthest from the galleys, lavatories and the baby bassinet seats.  The trade-off is that you will not be first for food as the front cabin is served from both ends converging in the middle.

best world traveller plus premium economy seat british airways A350

Best World Traveller Plus (premium economy) seats on a British Airways A350

There are 56 World Traveller Plus seats on a British Airways A350.  Which one is the best?

British Airways A350 seat map World Traveller Plus

The premium economy seats are situated in a single cabin behind Club World in rows 20 to 26. There are eight seats per row in a 2-4-2 layout.

Each seat is 18.7″ wide with a 38″ seat pitch (the gap between the back of the seat in front and yours) and comes with a 12″ screen in the seatback in front of you and USB charging.

Couples are likely to enjoy the window seats where you can have two seats together.  It makes no sense to take two seats in the middle block.  You might be tempted to pay for a seat reservation in order to guarantee a window pair.

The best row is row 20 which is the first row of the World Traveller Plus cabin.  This row has the most legroom as there is nobody sitting in front of you. There are also no lavatories or galleys between the Club World and World Traveller Plus cabin to be concerned about.

The snag is that 20A, 20E, 20F and 20K are bassinet seats and may feature a baby!  (Babies sleep a lot though and are generally less disruptive than you might imagine, except during take off and landing when the change in pressure can distress them.)  You will also be the first to receive food if you are in Row 20.  Note that your in flight entertainment screen and tray table will be stored in your armrest.

Best economy seat british airways A350

Best World Traveller (economy) seats on a British Airways A350

There are 219 economy seats on BA’s A350 in a 3-3-3 configuration, between rows 30 and 59.

British Airways A350 seat plan World Traveller

World Traveller (economy) is spread over two cabins, both of which are situated at the back of the plane behind the World Traveller Plus cabin.

The forward cabin has 49 seats in total whilst the rear has 170. They are divided by four lavatories (the galleys for the economy cabin are at the very rear).

Each seat has a 17.6″ width, 31″ seat pitch, a 10″ screen in the seat-back in front as well as USB charging.

The best seats are in the forward cabin, between rows 30 and 34. These are closest to the exit, meaning you would be the first economy passengers to disembark.  They are also likely to be the quietest as there is no galley or lavatory between the premium economy cabin and the economy cabin.

Seats 30A, B, J and K as well as 31C, D, E, F, H should have additional leg room, as should rows 40 and 41.

Seats 35 A, B, C, H, J, K are some of the worst seats – they have limited or no recline and are right in front of the lavatories.

If you are sat in the larger economy cabin you should avoid the front and rear, as these are closest to the galleys and lavatories and are likely to be most frequented by other passengers and crew.

Conclusion

The A350 is the newest and most technologically advanced aircraft in the British Airways fleet, and the only aircraft where you are guaranteed to get Club Suite in Business Class.  Wherever you end up sitting, you should hopefully have a pleasant flight.


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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (October 2024)

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You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

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Comments (75)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Travel Strong says:

    Is there a divider between WTP row 26 and WT row 30? Divider is not shown, but one is shown between CW and WT. I do like a back row to avoid having anyone behind me!

  • David says:

    Thank you for this article, really like the idea of having all the seat recommendations in one place with good descriptions.
    Also as a frequent traveller for leisure and business down the back of the plane and only a once a year traveller up the front of the plane with my wife, I really appreciate the recommendations for couples, I find this information to be severely lacking everywhere I look and usually spend time watching YouTube videos to make sure we make the most of our splash out trip!

  • DB2020 says:

    OT, but BA-related, their first B787 10 is arriving into LHR shortly. Got myself a prime spot to see it on approach over Chelsea.

  • Paul74 says:

    If I’m travelling in one of the long haul economy cabins I go for one of the aisle seats on the middle block. This is so that I can come and go without having to pass anyone. If the cabin isn’t full there’s always a chance that the seat next to me will be empty (it’s happened before) giving me lots of space. Even if it’s occupied, the passenger might well be with the person/people on the opposite side and so more likely to pass them when they wish to move.
    So agreeing with the comment in the article about wanting to avoid family groups in the front row, it would be 21D/G* or 32D/F for me.
    *Thanks for the article. It’s useful to know that WTP doesn’t have easy access to a toilet but has to queue with WT on the A350. Something to avoid. Something I’ve found on BA before.

  • Nick_C says:

    I think its worth noting that the cabin of the A350 is 561cm wide cf 549cm on the 787 (and 587cm on the 777).

    That additional 12cm will be useful for Y pax, where the layout is 3-3-3 on both aircraft. But squeezing an additional seat into PE (2-4-2 cf 2-3-2 on the 787) – not so good.

    If boarding will normally be through door 2, then I think that makes the larger Club cabin more attractive at the start of the flight (passengers from other cabins won’t be walking through).

  • Terry S says:

    Thanks will save me a lot of time in the future trying to select my (or our) seats.

  • Jim McG says:

    Great idea to do these reviews, brilliant for those of us who do not fly that often. Thanks

  • Doug M says:

    I think far more important than the seat with the A350, and likewise the B787, is the improved air pressure and humidity. I find the after flight few hours less of an adjustment compared to older aircraft. I think as you get older you adjust less well to things like flying, and the newer planes noticeable improve the experience. If it was seat alone I’d always want upstairs window on a 747.

    • Oh! Matron! says:

      I’ve flown in UC on A340, 787, 747, 330, etc, etc, and Bus on 767 and have never got what I would call an unfitful sleep on any of them

      Flew back in UC weekend of Lockdown from NYC on an A350. As I’d stayed partially on UK time whilst out in the US, I got into my cocoon, and fell asleep almost instantly and slept all the way through to breakfast. In the 20 years of flying on all sorts of aircraft, in all sorts of classes, it’s the FIRST time I’ve slept well

    • Rhys says:

      Absolutely, the pressure and humidity are huge (as is the noise, to be honest. It’s very pleasant stepping off an airplane without feeling you have fried your hearing on an 8 hour flight!)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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