BRITISH AIRWAYS’ NEW LUXURY CABIN

THE INTERIORS

Created specifically for the Boeing 787-9, the plane’s First suite has been designed based on feedback from their First customers. focusing on exclusivity and privacy, the cabin includes only eight seats in comparison with the 14 seats available on other typical British Airways long-haul aircrafts. Its interiors put a tailored spin on just about every aspect of the cabin, from the premium materials to the dark and sophisticated colour scheme juxtaposed with cream panelling.

The seats have been carefully designed to recline at just the right angle and beautifully upholstered by Prototrim – the top quality seat trimming expert responsible for similar luxury finishes found inside the likes of Bentley and Jaguar cars. For the First cabin, the material specialist developed a high quality soft leather for the seats, opting for plush quilting and a neat fabric trim to finish.

Bespoke lighting delivered by London-based lighting specialists Pritchard Themis help Passengers drift off to sleep at night and wake up in the morning, the illumination in each cabin can be set to reflect the natural time of day. A feature which, alongside the huge windows that give horizon views to every seat in the house, demonstrates the Dreamliner’s impressive efforts to ward off sensations of jet lag and keep travellers feeling fresh during and after their journey.

STORAGE CREDENTIALS

Four new storage areas have been added to suites – A personal storage compartment for coats and jackets can now be accessed from the comfort of your own seat, while an ottoman next to an adjustable footstool provides a home for shoes, handbags and other personal items.

The addition of a new locker – thoughtfully positioned at eye-level – lessens the awkward stretching that sometimes comes with on-flight storage systems, and offers a perfect place to keep those smaller items that you really don’t want to lose, such as tablets, spectacles, wash bags and your passport. A mirror fitted inside the locker door means personal grooming while gliding becomes an effortless task.

SMART FEATURES

BA have made the luxury plane interiors as tech-orientated as possible, enabling travellers to control the functions of their suite with a simple, intuitive touch as well as charge devices in the discreet stowage area next to their armrest.

It’s usually only the on-flight entertainment that can get you through the final hours of a long-haul journey, which is why the seat and entertainment console has been updated with a new smartphone-style handset that’s integrated into the seat for easy-access control. During flight, the handset can be docked so that passengers can watch one feature on the handset – whether it’s a movie or the interactive flight tracker – and another on the 23-inch fixed screen. This also means travellers will be able to enjoy gate-to-gate entertainment and don’t have to think about stowing their television for take-off and landing.

We’re seeing more and more instances of technology and luxury paired hand in hand, and the Dreamliner marries the two concepts fantastically to create an aircraft that introduces a new class of flying. A perfect marriage of forward-thinking design and British Airways’ heritage, the plane draws on the airline’s wealth of experience in customer service by making sure every possible essential need, simple want and itch for that something extra is covered, right down to the perfecting the air we breathe on board. Different pressurisation means the internal cabin altitude is the equivalent of 6,000ft – 2,000ft lower than other aircrafts – which leads to greater humidity and reduces the drying effect of cabin air. The plane’s smooth ride technology also provides extra comfort during any turbulence.