British Airways are introducing new short haul cabins with the arrival of the new Airbus A320 and A321 NEO aircraft plus existing aircraft will be retrofitted. Despite what you may read, the changes are really no big deal.
In fact, in some cases there are arguably improvements to the passenger experience. Let’s have a look at what is planned and what I think of all of this.
New Seats In The Cabin
Changes to the seating seem to have garnered a lot of attention. Rows 1-12 on the A320 and Rows 1-14 on the A321 will retain the current seats which will gain both USB and standard power sockets for devices. For the rest of the cabin, the Recaro SL3510 will be the new seat.
Recaro’s web site says they’re some of the lightest seats on the market at 9 kilograms. These will feature USB charging at British Airways and no ability to recline.
IAG ordered these seats for both British Airways and Iberia which shows the beginnings of some harmonisation of the hard product on board the aircraft. BA are keeping existing seats at the front of the cabins for their popular Club Europe cabin.
Rear Galley Changes
Down the back of the aircraft will be the Airbus Space-Flex galleys. These allow an extra row of seats to be installed where the current toilets are. Here’s an example of what the galley looks like.
Smart-Lav Toilets
Airbus offer a toilet configuration called Smart-Lav. These are in the back wall of the aircraft and are quite small in order to maximise cabin space. Below is the version from the Airbus web site.
Other Cabin Changes
Video screens will be removed from the cabins which is probably overdue. Currently the screens are old style and all they do is show the long safety video and the moving map so there isn’t much point to having them, though I do like knowing where I am.
Overall Thoughts
I would argue these changes are an improvement over the current arrangement. The addition of in seat power is long overdue on short haul flights and the fact the current cabins will be retained at the front for Club Europe is quite smart.
British Airways use a flexible Club Europe arrangement which varies depending on demand. This means that Euro Traveller passengers who do not wish to sit in the new style seats will, more often than not, be able to select the current seats if they book early.
Having no recline further down the back is a good thing as I dislike people reclining on short flights as there is no real reason for it. The new tiny toilets at the back are an experience but no show stopper as really, how long do to spend in a toilet on a flight?
What do you think? Storm in a tea cup or will you change your flying patterns based on the changes? Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by RHL images via Wikimedia Commons.
Space-Flex Galley and Smart-Lav Toilet images via Airbus.
Recaro seat image via Recaro.
I flew one of these A320s with this small lavatory. First, its hard to find unless you know its there as its part of the jump seat. Also, if youre not under 5’8″ and lean, it is almost impossible to sit down and take care of business. Its pretty pathetic
I agree, I’m 5’7″ and slim and I found it pretty tight. I think anyone tall or wide is going to have a real problem. Still, how much space do you really need in a toilet on a short flight? That being said, some of these aircraft will fly transatlantic (for airlines like Aer Lingus) so that’ll be interesting! Thanks for the comment!
Vote with your feet. Fly less often and vary your airlines. Go for upgraded tickets extra leg room etc when you do. This hits the airlines in the pocket – The ONLY place they care about! As long as people are willing to sacrifice personal space and be crammed in like sardines they will crush more and more in until there is a serious incident. BA is a disgrace – trading as though they are a National carrier – using the heritage and paying movie stars in the millions for their endorsements – while providing sub-standard below budget airline service for all who go economy.
BA are just following the general trend among most carriers – pack them in and pack them in to seats that weigh less and cost less to fly around. You could look at it by saying that the reduced weight of the slimline seat reduces fuel consumption and is therefore more environmentally friendly than what went before. Considering the planet is about to explode, it may be a good thing. I do see your point though! Thanks for the comment!
I just flew Lisbon to London on the BA version with the jump seat attached to the toilet door. That was the toilet I used. I found the toilet extremely cramped… you have to walk sideways to get to the seat and I am by no means a large man. I do not usually get claustraphobic but I really did not like being in that WC. The poor flight attendants have to try and work in a tiny space next to the WC and were doing their best but this is all a step too far. I will not travel on this configuration again unless I absolutely had to.
Yes, this is the standard version available with the Airbus A320 in the space flex configuration. SAS also have the jumpseat attached to the door. It is extremely tight in there and I had the same experience as you – I’m not large yet it was interesting having to try to fit inside there. It’s not the best, but many airlines are opting for this. I guess the solution is to use a forward toilet – if you’re allowed to go through business class. Thanks for the comment!
If the non reclining seats are anything like the ones Monarch installed (pre going bust) then for short haul they were great for me as the shape of them fitted my shape. Hubby though found after a couple of hours his back did start to ache a bit. The no recline was no problem and there was extra room for under seat storage and extra leg room. However would not like to do any trips longer than about 4 hours ….. assuming the seats are similar/same.
The good thing about it is that 4 hours is the maximum duration of a BA European flight. Even then that is only a few routes – most are in the 1-2.5 hour range, so I think it will be fine. These kinds of seats seem to be becoming industry standard. Great to hear your experiences with a similar seat on Monarch! Thanks for letting me know.
Hmmm. How tall are you? We are 6’1 and 6’6. We are not looking forward to these changes. In fact as we sit in Arlanda waiting for our delayed BA flight home we have sort of tacitly agreed that we are giving up on BA. The only good thing I can see is no recline – for obvious reasons. We are talking about 29″ pitch in this new cabin right?
I am much shorter than you both, so for me I don’t ever have any issue with the seat pitch. Just about everyone I know who is tall and travels by air in Europe finds things very tight indeed to the point of being uncomfortable or in pain. I guess your only option is exit rows or row 1.
The thing is, who will you switch to? Just about everyone has the same seat pitch now. Yes, it will be 29″ but it should be the same knee room as the current seats due to the slimline seats. I’m going to have to do a direct comparison as soon as I come across one… literally with a ruler and my knees and my camera.
Thing is, if you don’t have OW Sapphire it can be quite difficult to get the extra leg room seats on BA – even then it can be difficult. Conversely it’s really easy to get them on Easyjet – costs about £12 which is a no-brainer. So you see it’s not a question of “who else do you choose” – it is easier to get extra legroom elsewhere.
Yes, I can understand the lack of Sapphire being a problem. I haven’t not had Sapphire or above for a long time so I understand where you’re coming from now.
I think you highlight the key points – USB power is a good improvement, no-one needs to recline on these kind of short hops (and I **HATE** it when people recline into me on these kind of flights) and the toilet is no biggie.
The downsides might be that the smaller galley leaves less capacity for carrying water etc. I’d also be interested in how convenient it is to change a small infant in that toilet.
Yes, apparently there will be no potable water available in the rear galley, only the front. That may cause a hassle if someone asks for a cup of water but I do know the policy is that if you want water, to pay for it.
I didn’t even think of changing an infant. It will be quite difficult in a toilet that small if not impossible. The standard size toilet remains at the front of the cabin though, so perhaps that’s the place to change the baby. Thanks for the comment!
We were on a flight back from VIE to LGW in CE which was delayed halfway to the runway for an hour. Up front we were well treated but in the back they had nothing to give away for free and the staff got slaughtered by the passengers.
Not literally of course. They weren’t that hungry…
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! Nobody can get that hungry…
My last flight on BA from LHR-DUB was the same, sat an hour on board the aircraft with the doors closed before we went anywhere. Good times 😛 Hopefully my next flight will be all on time, which it should be as it’s a DUB-LCY and the flights to and from City tend to be okay.