British Airways has quietly unveiled new first class cabins — and Metro can share a sneak peek more than one year before they take to the air.
At an exclusive launch event at BA HQ last night, we stepped inside the state-of-the-art pods, that are intended to feel like you’re in a modern luxury hotel.
The new first class suites, six years in the making, will be rolled out across the airline’s Airbus A380 aircraft and are expected to take to the skies in mid-2026. It will be the first update to BA’s first class offering since 2020, when the airline upgraded seats across several of its Boeing 777 fleet.
What’s inside the new BA first class cabin?
According to British Airways, the new cabins have been designed with ‘expert British craftsmanship’ to give the feel of being in a modern luxury hotel, while still providing ‘home comforts’ and ‘thoughtful touches’ at 35,000ft.
The First suite features an ultra-wide 35.5-inch seat that transforms into a 79-inch long fully lie-flat bed – just one inch shorter than a typical queen-size mattress.
Other features include a multi-purpose ottoman, an ‘elegant’ stowable table, a 32-inch 4K TV screen, and adjustable mood lighting, including scenes such as ‘relax’, ‘dine’ and ‘cinema’.
The seats can be adjusted at the touch of a button and are cocooned within a 60-inch curved wall for ‘ultimate privacy’.
Customers can also use the seat’s brand-new do-not-disturb function, which notifies the crew if they want to sleep through their meal.
Elsewhere, the soft panelling assists in absorbing sound, and its window blinds can also be controlled by the touch of a button.
For customers travelling together, the divider in the centre of the cabin slides open to create a shared lounge space, and stowable tables mean customers can enjoy their meals together.
And you won’t have to worry about clothing in your hand luggage getting creased during the flight, as on the outside of the suite is a leather-lined wardrobe, with space for carry ons, as well as hanging items of clothing, such as coats or suit jackets.
Metro's verdict on the new cabins
There’s no question that these cabins are the top end of premium quality. Standouts include wardrobe-inspired luggage holds with soft-close vertical doors, which bring an end to heaving cases high above your head. But the biggest treat are the retractable doors, which open onto the neighbouring pod so you can fly in style with your travel partner. No word yet on the price for this mile-high slice of heaven, but it’s safe to say you’d better start saving your pennies now.
Speaking about the new first class cabins, British Airways chief customer officer, Calum Laming, said: ‘We’re incredibly proud to launch the next era of First that pushes the boundaries of comfort, luxury, and modernity, taking into consideration customer preferences and expectations to the finest detail.
‘This coupled with our incredible colleagues delivering a world-class service, following the launch of our First Service Specialists scheme, as well as the many benefits of flying First such as First Wing entry, access to our award-winning lounges including our Concorde Room and priority boarding, means we truly believe we offer a winning combination in delivering an extraordinary experience for our customers.’
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