British Airways unveils brand-new ‘game-changing’ first-class suite for the A380 – and the Mail gives it a try. Here’s our first impression… what’s YOURS?

British Airways has unveiled a brand new first class seat for the Airbus A380 – and the Mail has had a go.

The airline – a partner of American Airlines – unveiled the suite at a glitzy ceremony at its Waterside headquarters next to Heathrow on Monday evening.

Harriet Sime and Laura Sharman from the Mail travel team tried it out.

After “listening to colleagues and customers to shape design elements,” BA is calling the suite a “game-changer.”

But what did Harriet and Laura think?

Deputy travel editor Harriet said: ‘The chair is soft, with elegant curves and mood lighting. It felt like a cocoon, with wide seats and acres of space on either side and in the front.”

Assistant Travel Editor Laura commented: ‘I felt like I was entering a sophisticated hotel suite. The seat was soft and cozy, both as a chair and when fully reclined as a bed. It certainly exudes luxury and style.”

Let’s go over some specs.

In a statement, BA revealed that the seat is ‘ultra-wide’ – 36.5 inches – with a bed length of 79 inches (6ft 6 inches) and has a ‘multi-function ottoman’.

It also features a 32-inch 4K TV screen and customizable mood lighting, including scenes such as ‘relax’, ‘dine’ and ‘cinema’, where customers are enveloped by a 60-inch curved wall, for ‘ultimate privacy’.

On the privacy front, BA added: ‘The soft padding in the seat helps with acoustics and sound absorption, adding to the feeling of being in an enclosed, private space. Customers can also use the seat’s brand new ‘do not disturb’ functionality on the wireless control tablet, which will notify the crew if they want to maximize their rest on board.”

For customers traveling together in the center of the cabin, the partition slides open to create a shared lounge area, and they can now wheel their luggage into a personal luggage area on the outside of the suite, ‘making it even easier to to settle down before their flight’.

Harriet and Laura agreed that this feature looks useful.

BA added: ‘The chair has been beautifully curated by expert world-class designers and manufacturers from all corners of Britain and Ireland, including London, Glasgow, West Yorkshire, Kilkeel and Dublin.

‘We have worked closely with world-class manufacturer Collins Aerospace to create the First seat, following their involvement in carefully crafting British Airways’ Club Suite and short-haul aircraft seats earlier this year.’

Do you have ideas from frequent flyers?

Rhys Jones, aviation editor at frequent flyer website headforpoints.comwas not present at the launch event, but told MailOnline Travel he thinks the new seat takes BA in the right direction.

He commented: ‘British Airways has smartly decided not to compete with the ultra-luxury offerings of Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines, some of which offer passengers multi-room apartments.

‘The new cabin is a down-to-earth approach to first class, with a nod to the Ozwald Boateng-designed uniforms.

‘Compared to the existing seats, the new cabin should be more spacious. The question now is whether BA can provide a matching service and soft product [what looks like] an impressive new chair. The launch of a new training program for First Service Specialists at BA should help improve inconsistent crew service.”

British Airways’ Chief Customer Officer, Calum Laming, said: ‘We are incredibly proud to launch the next era of First, which pushes the boundaries of comfort, luxury and modernity, taking into account the preferences and expectations of the customer down to the smallest detail. customer.’

The new cabin is expected to take to the air in mid-2026. It may also occur in the new Boeing 777X.

Watch this space.