Congrats in advance on being a savvy traveller. While many people choose flights at random, it’s the clever ones that seek out the newest planes, and there’s good reason for that. British Airways aside, the Airbus A350-1000 is one of the best airplanes for passengers, offering air pressure on board which feels much more like things down on the ground, with lower noise levels and better humidity that makes long haul flights less of a grind..
Basically, it’s quiet, it’s beautiful and you’ll feel better if you’re battling jet lag. And for anyone who cares about sustainability in air travel, this plane consumes 25% less fuel than the previous generation of airliners.
Here are the best seats on the British Airways Airbus A350-1000 in World Traveller, World Traveller Plus And Club World Club Suites, and a few tips on how to reserve seats before others do. Hint: elite status is easier to achieve than you think, and it gets the best seats for free.
Best BA A350 World Traveller Economy Seats
The British Airways A350-1000 offers two World Traveller economy class cabins, separated by a galley area. The forward cabin on the plane is by far the smaller of the two, and if at all possible is definitely where any traveller will want to aim. Each BA A350 World Traveller seat offers 17.5'' width, 31'' pitch and a 10'' HD screen.
All of British Airways A350-1000 economy seats feature USB charging ports, a next generation HD entertainment screen, a storage area and wifi. The World Traveller cabin on the A350 is split into rows of 3-3-3, and like most planes - there's definitely a few rows you want to aim for. Here's a picture of rows 30 and 31, for reference...
If you're sitting in British Airways World Traveller cabin on the A350, definitely aim for rows 30, 31 and then 40, 41. These rows are either the bulkhead, or have an odd seating arrangement, which means that certain seats don't have anyone in front of them. The best World Traveller economy seats on the BA A350 are: 30A, 30B, 30J, 30K, 31C, 31H, 40D, 40E, 40F or 41A, 41B, 41C, 41H, 41J and 41K.
Best BA A350 World Traveller Plus Premium Economy Seats
Premium Economy is the new "it" cabin for airlines, offering an experience that's in line with what passengers expected in the so called "golden era" of air travel. Think: nicer drink service, better food, more checked bags and lots and lots more legroom, comfort, recline and amenities.
British Airways has recently updated the Premium Economy "World Traveller Plus" offering with new blankets, pillows, amenity kit and other touches, and that's on solid display on the A350.
This new BA plane offers a huge step up for World Traveller Plus flyers, with both foot stools and seats which kick up extra leg support, almost like domestic first class. A350 World Traveller Plus offers 18.7'' width, 38'' of pitch and 12'' HD screens.
The British Airways A350-1000 cabin is divided in a 2-4-2 layout, which makes the two window seats the clear favourites for any traveller. If you wanted to choose the best seats in the BA A350 Premium Economy cabin, there's no question that: 20A, 20B, 20J, 20K or any seat in row 26 would be my pick. Row 20 will offer the most legroom and fastest exit from the plane, while row 26 on the new BA A350 means you won't have anyone behind you, so you can recline and go right to sleep.
Best British Airways A350 Business Class Club Suites
You didn't think we'd leave without talking about these, did you? British Airways has introduced a completely new business class flying experience for the airline, moving away from forward and rear facing seats in a layout many would call 'dense'; to a set up of all forward facing "suites" complete with privacy door. To put it lightly, they're fantastic.
Each suite has a door to cover your bum crack if you sleep sideways, a perfectly sized 18.5'' HD screen which offers gate to gate entertainment. Nope, you'll never need to store it away for take off or landing during the inevitable best part of your film or TV show.
While the suites don't feature overhead personal air vents, the air flow along ground level is superb, which I personally find to be a better regulator of temperature anyway. "Fresh" air should constantly be flowing, and when you're sleeping - having the air at a lower level is far more noticeable. I've loved this feature on Cathay Pacific's A350's and it's nice to see here as well.
About the privacy... there's lots. The sliding doors of the new A350 Club Suite effectively block any other passenger out of view if you're seated in the seat, and particularly when you're laying down. If you stand up to walk around the cabin, you can easily see into the suites, but that's true on literally every business class cabin out at the moment.
If you're in search of the best A350-1000 business class "Club Suites", Row 1, 11 or Row 15 will offer the best sleep experience, and rows 11 or 15 will likely be the first off the plane, since door "2" is often the easiest option at many airports.
The finer touches such as the 40% additional storage space in the A350 Club Suite, the bespoke stitching and the new sound dampening that these private business class suites offer create an environment that feels... in a word... sophisticated.
It's sharp, it's modern, it's functional but most importantly, it's downright comfortable and private. If there's any fear with this sleek new seat, it's the cannibalisation of first class. In fact, I doctored this photo above to mirror the colour scheme of the current "first" promo pictures. It's a compelling look.
Big Thoughts On The British Airways A350 And Club Suites
If you want to track the roll out, including which routes will feature the new A350, or the new Club Suites, we've got the ultimate resource guide just for you, and no one else. Well, you and everyone with an internet connection.
Aside from a feature like an on-board bar - which would've been nice - this plane ticked all the boxes, and British Airways put in serious work to make it a world class aircraft in every cabin. All A350's feature smaller galleys than previous planes, so don't expect too much walking around room, but other than that, you really have to love it.
The British Airways A350 is directly in line with the Qatar A350-1000, with the addition of World Traveller Plus to bridge the comfort gaps. The BA A350 is absolutely a plane worth seeking out, even if it means connecting to enjoy a superior flying experience.
Here's a review of the Club Suites. GSTP is a proponent of the A350 on any airline, and this airline now offers a fantastic option. If British Airways service standards continue to improve, this is definitely an experience to watch in 2020, and well beyond.
Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...
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8 Comments
Great move and an undoubted improvement despite the cost cutting on things like individual air vents and external cameras. From BA’s PR machine you’d believe it was more significant than less than 2% of the fleet… eventually. 98% of 2020 customers will be on the same old seating in the same old cabins.
Will BA also now start cleaning & servicing the cabins, delivering working WiFi and loading enough catering for all paying passengers? Perhaps most siginifcantly are they going to revert to offering real customer services rather than automated scripts weeks after a communication?
Please stop trying to spin not having individual air vents as a positive. It’s disgusting in this day and age for cabins that don’t have them, especially one this dense. I flew on the Cathay A350 and it was hot and stale as hell.
Booked a long haul from Texas to London and managed to score seats 30a for both flights. I thought about changing them a couple times because there is no pocket to store stuff, but after reading this article, I’m glad I kept them!
Hi, useful article, Thanks!
One question, you say that in World traveller plus, row 26 is a good option as you can recline the seats with no problem. Seatguru seems to think that they might not fully recline, due to the bulkhead behind.
Is there anyone with experience of these seats to advise?
Thanks
I agree with the positive experience on the BA A35k.
I upgraded a $1600 CAD PE flight from YYZ to LHR return on a voluntary upgrade for an extra $552 each way. This second flight had just been reinstated and so fares were low. For $2700 , I did biz in style and it was still $100 cheaper than AC premium economy. (AC abused pax by only putting on a second flight earlier this month where economy was sold out every day with a long wait list where you weee held hostage to $2800 in PE and 7 grand in biz.
BA need to up their game in wine. They have an overall budget of 5 quid a bottle and in biz it was very uninspiring. The food comes on one tray, which seems a little futile given the runs they already do for top ups.
The flights were quiet, arrived early each way with a new combined group of SH, LH and mixed fleet crew who wanted to be there and delivered excellent customer service. It’s just a shame it’s not on the route for Christmas and even today, it’s been subbed with a 777 given there are only 8 x A35ks in the fleet. I suspect they will order more (or at least I hope so)
Great move and an undoubted improvement despite the cost cutting on things like individual air vents and external cameras. From BA’s PR machine you’d believe it was more significant than less than 2% of the fleet… eventually. 98% of 2020 customers will be on the same old seating in the same old cabins.
Will BA also now start cleaning & servicing the cabins, delivering working WiFi and loading enough catering for all paying passengers? Perhaps most siginifcantly are they going to revert to offering real customer services rather than automated scripts weeks after a communication?
Please stop trying to spin not having individual air vents as a positive. It’s disgusting in this day and age for cabins that don’t have them, especially one this dense. I flew on the Cathay A350 and it was hot and stale as hell.
There’s no spin. I don’t think they’re nearly as important on the A350 as other planes and prefer the better flow at seat level.
As soon as the BA A350 was announced I changed a LHR-ORD ticket in J to connect via YYZ – so excited to try out the new suite!
Booked a long haul from Texas to London and managed to score seats 30a for both flights. I thought about changing them a couple times because there is no pocket to store stuff, but after reading this article, I’m glad I kept them!
Hi, useful article, Thanks!
One question, you say that in World traveller plus, row 26 is a good option as you can recline the seats with no problem. Seatguru seems to think that they might not fully recline, due to the bulkhead behind.
Is there anyone with experience of these seats to advise?
Thanks
I agree with the positive experience on the BA A35k.
I upgraded a $1600 CAD PE flight from YYZ to LHR return on a voluntary upgrade for an extra $552 each way. This second flight had just been reinstated and so fares were low. For $2700 , I did biz in style and it was still $100 cheaper than AC premium economy. (AC abused pax by only putting on a second flight earlier this month where economy was sold out every day with a long wait list where you weee held hostage to $2800 in PE and 7 grand in biz.
BA need to up their game in wine. They have an overall budget of 5 quid a bottle and in biz it was very uninspiring. The food comes on one tray, which seems a little futile given the runs they already do for top ups.
The flights were quiet, arrived early each way with a new combined group of SH, LH and mixed fleet crew who wanted to be there and delivered excellent customer service. It’s just a shame it’s not on the route for Christmas and even today, it’s been subbed with a 777 given there are only 8 x A35ks in the fleet. I suspect they will order more (or at least I hope so)