British Airways steps up the luxury factor

British Airways has announced that it will spend £100 million on upgrades to all of its First Class cabins – bringing to an end months of austerity ushered in by the global economic downturn.

Bloomberg reports that the flag carrier began revamping its Boeing 777 and 747 aircraft earlier this week, after consulting designers who have previously worked with the likes of Jaguar and Aston Martin.

The clear aim is for British Airways to reinvigorate the luxury service for which is was once considered a market leader, but has since been overshadowed by the likes of Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines.

“The cabins are starting to look a bit dated and worn,” regular First Class traveller Nick Cunningham told Bloomberg after flying with British Airways twice in the past year.

Commenting on the upgrade, he said: “They refrained from doing this during the recession, quite understandably, but the recent pickup in premium travel justifies the cost.”

British Airways charges several thousands of pounds for seats in its First Class cabins, which were installed almost a decade ago by British interior designers Kelly Hoppen and Terence Conran. But unlike its Business Class cabins, the top end line of BA products has been left untouched.

That allowed the flag carrier to fall behind in the luxury stakes, with Gulf and Asian carriers such as Qatar Airways pioneering new levels of exuberance for their rich and powerful customers.

Restaurant-standard meals; isolated compartments divided from neighbouring seats; limousine pick-up services; and even beds with feather duvets have all become commonplace.

“You have to keep investing in your product,” BA spokeswoman Amanda Allan told Bloomberg in an interview. “Premium travel is competitive. There are excellent airlines out there and you have to keep ahead of them. It’s all about us being ready when the economic downturn starts to lift.”

British Airways hopes the new cabins will earn it a coveted five-star rating with London-based Skytrax Research, which currently affords the accolade to just six of the 620 carriers it polls – Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines and Asiana Airlines.

© Cheapflights Ltd (Creative Commons image: FXR / Flickr)

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