BA’s New World Traveller Plus Seat: First Look & Details
British Airways has surprisingly unveiled an updated World Traveller Plus (premium economy) seat, discovered during the refurbishment of a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner at its Cardiff maintenance site. This news was unexpected, as it was previously assumed BA would install the existing 2019 premium economy seats, as seen on the 787-8 refurbishments. The first 787-9 will undergo a lengthy certification process with the FAA before subsequent aircraft are updated more quickly.
The new cabin, identified by the placement of lavatories, features a sleek design. The World Traveller Plus seats boast black leather headrests with contrast stitching, dark navy upholstery, light grey plastics, and dark grey armrests. The most significant benefit is the introduction of winged headrests, which are increasingly common in premium economy and enhance both comfort and privacy for passengers. While BA hasn't confirmed the model, experts suspect it's Recaro's R5 seat, a natural progression given Recaro supplies BA's current premium economy seats.
However, some aspects raise concerns. The existing 2-3-2 layout is retained, and the cabin size is expected to remain at 39 seats. A notable drawback is the TV screen size, which appears to be 12-13 inches, potentially 3 inches smaller than those offered by other airlines with similar new cabins, like Cathay Pacific's Aria. The article expresses hope for Bluetooth pairing, but it's not confirmed. There's also an observation that BA didn't carry over the nicer seat covers from its shorthaul seats.
Overall, while it's positive that British Airways is upgrading its long-haul cabins, which haven't seen significant refreshment in over six years, the update is not without its limitations. The smaller screen size, in particular, suggests that BA has not fully leveraged the opportunity to match competitors in all aspects of its premium economy offering.
(Source: https://www.headforpoints.com/2025/10/04/new-british-airways-world-traveller-plus-cabin/)
