Six years after introducing its Club Suite seats in 2019, British Airways’ industry-leading business-class cabin is still earning rave reviews from airline-industry watchers who endorse it as a better — and far less costly — alternative to the airline’s first-class cabin. How much less? Depending on dates, time, and route of travel, choosing British Airways’ first-class cabin over its branded business class, Club World, can cost as much as twice the price of Club World. Does the experience justify the cost? It depends on your priorities, but the two classes of service are so similar, there’s a tongue-in-cheek joke among frequent fliers that describes the carrier’s first-class cabin as the “world’s best business class.” Maybe that’s why some airlines are slowly doing away with first class altogether.
Before we get into specifics, it’s important to note that the branded name for British Airways’ business-class service is Club World. That’s not to be confused with Club World seats, an older design that British Airways is gradually replacing with its new and improved Club Suite seats. To avoid confusion, we are focusing only on aircraft cabins already retrofitted with Club Suite seats. It’s difficult to pinpoint an exact completion date for the retrofit. The rollout has already been delayed a few times, including a pandemic-related pause when air travel was down as travelers chose closer-to-home staycations over flying to a vacation destination, but British Airways hopes to have the new seats installed fleet-wide by the end of 2026. One major improvement? Seats in the updated cabin are arranged herringbone-style in a 1-2-1 configuration, so every seat has direct aisle access. There’s also a privacy screen — it can lowered when two passengers are traveling together — between the side-by-side seats in the middle of the cabin. But we’re just getting started on a long list of built-in comforts and amenities.
British Airways’ Club Suite seats are cozy personal travel pods
