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This article is a guide to all of British Airways’ business class seats across its short and long haul fleets. Which aircraft have the newest seats? Which are the best seats?
These are BA’s short haul services, including Tel Aviv, Cairo, and Amman.
Club Europe flights all have a similar layout of 2-2 with an empty middle seat between each pair. The exception is the CityFlyer E190, which has no middle seat.
There is a wide range of layouts for flying. Most have a middle tray over the empty middle seat, which is handy for putting drinks or extra personal belongings on. The older NEO aircraft do not have the tray table.
In May 2024, British Airways received one new A321neo, which has a different seat with the centre tray back. The seat also has both USB-A charging and USB-C 60W charging in Club Europe. More of these aircraft are due to be delivered in 2024.
Here are the seat maps for the A320 and A321 NEO:
British Airways Airbus A320neo aircraft seat map . Provided by seatmaps.com
British Airways Airbus A321neo aircraft seat map . Provided by seatmaps.com
Row one is the only row with extra legroom except the exit seats, which may or may not be Club Europe depending on the load (unlikely usually). Row 1 also has the advantage of being served first and being close but not too close to the toilets. However, storing bags here can be tricky as the row 1 lockers tend to be full of equipment and small. The A321NEO aircraft all have Wi-Fi, as do most of the A320NEOs, and charging sockets at each Club seat. The majority of other short haul aircraft do have wi-fi but they are still installing it. They also have power on some aircraft as well as the NEOs.
New Club Europe meals: British Airways A320 Neo Club Europe Heathrow to Tenerife return review
British Airways A320 Neo Club Europe review – who stole my centre table?
The standard layout looks the same across the three types, apart from where the exit row is situated.
British Airways Airbus A320 aircraft seat map . Provided by seatmaps.com
Row 1 has extra legroom, but the lockers above it are usually full of equipment or very small. The exit row can be used for Club Europe when there is a high load so it is worth considering as well if it is available for Club. When they have this many passengers, they should have two crews with two trolleys and one starting at the back. So, in theory, you should be one of the first to be served, even right at the back. However, sometimes this does not happen so there is more of a risk of not getting your first meal choice.
Most of these aircraft have wi-fi, and all the A320/321 will eventually be fitted.
You can read all our standard Club Europe layout reviews here:
There is one type that you may come across that has an unusual layout.
British Airways Airbus A320 aircraft seat map . Provided by seatmaps.com
You can tell if you have this type from the seatmap on ba.com as there is no row 1 on the right handside. They are usually based at Gatwick.
Row 1 has advantages and disadvantages on this layout. Unless you are first on your hand luggage will end up several rows behind as the first two lockers on both sides had crew bags and equipment. You are sitting right by the door where everyone boards and people end up kicking you or hitting you with their bag if you don’t keep your legs in. This is even worse in 1C. However, you have endless legroom once you take off.
Row 2 also has extra legroom, although not as much as Row 1 but you aren’t so exposed to people kicking or knocking you as they walk past.
British Airways Euroflyer A320 Club Europe Gatwick South to Malta and BA First lounge
British Airways Embraer E190 aircraft seat map . Provided by seatmaps.com
This aircraft type operates from London City, Southampton, and London Stansted as well as a few seasonal services elsewhere.
The seats are in a 2-2 configuration, with no difference from economy apart from a headrest cover! All seats currently have a generous 33″ pitch. However, BA plans to reduce the legroom in economy in the future with a reduction down to ~29″ from after the exit rows.
The front row has even more legroom, with row 2 being the most generous and row 1 having slightly more legroom than the rest of the cabin.
BA Cityflyer E190 Club Europe review – is it worth paying extra for?
BA’s older business class is still in service at Gatwick and on over 40% of aircraft at Heathrow.
The main aircraft where you are likely to find the older Club World seats are the A380, the older B787-8 and -9 and a few B777s as around 15% of them still have the older seats. The B777s should all have the new Club Suites by the end of 2024.
Gatwick has all old Club World seats apart from the occasion aircraft that is loaned from Heathrow on a temporary basis.
The seats are in a yin-yang configuration for most of the cabin except the middle seats, which are side by side. There is a frosted divider between the two window seats and the aisle and middle seats. In the middle, there is a smaller divider where two seats are together. These are known as the honeymoon seats and are not great if you are not with the person next to you, as you are virtually playing footsie with them—you are so close! They are best avoided except with a travel companion.
For most of the seats, you will either have to climb over someone’s legs/footstool when they have the footstool up or have them climb over you. If you are short, this can be tricky! I have highlighted which seats you don’t have to hurdle over someone’s legs in the best seats sections.
The seats go into a flatbed when combined with the footstool and they are pretty comfortable. Bedding from the White Company is also provided.
Seats have a multi-country socket and USB-A sockets. Wi-fi is available on most long-haul aircraft. Storage at the seat is limited apart from one drawer at floor level which will fit a small laptop.
The Club Seats are spread over both the upper and lower deck. On the lower deck, they have the standard 2-4-2 layout, whereas upstairs, it is a more intimate 2-3-2.
The Upper Deck also has the advantage of the window seats having a large storage bin, which is also handy as a side table.
The Upper Deck is quieter, with two smaller cabins, and has extra storage bins in the window seats.
If you don’t want to climb over someone or have them climb over you, you should choose the following seats:
However, all of these rows except row 59 are by a galley and or toilets. Row 59 has World Traveller Plus directly behind with two bassinet positions, so you could get a crying baby.
If you are in a couple, the middle seats downstairs are best since there is no real barrier between the seats unless you want to look out of the window.
The Club World seats are set across 3 cabins on the A380, 2 upstairs and 1 downstairs.
I have flown in 53K upstairs as it had direct aisle access and was a window seat with extra storage. The drawback with this seat is that it is by the galley and I could hear noise during the flight. The A380 also has narrow gaps between the seats. It was quite tight getting my case through the gap with the footstool, even though my case wasn’t that big.
There is a huge amount of room for storage with the side bins as you can have up to 3 side bins and the usual drawer too. They are big enough for a small back pack or handbag.
59A is an aisle access seat at the back of the upper deck Club World cabins. The disadvantage with this seat is that you are very close to World Traveller Plus and the bassinet positions at the bulkhead. Before you can raise the divider you can have an awkward staring competition with the envious passengers in World Traveller Plus too!
The seat had plenty of storage with 2.5 side bins and the usual lower drawer. The gap to get in and out of the seat didn’t seem as bad here as in 53K and once the screen was up the seat felt very private.
There are only three aircraft left at Heathrow with old Club World alongside the Gatwick B777-200 which all have the old seats. It is not clear which layout is left at Heathrow since there were three possible layouts with the old seats so I shall give generic advice for Heathrow. These aircraft were fairly recently refurbished prior to Club Suites being announced and have decent in flight entertainment screens if rather small compared to Club Suites.
British Airways Boeing 777-200ER aircraft seat map v1. Provided by seatmaps.com
British Airways Boeing 777-200ER aircraft seat map v2 (No First – Gatwick) Provided by seatmaps.com
The B777-200 at Heathrow has three possible layouts with the same seats in all three.
The middle seats are best for couple and would be recommended to avoid for solo travellers due to the lack of any proper divider between the seats. If you prefer a window seat, these are also suitable for couples with the divider down.
I would avoid the back row of Club if you are worried about crying babies and the front and back rows of the cabin are close to galleys/toilets.
If you don’t want to climb over anyone/be climbed over chose the front row aisle seats on the window side and the back row window and middle seats.
This is a small cabin at the front of the aircraft. The bassinet position is in the back row only. In the front row although you are by a galley and toilets there is an exit in between so the noise would be less than at the back of the cabin.
For seats where you don’t need to climb over anyone/be climbed over, choose the following:
REVIEW: British Airways B777-200 Old Club World London to Philadelphia
In old Club World, the seats are laid out in a 2-4-2 “yin/yang” configuration with seats facing each other. A divider can be put up after the safety demo, but until then you can play the uncomfortable game of trying not to stare directly at your neighbour facing you!
You also have to step over people if you are in a window or middle seat if people have their footstool up.
The other annoying thing about old Club World is the lack of storage, particularly above floor level. There is nowhere on the B777/787 to put anything like a water bottle within reach without having the table out.
The seats are still relatively comfortable for sitting, lounging and working. The only issue I often find is that the footstools are not very stable and will often keep collapsing, which is annoying.
However, you do get a pretty big, long, flat bed that does not have anything encasing your feet or that may bash your knees. The extra room makes it good for side sleepers and those who toss and turn.
British Airways Boeing 777-300ER aircraft seat map . Provided by seatmaps.com
Usually, these are only used at Heathrow, and there are now only three left with the old Club World seats. The aircraft is known as the flying dormitories due to the large size of the Club World cabin. There is only one layout with the old seats.
Row 16 has the bassinet position and also the row behind that in World Traveller Plus also has bassinets. If I was not worried about climbing over/being climbed over I would go for row 3 or 4 to get served quickly and get first meal choice but be away from the galley, bassinets and toilets.
There are a number of seats that have aisle access and don’t get climbed over either.
British Airways Club World B777-300ER Heathrow to Los Angeles review
British Airways Boeing 787-8 aircraft seat map . Provided by seatmaps.com
The B787s have a slightly unusual layout with a 2-3-2 configuration, and the B787-8 has two small cabins, which give a feeling of intimacy. Usually, I advise avoiding the middle seats, but these do offer a lot of privacy once the dividers go up.
Those without being stepped over/stepping over someone:
If noise is a concern, row 6 has two bassinet positions, and row 7 has two bassinets behind it in World Traveller Plus. The window and aisle seats would be best for couples or a middle and an aisle.
British Airways B787-8 Club World review Heathrow-Johannesburg
In the rear Club cabin you are served last and in the very back row you can be disturbed by the clanking noise of the metal fastenings on the curtains leading to World Traveller Plus, as crew members move between cabins.
British Airways Boeing 787-9 aircraft seat map . Provided by seatmaps.com
The layout is similar to the B787-8 with two smaller cabins, although there are more seats.
If you want the quietest seats I would go for rows 11 and 12 in the middle cabin. Row 10 has a bassinet each side and row 13 has two bassinets behind in World Traveller Plus.
Those without being stepped over/stepping over someone:
The B787-8 and B787-9 all have slightly different layouts. The B787 has an unusual layout with a 2-3-2 configuration. If you just want privacy and a little extra room, the middle seat is very private with the screens up. The middle seats also have a small shelf area to one side, which gives a little extra width and somewhere to put things such as water bottle or headphones.
There is only one storage area for the old Club World seats, and that is the drawer which you can see open in the photo below. The good point is that it is large and fits most smaller laptops. The bad point is that when you have the table out, it is tricky to reach it, and items slide quite far back, so it is easy to leave stuff behind.
The stool folds down to rest your feet, and I like that I can reach it comfortably even without reclining the seat (I’m 5ft6in)
In 2019, BA launched its new Club Suites, which are a huge improvement on the old Club World. Each seat is a suite with a door that closes for privacy. British Airways originally planned to have 100% of the fleet fitted with Club Suites by 2025 and 100% of the Heathrow B777 fleet fitted by the end of 2022.
At the last Investor Day in November 2023, BA set the end of 2026 as the target for the full Heathrow Club Suite rollout. No date has been assigned to Gatwick. The A380s are due to be the last of the BA aircraft to get them. B787-8 and then -9 are due to be refitted in early 2025, and then the A380s will follow last.
Certain aircraft are guaranteed to have the new Club Suites:
New York flights (JFK and Newark) from Heathrow also have Club Suites, except in the case of a last-minute substitution.
British Airways Boeing 787-10 aircraft seat map . Provided by seatmaps.com
The seats are spread over two cabins with a 1-2-1 standard layout. Seats in the middle can be separated with a divider.
All seats are pretty much equal except in terms of noise. However, the front row (row 5) does have an extra shelf at the bulkhead, which is handy for storage or unpacking your carry-on. Row 6 only has a partial window.
I would choose rows 7 or 8 to be served quickly but not close to the galley or toilets. I would avoid rows 12 and 16/17 in the rear cabin, which may be affected by noise from the bassinets. Rows 14 and 15 are likely to be the quietest in the back cabin.
British Airways B787-10 Club Suite night flight Dallas to Heathrow
There are two Club Suites cabins. The front cabin could be a better choice as you would get served earlier and also because the front of the rear Club cabin is by the toilets. Also, since the toilets are at the rear, it’s a quiet location, so no one would be walking past except the crew.
The front bulkhead row also has the advantage of the shelf in front. You can’t store anything for take-off or landing but it was a useful place to pack and unpack hand luggage or pop a laptop for a minute if you wanted to get up.
There is plenty of storage with two side bins, a headphone cupboard with a mirror at head height, and a little storage under the foot rest. There’s also a side pocket and a magazine rack (that fits a small laptop).
The only real difference between the A350 and the B787-10 is that you can plug in a bulky adaptor within the side bin. One tip is that if you have a multi-country adaptor, if you use the US adaptor it will go in upside down which solves the issue in many cases.
As well as the USB and multi-socket there was a second USB and headphone socket.
The large and sturdy table is perfect for eating or working. It can be in several different positions, and you can get out of the seat when it’s folded out. There is a door to the suite that you can close as soon as the seatbelt signs are off.
You can alter the leg rest to different heights as well as the back of the chair. It’s definitely an improvement on the old seats for comfort.
British Airways Airbus A350-1000 twin cabin aircraft seat map. Provided by seatmaps.com
Like all Club Suites, these are laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration with a movable divider between the middle seats.
There is only one cabin layout with a single large cabin and a smaller second cabin.
The second cabin has a more intimate feel, but be aware there are two bassinet positions at the front and directly behind the cabin is World Traveller Plus with two bassinet positions.
The front of the main cabin also has a bassinet on one side in 1K and a galley and toilets at the front. However, it does have a large shelf in front of 1A and K which is handy for somewhere to put a bag while unpacking your bits and bobs. It also can provide a bit of extra storage once airborne if you want to pop something out of the way.
The optimum seats would be around rows 3 to 5, where you are still fairly close to the front to be served quickly and get your first choice of meal but less likely to be disturbed by noise.
The A350-1000 is laid out in 1-2-1 configurations over two cabins. The front one is much larger. There are no bad seats but in row 1 you do get two windows instead of one. Row 1 has the advantage of having the bulkhead in front of you, which I quite like as somewhere to put my bag when I am unpacking my bits and bobs. It also can provide a bit of extra storage once airborne if you just want to pop something out of the way. The second mini cabin is best for a more intimate atmosphere and quieter.
If you are travelling with someone you may prefer the middle seats that have a divider you can keep down so you can chat to your companion.
The seat looks quite small from the outside but once in it, I felt I had lots of space. The gap to get into the suite is a little narrow so it can be a bit of a squeeze to get a larger cabin bag through to unpack it on the seat.
There’s a headset storage cupboard with a handy mirror to check you don’t scare the cabin crew when you first wake up! Then there’s a small shallow compartment for small electricals such as leads, plugs, and phones.
The large compartment next to it is great for wash bags or bulkier items. This contains your remote for entertainment and charging options. There are 2 USB points and then a multi-country socket, which has a major flaw. Many larger plugs will not fit here. My trusty Inatek one did not fit, so I had to fudge it by using a US adaptor and then sticking my own plug into that, where it just about fitted.
Finally, there is a reasonably big open shelf area under the others at ankle level. Unlike the old Club seats, you can also store items underneath the footstool, which is really handy.
In terms of comfort, at 5ft 6″, I found that I couldn’t reach the footstool when in a semi-reclined position, which was slightly irritating. However, it was great that there was a leg rest I could control individually. The seat is controlled with a simple-to-use touchscreen, where you can change the leg rest and back separately. The seat felt very padded and supportive, and I easily found positions to work, relax, and eat comfortably.
The tray table was large and steady, perfect for working and eating. It could be set in several positions, so it was easy to slide out of the seat while working or having your meal.
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