BA bucks global trend to upgrade First Class

Bucking trends and what some might say is the new wisdom, BA has decided it will spend £100 million in a concentrated effort to upgrade all of its First Class cabins.

Where many airlines around the world are making cutbacks on their First Class capacity, on the heels of the crippling economic crisis that has seen big spending business travelers virtually vanish into thin air, BA will in fact revamp all its Boeing 777 and 747 aircraft. Designers with portfolios like Aston Martin and Jaguar are said to be part of the revamping think-tank.

BA says it wants to bring back the days when flying was associated with glamour and luxury, concepts that BA has held on to jealously, even as low-cost carriers like Ryanair and Jet2 continue to redefine the very concept of flying. In the recent years, BA has found itself losing its exclusive image to carriers like Cathay and Emirates, both of which have gone the extra mile to introduce new levels of comfort into the flying experience for their customers.

BA spokespersons have explained that premium travel has now become an exceedingly competitive arena, and that it is seen as crucial for BA to make the efforts to keep ahead of its many august competitors. The above-mentioned airlines, for example, have in the recent years introduced perks and comforts such as limousine pick-up services, isolated compartments and ever-increasingly comfortable beds in the First Class cabins.

BA, on the other hand, has recently come into some scathing criticism from even its regular customers. Its cabins have been described by some as “jaded” or “worn-out”, and if the airline is keen to maintain—or indeed salvage—it’s glamorous image, it does seem that this might be the right time to spend that £100 million.