Sneak peak: Inside BA's 747 cabin refresh

Published Aug 26, 2016

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Cape Town - British Airways has completed the major makeover of 18 of the airline’s Boeing 747s, giving them the same award-winning interior look and feel as its newest aircraft.

Each jumbo jet now features a refreshed interior and state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment system – as well as additional Club World seats.

The aircraft, operate on many of the airline’s most important longhaul routes, including Johannesburg, New York, JFK, Chicago, Dubai, Boston, Riyadh, Kuwait, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Washington DC.

Tory Warfield, British Airways’ director of customer experience, says the iconic 747s remain an important part of the British Airways’ fleet.

“Feedback from customers who have flown the revamped 747s shows they really appreciate the improved interiors, with mood lighting, better seating and state-of-the-art entertainment system.

“Our engineers have made these amazing aircraft look and feel like new, with enhanced comfort, cutting-edge technology and cool, clean design.”

Across all 18 aircraft the 11-month refit has involved:

61 miles of wiring for the new Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system

Enough new carpet to cover 34 tennis courts

Nearly six miles of new LED lights

4 500 light fittings

Fabric changes to 4 950 seats

Edward Frost, British Airways’ commercial manager for South and East Africa, says the new aircraft offer 34 additional Club World seats, compared to the aircraft they replace and these are especially appreciated on the Johannesburg/ London route.

“Along with our daily A380 services, the new 747s with the additional Club World seats have increase our premium capacity on the route by 15 percent.”

As part of the upgrade, customers in World Traveller Plus now have access to a universal power socket at every seat, capable of accepting plugs from the UK, US and Europe. World Traveller customers have their own personal USB socket power phones and tablets.

Adapted from a press release for IOL

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