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BA leaks new A380 seat layout but there may be trouble ahead
BA announced a while ago that it would be refurbishing its A380 with the new Club Suite seats, but so far, details have been fairly scant on the actual layout. The airline has confirmed that the aircraft will receive an all-new First suite and the roll-out of Club Suites on the A380. You can see the new First class seat details in this article.
British Airways will begin upgrading its A380s in mid-2026, with work continuing into 2028. Earlier this week, BA accidentally released its seat map online for the new aircraft layout, confirming the main deck space.
The new layout is getting a bit of a makeover from the current seat plan. Downstairs on the main deck, there will be 12 brand-new First Class suites up front, followed by 84 premium economy and 215 economy seats. The real showstopper, though, is the upper deck—it’s now a massive, dedicated space for business class, packed with 110 Club World suites running from nose to tail.
The New Setup at a Glance:
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Main Deck: A mix of 12 First Class suites, 84 World Traveller Plus, and 215 World Traveller seats.
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Upper Deck: Pure business class with 110 Club World suites. What we don’t know is how this will be potentially divied up into smaller cabins.
According to Paddle Your Own Kanoo, there are rumoured delays to the project due to regulators being unhappy with the lack of ability to use a restraint kit on the upper deck, as it is not designed for business class seats. Previously, you could have moved the passenger into the economy section upstairs, but now you would have to escort them downstairs, which could be very tricky with an unruly passenger.
Air France and KLM launch new business class sale
As usual, there are some reasonable fares out of the UK in the latest Air France/KLM sale. With wide coverage of the regional airports, the airlines can be a useful choice for those outside London. I have been particularly impressed by Air France on the long-haul flights I have taken with them. KLM has a decent seat and a great crew, too, but I do find the food a little underwhelming.
Starting from 29 March, Air France will launch two daily flights connecting Gatwick to Paris, giving you another option for connecting on to long haul flights from the UK. KLM will also operate more flights to several intercontinental destinations this summer. There will be extra flights to Cape Town at the start of the season, and KLM will offer daily service to Portland throughout the summer. San Diego, Miami, and Hyderabad will be available for the first time during the entire summer season. Additionally, San José will now be offered as a summer destination for the first time.
The sale is available to book until 12 March 2026. There are not specific travel dates stated within the T&C.
Here are the return business class fares from Heathrow l:
South America
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Bogota: From £1,804
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Rio de Janeiro: From £1,843
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Lima: From £1,945
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Quito: From £2,030
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Buenos Aires: From £2,448
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Santiago de Chile: From £2,853
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Cartagena: From £3,234
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Fortaleza: From £1,692
Central America & Caribbean
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Panama City: From £1,758
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San Jose: From £1,988
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St Martin: From £2,381
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Liberia (Costa Rica): From £3,353
Africa
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Abuja: From £1,811
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Abidjan: From £1,834
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Lagos: From £1,858
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Accra: From £1,902
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Johannesburg: From £1,941
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N’Djamena: From £2,069
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Nairobi: From £2,083
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Cape Town: From £2,192
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Kilimanjaro: From £2,521
Middle East & Asia
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Cairo: From £1,483
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Dubai: From £1,685
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Beirut: From £1,691
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Delhi: From £2,172
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Bahrain: From £2,187
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Muscat: From £2,310
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Dammam Dhahran: From £2,428
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Mumbai: From £2,422
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Bangkok: From £2,469
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Abu Dhabi: From £2,631
Indian Ocean
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Antananarivo: From £1,959
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Saint Denis: From £3,064
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Mauritius: From £3,361
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Malé: From £3,563
You can find the sale page here.
Virgin Atlantic adds relaxation pod to its London Clubhouse
Virgin Atlantic has introduced Somadome meditation pods in its London Heathrow Clubhouse to provide a 20-minute, technology-enabled, pre-flight wellness experience. These pods use color, sound, and energy therapies to help passengers relax, reset, or energize before their flight. You can choose whether you want to feel calmer or more invigorated with an experience that lasts for 20 minutes. You sit in the Somadome meditation pod wearing headphones, and The Somadome guides your brain into numerous waves like alpha + theta waves, aka the clarity zones. This allows you to maximize the benefits of meditation with less effort. It also looks like you get a blanket as well. I’m flying Virgin in a couple of months so I will make sure I try it out. BA tried sleep pods in its Heathrow lounges for a while, but I did not find these very restful, and they have now gone.
The post below on Instagram doesn’t say if this is a trial or a permanent fixture. Virgin has trialled various options since the spa closed after Covid, and previously had Peloton bikes. I really wish they would bring back the spa. There is no reason why they can’t just run this at cost as I used to often pay for treatments when using the Virgin lounge and I loved being abke to get my hair done before a flight.
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