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BA Confirms Club Suite for Gatwick from 2029
As part of IAG’s full-year results presentation, Sean Doyle confirmed that the first of British Airways’ new Boeing 787-10 aircraft will be delivered to Gatwick from 2029, replacing the ageing 777-200ER fleet and beginning a phased renewal of long-haul operations. The new aircraft will feature Club Suite business class with sliding privacy doors and direct aisle access for every passenger.
The worst part about this is the wait. Deliveries will begin in 2029 and continue into the early 2030s.
British Airways currently has 32 additional Boeing 787-10 aircraft on order, and a portion of these will be based at Gatwick. Over time, BA is expected to grow its long-haul fleet at Gatwick beyond the current 12 aircraft, with the 787-10 likely becoming the backbone of operations.
It will probably be a long time until the exact seat is confirmed. The aircraft could feature the existing Club Suite product, but by 2029, the seat will be approaching 10 years in service, so a new-generation seat may be considered.
The aircraft layout is also yet to be confirmed, though BA has made clear that First Class will remain focused on Heathrow. Given Gatwick’s leisure-based network, we are likely to see a smaller Club World cabin than Heathrow-based aircraft.
The range of the 787-10s will suit BA’s long-haul Gatwick route network, which mainly covers North America and the Caribbean. The newer 787-10 variants also include dedicated crew rest bunks, which BA says will improve operational flexibility and crew welfare on longer sectors.
Flights from Gatwick have long operated with an older Business Class product compared to Heathrow, so it will be good to see this change once 2029 comes around. We’ll just have to put up with a few more years of the yin-yang seat layout.
Essence by Escape to Open at Stansted on 3rd March 
The new Essence by Escape Lounge opens at Stansted on 3rd March, following the recent closure of the previous Escape Lounge at the airport.
The lounge is located in Satellite 1, close to gates 1-19, and serves only airlines departing from those gates, which means you cannot access it if you are flying with EasyJet or Ryanair.
Airlines operating from these gates include Air Algerie, Arkia, British Airways Cityflyer, Corendon Airlines, Emirates, Flyone, HiSky, Jet2, Lufthansa, Pegasus, Royal Jordanian, SunExpress, Tui, and Turkish Airlines.
The lounge will be open from 4:30 AM until 7:30 PM, and you can access it up to 2 hours before your flight.
Access is available via most lounge passes, including Priority Pass and DragonPass, but the lounge isn’t showing in the apps yet, so we don’t know if you’ll be able to pre-book. Walk-in access is priced at £35, while online pre-booking starts from £26.
Essence by Escape is effectively a streamlined version of the Escape Lounge product. It is part of the No1 Lounges portfolio, which operates several airport lounge brands, including Aspire, No1 Lounges, My Lounge, and Escape Lounges.
Food is buffet-style and fairly simple (menu here), but if you are looking for comfortable seating and a quieter space before departure, it should do the job. View our recent Essence by Escape Bristol review here.
Virgin Atlantic Holidays Spend and Save Sale on a Range of Premium Sun Destinations
Virgin Atlantic Holidays has just launched a limited-time Spend and Save deal on selected premium sun destinations.
For three weeks only, until 23rd March, you can save up to £200 on a holiday when you spend at least £5,000, travel between 1st June 2026 and 31st March 2027.
To add this discount to your booking, add the code PremiumSun at checkout.
Eligible destinations include Barbados, the Maldives, Dubai, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Cancun, Grenada, Phuket, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The level of saving per booking depends on your departure month:
- June 2026 – £75
- July 2026 – £100
- August 2026 – £100
- September 2026 – £100
- October 2026 – £100
- November 2026 – £200
- December 2026 – £100
For example, if you book a trip in November for maximum savings and spend £5,000, that’s a 4% discount, which isn’t huge, but if you were thinking of booking soon anyway, it’s always good to get a discount! Keep in mind that the offer cannot be combined with any discount.
Virgin Holidays can be secured with a £175 per person deposit, and you can opt to pay in monthly instalments. If one of these destinations is on your list over the next year, it’s worth checking prices with Virgin Holidays.
