{"version":"1.9","identifier":"84180d67-499a-43d3-b38f-ed1cfdc199f7","language":"en-US","title":"British Airways shows its retrofitted A380: new First suite and a 106-seat Club World upper deck","layout":{"columns":7,"width":1024,"margin":32,"gutter":20},"componentLayouts":{"text":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"maximumContentWidth":720,"margin":{"top":12,"bottom":12}},"photo":{"columnStart":0,"columnSpan":7,"margin":{"top":20,"bottom":20}}},"componentTextStyles":{"default":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"textColor":"#171717"},"headline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue-Bold","fontSize":36,"lineHeight":42,"conditional":[{"conditions":{"maxViewportWidth":480},"fontSize":28,"lineHeight":34}]},"intro":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":20,"lineHeight":28,"textColor":"#555555"},"caption":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":19,"textColor":"#666666"},"byline":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":13,"lineHeight":20,"textColor":"#666666"},"body":{"fontName":"HelveticaNeue","fontSize":18,"lineHeight":29,"paragraphSpacingAfter":14,"linkStyle":{"textColor":"#00704a"}}},"metadata":{"canonicalURL":"https://www.loungefrog.com/news/british-airways-a380-retrofit-new-cabins-2026","datePublished":"2026-10-14T18:02:20.341222Z","dateModified":"2026-10-14T23:50:59.607859Z","authors":["Patrick Karsh"],"excerpt":"BA's refitted A380s get new seats in all four cabins, starting in the coming months. A new First menu, pajamas and amenity kit are already flying.","thumbnailURL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/84180d67-499a-43d3-b38f-ed1cfdc199f7/c0353c192df19edc6302923c21392cd2.jpg","keywords":["aircraft"],"generatorName":"Frog News","generatorVersion":"1.0"},"components":[{"role":"title","text":"British Airways shows its retrofitted A380: new First suite and a 106-seat Club World upper deck","textStyle":"headline","layout":"text"},{"role":"intro","text":"BA's refitted A380s get new seats in all four cabins, starting in the coming months. A new First menu, pajamas and amenity kit are already flying.","textStyle":"intro","layout":"text"},{"role":"byline","text":"By Patrick Karsh · Published October 14, 2026","textStyle":"byline","layout":"text"},{"role":"photo","URL":"https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/84180d67-499a-43d3-b38f-ed1cfdc199f7/c0353c192df19edc6302923c21392cd2.jpg","caption":"British Airways' new First suite with day cushion (BA press image) · British Airways","accessibilityCaption":"British Airways' new First suite with day cushion (BA press image)","layout":"photo"},{"role":"caption","text":"British Airways' new First suite with day cushion (BA press image) · British Airways","textStyle":"caption","layout":"text"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"[British Airways' new First suite with day cushion (BA press image)](https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/84180d67-499a-43d3-b38f-ed1cfdc199f7/c0353c192df19edc6302923c21392cd2.jpg)\n[Club Suite on British Airways' retrofitted A380 (BA press image)](https://pub-fac99da959e344fe99d810d309cef7df.r2.dev/photos/article/84180d67-499a-43d3-b38f-ed1cfdc199f7/bcf1f42beb67584d63d936a882bce7ec.jpg)\n\n[British Airways](https://www.loungefrog.com/airlines/ba) has shown the new cabins for its Airbus A380 fleet. The first refitted jet is due to enter service in the coming months. The rest of the fleet will follow.\n\nBA calls the work a multi-billion investment in the customer experience. Each refit replaces more than 35,000 parts. Every seat is new, and so are the seatback screens, the galleys and the stairways between the two decks.\n\n## The new layout\n\nThe refitted A380 has four cabins across two decks, with 417 seats in total.","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"},{"role":"htmltable","html":"
CabinSeats
First12
Club World (business)106
World Traveller Plus (premium economy)84
World Traveller (economy)215
","layout":"text"},{"role":"body","format":"markdown","text":"Club World takes up the whole upper deck. BA says that makes it the largest business class cabin in the world.\n\n## First\n\nThe heart of the refit is the First suite BA first showed in 2024. Two features stand out for couples and friends:\n\n* The divider between the two center suites opens up, so the pair can share one space.\n* The tables fold out so two people can eat together.\n\nEach suite also has a built-in mini bar with snacks and still and sparkling water.\n\n## Club World\n\nThe Club Suite gets a refresh in blue, red and cream. BA says it added storage and fixed details that customers had flagged.\n\nThe upper deck is split into four zones. There are new places to stand and stretch, and self-service Club Kitchens for snacks between meals. The galleys are redesigned too.\n\n## World Traveller Plus and World Traveller\n\nPremium economy gets larger screens, privacy wings on the seats and new bedding. Economy gets larger screens and wider seats. Pillows get more filling, and blankets are softer, in BA blue with red trim.\n\n## New First service is already flying\n\nYou do not need to wait for the A380 to see part of this. BA began rolling out a new First service across its whole long-haul fleet on October 1:\n\n* **Dining:** a new \"From the Grill\" menu lets you build your own meal, with options such as roast rack of lamb or grilled salmon. Signature main courses are still offered.\n* **Drinks:** Bollinger La Grande Année Champagne, a set of gins with a 0.0% option, and a triple-vintage cider from Showerings.\n* **Sleep:** new navy pajamas in BA's own tartan, slippers, a new mattress, a cotton duvet and a new pillow. These came first on flights out of Heathrow.\n* **Amenity kit:** a new kit by Swaine, a British heritage brand founded in 1750, filled with Wildsmith skincare. It started on October 6 on flights out of Heathrow.\n\nFlights into London will get the new pajamas and kits in the coming months.\n\n## Changes in the back cabins\n\nFrom November, BA is phasing in a reusable World Traveller Plus amenity kit and new bedding across all long-haul aircraft. World Traveller passengers get new bedding on the same timeline.\n\nClub World passengers will see four new amenity kit designs by British artists, made with the art platform Rise Art. They contain products from the wellness brand anatomē.\n\n## Lounges get new skincare too\n\nBA says Wildsmith products will also reach the [Concorde Room](https://www.loungefrog.com/programs/ba-concorde-room) and its First and Club lounges in the coming months. At Heathrow, that includes the [Concorde Room](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lhr-british-airways-concorde-room) and [Galleries First](https://www.loungefrog.com/lounges/lhr-british-airways-galleries-first) at Terminal 5.\n\n## What BA said\n\n\"This is a major milestone for British Airways and the future of our A380 fleet,\" said Sean Doyle, British Airways' Chairman and CEO. \"At the heart of the transformation is our brand-new First suite.\"\n\n## My take\n\nBA has not yet said which routes will get the first refitted A380. Until then, a booking on a BA A380 will most likely still have the old cabins. Check the seat map before you pay extra for a specific flight.\n\nThe new First meals and bedding are easier to find. They are on long-haul First flights now, and the sleepwear and kit are on flights out of Heathrow first. See our [Heathrow airport page](https://www.loungefrog.com/airports/lhr) for lounges before you board.\n\nSource: [British Airways press release, October 5, 2026](https://mediacentre.britishairways.com/news/05102026/british-airways-reveals-all-new-first-club-suite-world-traveller-plus-and-world-traveller-cabins-as-part-of-its-multi-billion-investment-into-customer-experience)\n\n## Related reading\n\n* [Inside British Airways' retrofitted A380: new First suite, 106 Club Suites and new economy seats](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/british-airways-a380-retrofit-new-cabins)\n* [British Airways adds a Hoppers Sri Lankan menu to Club World on its new Gatwick–Colombo flights](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/british-airways-hoppers-club-world-menu-colombo-october-2026)\n* [The 12 best British Airways lounges, ranked: 2026](https://www.loungefrog.com/news/british-airways-lounges-ranked-2026)","textStyle":"body","layout":"text"}]}