British Airways completes Boeing 747 makeover
British Airways completed the major makeover of 18 Boeing 747s with each jumbo jet now featuring 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 long-haul 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.
Across all 18 aircraft the 11-month refit 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 “Along with our daily A380 services, the new 747s with the additional Club World seats have increased our premium capacity on the route by 15%.”
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.
