Several months ago British Airways took delivery of their first Airbus A350-1000, which represents a huge step forward in the carrier’s fleet renewal efforts. The A350 is not only fuel efficient and a pleasure to fly as a passenger, but it’s also the plane on which British Airways debuted their new Club Suites.

In November 2019 British Airways revealed some details about the next step in their fleet renewal, involving the Boeing 787-10.

This is an update to that post, as the airline has delayed entry into service for the plane by a couple of weeks once again, for the second time in a week (thanks to Rick for letting me know). It seems they’re having some real issues with taking delivery of this plane.

I know many people specifically booked flights to fly on the 787-10, so this is worth being aware of. Hopefully the schedule doesn’t slip even further (though at this point it seems like a real possibility).

Coming Soon: British Airways 787-10

British Airways will be taking delivery of their first Boeing 787-10 in the next few weeks. The airline has a total of 12 of these planes on order, with six expected to join the fleet in 2020.

These planes will join their existing fleet of 30 Dreamliner 787s, including 12 787-8s and 18 787-9s.

What’s Special About The 787?

The Boeing 787 is an incredibly fuel efficient aircraft. It’s known for having a carbon fiber fuselage, allowing the internal cabin altitude to be the equivalent of 6,000 feet, offering better humidity, and reducing the drying effect of the air.

The plane is also known for having big dimming windows, and for being quieter than previous generation aircraft.

The 787-10 specifically is the largest aircraft of the 787 family, so it’s the highest capacity, but it also has the shortest range. This shouldn’t be an issue for British Airways, though, given that they don’t operate many ultra long haul flights.

British Airways 787-10 Cabins

British Airways’ 787-10s will be in a four cabin configuration, meaning that they’ll feature first class (unlike the similarly sized A350-1000s, which don’t have first class).

British Airways’ 787-10s will feature just 256 seats, including:

  • Eight first class seats
  • 48 business class seats
  • 35 premium economy seats
  • 165 economy seats

This will be a very premium heavy aircraft, as you can probably tell based on the seatmap above.

The eight first class seats will be very similar to their current 787-9 first class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration.

In business class they’ll have the new British Airways Club Suites, which are reverse herringbone seats with doors. These newly delivered 787s having Club Suites will contribute towards British Airways having these seats throughout their fleet by 2023.

It’s funny to see that the business class seats will have doors, while the first class seats won’t.

British Airways’ 787-10 Routes

British Airways has so far revealed a few of their 787-10 routes for 2020, the first of which will be to Atlanta.

British Airways 787-10 To Atlanta

British Airways will begin flying the 787-10 between London Heathrow and Atlanta as of April 14, 2020, replacing a 787-9. Originally the route was supposed to be operated by the 787-10 as of February 25, then as of March 10, then as of March 29, and now as of April 14.

With the date constantly slipping, I wouldn’t count on this sticking, unfortunately.

The route will operate with the following schedule:

BA227 London to Atlanta departing 2:20PM arriving 6:50PM
BA226 Atlanta to London departing 9:05PM arriving 10:00AM (+1 day)

British Airways 787-10 To Dallas Ft. Worth

Then as of May 1, 2020, British Airways will begin flying the 787-10 on their daily flight between London Heathrow and Dallas, replacing a 777-300ER. The route will operate with the following schedule:

BA193 London to Dallas departing 3:35PM arriving 7:40PM
BA192 Dallas to London departing 9:55PM arriving 1:00PM (+1 day)

British Airways 787-10 To Seattle

Then as of July 1, 2020, British Airways will begin flying the 787-10 on one of their two daily frequencies between London Heathrow and Seattle, replacing a 777-200. The route will operate with the following schedule:

BA49 London to Seattle departing 3:30PM arriving 5:15PM
BA48 Seattle to London departing 7:20PM arriving 12:40PM (+1 day)

British Airways 787-10 To Nashville

Then as of September 3, 2020, British Airways will begin flying the 787-10 on their daily flight between London Heathrow and Nashville, replacing a 787-9. The route will operate with the following schedule:

BA223 London to Nashville departing 2:45PM arriving 5:45PM
BA222 Nashville to London departing 8:20PM arriving 10:45AM (+1 day)

Bottom Line

British Airways will soon take delivery of their first 787-10, which is another big step in British Airways renewing their fleet. You can expect this plane to first fly to Atlanta, followed by Dallas, Seattle, and Nashville.

Unfortunately service on the Atlanta route has been delayed for a third time, and we can now expect the plane to start operating the route as of April 14. Given that, it seems fairly likely that the date could slip once again.

It’s great that these planes will be in a four class configuration, and will feature Club Suites. That being said, overall I still have a preference for the A350-1000 in terms of comfort.

The post British Airways 787-10 Details: Cabins, Routes, And More appeared first on One Mile at a Time