Smaller seats for BA 777s at Gatwick & Heathrow

British Airways latest refitted aircraft has taken to the skies at London Gatwick, with larger seatback TV screens, but smaller seats. British Airways Boeing 777 economy seats are being narrowed to give 10, up from 9, seats in a row. 15 of the Boeing 777s at Heathrow are also being densified.

British Airways plans will see an extra seat added to each row, which will result in each row having ten seats rather than the current nine for 25 of the Boeing 777 aircraft based at Gatwick and Heathrow.

Two toilets will also be removed per aircraft and replaced by additional seating. The plan will increase the number of seats on its Boeing 777 aircraft by almost 20%, from 280 to 332, with economy increasing from 216 to 252, Premium economy up from 24 to 48, however Business Class will be reduced from 40 seats to 32.

Most of the additional capacity is achieved by adding one extra seat to each economy row. At present they are nine abreast, in a 3-3-3 configuration. The refit adds a 10th seat, with a 3-4-3 formation.

Currently many B777 operators continue to provide the original, Boeing-recommended and roomier economy seating (disposed 3-3-3). However, low cost airlines, and Emirates, have started fitting 10 seats abreast to Boeing 777 aircraft, and now British Airways is following suit, as Lux-traveller reported in 2016.

The first 'densified' British Airways Boeing 777 is now in service at London Gatwick, and to go with it British Airways have release some images of the new aircraft.

While the seats are getting smaller, seatback screens are getting larger. In economy, the entertainment screen area will be almost three times larger than currently.

Screens will have a gesture control to navigate the interface like using a tablet. In addition, there will be USB sockets at every seat, for recharging mobile phones and tablets.

Passengers prepared to pay extra for BA's premium economy cabin called World Traveller Plus, will get a fully adjustable six-way headrest to suit customers of all heights, plus a cocktail table and a mains socket for British, European and US plugs. The screen area will be four times larger.

The first of the high-density aircraft will be deployed on routes to Cancun in Mexico, the Dominican Republic resort of Punta Cana and the Jamaican capital, Kingston. But passengers on all long-haul routes from Gatwick will experience it by next year when the whole fleet of 10 Boeing 777s at Gatwick get the refresh.

British Airways says Heathrow's Boeing 777 fleet will also be fitted with the new World Traveller and Premium Economy seat from autumn 2019.

In total twenty five of BA's 777s will be converted to ten-across, with ten at Gatwick, and therefore a further fifteen Boeing 777s at Heathrow.