I’ve written quite a bit about British Airways’ economy class in the past, though yesterday was my first time checking out British Airways’ “older” A320neos, which have different seats in the front and rear halves of the plane. I thought I’d dedicate a post to it as it’s on the unconventional side, and also because I find the seats in the rear half of the plane to be quite ugly and uncomfortable.
British Airways installed a special type of slimline seat onboard some of their A320neos and A321neos, though as they wanted to keep their original Collins Aerospace Pinnacle seat for Club Europe, they only installed these seats in economy. Specifically, the slimline seats start from about halfway through the aircraft, as Club Europe can get up to half of the plane on their highest-yield flights. These slimline seats are similar to what you’d get on easyJet and Aer Lingus – while not unbearable, they’re some of my least favourite seats in the air right now, as they’re uncomfortable, have tiny tray tables, and have zero recline.
British Airways’ Inconsistent A320neo Seats
Yesterday I flew on G-TTNI, a 6.5-year-old British Airways A320neo. I was seated in Club Europe, though I made my way back to economy to have a look at these new seats, as I knew they’d be featured on my flight.
Here’s what the front half of the plane looks like – these are identical seats to what you’d get on British Airways’ older A320 fleet.
British Airways A320neo Economy Class (forward half)
However, from row 13 onwards the cabin aesthetic becomes significantly less pleasant, with ugly grey slimline seats. These seats have a bit less seat pitch (29″ rather than 30″), though you won’t really notice the difference as the seats are so much thinner.
British Airways A320neo Economy Class (latter half)
What you will notice is the lack of headrests or seat padding whatsoever, as well as the absence of a 110V power port (you still do get a USB-A port however, though no USB-C charging). The seats also don’t recline (this is less of an issue, as recline throughout the British Airways shorthaul fleet is quite minimal). You’ll also notice the tray tables, which are significantly smaller than you’d get further forward in the cabin.
British Airways’ new seats have a G-“TTiNI” tray table
This is the Recaro SL3510 seat, which you’ll find on a few other airlines, including easyJet, Iberia, Aer Lingus, etc.. I’d call the seat absolutely fine for a low-cost carrier, though for a full-service airline these seats aren’t great, and certainly even less pleasant when the other half of the plane (in the same cabin class) features superior seats.
It’s not often that you’ll see two types of economy seat onboard the same aircraft – below is a photo of what this looks like.
British Airways A320neo Economy Class
To be fair, these aircraft do have WiFi fitted, which I value more than seat comfort onboard the short flights that these planes operate. However, these seats can fly as far as Cairo (4.5h flight), where I can see the comfort difference between seats being much more noticeable.
Not all British Airways A320neos have this seat
It’s worth noting that not all British Airways’ A320neos and A321neos have this seat. British Airways’ newest planes have a new seat altogether, which is much more similar to their “original” seat than these new slimline seats with headrests, larger tray tables, and better padding (though lighter, and sans 110V power port – it has USB-C charging at every seat instead).
British Airways’ newer A320neos have a nicer seat
The aircraft you’ll get is a complete lottery draw, though once you do know what you’re flying, here’s how you know which type of seat you’re getting:
- If you’re flying an A320neo with registration number G-TTNA to G-TTNU, you’ll get these older inconsistent seats (with the slimline rows 13-30); G-TTNV onwards have the newer seats, and anything G-TTS_ has the newer seats
- If you’re flying an A321neo, G-TNED to G-TNEH have the new seats; everything else has the above configuration (rows 15-37 have the slimline seats)
- Any of British Airways’ older A319s, A320s, or A321s will have the older Collins Pinnacle seats featured nose-to-tail (except for some ex-BMI British Airways’ A319s, which have an older seat altogether)
How to avoid getting the “worse” seat on British Airways’ A320neos
British Airways doesn’t let you select a seat during check-in for free if you’re flying Basic Economy, though if you’re on any other fare you’ll be able to select a seat during check-in. Whether you get a plane with the newer seats or one of these planes is a complete lottery draw, though here are the rows to avoid if you’re checking into a flight on an A320neo or A321neo, especially on a longer flight:
- For an A320neo, avoid rows 13-30
- For an A321neo, avoid rows 15-37
In both cases Club Europe could go as far as the row before the slimline seats start (rows 12 and 14 respectively for the above plane types), though most of the time I find that Club Europe really only goes as far back as row 3/4, and rarely ever goes beyond the first eight rows.
I’d also note that this isn’t a massive deal on shorter flights especially – a friend recently flew in one of these slimline seats, though he was in an exit row, and actually found the flight to be extremely pleasant. Generally, though, I’d advise picking one of the seats in the forward half of the plane.
I’d recommend avoiding the back half of these planes if you can, though ultimately on short flights it’s not a massive deal
Conclusion
Some of British Airways’ A320neos and A321neos have different seats in the front and back halves of the plane, and these can be a significant comfort difference on longer flights. British Airways doesn’t do this anymore onboard their newest aircraft, though it’s a lottery draw on which aircraft you get – I’d try and pick a seat in the front half of the plane onboard a British Airways A320neo or A321neo.
Have you flown one of these slimline seats on British Airways? How was your experience?