Continental Airlines has started a refurbishment of its transatlantic fleet, offering fully-flat beds in business class for the first time.
A Boeing 777 aircraft fitted with the new BusinessFirst cabin is already operating to Heathrow, with the remainder of this fleet to be refitted by August 2011.
The new seats are all forward facing and will also be installed on smaller Boeing 757s, which operate Continental’s New York Newark flights from regional airports such as Bristol.
Work on this aircraft type will start in December, with reconfiguration due to complete in August 2012.
The redesigned seats have universal power sockets, USB ports and iPod docks.
Continental senior director, UK and Ireland sales and marketing Bob Schumacher said: “We already have a strong, consistent business product and this raises the bar.”
Continental is one of the last US carriers to remodel its business product, but Schumacher said this had allowed it to take on the best aspects of rivals’ seats.
He added Continental would not follow other carriers’ lead of introducing a premium economy cabin.