BRITISHAirways is investing £50m in its Club Europe brand in a drive to increase profits from high-yield business-class passengers.
New seats and brighter aircraft interiors will be installed on 125 short-haul aircraft operating out of Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.
The upgrade coincides with a £1.6bn re-equipping of BA’s European fleet with aircraft from the Airbus A320 family.
The Club Europe programme revamp will also see the refurbishment of 26 lounges, a 3min fast-track aisle for Heathrow Terminal One and priority baggage trials at check-ins.
Dedicated Club Europe areas will be enhanced at airports, with more self-service check-in kiosks for its 1m users.
The upgrade for the premium European product follows a £200m investment in new Club World bed-seats (Travel Weekly May 31). BA is also spending £150m to improve its economy World Traveller cabins. First Class and Concorde will also be upgraded under a £6bn programme to attract more lucrative passengers.
Chief executive Bob Ayling said: “It underpins our strategy of focusing on the most profitable sections of the market with a young fleet and a new product.”
BA has ordered 39 A319s and 20 A320s, which will all have the new Club Europe seats. The airline also has options on 129 additional aircraft, including the larger A321 type.
Birmingham and Manchester will have 24 of the total number split between them to replace their Boeing 737s. The rest will replace aircraft at Heathrow and Gatwick.
New Club Europe seats will also be installed on remaining B737s, B757s and B767s.
BA is to configure the A319s with 126 seats; the A320s with 156 seats; and the A321s with 195 seats.
Club seats will depend on routes and could see some aircraft being business-only.
The aggressive strategy for more premium bookings comes as BA struggles to make a profit due to increasing competition and capacity rises.