 Mumbai : British Airways' new First service was recently introduced at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai before departing to the airline's 4.3 million pound Terminal 5 at London Heathrow.
As per the company release, this was the first time that the airline's Indian customers were able to experience the new service in India. With stiff competition in the industry for premium passengers, the airline's 100 million pound investment in its flagship brand is set to re-establish its position as a global premium airline.
The new key features of the cabin include a 60 per cent wider bed at the shoulders; personal wardrobe; personal electronic blinds; a 15 inch in-flight entertainment screen; USB port, RCA jack and noise-cancelling headsets; fully integrated ambient and mood lighting; Anya Hindmarch wash bag and amenities by D.R. Harris & Co. and a leather-bound writing table.
Each individual suite has its own personal wardrobe, a leather-bound writing desk that converts into a dining table, a new 15 inch in-flight entertainment screen and a buddy seat to enable customers to dine together. The lighting and electronic blinds can be modified to reflect mood and time of day. A seat control unit replaces the switches to activate the bed and give the customer precision control over the seat position and pneumatic panels to support the head and lumbar positions.
A new premium service style has been developed for cabin crew to ensure world-class service for customers who can eat, sleep and work whenever they want to. The service has proved to be popular since the inaugural flight to Chicago earlier this month with one customer reporting the fittings were reminiscent of a Bentley, while another compared the sleek new cabin to the luxury of the Orient Express.
Judy Jarvis, Regional Commercial Manager- South Asia, British Airways said, "The arrival of new First on the London Heathrow to Mumbai route demonstrates the enduring importance of the Indian market to the British Airways. We are giving our local customers a taste of our flagship product and I'm sure they will find that every aspect of the cabin has been designed to provide a seamless end-to-end experience that is dedicated to exclusivity."
Jarvis added, "We set the industry benchmark when we launched the world's first fully-flat bed for business customers in 2000, and the new First cabin is another step in maintaining our leadership as an innovative airline. I have personally seen the new First cabin fitted on the aircraft. It is luxurious, classic, and private; this is what our customers have told us that they want, including our regular First passengers across India. The new First cabin not only reinforces the exclusivity of our brand but sets a whole new standard in understated luxury and innovation in the skies."
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