More Room for Everyone: BA adds seats on Cityflyer Routes

After months of speculation and whispers in the aviation world, it's now official: British Airways has announced the addition of new seats on its Cityflyer Embraer 190 fleet operating from London City Airport. Passengers can expect these planes to feature a redesigned interior with new slimline seats added this year.

With the refurbishment of all 20 Embraer 190 jets, the goal is to add an extra 60,000 seats during the summer season of 2024 alone. These new slimline seats are designed to maximise space while seemingly prioritising passenger comfort. 

Primarily operating from London City Airport and extending to selected routes from Edinburgh and Southampton during weekends, The CityFlyer aircraft are a familiar sight for city hoppers. Historically, the fleet was configured with a generous 33-inch seat pitch, designed this way because British Airways originally only chose planes with 98 seats. This decision was based on agreements with pilots and rules about how many crew members are needed, which also helped avoid competing too much with larger flights from Heathrow.

However, recent developments have seen changes in pilot contracts and an operational shift towards enhancing customer service, including the introduction of three cabin crew members on certain flights. This move aims to make the onboard experience better, possibly paving the way for additional services like 'buy on board' for Euro Traveller class.

There’s some good news for legroom lovers: the exit row will remain unchanged, preserving the coveted extra legroom in these select seats. However, the overall cabin reconfiguration to accommodate 14 rows, up from the current 12, indicates a reduction in seat pitch to approximately 28-29 inches for other rows. Despite this adjustment, the introduction of slimline seats is expected to maintain a level of comfort for passengers.

According to British Airways, this initiative will make travel more accessible for passengers. The airline stated that this decision comes as “part of our commitment to offer more choice for our customers,” The statement continued: “The aircraft will be fitted with new slimline seats to maximise the space and comfort of our customers while offering competitive fares from London City Airport.”