The newest members of British Airways’ fleet are the Boeing 787-8 and Airbus A380, as the airline took delivery of its first of each aircraft on June 27 and July 4, respectively.

As I’m a seat map aficionado – vintage or not – I thought I’d post them here and offer a couple of observations on each.

Boeing 787-8 (788) Worldwide Seat Map

The 2-3-2 layout for Club World might make for tight aisles, as I believe the cabin width is around 5.49 meters (as opposed to the 2-3-2 A380 upper deck layout below with a cabin width of around 5.8 meters). But while seated, it looks like a marvelous cabin. The view from any of the window seats in the forward cabin would be spectacular for both unobstructed ground viewing, and that of the wing and engines.

World Traveller Plus with a 2-3-2 layout is fair as a 2-2-2 layout would be dreaming, and the 3-3-3 layout in World Traveller mimics United’s configuration. I’ve heard many complaints from United fliers about the seat width in economy with such a layout, but I found it rather comfortable.

Airbus A380-800 (388) Seat Map

I really wish British Airways had created a true First Class “Suite†versus fairly standard seats for this cabin. But I’m not a revenue manager for the airline.

For couples traveling in Club World, the middle E/F seats on the lower deck 2-4-2 cabin are fantastic. When traveling alone, I’d opt to sit upstairs in the forward Club World cabin for the best views out the window.

As I mentioned above about cabin width between the 787 and upper deck of the A380, World Traveller Plus on this aircraft with a 2-3-2 layout should provide wider aisles. Thankfully, British Airways didn’t opt for 2-4-2 here.

And 3-4-3 is certainly the standard for regular economy across airlines operating the A380. Seat 25D, anyone? (The best interior shots of BA’s A380 I’ve discovered so far can be found here.)

British Airways will begin operating each aircraft on revenue flights in August from London Heathrow to Frankfurt and Stockholm. They won’t be listed on a timetable, but the airline instead will swap them in for existing flights as a “surprise,†reports the Australian Business Traveller.

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

Related posts:

Vintage Airline Seat Maps

Flight Review: United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner Inaugural

Flight Review: Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 Business Class