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I’ve written in the past about which seats are the best to select on British Airways business class. I just flew from LA to LHR this past week, and there was a seat I’d overlooked! While the K seats near the bulkhead offer the best in terms of a view, storage, AND aisle access, 59E or 53E are both great too. If you find either of these avail, you’ll find yourself with privacy and aisle access. Of the two, 59E seems to be the one that is far more readily available, I’m guessing because it’s in the less desirable rear cabin of the upper deck A380 business class.
How to find:
British Airways A380 has two floors of business, and the upper deck is divided into two cabins. The biggest advantage of upstairs is the cabin is one less seat wide. It’s configured at 2-3-2 vs downstairs 2-4-2. Additionally, the upstairs is split into a forward and a rear cabin. 53E is to the back of the forward cabin, and 59E is the back of the rear cabin.
Here’s a look at 59E. Once you put up the privacy glass – you’re in a little cave AND you have aisle access. Let’s check out why these two seats should be included in my list of where to find the best seats in British Airways business class.
What it looks like on the seat map.
The picture to the left is BA’s seat map, to the right is expertflyer.com Since the seats next to it face forward, it means the ottoman will be in that direction as well = you are free and clear to access the aisle.
I scanned dates over the next week and it’s wide open. Meaning…it must be a little secret that people overlook, not realizing it provides aisle access.
If you don’t have status, and aren’t willing to pay to select a seat, keep on eye on 59E. My entire cabin was nearly full except for 59D and E when I checked in 24 hours in advance.
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
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Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
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- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
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Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
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Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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