British Airways B777 Cabin Refits

I've also just read that BA reported that they intend to displace VIIA, VIIB and VIIF (the 3 LGW-based 4 class 777s which operate the BGI route) to LHR and bring in three newer ones from there which are fitted with both New First and the Rockwell-Collins AVOD system. Anyone know anything about this?

Yep, all BAs 747-400, 767-300ER and most 777-200 are fitted with an AVOD system. However, there are still some 777s floating around which still have the old fashioned GMIS 12-channel tape loop system (and due to my anorak-ness I can tell you it's ZZZA-C, VIIA-N and VIIS). Most of the Gatwick based ones have this unfortunately.

No, their 777s carry the registrations G-VII* (roman numerals for 7), G-YMM* (numerals for 'year 2000') and G-ZZZ* (as it looks like '777').

Agreed. I believe a lot of the 767s are going toward the back end of this year and are being replaced by 787s. The ones they're keeping are getting a 'refresh', which I think is just a retrimming of the existing seats in the new fabric. They won't be getting the Next-Gen Club World as in the 747/777 fleet.

I'll have the pleasure of a World Traveller seat in a few weeks going to Barbados! I just hope we get one with Video on Demand. The 12 channel system really is lousy.

I've never seen the point in World Traveller Plus. We had a free upgrade to it a few years ago (whoopdie do) and it wasn't any more comfortable than WT. On 777s it also means that the 3 of us can't sit together and have a window (Seat layout is 2-4-2 as opposed to 3-3-3 in WT)!

Yes I've flown on a few of their 744s too! They're still pretty nice, but some of them are getting noticeably tatty! They are all fitted with AVOD (Audio Video On Demand), because they were all retrofitted with the Rockwell-Collins eTes IFE equipment back in the late 90s. This was originally an 18 channel system, but was upgradable to AVOD and is continually supported by Rockwell. This system is identifiable by the seatback displays, which are larger, are touchscreens and have an ON/OFF and Menu button on the lower edge. This system is also fitted to the later 777-200s, those delivered from around 99 onwards. It's also been retrofitted to all long haul 763s.

The older 772s, those delivered from 96-98, have the older GEC-Marconi 'GMIS' IFE system, fitted from new. This was inferior to the Rockwell TES system to begin with, as is only 12 channel based, but made worse as Marconi went bust in the late 90s and so support for the system was terminated. Therefore an upgrade to the system to AVOD like the Rockwell product will require a complete refit of the equipment in the aircraft rather than a relatively simple upgrade. This is why these 12 channel aircraft still plough on today! This system is identifiable by the noticeably smaller and squarer seatback screens, lack of touch controls and lack of buttons on the seatback unit.

More on topic, the first New First 777 arrived at Gatwick today. VIIU ferried from LHR to LGW, replacing VIIA which has now gone to Cardiff for its refit.

All the 3 class 777s at Gatwick have the old seats, but they do have AVOD (Audio Video on Demand). I'm flying home from BGI today and according to FlightRadar the one currently on the way over is VIIF, which coincidentally was the one we flew out on last week, which has the old 12 channel system.

You were lucky to get an AVOD one. That system is actually very good but is only on a handful of the 772s. Our flights to and from Barbados last week were operated by the same aircraft, and the IFE system was rubbish. Once the system is started about half an hour after takeoff, about 6 movies start playing at the same time and keep running until the longest one has finished. After that there's about a 20 minute break before they change the tapes and start playing another 6 movies. Once the longest of those is finished, on the way out they just rewound the second set and played them again, on the way back the system was switched off and only the radio stations and moving map were available for the last couple of hours. The films I wanted to watch were all on the first set so I could only watch one of those which was disappointing. No pause or rewind, it didn't even pause during a cabin announcement (the screens blanked but when it resumed it was a couple of minutes ahead!)

The service was ok, but the aircraft was really tatty. My armrest was falling apart and the cabin stank when we got on.

I noticed they do creak and rattle a lot! They're also very noisy during engine start and when the engines are at idle if you're down the back or immediately over the wings.