Virgin Atlantic has unveiled the latest version of is Upper Class Suite. The new seat will debut on board the carrier’s new A330 neo aircraft, with London Heathrow to Boston being its first route.
The A330neo will have 30 of the new Upper Class suites, all of which are forward-facing with a fully closing privacy door. The suite has passenger-controlled mood lighting and a 17.3” touchscreen TV. The new suites look similar to those offered by Delta in business class – which is a hybrid of the Vantage XL and an earlier Vantage model by Thompson Aero (see our business class seat guide below).
Virgin has also created a ‘social space’ which it calls The Retreat Suite. This consists of two suites at the front of the cabin in the centre of the aircraft with a seat which converts into a 6ft 7” fully flat bed and a 27” touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity and wireless charging. Each suite has an ottoman that doubles up as an extra seat meaning that up to four people can dine, chat or play games in their own private social space. Couples can enjoy an intimate dinner or settle in comfort to watch a film. There is a divider so the two suites can be used by solo travellers.
There is also ‘The Loft’, as on the A350, which is a space for eight people, with four seats, allowing guests to sit and chat or enjoy refreshments from the new self-service fridge and drinks dispenser. Customers can also connect Bluetooth headphones to the dual panoramic 27” touchscreens or utilise the wireless charging facilities for their devices.
Virgin Atlantic in-house Design team worked in collaboration with Factorydesign to develop the Retreat Suite, Upper Class Suite and The Loft.
Premium economy
The A330 has 46 premium economy seats in burgundy with a 38” pitch, calf rests at every seat and a 13.3” touchscreen with Bluetooth audio. The airline is also offering its Premium customers an in-seat wireless charging pad.
Economy
Economy seats come in a range of options: 156 Economy Classic seats, providing a 31” pitch and 28 Economy Delight seats, which offer an increased 34” seat pitch.
All have Virgin’s ‘largest ever economy screen’ at 13.3”, with a touchscreen and Bluetooth audio to connect headphones, with customers able to use their phone as a controller. There’s also plenty of storage, plus AC power and USB ports to keep gadgets energised.
The airline says that the aircraft will have increased connectivity with in-seat wireless charging, Bluetooth connectivity in all cabins and its fastest ever Wi-Fi.
The A330 neos were first ordered by Virgin in 2019, with a total order of 16. The A330-900 neos are designed to be 11 per cent more fuel and carbon efficient than the A330-300 they’re directly replacing and will deliver a 50 per cent reduction in airport noise contour.
Tickets will go on sale later this month for the Boston route featuring the A330 neo. From September 2022, the airline will take delivery of three aircraft, with the remaining deliveries following between 2023 and 2026.
Business Traveller is at the unveiling of the seats and will post new details and photos later.