Upgrades galore - Virgin Atlantic launches new A330 neo aircraft, cabin design.
Britain’s other flag carrier, Virgin Atlantic, last week announced the introduction of the Airbus A330 neo into their fleet. The airline becomes the first in the UK to receive the next generation aircraft that represents several improvements over the previous A330 - as well as a stunning cabin on the inside. Let’s look at what it has to offer.
Upgrades to Upper Class - both big and small
The headline of the launch event for Virgin Atlantic was the launch of The Retreat Suite, an ultra-premium differentiated seat available on-board. There is a grand total of just two Retreat Suites on the A330 with it representing an Upper Class Plus of sorts. It features:
A 6ft7in/2m seat that reclines into a flat bed
Ottoman opposite for couple dining
27in touch screen television with Bluetooth connectivity for headphones
Qi wireless charging
The airline does not report there being any service upgrades such as improved meals or additional amenities for customers. I suspect the Retreat Suite is, in part, a response to the Transatlantic newcomer jetBlue who have the two front-row Mint Studios with extra space. Virgin Atlantic have not advised if or how much the Retreat Suite will cost but I suspect that the airline will offer it as an additional seat selection charge rather than a separate ticket class. Disappointingly, only the 2 middle seats in the first row will feature this differentiated seat - which may irritate those who are fans of sitting on the window side.
Is Mint Studio from jetBlue part of why Virgin launched Retreat Suite?
The remaining thirty Upper Class seats on-board are dubbed as suites and will be familiar to readers who have seen the A350 seat - but with a number of tweaks. Unlike the A350 suite, on this new aircraft there will be fully closing privacy doors, 17.3in touch screen TV and, cue cringe PR language ’a mirror so customers can check they’re looking runway read’. Strange statements aside, the A330 neo seat shows Virgin Atlantic have listened to customer and media feedback from the A350 seat. Passengers lamented the tray table design which was cramped and lacked manoueverability for passengers to move around, while the ‘door’ on the A350 suite only went halfway - which quite clearly isn’t a effective door.
The Upper Class is finished with a social space called ‘The Loft’. The space exists for eight passengers to relax, chat and enjoy refreshments from a self-serve fridge as well as drinks dispenser. This zone also allows for group watching of the dual 27in screens which connec to provided Bluetooth headphones. While this feature is nice, compared to an on-board bar I cannot see how well utilised this would be.
Premium and Economy aren’t left out on upgrades
While not quite as exciting, most of us are going to be in the rest of the aircraft where there isn’t quite as many fancy features - the improvements will make some difference. Premium appears to have not changed much with large burgundy leather-style recliners offering an impressive 38in of legroom and calf rests. Wireless charging has been added to Premium too, but I cannot work out where this is on the seat. If they feature on the arm rest surface, this will be rather irritating and prone to knocking the charging device off. The 46 seats all feature a 13.3in touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity for wireless headphones.
Finally, Economy feature the same 13.3in touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity as Premium - which eliminates that differentiator for the mid-level class. USB and power outlets are available, but the airline does not detail if the power outlets are shared between passenger seats or one per seat. Economy is split between 28 Economy Comfort seats with 34in of legroom or 156 Economy Classic seats with 31in of pitch. Comfort seats also have a slightly different aesthetic (headrest and seat colours) to differentiate between the two sub-classes.
Some thoughts
The launch of the A330 neo represents a substantial upgrade over its predecessor as well as other Virgin Atlantic aircraft such as the Boeing 787. The upgrade Retreat Suites offer an even more premium experience for select Upper Class passengers while the altered regular seats from the A350 show the airline are making effective alterations where necessary. Premium and Economy show little innovation for something that is being described as a ‘plane for the future’. Bluetooth connectivity is overdue at all airlines while omissions such as the lack of USB-C charging ports seem to be counterintuitive to this statement. I do also think that the airline has made a mistake in having the same screens in Economy and Premium, which could be a key part of customers in the decision making process when deciding between the two. I suspect some who would have gone for Premium might in future opt for Economy Comfort instead. In all, this launch represents evolution for the airline, not revolution as it heads into its 40th anniversary in the next couple of years. Passengers will benefit from the increased readiness of a superior product across the route network as the aircraft are introduced. The new A330neo will begin operating on routes to the US including Boston, Massachusetts from October and Tampa, Florida later .
