Virgin Atlantic has revealed a new interior to its A350 aircraft, including an increased number of seats in both the Premium and Economy cabins, alongside a new social space for its Upper Class customers.
The new seat configuration offers 397 seats in total, 16 Upper Class suites, 56 Premium seats and 325 in Economy. Within the economy cabin, 45 seats will be Economy Delight, offering customers extra legroom as well as priority boarding and advanced seat selection.
The Booth, designed collaboratively by Virgin Atlantic’s in-house design team alongside London design agency Factorydesign, is the latest innovation in Virgin Atlantic’s social spaces and is exclusively available to customers travelling to the airline’s leisure destinations on-board the A350.
Sited in the Upper Class cabin, The Booth “aspires to create a cosy corner, providing comfy lounge style seating for two, separated by a single leaf table.” The styling and finishes, which include luxurious leather seats and almond gold highlights, are designed to align with the airline’s Loft space featured across the mainline the A350 fleet.
The Booth comprises two 27-inch touch screen monitors with content continuously updated, tailored to the route and time of day, meaning that the look and feel of The Booth will evolve over time. Initial content will include a digital art gallery featuring up and coming artists and a tail and belly cam of the aircraft. Additionally, there are two Bluetooth audio jacks.
Passengers travelling between Heathrow and Orlando are planned to be the first to experience the newest aircraft, with the first flight currently scheduled for December 2021. Other leisure destinations, including Barbados, will receive the new plane later in 2022.
Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operations Officer at Virgin Atlantic, commented: “We’re famous for our on-board social spaces and the introduction of The Booth elevates the customer proposition for our leisure travellers to new heights. We love creating brilliantly different experiences, which is why we’re always evolving our ideas to offer something different and exciting in the air and on the ground.”
The first aircraft in the airline’s A350 leisure fleet will be G-VEVE, named Fearless Lady, after Eve Branson, late mother of Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson. Lady Emmeline (G-VLIB), which is inspired by the leader of the women’s suffrage movement Emmeline Pankhurst, will follow in April, completing the series with three planes set to be delivered by June 2023.
