Virgin Australia have released some very basic images of a new premium economy seat product which will be unveiled on their 777 later on this year. Whist the actual hard product is still under wraps, the actual statistics are what are a little more interesting. The airline has increased its seat pitch to a generous 41″ and the cabin has been reduced from 5 rows to purely just three, offering a very intimate cabin of 24 guests.
Virgin Australia Chief Customer Officer Mark Hassell said: “We understand that Premium Economy guests want to arrive at their destination feeling refreshed and taken care of. We have therefore designed a more spacious and comfortable Premium Economy cabin and product, with a service that many other airlines reserve for their Business Class.”
“The Premium Economy cabin itself will be more spacious and comfortable, with more legroom than any other Australian airline and new cushioned seating to make the journey more restful.” But its the service offering that will set Virgin Australia apart from its competitors, bringing themselves inline with Air New Zealand and Qantas’ best bits.
Guests will be able to choose different variations of their meals, with different garnishes, along with the time and speed of service. Another new element, and becoming an increasingly popular, a new Premium Larder exclusively for Premium Economy guests situated at the rear of the cabin will be replenished throughout the flight, stocked with an assortment of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, light meal options and snacks. We also love the fact the generous baggage allowance of 64kgs hasn’t changed too.
The Highlights of Virgin Australia’s New Premium Economy
- An exclusive and intimate cabin size of 24 seats
- A seat pitch of 41 inches, with more legroom than any other Australian airline
- A plated meal service inspired by business class, tailored to the guest and accompanied by a selection of beers, spirits and wines from our Business Class cellar
- Gourmet hot beverage selections including espresso style coffee
- A Premium Larder for self-service food and beverages for the exclusive use of Premium Economy guests
- Crew trained in Premium service
- Dedicated check-in, Priority Boarding and Priority baggage (up to 64kg of baggage), enabling guests to speed through airport formalities
- In-seat power plus a USB outlet for charging personal electronic devices
- Amenity packs with luxurious blankets, pillows and REN Skincare products.
TheDesignAir 
Honestly, that’s pretty badly Photoshopped.
I have that same seat picture saved for my own seat concepts for colors/fabrics. Instantly recognized it.
VA also said that they’ll be debuting Economy Plus zones with extra legroom as part of their 777 cabin refit later this year. According to articles on Australian Business Traveller, there will be 42 Economy Plus seats on each 777, but VA didn’t reveal how many inches will be gained over the standard coach seats.
With all due respect, it should be assumed that ALL passengers would like to arrive “feeling refreshed and taken care off”, including those in economy. The overall tendency by most airlines generally, to jam more seats into the same amount of space, (reduce pitch, trim off padding, and shorten seat width), infers that airlines have largely forgotten their economy passengers desires to have a pleasent traveling experience. These cumulative actions by the airlines infer that they are willing to push economy passengers into such discomfort so as to pressure them into paying more for comforts that wee the star dark 20-30 years ago. While not a new idea, I find the practice demeaning, and have reduced the amount I travel, in part, because my limited resources don’t allow me to pay for “extras” like humane comfort levels. I won’t waste precious money on experiences I am sure to find challenging and uncomfortable. While The Virgin group seems to have a good reputation for passenger comfort, even in economy, I still find it deplorable how almighty capitalism has sucker punched the general public, and manipulated their expectations into thinking that the current economy experience is fashioned with passenger comfort in mind. In most cases the evidence as soon as one boards – fats cats are pampered and everyone else might as we’ll be in the cargo hold.
(A repeat of an earlier comment, edited for spelling errors…with apologies to the reading public). With all due respect, it should be assumed that ALL passengers would like to arrive “feeling refreshed and taken care off”, including those in economy. The overall tendency by most airlines generally, to jam more seats into the same amount of space, (reduce pitch, trim off padding, and shorten seat width), infers that airlines have largely forgotten their economy passengers desires to have a pleasent traveling experience. These cumulative actions by the airlines infer that they are willing to push economy passengers into such discomfort so as to pressure them into paying more for comforts that were the standard 20-30 years ago. While not a new idea, I find the practice demeaning, and have reduced the amount I travel, in part, because my limited resources don’t allow me to pay for “extras” like humane comfort levels. I won’t waste precious money on experiences I am sure to find challenging and uncomfortable. While The Virgin group seems to have a good reputation for passenger comfort, even in economy, I still find it deplorable how almighty capitalism has sucker punched the general public, and manipulated their expectations into thinking that the current economy experience is fashioned with passenger comfort in mind. In most cases the evidence is felt as soon as one boards – fats cats are pampered and everyone else might as we’ll be in the cargo hold.