Virgin Atlantic has unveiled brand new interiors for its fleet of A330- 200 aircraft. These ex-Air Berlin planes will be retrofitted throughout with the airline’s famous Premium Economy cabin, along with a refreshed new look and feel for Upper Class and updated look for Economy.
While all eyes will be firmly rooted in Virgin Atlantic’s new Upper Class cabin design for its A350s arriving in 2019, the A330-200s (brought on to help Virgin out with their 787’s struck by the same Trent engine issues many operators are currently dealing with) have utilised the existing hard product, but have been refreshed to include a new trim and finish to align the experience with the airlines signature Upper Class product.
All Upper Class suites will feature direct aisle access and exclusive to the A330-200s, an enhanced surface area for additional personal space. The seat fabric has been entirely upholstered with natural and soft Espresso leather, underlining the cabin’s distinctive Virgin Atlantic look. The airline has gone as far to label the seats into groups to help brand the experience beyond its existing layout including “Love Suites, Corner Suites and Freedom Suites”.
As part of the November roll out, the airline will roll out a new premium economy seat, similar to the one offered by Singapore Airlines. All 35 seats are set in a dedicated private cabin, and offer a 38” seat pitch, calf rest and bespoke food and drink offering.
At a price tag of £10m the airline has shown a commitment to ensure their passengers enjoy a similar ‘signature’ customer experience no matter what class they fly in. In economy, the existing seats will feature classic red and beige tones, along with brand new leather headrests. Each cabin will also see Black Cherry curtains and carpets, along with refreshed bathrooms, stylish mood lighting and wall finishes.
Ensuring the same standard for Virgin Atlantic, all flights will offer high speed WiFi, power in every seat and the latest onboard entertainment.
Daniel Kerzner, Vice President of Customer Experience at Virgin Atlantic, commented; “Earlier this year, we acquired A330-200s to maintain our flying programmeand were committed to refurbishing these aircraft to our high standards. We quickly gathered insights from our customers that have influenced the exciting product we’re launching later this year. In only a few months we’ve been able to source, design and manufacture new cabin interiors, which is a true testament to our teams and their focus on giving our customers a truly Virgin Atlantic experience. When life gives you lemons, we say – make sparkling lemonade!”
All of these upgrades run in tandem with a range of new initiatives including a new high tea designed by master pâtissière Eric Lanlard, a new partnership with Tia Maria offering exclusive cocktails in Upper Class and Premium Economy and the new happy sock partnership offering Upper Class passengers exclusive take-home socks. With a fast turn around like this on their A330-200s it should be amazing to see what Virgin Atlantic brings to the skies with its A350.
TheDesignAir 