The game is afoot on the trans-Atlantic with Virgin Atlantic following in the footsteps of British Airways and unveiling the new cabin to feature on its Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.
The dual unveilings set the scene for some interesting rivalry between the the two British competitors as they introduce the A350 to their fleet later this year.
READ: British Airways introduces spiffing new business class seats
Virgin is offering 44 Upper Class suites on its A350 in a 1-2-1 configuration with a 44-inch seat pitch and the ability to recline into the now ubiquitous fully-flat bed.
There’s a cocktail table, shelving to store personal items and a bigger tray table as well as an increased level of privacy with higher walls and deployable privacy screens.
The seat comes with the airline’s biggest ever inflight entertainment screen — 18.5 inches — but passengers can also connect to inflight entertainment via Bluetooth or hook up to the wireless internet.
Powering devices won’t a problem with two USB sockets and AC power that can handle UK, US and EU plugs.
The airline has significantly redesigned its inflight social space to create The Loft, featuring a 32-inch touchscreen monitor and eight Bluetooth audio jacks that allow passengers to view content together.
It says this is the first time Bluetooth has been offered in a social space.
The stools are gone in favour of chairs with seatbelts that allow customers to remain in the space even if there’s turbulence. Three people can also stand, allowing eight in the space at any one time.
Virgin Atlantic’s 56 A350 leather premium economy seats come with a four-way adjustable headrest, a seven-inch recline, a full size bi-fold table and more areas for storage that include a side amenity pocket.
The 18.5-inch wide seats are narrower than the existing 21-inch seats but the pitch remains the same at 38 inches.
There’s a 13.3-inch seatback screens and again, the entertainment system can be controlled from personal devices.
The A350-1000 has 235 seats in economy with seat pitch ranging from 31 inches to 34 inches, depending on the type of ticket, with upgraded fabrics.
The 17.4-inch seat width in the 3-3-3 configuration is below Airbus’s preferred 18 inches bu the seat comes with an 11.6-inch seatback screens that are can also be controlled from personal devices.
Each seat has a USB port.
The first four A350-1000s will be delivered in the summer and autumn of this year and will fly from both London Heathrow and Gatwick airports with heathrow-New York JFK planned as the first route. Virgin has 12 of the fuel efficient planes arriving between 2019 and 2021.
The new planes will feature the new culturally diverse flying icons that are replacing the Alberto Vargas-inspired Flying Lady images that have adorned the carrier’s aircraft for 34 years.
The new icons of men and women include a black man, an Asian woman and gay man in rainbow lycra.
