Airlines News

Virgin Atlantic debuts stunning new fully enclosed Upper Class + exclusive “Retreat Suites” on new A330neo ( Best to Europe anyone?)

a interior of an airplane with a television and a monitor

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Virgin Atlantic’s new A330 Neo

WOW! I personally think British Airways has the best business class between the US and Europe, but Virgin Atlantic just debuted a drop dead gorgeous A330neo that I aims to take the crown ( Air France has a new product coming up in September as well ). Virgin is the epitome of cool. Their lounge at Heathrow is incredible, and they’ve committed to opening up more award space. This new A330neo offers a stunning, all suite, fully enclosed, upper class that I THINK solves the biggest problem I had with their A350s ( storage ). Virgin takes delivery of 3 aircraft in September, and it’s expected to take off in early October out of Boston.  The remaining deliveries will be between 2023 and 2026.

The normal Upper Class seats may beat BA head’s up. But…the coolest aspect of this debut? The Retreat Suites at the front. Holy moly they look incredible and give me JetBlue new Mint Studio vibes meets Qatar’s Qsuites. They can be opened up so 4 people can dine together at once. Holy smokes this is another level for biz.

I just wonder if this will be available via points. With Jetblue you could redeem with points and then pay a surcharge to select the studios…I’m eager to see how this plays with Retreat Suites.

a interior of an airplane with a television and a monitor

Upper Class

  • 2 Retreat Suite
    • 6’7″ beds, ottomans, 4 people can dine together
    • 27in tvs
  • 30 Upper Class Suites
    • fully enclosed with doors
    • 17.3 in tv

It’s hard to tell from the specs, but it looks like there is storage under the dining table + a cabinet that closes with a latch. This is my biggest complaint with the A350 Upper Class. The seat is great, the IFE is great, the service is great, but there isn’t a single place to really store your stuff. This…looks amazing.

a seat in a plane

 

Premium

  • 46 seats
  • 38″ pitch with a calf rest
  • 13.3″ touch screen with bluetooth
  • Wireless charging pad

Virgin operates a few east coast daytime flights… I would snag one of these and be happy as a clam under 7 hours. If I don’t need to sleep, this is effectively a better version of the first class recliner with Virgin service.

a row of seats in an airplane

Economy

  • 13.3 in IFE
  • Blue tooth audio + use phone as a controller for the entertainment system
  • AC, USB, and storage
  • 28 Econ delight offers 34″ seat pitch,
  • 156 econ classic seats with 31″ pitch

rows of seats in an airplane

Overall: I have plans to go to Europe later this year and depending on avail, I will route through Boston to try this out. Looks super cool

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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