There are new planes and then there are Virgin Atlantic new planes.

Here’s everything you need to know about Virgin’s new A350, the designs, and the cabins.

The Loft

The Loft is a unique space for Upper Class customers to gather, chat, grab a drink or dine with friends. As well as enjoying luxe comfort and high end finishes, you can settle in with Bluetooth headphones and catch a show or watch the live tailcam.

The Loft is the largest social space of any business class cabin at Virgin Atlantic. The space features a 32-inch touchscreen monitor and eight Bluetooth audio jacks so you can view content together. This is the first time Virgin has offered Bluetooth in the social space.
It provides space for eight customers – twice the capacity of the existing social spaces on board (five seated three standing).
All of the chairs in The Loft feature seatbelts, a new feature for Virgin Atlantic, which means you can even continue to occupy The Loft during turbulence.
The Loft was designed collaboratively by Virgin Atlantic and London based Factory Design, and is manufactured by AIM Altitude in Bournemouth

Upper Class Suite

The new Upper Class suite is the perfect retreat at 30,000 feet. Every seat faces towards the window and comes with enhanced privacy, plenty of space and storage, adjustable mood lighting, and an 18.5 inch screen – all with inimitable Virgin Atlantic style.

The dreamiest, comfiest flying experience

The brand new Upper Class suite has been exclusively designed for Virgin Atlantic in collaboration with our in-house design team

Each aircraft offers 44 Upper Class suites in a 1-2-1 configuration

The stylish suite features luxurious Claret leather with intricate, signature Virgin red stitching

You can relax into a 44 inch seat pitch or recline into a fully flat bed

Each suite features a cocktail table, shelving and a larger tray table to store personal items

More privacy

The cabin offers greater levels of privacy with higher walls around each suite and deployable privacy screens

The 1-2- 1 configuration offers flexibility for leisure and business travellers to fly together

Each Upper Class suite will offer the airline’s largest ever inflight entertainment screen at 18.5 inches

For the first time customers can connect to the inflight entertainment via Bluetooth and enjoy wireless freedom on board. All Upper Class suites feature two USB sockets, and an AC socket adaptable for UK, US and EU plugs

A350 Premium

Rich, custom leather seats and high end finishes welcome you into the Premium cabin of the A350. You can enjoy a lot more storage for all your belongings and a generous 13.3 inch screen for the next generation entertainment system. Tailored for Virgin Atlantic, the Premium seat features a luxurious Claret leather seat with intricate stitch detailing, a pressed black wool cocktail tray and meal table, and an Oxblood red upper literature pocket interior.

Four-way adjustable leather headrest
56 seats offering a generous 7 inch recline
Full size bi-fold table
More areas and pockets for storage including a side amenity pocket, as well as upper and lower seatback stowage
USB ports
18.5 inch seat width
13.3 inch seatback screens – the biggest ever in Premium
Intuitive new entertainment system, controllable by personal devices

A350 Economy

Economy seats are designed with bespoke woven fabrics inspired by fashion houses. Six-way adjustable headrests ensure comfort, and the 11.6 inch seatback screens with next generation entertainment system are worth settling in for.

235 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration
New upgraded seats in luxury woven fabrics and high quality wool blend
11.6 inch seatback screens
Intuitive new entertainment system, controllable by personal devices
USB ports in every seat
Up to 17.4 inch seat width
31 inch Classic and Light seat pitch
34 inch Economy Delight seat pitch

Fleet Information

In total, Virgin Atlantic will take delivery of 12 A350-1000 aircraft between 2019 and 2021, in an order worth $4.4bn (list price). The first four aircraft will be delivered in summer/autumn 2019, and further names and registrations will be revealed in due course.

The configuration

44 seats in Upper Class
56 seats in Premium
235 seats in Economy

Routes

The new aircraft will fly from both London Heathrow and London Gatwick, with initial flights operating between London Heathrow and New York JFK

Typical operating characteristics

The Airbus A350-1000 has a range up to 7950 nautical miles
Overall length – 72.25m (237ft 0.5in)
Wing Span – 64.75m (212ft 5.2in)
Height – 17.08m (56ft 0.3in)
Cargo capacity of 208.2m3, (7352 cubic feet)
Maximum take-off weight of 308,000kg
Typical cruising speed of M0.85

Additional customer benefits of the Airbus A350-1000

Larger panoramic windows
Spacious feel thanks to the illuminated dome ceiling design
Cleaner air with an advanced filtration system
Calmer cabin with quieter engines and air conditioning
Improved cabin atmosphere with lower cabin altitude
Improved storage with larger overhead bins

Adapted from the Virgin Atlantic Blog

Virgin Atlantic’s A350: Designed With Love, Built for the Future