The carrier will reconfigure 24 of its 45 aircraft used on routes where premium demand is heaviest. Its Boeing 787-9s will see the economy cabin reduce from 192 seats to 127, while Premium will rise from 35 to 56 and Upper Class from 31 to 44.
The aircraft will also carry Virgin’s larger Retreat Suites for the first time, with eight of these included in Upper Class. The work will be carried out from 2028 to 2030.
In addition, from Q3 next year, 10 of its Airbus A330-900s will be delivered with 48 Upper Class, 56 Premium and 128 economy seats. They compare with the current configuration of 32 Upper Class, 46 Premium and 184 economy seats. Four more Retreat Suites will also be added, making six.
The airline’s Airbus A350s, used on leisure and price-sensitive routes such as Florida and India, will remain in their current configuration.
Explaining the decision to invest in premium seating, chief executive Shai Weiss told TTG travel had evolved over the last five years. "Right now, if you look at our seat count, Upper Class and Premium is about 12% of the total seats we fly.
"If you compare that with competitors, some of them are at 15-20% – I’m talking about from here to the US.
“By the time we finish the retrofit of the 787s and the densification of the Upper Class and Premium, and we do the same for the A330-900s, we will have only achieved 16%. The load factor of Upper Class and Premium is 90% and above.”
Virgin and other carriers have seen increased demand for premium leisure travel following the pandemic, when airlines adjusted rates to offset a fall in corporate travel.
“There is a fundamental demand for premium travel,” Weiss explained. “You can tell me it’s going to decline, I’m saying that where Virgin Atlantic plays as a leader in this space [with a tour operator subsidiary], we believe we have a tremendous amount of growth.
“These are not very large numbers we’re talking about. At the peak, by the time we get to 2030, it’s hundreds of extra seats to be sold, rather than thousands.
"If you take a core network of 45 planes, we believe demand will not be met easily, but we are very well geared to do that.” He added Virgin had “enough” economy seats to cater for demand.
No more bar?
Refurbishment its 787s means Virgin’s trademark bar will no longer be a feature by 2030. The carrier had previously signalled its withdrawal, and the aircraft is now the only type in the fleet that still features it. “I love the bar, but the extension of the social space on the 787 will be the Retreat Suite," said Weiss.
Virgin also confirmed a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to offer “streaming quality” Wi-Fi by the end of 2027. It will be offered to any passenger signing up to Virgin’s Flying Club frequent flier membership. Installation will begin in the second half of 2026.
Other projects include the refurbishment of Virgin Clubhouses at Heathrow and New York JFK, while December will see the launch of a new mobile app. The app will include an AI-powered concierge with advanced voice mode designed to offer support "on the go".
