Virgin Atlantic announces widespread overhaul of fleet and passenger experience

Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to transform its long-haul services. At a special event held in Central London on July 8, 2025, the airline’s CEO, Shai Weiss, revealed the renovation of key lounges, the updating of premium cabins, and perhaps the most significant of all, the introduction of Starlink free onboard Wi-Fi for all passengers by 2027.

The complete overhaul of its passenger experience is likely to be the most comprehensive relaunch of the airline’s offering since the carrier’s inception in 1984, 41 years ago. In a statement released by the company to accompany the grand unveiling, Virgin Atlantic said, “Since 1984, Virgin Atlantic has evolved from a challenger to a leading premium long-haul airline. The company continues to enhance its personalised guest experience across travel, hospitality, and entertainment, driven by its standout crews, as it aims to be the most loved travel company.”

The overhaul of its services encompasses three main areas of the passenger experience: travel, entertainment, and hospitality. Within each category, innovation and upgrade are the key messages, with the whole experience of travelling with the airline, particularly those flying in its premium ‘Upper Class’ cabin, transforming into a newly updated and refreshed experience.  

Kevin Hackert / ShutterstockIn the ‘travel’ category, following the completion of a $17 billion fleet transformation program, due to be finished by 2028, Virgin Atlantic forecasts it will operate a mixed fleet of 45 “100% next-generation fuel-efficient aircraft”. The fleet will consist of 19 Airbus A330-900s, 12 Airbus A350-1000s, and 14 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with a fleetwide average age of just under seven years, one of the youngest of any airline across the Atlantic. The airline states that due to a rise in demand, the proportion of aircraft cabins dedicated to premium class travel will increase.

Cabin upgrades

Under the newly announced plan, the airline’s Boeing 787-9s will undergo a full cabin redesign, which will see the introduction of new seating in all three cabins on the aircraft (Upper Class, Premium, and Economy). Both the Upper Class and Premium cabins will increase in size, offering 44 Upper Class seats and 56 Premium seats, up from 31 and 35, respectively.

For the first time, the airline’s signature Retreat Suite (available on its A350-1000s and A330-900s) will be introduced to the 787-9 for the first time, with eight seats available in every Upper Class cabin. The Economy cabin on the Dreamliners will reduce from 192 to 127. The new cabins will be rolling out from 2028 and will be completed by 2030, says the airline.

Abdul N Quraishi – Abs / ShutterstockMeanwhile, on the airline’s Airbus A330-900 fleet, from the third quarter of 2026, ten new A330neo (ordered at the Farnborough Airshow in 2024) will be delivered configured with increased premium cabins, including 48 Upper Class, 56 Premium, and 128 Economy seats. This compares with the current layout on the type of 32, 46, and 184 seats respectively. Additionally, four more Retreat Suites will be added to the A330neo Upper Class cabins.

Other innovations, including Starlink

Virgin Atlantic, having become the first airline to introduce fleet-wide Wi-Fi across the Atlantic in 2017, announced it will become the first UK airline to announce a partnership with Starlink, the onboard connectivity provider. Free, streaming-quality Wi-Fi will be available across the carrier’s fleet, with unlimited usage for every passenger who signs up to the airline’s loyalty program, Flying Club. The installation across the airline’s entire fleet of Airbus A330neos, A350s, and Boeing 787s will begin in Q3 2026 and be completed by the end of 2027.

Embracing other innovative technologies, the airline will also launch a new app in December 2025 that will improve the way that passengers interact with the airline. “Seamlessly integrating both airline and holiday journeys into one intuitive platform, the app is designed to be a personal travel companion from booking to boarding and beyond,” says the company.

Craig Russell / ShutterstockIn addition to a new app, Virgin Atlantic, in partnership with OpenAI and Tomoro.ai, will become the first European airline to integrate advanced voice mode through the Realtime API. Accessible through the Virgin Atlantic app, the concierge will provide personalised, hands-free assistance when needed, anytime, anywhere, and in any language.

As part of the service upgrades, Virgin Atlantic has also announced a multi-million dollar investment that will focus on the refurbishment of both the London- Heathrow (LHR) and New York-JFK (JFK) Clubhouse lounges for Upper Class passengers, refreshes which will be designed to “update the look and feel of both flagship spaces to provide an even greater sense of comfort.”

What the airline says

“In the last four decades, we’ve evolved from a challenger to a leader and a premium, long-haul flag carrier,” commented Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic’s CEO.  “We exist to make our customers smile, it’s that simple – obsessing over finding new ways to delight our guests, delivered by our amazing people, on our journey to become the most loved travel company. We are investing billions to fly the youngest fleet across the Atlantic; the first UK airline to have free, streaming quality, fleet-wide Wi-Fi; more premium cabins and a full retrofit of the 787 fleet; alongside a new app featuring the world of Virgin Atlantic in your pocket, all delivered by our amazing teams. The best is yet to come.”

Ceri Breeze / ShutterstockSiobhan Fitzpatrick, Chief Experience Officer at Virgin Atlantic, added, “Our announcements today provide a snapshot into the future of how we care, serve, and delight every single one of our guests. Every new product, partnership, and platform unveiled has been shaped by guest insight and fuelled by our people’s ingenuity. We understand who our guests are and everything we do begins with them, as we use our insights to create thoughtful experiences that feel brilliantly different at every opportunity.”

RELATED

Boeing logs 116 orders in June 2025 while rival Airbus secures 203

The post Virgin Atlantic announces widespread overhaul of fleet and passenger experience appeared first on AeroTime.

Go to Source