The biggest windows of any commercial aircraft, dimmable at the touch of a button, a brighter and lighter cabin, among others, are what you stand to enjoy when you board the Virgin Atlantic’s first B787-9 from selected destinations.
Launched in October 2014 to Boston, it will begin rolling out to the east coast of the United States before being introduced them to longer haul routes.
Christened “Birthday Girl” by Virgin Atlantic in honor of the 30th anniversary of the airline’s first flight from London Gatwick Airport to Newark Liberty in June of 1984, Virgin’s Boeing 787-9 fleet will carry up to 264 passengers in 3 separate classes — Upper Class, Premium Economy, and Economy.
The Dreamliner is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Trent turbofan engines and will have a maximum range of 8,500 nautical miles.
The 787s will set the benchmark for in flight service and comfort and you can expect some exciting treats when you step onboard.
Board, dine, relax, sleep and play all in perfect light. Adjusting to your destination time zone, you should arrive feeling brighter.
As a traveller, you can enjoy a greater sense of space and move around more freely, thanks to higher ceilings and overhead bins.
The air inlets allow a constant flow of fresh air into the cabin while an advanced filtration system helps make the cabin air cleaner for passengers as they step onboard to a stunning new bar backdrop. It’s the perfect space to mingle, meet or simply unwind.
As for surfing, you can be online from takeoff to touchdown while you text, email and chat from the comfort of your seat.
Described as the comfiest Economy seat in the sky,Virgin has fitted the best in class Economy seats with more legroom and a comfier recline, making the most of the space around them.
The Premium Economy cabin has even more comfortable seats and a new Wander Wall area where you can have a snack or stretch your legs, including a series of innovations including as much electrical architecture as possible and enhanced aircraft health monitoring.
The Dreamliner is 21 percent more fuel efficient than other similar sised aircraft in its fleet, which means much less carbon dioxide emissions.
Inside the Premium Economy, passengers can stretch out and relax in the luxurious leather seats. With 38 fabulous inches of pitch room, they are sure to be travelling in comfort.
Those extra few inches of space, a welcome glass of bubbly and after dinner liqueur, a proper workspace with in-seat laptop power and a delicious meal served on china with stainless steel cutlery, you can feel on top of comfort.
They might be little things, but they make your flight even more enjoyable.
On the Premium Comfort, the big, wide, purple leather seats are really comfortable. They have a 38in pitch, a headrest, leg rest and lumbar support and are just like a comfy armchair.
You can enjoy the privileges with dedicated check in and bag drop, your airport experience will be fast tracked plus you’ll enjoy priority boarding and where possible, you and your bags will be one of the first off the plane when we arrive.
As for entertainment, you could sit back and take your pick from the must-see movies, shows, music and games.
Your meal is served on china with stainless steel cutlery and a linen tablecloth, plus there’s a choice of wine and an after dinner liqueur to finish things off.
Upper Class
“When it comes to making your flight just perfect, we reckon we’ve thought of everything. Prepare to be spoilt rotten. You will enjoy a priceless experience from the moment your chauffeured car arrives to collect you”.
The feeling grows as you breeze the dedicated check-in and, at Heathrow, through private security. Almost instantly, you find yourself in our stunning Clubhouse, where your only difficulty might be choosing between the spa or a cocktail and then, to your Upper Class Suite.
The aircraft creates an even better flying experience for passengers with the largest windows in the air offering passengers seated throughout the aircraft an impressive view.
With more space – wider aisles and higher ceilings, long-range capability enabling more non-stop travel, larger overhead bins, even better lighting and more headroom, lower cabin altitude and a smoother ride, you can’t have a better experience.
Its new technologies improve air purification and humidity to ensure the best solution for passenger well being. Also, its improvements in level and quality of noise making the aircraft quiet for communities on the ground and passengers and crew in the air.
The aircraft will be used on many of the airline’s existing routes from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester to the US, Caribbean, Africa, the Middle
East and Asia.
It will also be instrumental in introducing new routes like Bangkok, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver.
According to Virgin, this is the way to fly: ‘a generous leather seat that flips niftily, into one of the longest flat beds in any business class, an elegant in-flight bar and superb dining, remembering it all as we drive you from the plane to your destination, you think how right that initial feeling was. Except that ‘special’ turned out to be an understatement.
A chauffeur transfer services make you feel like you’re on a luxury flight from the moment you leave for the airport. The chauffeur transfer services is available on the J, D, C or I booking classes.
“We’ll even start your check in process using Google Glass while enhancing your Upper Class experience, with updates on flight information, weather and events happening at your local destination.
“We’ve created a private security channel for Upper Class passengers, which will whisk you straight from check in, through to the Clubhouse.
“Our exclusive Clubhouses are more like luxury hotels than airport lounges. Some even have a spa. Just don’t get too comfy and miss your flight. From the preflight champagne, to the meal service that’s customised to suit your body clock, you’ll be spoiled with luxury dining in our Upper Class cabin”, the airline says..
The 33’’ wide flat beds are super-comfy, even for the toss-and-turners among passengers. And if a passenger rather stays awake, Virgin has laid on loads for you to do.
The new Upper Class Suite is even more luxurious and comfortable, than ever before, boasting a new stylish cabin, futuristic bar, the longest flat bed in business class and so much more .
Got to work? You can explore the new Upper Class Suite power points as every suite has its own power point, roomy table and laptop storage.
There are also amazing 300 hours of films, games, TV and the Skymap to keep you occupied, (available on al A330, A340-600 and 747 aircraft) as he time flies by.
As an Upper Class passenger, you can enjoy the luxury of selecting your seat from 336 days before your flight, free of charge.
On its environmental performance and efficiency, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner burns 27 percentless than the A340-300.
Four key technologies contribute to the fuel efficiency: new engines, increased use of lighter materials, more efficient systems applications and highly advanced aerodynamics.
Less fuel burnt equals a similar saving in carbon emissions with fewer hazardous materials and less waste in production due to the composite manufacturing process.
Boeing is also working on recycling plans for when the aircraft is eventually retired
The aircraft is quieter for airport communities, with quieter take offs and landings, it has acoustically treated engine inlets and chevrons along with distinctive serrated edges at the back of the engine to reduce sound to keep it within airport boundaries.
Noise footprint is around 60 percent smaller than those of similarly sized planes.
As a passenger on the Upper class, you will also enjoy the ultimate airport experience. You have the freedom of checking in from the comfort of your chauffeur driven car, breeze through security and head straight to the Clubhouse.
In all, Virgin Flying Club programme rewards you more than you might expect. Join up and start enjoying the benefits today.
SADE WILLIAMS
