Virgin Atlantic launch new A350 Business Class seats

Virgin Atlantic has finally shown off the look of it's new A350 cabin. The aircraft, flying mainly from New York to London Heathrow, will feature a completely new Business Class seat, a lounge area instead of a bar, and a smaller narrower Premium Economy seat than fitted to aircraft at present.

The newly delivered Virgin Atlantic A350-100 aircraft will have 44 Upper Class (Business Class) seats, with a new 1-2-1 configuration having seats angled towards the windows, or facing it each other in the centre of the cabin. The new 44-inch pitch seats converting into an 82-inch fully flat bed at a touch of a button, compared to the existing flip back seats. The airline says it also has a "deep mattress and the thickest pillow in the sky".

Each seat has a small door, but it doesn't full close. There is an 18.5-inch TV screen, with passengers able to control the IFE system through their phone or tablet.

Upper Class customers will have access to the new A350 social area containing sofas, called The Loft, which features a 32-inch TV screen, with individual headsets connected via Bluetooth. However, the old social area of the bar has gone: many passengers used to use this area extensively, and on the long 12 hour plus flights to Los Angeles it was always very welcome. However, Virgin Atlantic say they will still serve drinks at the seats in this new social space.

Premium Economy has undergone another change, with the seats becoming smaller than on the existing aircraft, thanks to Virgin Atlantic fitting the Mi-Q seat manufactured by Rockwell Collins.

It will have a 2-4-2 configuration, with four seats in the middle compared to only three middle seats that most airlines install, meaning that the width of premium economy will fall to just 18 inches, compared to 21 at present. There is a 13.3 inch TV screen in Premium Economy.

The Virgin Atlantic A350 is to start flying this summer from Heathrow to New York JFK, followed by Atlanta.

Virgin Atlantic will take delivery of four A350s this year, and plans to have a total of eight by 2021, when the Boeing 747s will retire.