Will Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A330-inspired Boeing 787 cabin changes mean the end of inflight bars?
July 10, 2025
Virgin Atlantic is banking on premium demand, announcing a planned retrofit for its Boeing 787s and a redesign of its Airbus A330neo that will see a significant reduction in the economy cabin, making room for higher-fare seating.
The airline has committed to a $17 billion fleet transformation investment by 2028. Virgin Atlantic plans to operate “a mixed fleet of 45 100% next-generation fuel-efficient aircraft, including 19 A330-900s, 12 A350-1000s, and 14 787-9s, with an average age of just under seven years,” according to its announcement, and the premium seat count will grow.
A complete refit of the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787
The airline’s Boeing 787-9s will get a complete cabin redesign. The airline will introduce new seating in all three cabins. In the planned Boeing 787 retrofit, the Upper Class seats will increase from 31 to 44, and the airline’s Premium seats will grow from 35 to 56.
The airline’s Economy cabin footprint on the Boeing 787 will shrink significantly, from 192 to 127 seats, and will feature the existing Economy Delight, Classic, and Light products. While Virgin Atlantic says the new Boeing 787 cabins “will be inspired by the award-winning A330neo design,” the particulars of the new seats have not yet been announced.
Virgin currently has Recaro 3620 slimline seats installed in the Boeing 787 Economy class, but the model is likely to change during the retrofit. The airline plans to roll out the new Boeing 787 experience starting in 2028, with the retrofit scheduled for completion by 2030.
The airline will also be the first UK carrier to get Starlink for inflight WiFi.
More Retreat Suites on Virgin Atlantic aircraft
Interestingly, the airline also announced that it will introduce the Retreat Suite on the 787-9.
The airline currently features Thompson Vantage XL seats in Upper Class on the A330neo with a unique Retreat Suite in the front row. Virgin Atlantic first introduced the unique seat in 2022.
It offers an experience comparable to that of a first-class seat on competing airlines. It includes a seat that converts to a fully flat 6ft 7” bed, a 27” touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity, wireless charging and an ottoman that doubles up as an extra seat, allowing up to four passengers who travel together to gather socially and dine together.
However, instead of being a dedicated front-row seat in the new design, the Retreat Suite will extend to eight seats in the Upper Class cabin on the Boeing 787-9.
This higher number of suites makes it unlikely the airline will use the same Thompson structure of the current Retreat Suite on the Airbus A330neo, since the manufacturer designed the current structure as a first-row product.
It is more likely that the airline will switch to a modified structure that fits beyond the front row but offers similar benefits to passengers. Some industry speculation favors the Thompson Vantage NOVA as the winner.
More premium seating on Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A330neo aircraft
Virgin Atlantic will also redesign the cabins of 10 Airbus A330 neos, scheduled for delivery starting in the third quarter of 2026. On these aircraft, the airline also plans to expand the footprint of its premium cabins.
Upper-class seating will increase from 32 to 48. There will be 56 Premium seats installed rather than 46. The economy cabin will shrink to 128 seats from the current 184.
Virgin Atlantic will also add four more Retreat Suites to the A330neo Upper Class cabin, bringing the total to six per aircraft.
Fate of Virgin Atlantic’s onboard bars?
With Virgin Atlantic extending the premium cabin footprint on these aircraft, a question arises on whether there will still be room for the popular onboard bars which have been an integral part of the airline’s brand signature for decades.
Both the Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A330neos currently feature a bar between the Upper Class and Premium cabins.
Virgin Atlantic did not expressly state in its announcement whether it will remove the bars from its Boeing 787 or Airbus A330neos as part of the retrofit and redesign, but the extension of the two premium cabins on both aircraft could require some concessions for space.
“In the last four decades, we’ve evolved from a challenger to a leader and a premium, long-haul flag carrier. 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,” says Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic.
“We are investing billions to fly the youngest fleet across the Atlantic; the first UK airline to have free, streaming quality, fleet-wide WiFi; 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.”
The best may still include some room for tipple.
