Passengers flying on Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A330s can expect more comfortable cabins after the airline announced a retrofit of its business-class product.
Many travelers had criticized the tight Dream Suite layout on the A330s. That design allowed Virgin Atlantic to add three extra seats compared with previous configurations, which could increase revenue when Upper Class was full, but it left some customers feeling cramped.
Although the A330 has the same fuselage width as the airline’s A340 fleet, Virgin Atlantic originally installed a 1-2-1 layout on the A330 instead of the roomier 1-1-1 arrangement used on some A340s and Boeing 787s. On several key routes operated by the A330, passengers and some former staff members found the Dream Suite too narrow and awkward for long-haul comfort.
“The Dream Suite on the A330 was a fiasco,” said a former Virgin Atlantic employee. “The retrofit brings the A330 product in line with the rest of the Virgin fleet.”
The airline plans to carry out the A330 retrofit over the coming months. Virgin Atlantic will replace the Dream Suites with an updated version of its 2003 business-class product — a fully flat bed design that offers direct aisle access. During the refit program, some A330s will receive the new seats before others, as the airline phases the work across the fleet.
Virgin Atlantic intends to complete the conversion of all ten A330s in time for the 2017 summer flying program, which begins on March 26. Once finished, passengers should see a more consistent and spacious Upper Class experience across the carrier’s long-haul fleet.