A steak on a plane is always a sign you’ve done something right. It means you’re in a nice cabin, enjoying a comfortable flight and all that, but it’s not quite “chefs table” in a private booth — usually. A martini in a glass usually is a good sign too.
Virgin Atlantic is taking delivery of its new leisure configured Airbus A350 aircraft and the airline found new ways to innovate its ‘Upper Class’ experience in a smaller cabin setting, with a private booth for cocktails, work, play or dining.
Solo travelers and couples alike can enjoy just about anything from an office space, or private cocktail den, to a multi course meal, or their own screening room.
Yep, even down to the mood lighting. Here’s what to expect from Virgin’s new leisure A350’s which will be despatched to places around the USA, Caribbean and beyond…
Virgin’s Leisure A350
For decades, many airlines put their oldest and most unloved planes on leisure routes, because frankly, they didn’t care about leisure passengers. That typically wasn’t Virgin, which is why the airline always remained popular with leisure travels.
Without business travelers flying at the moment, that strategy is paying off, and Virgin is doubling down on putting its best leisure experience forward, to the places where travelers want to go, like Orlando. Well, some travelers.
The newly delivered Virgin Atlantic A350’s will feature a smaller Upper Class cabin than those found on premium heavy routes, with just 16 Upper Class suites.
To keep the signature Virgin feel of something more than just a seat or bed, the airline created “The Booth”, which offers a table with benches for two, similar to the dreamy “The Loft” created on Virgin’s other A350’s by visionary customer experience designer Daniel Kerzner and team.
With just 16 Upper Class Suites in the leisure A350, “The Booth” is expectedly smaller than the Loft, but given similar ratio, should be equally enjoyable, if not more. It will offer a far more private and individually tailored experience.
The Booth is encapsulated by two 27” touch screen monitors, allowing customers a window into fully immersive experiences. The content of the monitors will be continuously updated, tailored to the route and time of day, meaning that the look and feel of The Booth will evolve over time.
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin says it’s crafting up special options for passengers, and rumors suggest the airline may potentially allow passengers to schedule dedicated time, as Emirates does with things like the A380 showers.
It could really be a private booth for two people to enjoy cocktails face to face, a place to eat, or a place to close off from the rest of the cabin and hunker down with work.
The first Virgin Atlantic leisure A350-1000 XWB flights featuring “The Booth” are expected to take off from London Heathrow to Orlando in December, so if you’re eager to try it out — you know where and when!
Mood lighting, cocktails, nice upholstery. There might be more than work going on in there. Lol
Oh god.
If there’s only one booth and 16 seats, reservations and/or time limits may become mandatory. On the note @Cmorgan raised, at least there’s no curtain.
Yep, I’d say it would make sense. Larger J cabin on A350 has effectively 4 or 5 seats for 44 pax, so ratio is pretty similar, if not better.