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13.05.19
Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350’s
Last month in London, the airline giant Virgin Atlantic revealed it’s new plane. Virgin Atlantic are set to launch the first of their Airbus A350 fleet, named ‘Red Velvet’, late this summer. A total of twelve have been ordered for delivery by the end of 2021, however only three will be flying by the close of 2019. The three A350’s will fly from London Heathrow to New York JFK, Atlanta and Los Angeles. By the time all twelve are in operation, the intention is to fly from both Heathrow and Gatwick.
The cabins on the Virgin Atlantic A350’s are unsurprisingly stylish and impressive. Here is what you can expect.
As soon as you step on the plane, the difference is noticeable. Upon boarding you are welcomed through to a foyer like area on the plane called ‘The Loft’. Initially, this is where you are welcomed and directed towards your seat. The Loft is situated between the economy cabins (including premium) and upper class. When the seat belt lights are switched off, this becomes a social area, seating ten, for first class passengers to relax together.
There are 235 seats in economy on the A350’s, in a 3-3-3 configuration. Each seat comes with USB ports, power sockets, adjustable headrests and 11.6inch seat back TV screens. In the front four rows of economy is a larger 34in pitch for optimum legroom.
In a 2-4-2 arrangement and made up of 56 sublimely comfortable leather seats, premium economy has never looked so attractive. The 13.3in TV screens can be controlled by your mobile, rather than by touch screen and potentially irritating the passenger infront.
Now for the really remarkable stuff! Virgin Atlantic aim to offer first class experiences at business class prices, and thus formed the merged ‘Upper Class’. Where the previous upper class design had seats faced inwards, thee Virgin Atlantic A350’s will have all upper class seating facing towards the windows. Which are panoramic by the way. In a 1-2-1 layout, all 44 upper class suites still provide enough privacy, even if you’re in the middle seats.
The seat slides forward to create a flatbed. Duvets and pillows are thick and comfortable. Pre-order pyjamas to fit, and opt between shorts or trousers, long or short sleeves. Amenity bags include large toiletries so you wont need to pack much, if any, of your own.
Each cabin has a cocktail table, with shelving and storage space as well as adjustable mood lighting. TV screens are 18.5in and again operable from your phone, and can be swivelled for a perfect viewing angle. The cabin itself is adorned in off whites, with corals and dark reds.
To view Virgin Atlantic in more detail, or compare airlines, click here
Creative Resins has been at the forefront of decorative glass technology for over 30 years. When Louise contacted us to help with a trip to Oman, we discovered that the company had been using an airline’s website to book direct, paying in excess of £5,000 per trip in Business Class. Using our negotiated fares on this one flight YourTravel saved over £1000 per trip. Upon further investigation and a year’s great relationship, we delved into the companies travel policies and booking habits. We found that travel was often booked at the last minute and there was no one in authority to keep a watchful eye over what was being booked and where. We then worked with Louise to create passenger profiles for all of Creative Resins travellers including details such as preferred seat numbers, meals and airlines – we also set in place cabin restrictions (who can and can’t travel in an upgraded travel class). We then looked at the company’s calendar for the coming year, estimating when and where they would need to book travel and agreed that Your Travel would be proactive in trying to get confirmed travel dates from 4 weeks prior to the trip dates. This created a stress-free booking system that took budget and organisational pressure from the senior management, knowing they would always be working with a cost-effective travel budget. This lead to a reduced travel spend of just over 16% without cost-cutting and maintaining a high level of service.
‘’Working with Your Travel Corporate has been an enlightening experience, we were wasting money on travel and working with John and the team was very easy indeed. Everything is taken care of on every trip and we get a level of service that just can’t be achieved by the bigger travel agents, being treated as a valued client and not just another customer is fantastic!’’ Louise Bollom, Director
