Virgin Atlantic customers will soon have access to a host of new upgrades, as the London-based airline is completely reimagining its premium experience on board its planes and in its lounges.
First, the carrier will begin a total refurbishment of its Boeing 787-9 planes, with new seats across all three cabins. Amid increased demand for premium products, Virgin Atlantic will add significantly more premium seats to the 787-9 aircraft. Upper Class and Premium cabins on the aircraft will gain 13 and 21 more seats, respectively, for a total of 44 seats in Upper Class and 56 seats in Premium.
For the first time on its 787-9 planes, the carrier will also add eight Retreat Suites, its largest-ever suite that sits at the front of the Upper Class cabin featuring a 6’7” lie-flat bed, an ottoman that can host another passenger for meals and social visits, and a 27-inch entertainment screen. Until now, Retreat Suites have exclusively been on the airline’s Airbus A330neo aircraft.
Economy class on the refurbished 787-9s will also be smaller, shrinking from 192 seats to just 127 seats. The first of the refitted jets will begin to roll out in 2028 and be completed by 2030.
The carrier is also adding more premium seats and a smaller economy cabin to its Airbus A330neo planes. Starting in the third quarter of 2026, Virgin Atlantic will have 10 new A330neos delivered with a larger Upper Class cabin featuring 48 seats—including six Retreat Suites—an increase of 16 seats. Premium class will have 56 seats, which is 10 more spots than the current planes, and Economy will have just 128 seats, a decrease of 56 seats.
"Our announcements today provide a snapshot into the future of how we care, serve, and delight every single one of our guests,” said Siobhan Fitzpatrick, CXO of Virgin Atlantic. “Every new product, partnership and platform unveiled has been shaped by guest insight and fuelled by our people’s ingenuity. We understand who our guests are and everything we do begins with them, as we use our insights to create thoughtful experiences that feel brilliantly different at every opportunity.”
Also rolling out soon will be free Starlink Wi-Fi across Virgin Atlantic’s entire fleet, starting in the third quarter of 2026. The carrier will be the first airline in the U.K. to begin installing Starlink, with speeds fast enough for streaming and the same connection quality in the air as on the ground. Every passenger will be permitted unlimited usage if they sign up for Virgin Atlantic’s loyalty program, Flying Club. The carrier expects all of its planes to be fully equipped by the end of 2027.
The new upgrades and refurbishments are part of a larger initiative from the carrier to invest a whopping $17 billion in a fleet transformation to be completed by 2028, when it will fly a mixed fleet of 45 next-generation aircraft with an average age of just seven years.
On the ground, the airline announced it would be making a “multi-million-pound investment” to refurbish its Clubhouse lounges at London Heathrow (LHR) and New York JFK. The goal will be to update “the look and feel of both flagship spaces to provide an even greater sense of comfort,” according to a release from the airline. Virgin Atlantic recently opened a brand new Clubhouse lounge at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in March.
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