Virgin Atlantic Planning Premium-Dense Airbus A330neo Cabin Configuration With Solo Retreat Seats

Virgin Atlantic is slowly upgrading its fleet, switching to the usual mix of modern jets including Boeing 787s, Airbus A330neos, and A350s. Their newer Airbus aircraft were delivered with updated business cabins, with their 787s soon getting a much needed cabin update in time for a 2028 introduction.

They are also slowly phasing out their older Airbus A330-300s in favor of newer A330-900s, with the entire transition happening some time in 2027. In total, the carrier will take on 19 A330neos, and will offer two different cabin configurations, one being more premium-heavy, both in business class and premium economy.

The first nine A330-900s offer 262 seats, with 32 Thompson Vantage XL+ Upper Deck (business class) seats in a 1-2-1 layout. In the bulk head row, the two middle “Retreat” seats each offer a larger footprint with a longer bed, larger foot well area, as well as an ottoman.

Credit: Virgin Altantic

In premium economy, there are 46 Collins Aerospace MiQ seats in a 2-3-2 configuration, while economy has 184 Recaro CL3710 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration, with the last four rows shrinking to 2-3-2 layout where the fuselage narrows.

The remaining 10 aircraft (still pending delivery) will see a much more premium-heavy layout, with 48 Upper Deck seats instead of 32. Premium Economy will also see a bump up to 56 over the original 46. With these added seats, economy class will be downsized from 184 to 128 seats, total 232 passengers.

What’s most interesting is that Virgin announced that six of the 48 Upper Deck seats will be designated as Retreat seats. A reader over at OMAAT spotted the new seat map, showing Upper Deck being split into two sections.

In the first section, there will be eight rows of 1-2-1, with the center two seats in the first row being Retreat seats (just like the current set up). The second business class cabin has four rows, and will follow the same pattern, with the exception being that the entire bulk head row (row 9) will be Retreat seats. This means that travelers who prefer window seats will soon have access to Virgin’s largest business class seat option on the A330neos.

I’m sure this is more welcome news as the carrier continues to improve its premium image. The older A330-300s are the exception to this, featuring the dreaded herringbone business class seats. However, as the remaining six aircraft are slated to be retired by 2027, it makes no sense for them to spend money behind a short term retrofit.

The carrier plans to keep the split A330neo configurations in the long term as a way of dealing with the seasonal fluctuations throughout the course of the year. As OMAAT pointed out, summer travel sees more economy bookings, while winter flights across the pond tend to favor premium travelers, which is where these updated A330neo cabins will fit in perfectly.  

Sign up for the free Gate Checked newsletter here sent three times weekly.

. Join the conversation