Virgin Atlantic Partners With Boeing To Ditch Coffin Herringbone Business Class Seats On 787 Fleet

UK-based Virgin Atlantic operates a mixed-fleet Boeing and Airbus widebody aircraft, connecting passengers from London-Heathrow and Manchester to various parts of the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

If you’re flying using their business class product (dubbed Upper Class), your experience will vary depending on which aircraft type operates the respective route. For instance, if you fly on their Airbus A350-1000s, their Upper Class cabin features Safran Cirrus NG reverse herringbone seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seats closest to the fuselage face towards the windows, while the middle two are outward facing with aisle access.

If you’re flying on one of their Airbus A330-900s, you’ll get staggered forward-facing Thompson Aero VantageXL seats in a 1-2-1 config, with the center first row featuring larger “Retreat Suites”.

Then comes their Airbus A330-300s and Boeing 787-9s with the dreaded Pearson Lloyd designed aisle-facing herringbone seats in a 1-1-1 config. With so many newer and more comfortable options on the market, these seats have been compared to lying down in a coffin, and aren’t the most comfortable when in the full lie-flat position.

In mid-2025, Virgin Atlantic announced that its Boeing 787-9 fleet will undergo retrofitting works as part of plans to introduce updated Upper Class and Premium cabins. Set to enter service in 2028, the new cabins will feature 44 Upper Class seats, eight of which will be the larger Retreat Suites with ottomans.

They will also bump up seating in its premium economy cabin from 35 to 56 seats, while reducing regular economy from 192 to 127 seats.

Boeing and Virgin Atlantic have since announced an agreement to support the modification of the cabin interiors.

“This investment in our Boeing 787-9 fleet is an important step in delivering a consistent, premium experience across our long-haul network. By increasing the number of Upper Class and Premium seats and introducing our Retreat Suite for the first time on the 787-9, we’re responding to growing demand for premium travel,” said Matt Sharp, Virgin Atlantic, vice president Engineering and Maintenance. “In partnership with Boeing, we’re reimagining the customer journey from take-off to landing, bringing our signature style, comfort and thoughtful design to more of our customers.”

It’s not clear if this partnership will also include assistance from a third-party seat manufacturer, but Virgin did say they are taking inspiration from the seat design on the A330-900 fleet. Like many other carriers, Virgin Atlantic is catering for the growing demand in premium travel.

As it stands, they have a total of 17 787 Dreamliners in its fleet, and expect retrofitting works to be completed by 2030.

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