Virgin Australia Unveils Brand New Cabin And Seats

The first of seven additional Boeing 737-800 aircraft is set to enter Virgin Australia’s fleet in late November, with the aircraft previously operated by SilkAir. Virgin will introduce brand new seats in some of these new aircraft. As part of the initial trial, the airline has fitted the new cabin to two 737 aircraft, VH-IWQ and VH-IJQ.

Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones, said the new interior added to a long list of customer enhancements the airline has rolled-out since relaunching almost 12 months ago.

“We are excited to unveil our new interior prototype which we are going to trial over the next few months,” said Mr Jones.

“Virgin Australia is committed to being a customer-led business, so once we receive feedback from our guests and crew, we’ll consider implementing elements of the new design as our fleet grows.

Virgin’s New Business Seat

Unfortunately Virgin Australia’s enhanced Business Class seat is still a recliner. This is especially disappointing on cross country and short-haul international flights, where other airlines including Qantas offer lie-flat options in business.

There are a number of welcome improvements at the pointy end, including:

• Enhanced tray table that includes a personal electronic device holder within the tray table foldout for your phone or tablet
• New leg rests which are can be operated at the side of the middle console armrest
• New armrest on aisle seats that can be fully lowered to allow easy transfer when the tray table is extended
• Up to 40% more recline than current seats

Virgin’s New Economy Seat

In Economy, travellers can expect to see several improvements. I am a huge fan of the new purple seatbelts, but other than that guests will find the following:

• Split seat back pocket for more storage
• A personal electronic device for your phone or tablet
• Inflight power to charge devices