I usually have only one plan for Christmas – go somewhere warm! And this year Dubai is that somewhere. I was supposed to visit Dubai a couple of years ago but that plan was changed because of covid and then a layoff although I still did Emirates’ incredible first class suite.
This time I’m flying Virgin Atlantic instead. Due to it being Christmas I didn’t have high hopes in terms of cheap tickets and was going to settle with premium or just economy. Virgin’s new redemption system was full of surprises however and I grabbed a return in upper class for an excellent price.
Even better, I only came to realise afterwards that both flights are operated by A330neo in Virgin’s very latest concept. I didn’t like Virgin’s old upper class (who does?) and absolutely detest their horrendous A350 suite, but the A330neo suites look very promising.
Here’s the seat map from Virgin’s website.
As you may have noticed, 1D and 1G look different to the others. Namely the Retreat Suite, they have more luxurious and spacious designs which exceed the usual business class standard. Although they are still in upper class, you must pay to reserve these seats – it used to open up 14 days before departure at £200, but now you can reserve at the time of booking and the price seems to be variable.
I paid £271 for the redeye outbound (offset by £100 thanks to an Amex offer) although on hindsight I should have upgraded the inbound day flight instead. It’s unclear whether complimentary upgrade is a general practice but the two retreat suites were kept empty on my way back, and those who tried to invite themselves were explicitly told off.
This is how the upper class cabin looks like:
Let’s start with the standard suites. Following the 1-2-1 layout this is probably the most generous you can expect nowadays in business class.
For window seats, those in even-number rows are closer to the cabin wall and thus better “wrapped” because of the distance to the aisle.
Their middle-seat design is interesting. On most airlines you’ll see they alternate between “couple seats” and “stranger seats” in each row, the former tightly annexed to each other whereas the latter spaced farther apart.
The two middle seats on Virgin’s A330neo however, do not mirror each other but are installed on the same side instead. Therefore the space between them are the same in all rows.
I’m sitting in 2A and here are a couple of more photos:
The overall impression is similar to United’s Polaris, but slicker and of course, newer. The curve on the seat’s back is chic and they’ve even got a wireless charger above the sockets.
I care about environment but don’t agree with Virgin’s choice of amenity bag made from recycled materials. On the overnight flight we were offered a pyjama set.
I tried to made the bed myself but the seat got stuck quickly and just kept bumping back and forth. A flight attendant had to put it down manually in the end.
The door separates well, transforming the suite into a small yet comfy private box. At 6 feet / 183cm tall my feet can still move in the cubby hole.
Now it’s time for the Retreat Suite: it’s a long rectangular studio seat, a similar design to what most airlines have opted for in their first class cabin. Although it’s not flagged as First, the Retreat Suite is very obviously beyond the business class territory already.
Like in upper class, the two (middle) seats here are also physically different:
- For 1D, the stowage space is very generous and you have three boxes to yourself. I was able to put all my carry-ons in them.
- 1G on the other hand has more floor space, and is slightly more private since you are further away from the aisle
It’s hard to say which one is better and it’s purely down to personal preference. I was in 1D.
The controls are placed the same way like the ordinary upper class seats. I couldn’t find my tray table and the air hostess was quite lost as well – not all cabin crew are familiar with the retreat suite yet. The tray is actually hidden in one of the storage boxes.
The screen is huge and you can have a great cinematic experience.
And time to sleep:
Again, it’s super spacious and comfortable. Retreat Suite is by no doubt a level above upper class but you receive the same service on the ground and in air. In terms of IFE, the content seems a bit lacking to me and the absence of a Latest Release category is an inconvenience.
Shockingly, they don’t have either Friends or Modern Family, which are my two favourite programs on a flight!
Food and drinks menu:
The food is nothing to write home about (like my previous Virgin Atlantic experiences), and the chicken shawarma burger is very strange…
A main feature of the previous upper class design was its bar, replaced by the Sky Loft in A330neo.
Personally I prefer the bar idea. It feels more social and the stools offer a different kind of seating if you want to change your sitting position.
Finally, the WiFi. Virgin seems to have discontinued the Boingo partnership and you can only pay for the internet now. They’ve kindly added an option of 20-minute complimentary WiFi if you watch a short ad. Three ads are available so you have one hour of WiFi for free.
The speed is pretty good. On my way back however the WiFi connection was broken for the entire flight and rebooting the system didn’t help.
In a nutshell, I’m quite impressed by Virgin’s A330neo upper class seats and for the first time they’ve come up with a competitive product. The Retreat Suite is definitely in the first class league already, and paying £200-odd extra isn’t too excessive in my opinion.
On the other hand, the problems with my seat, IFE and WiFi were very disappointing for such a new aircraft. Good news is after I’ve complaint they came back quickly with a compensation of 25,000 points!
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