Inside Virgin Atlantic's new luxurious upper class section: goodbye cocktail bars, hello fabulous sofas
- Airline which helped revive the communal in-flight tipple changes direction in battle for lucrative transatlantic market
Virgin Atlantic has ditched its flying bar in favour of family-friendly sofas on a new fleet of Airbus SE A350 jetliners.
The Loft lounge will feature a 32-inch television screen and Bluetooth headphones, with passengers able to order food and drink as they relax on the red leather seats. The long-time Virgin feature of a saloon area is gone, marking a departure for the airline credited with reviving the communal in-flight tipple.
Virgin installed a cocktail counter for premium customers years after the concept’s 1970s heyday, and while a handful of other carriers followed its lead the bar has remained closely identified with an airline that sought to bring back some of the glamour and excitement of flying.
Virgin’s revamped upper class cabin will also provide passengers with privacy screens and an 82-inch bed. The makeover comes weeks after British Airways unveiled a private door for its business seats in the battle to lure well-heeled customers in the lucrative transatlantic market.
