10hrs on New Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Suites | A330-900 neo

today I'm flying the world's newest business class for 10 hours over to America this is Virgin Atlantic's new upper class Suite complete with private beds on board lounge and even an exclusive class Beyond business join me on the very first commercial flight on this box fresh Airbus A330 Neo to Tampa let's pick up our journey on the ground at London Heathrow at 6am Virgin Atlantic have a separate Wing to check in away from the main airport terminal inside is more like a hotel foyer rather than a flight check-in facility once checked in I'm able to use their private security Channel which dumps you out a stone's throw from the dedicated upper class Lounge named the clubhouse I rate this as one of the best business class lounges in the world with plenty of space to relax in a full-service Champagne Bar and of course a restaurant we really must check out the menu slightly out of the ordinary there are pelotons a pool table and my favorite the roof Terrace overlooking the rest of London Heathrow Airport with our departure time drawing ever nearer let's hot foot it over to the gate located just a few minutes away [Music] at gate 17 I get my first glance at the 30-day old Airbus A330 900 Neo named after Billy Holliday virgin have 16 of these on order and will slowly take delivery of these over the coming months right I make it time to check out the much anticipated new upper class cabin [Music] in case you wondered it has that new plane smell on board there's room for a total of 260 passengers with just 30 of these being business class Suites after stowing my bag let's settle into my seat six Alpha within no time at all I'm offered a pre-departure drink of either champagne or OJ naturally I choose the champagne virgin serve a rather delicious Ayala champagne in their upper class cabin [Music] oxygen masks Drive keep your seat belt on and pull the tag for the mask down to turn on the oxygen we leave stand on time and it's not long before we reach the runway and with that we hurtle off into the early British morning sunshine [Music] foreign is this inaugural flight taking us some four and a half thousand miles over 10 hours to Tampa Florida this flight incidentally provides the very first direct connection between Heathrow and Tampa [Music] once we reach altitude we'll get that seat belt off and take a quick peek at the provided menu it's a half decent selection with a few standouts for me though for once no stake to choose from with my order placed let's take a look around my Suite even numbered sweets are positioned as true window seats offering the most privacy by comparison of numbered are closer to the aisle and are not my preference the seat is a customized Vantage XL product and a staggered one two one config I'm most happy to see the individual air vents a specked here unlike some of Ba's Fleet there are a few stand-up features I love here such as the wireless charging facility and sporting both usb-a and USBC ports in addition the in-flight Entertainment System offers Bluetooth connectivity so you'll be able to use your own wireless headphones however not to worry if you don't have wireless ones you can always use the provided generic noise canceling headphones stowed at your seat now for the all-important tray table this slides out and into place ready for dinner service minutes later I'm relieved to see no one tray service on virgin first up I'm served delicious warm sourdough roll [Music] the gold versions of virgin's Infamous plain salt and pepper shakers [Music] in no time at all my appetizer is served and I've opted for the textures of beetroot with a ghost cheese mousse I'm not a huge beat lover but the earthiness paired with the creamy sweetness of the cheese worked wonders after a short interval my main is served I've ordered the vegetable korma Gujarati green beans jira pilau rice and a Paratha for me curries tend to be one of the best options on board an aircraft consistently good on most Airlines with Emirates first Biryani being my favorite with no sign of the decadent Food Service coming to an end and presented with a cheese plate consisting of cheddar blue cheese and some Somerset Brie one to go it's dessert time I go for the indulgent Black Forest gateau with coconut vanilla cream and raspberry flakes absolutely delicious finally we've done a service out of the way should we waddle over to The Loft oddly named Shore but it's truly a unique space on board virgins A330 Neo and a350s this variant features four leather adorned seats which look great in practice but frankly are not the comfiest being rather upright and just that little bit too high from your perch you can enjoy entertainment on one of the two 27-inch monitors which you can actually sync with your wireless headphones though in practice I don't really see anyone doing so there are even seat belts here so if there's a spot of turbulence you're able to stay here with your newfound friends and ride out the rockiness with a beer or two talking of drinks there's a help yourself fridge with a selection of alcoholic and soft beverages available right I'm a little tired after our super early start this morning so let's head to the bathroom and get changed into my PJs whilst clean there's nothing to write home about with this lav though the ren Cosmetics are in nice touch my amenity kit will provide all the other various additions such as a dental kit eye mask and moisturizer now with my PJs virgin are one of the few business class providers offering pajamas which I absolutely love these are comfy breathable cotton and certainly ones I'll be taking home with me I'll style my clothes for later in the overhead bin as we're faced with our next challenge of making the bed now my lovely flight attendant did offer to do so given how hectic today's flight is I'm more than happy to do so myself let's boot those Timbs off then by the way do you like my new NASA socks [Music] right let's get on with the bed assembly there's a substantial soft mattress pad which fits clean over the seat and then at the touch of a button the seats retract into a fully flat bed a light duvet is also provided here which is super soft to the touch after adding the finer detail of a plump pillow my bed is complete and certainly looks most inviting foreign let's get the sweet door shut for maximum privacy and off into a mid-afternoon nap much much later I awake slightly confused as over my noise canceling airpods I can hear [Music] of course this wouldn't be an inaugural flight without a party certainly a first for me enjoying live music from my bed at forty thousand feet [Music] as our impromptu concert comes to a close let's head to the lavatory and get changed back into my clothes there's still a few more important elements of this plane which we must check out introducing the retreat Suite there are only two of these in the center of the first row of upper class these offer quite a unique proposition and are only bookable two weeks out when I first come first served basis at a supplement of 200 pounds it's based again on the Vantage XL product but now there are greater storage options in the seat along with the cool feature of Buddy dining one of the drawbacks however is the TV is much further away offering a sub-optimal viewing experience well we really must try this other bed for size a few moments later it's certainly an improvement without being constricted to a cubby however with service remaining the same and not having the option of a window I'd not be first in line to Shell out the additional cash when formed by the captain we're not far off our destination of tamper so as I get my seatbelt on and prepare for landing let's talk cost well today is a press flight so booking a seat is not possible hence why I jumped at the chance to try this inaugural cash costs start at a competitive 3 300 return which given this gets you a seat in this fantastic business class product it's not bad at all compare this to ba on similar routes and you'd be lucky to get change at a five thousand dollars for an inferior product I do however advise you to do your research when booking with Virgin as they have quite a varied Fleet thank you however what's great if you fly the tamper route you'll be near guaranteed this aircraft given it's dedicated to this routing upon arrival in Tampa there's a brief press conference to welcome the new route where I get to hear from the likes of Virgin CEO and the main man himself Richard Branson [Music] thanks for joining today and please consider subscribing to my second channel for even more Aviation Adventures [Music]

Channel: Trek

Views: 279,591

Keywords: virgin atlantic, virgin atlantic a330-900 neo, new upper class, airbus a330-900 neo, business class, first class, luxury travel, business class review, aviation

Id: hrmk2jZm10I

Length: 9min 28sec (568 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 05 2022