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Virgin Atlantic orders seven more A330neos, keeps Dreamliners and confirms LAX Clubhouse

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As we predicted, Virgin Atlantic has placed a top-up order of seven A330neos as aircraft replacements. It also has options for a further nine should it want to expand the fleet.

Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss and Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Christian Scherer announced the news on board the airline’s 5th A330neo, the 40th birthday special Ruby Rebel, which is currently on display at the Farnborough International Airshow.

Virgin Atlantic orders 7 more A330neos

Virgin Atlantic already has five A330neos in its fleet of an initial order of 13. The top-up order will take it to 19 to become the backbone of the airline.

By early 2028, Virgin Atlantic will have:

  • 12 A350-1000s
  • 14 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners
  • 19 A330-900neos

As part of the announcement, Virgin Atlantic confirmed that it had secured the future of 14 Dreamliners, whilst three will be returned to the lessor. Seven are owned by Virgin Atlantic whilst seven have had their lease extended for an additional 8-10 years.

Overall, Virgin Atlantic’s fleet will increase by just one aircraft from today to 45. The add-on order allows the full retirement of the old A330 fleet (of which there are 10 left) and the three Dreamliners it is returning.

Overall, the new order for seven planes comes to $2.1 billion at list prices, although airlines usually negotiate steep discounts. This would value an A330-900neo at $300 million.

All seven aircraft will be delivered from 2027 to early 2028.

Virgin Atlantic orders 7 more A330neos
Virgin Atlantic’s latest Upper Class seat

How will the new A330neos be configured?

Shai wouldn’t be led on the configuration of the top-up order, although in my interview in Las Vegas for the airline’s 40th Birthday celebrations he told me that

“You can see where our mind is with the A330neo and that’s the standard of the cabin we want to offer. It’s one of the best in the sky, definitely crossing the Atlantic.”

He did say that:

“We’re going to innovate more. So a bit more to come on how we configure these planes, but this configuration [on the existing A330neos] is exceptional.”

At the moment, the A330neos are being delivered with 32 Upper Class seats, 46 in Premium and 184 in economy, as well as an updated ‘Loft’ social space. The seat (photo above) is a Virgin-ised version of the Thompson Vantage XL, which is also the basis for Delta’s business class seat, and features a door. This is a very comfortable and stylish seat and I would expect to see it, or an updated version, to fly on the follow-on order.

As to whether we would see the return of a bar-style space on the A330neos: “wait and see.” This suggests that Virgin is evaluating its bar space versus the current ‘Loft’ social spaces on the A350s and A330neos, which Richard Branson called “a dreadful mistake” in a recent interview.

Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class 1k
Virgin Atlantic’s old Upper Class seat

No commitment to refurbish the Dreamliners

With confirmation that the majority of Dreamliners are sticking around, the real question is when these will get refurbished with new seats.

If Virgin Atlantic’s old Upper Class seat was a human, it would now legally be able to drink in the United States.

It is becoming a major liability: in every conversation and every article about it, the 21-year old seat is decried as uncompetitive. And yet, Shai seems in no rush to fix this. I was told privately that there would likely be no announcement regarding a refurbishment program until 2025.

That will be disappointing for many, including myself, who feel that the old Upper Class seats are now long past their prime.

New Clubhouse lounge coming to Los Angeles

I spoke to Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operating Officer at Virgin Atlantic, about rumours of a new Clubhouse opening at LAX Airport. He confirmed the news and told me they are hoping it will open in the first quarter of 2025.

News of the lounge initially leaked in official airport documents, where the lounge was rubber stamped by the Board of Commissioners. The document revealed that the new Virgin Clubhouse would be a $2 million renovation of the former Etihad Lounge in the Tom Bradley International Terminal: a relatively small 408 square metre space.

Rent for the space comes to approximately $1.2 million per year, which shows just how expensive these facilities are to operate.

This will be the first new Clubhouse for Virgin Atlantic in, I think, over a decade. Will it introduce a new Clubhouse design?

“We always do bespoke designs, with the Virgin DNA throughout, but each location is unique with different elements.”

The new Clubhouse will be the fourth Clubhouse in the United States, in addition to those in New York JFK, San Francisco and Washington Dulles. Virgin Atlantic previously had a Clubhouse in Los Angeles Terminal 2 between 2015 and 2021, at which point it was subsumed by a Delta Sky Club.

Expect to hear more news about the Los Angeles Clubhouse after the Summer.

How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards

How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (September 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, the Reward+ card has a bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points and the free card has a bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points):

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review

You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 40,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 40,000 Virgin Points.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Virgin Points. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Virgin Points. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

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Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points. 

(Want to earn more Virgin Points?  Click here to see our recent articles on Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club and click here for our home page with the latest news on earning and spending other airline and hotel points.)

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Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club

Comments (81)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • John says:
    24 Jul24 July 07:41

    I have a feeling that they are keeping the 787’s because Airbus can’t provide any more A330 on a reasonable timeline or getting Airbus leases to replace the 787’s would be way more expensive. There isn’t a massive amount of A339neo’s flying yet and A350 are in high demand.
    The new lease timing feel like long enough that Virgin thinks they can get 14 delivery slots to replace them in time. With current delays wouldn’t get slots fast enough.

    • Rhys says:
      24 Jul24 July 08:53

      A330neos are allegedly some of the most near-term available aircraft. There’s a reason Virgin can order 7 for delivery in 2027.

    • HampshireHog says:
      24 Jul24 July 11:15

      They’re obviously keeping the 787’s because short term it’s cheaper

      • Nick says:
        24 Jul24 July 11:28

        789 has a longer range, particularly when fully laden, than an A330. I’d imagine this has something to do with it, if they’re not going for more A350s.

        • Alastair says:
          24 Jul24 July 12:06

          Now VS have dropped PVG there isn’t really any range advantage of having the 789.

        • Rhys says:
          24 Jul24 July 15:25

          Now that Shanghai has gone, Virgin’s longest route is about 11 hours…

  • Safety Card says:
    24 Jul24 July 07:49

    Shame there’s no news about changing those UC seats. A few years back I would always pick Virgin over BA. Now with the odds being in my favour of getting CS with BA I have been flying them much more than Virgin. I’ve found the Virgin brand has really gone down hill. The food is poor quality, the seat not fit for purpose, the IFE terrible resolution.

    Just booked 4 J returns to the U.S. and opted for BA on every route even though it could have been, and years ago would have been Virgin.

    • Tom says:
      24 Jul24 July 08:00

      Exactly this, always would opt for VS for their amazing drop off, funky lounge with spa and good but not great food with personable service. A good pillow and duvet in an average seat.

      Fast forward a decade and the food has been downgraded, the amenity kit is now in a paper bag with terrible contents, the seat is still the same (whilst the competition has ramped home), the food is almost inedible, the spa has gone and the prices have gone up. All that’s left is a good drop off and a good uniform.

      • GM says:
        24 Jul24 July 08:23

        I never thought it would be a toss-up between Aer Lingus and Virgin for me, but here we are! Flying from outside London, so clearing immigration in Dublin can actually be a blessing and the connection doesn’t add a huge amount of time vs driving to and from LHR, overnight stay etc. Really miss the spa, thought the JFK Clubhouse had gone downhill last time I was there, food has massively declined and I hate that amenity kit on principle. It’s just cheap and shoddy. They still have pyjamas, which I make sure to take, and the crew can be exceptional…but it’s far from a given that they’ll be the default choice.

      • Rob says:
        24 Jul24 July 08:46

        A fair assessment I think.

      • babyg says:
        24 Jul24 July 09:26

        glad im not the only one who feels exactly the same about virgin… such a shame…

        • davefl says:
          24 Jul24 July 11:56

          Ditto, I’ve said it many times on the forums recently. I’ll be switching to AE in future for my TATL trips after flying exclusively VS for the past decade.
          Service on board my most recent flight was just shoddy as was the metal itself on the one before.. Showering me with 10k points each time does not win me over

      • Alastair says:
        24 Jul24 July 12:52

        It’s funny how people have different perceptions, from my pov (as a BA Gold and VS Gold):
        – UC Wing / F Wing are pretty much tied – former is quieter, latter drops you into the lounge rather than DF
        – The LHR Clubhouse is superior to Galleries F in every way
        – The JFK Clubhouse is superior to the T8 Soho Lounge
        – VS A350 seat is tied with BA CS. VS 333 / 789 seat beats OCW (still a lot of it about). I find the old VS seat excellent for sleeping
        – VS aircraft are spotless (even the bits you can’t see), BA’s are filthy
        – VS give you PJs in UC, BA don’t in CW
        – VS let you pre-order meals, BA don’t in CW
        – Food on my recent VS flights has been great. I like the express option of soup and a toastie on a late night flight having had something in the Clubhouse. The VS second service on a LHR-JFK is actually a choice of three proper main courses, not a one-choice afternoon tea on BA
        – The Revivals lounge does an Eggs Benedict, a la carte, BA Arrivals doesn’t
        – The BA Arrivals lounge showers are disgusting, Revivals has actual tiling not lino

  • Mark says:
    24 Jul24 July 08:06

    Virgin are gambling that their Upper Class slight grumble about 787-9 upper class but it won’t drive them away. Quite a gamble I think. Even deciding now to refit means the old seat probably gets to early 2027. Maybe Virgin will pull a rabbit out of the hat but this seems a fundamental weakness especially on routes like LAX but if BA use A380s and Virgin use 787s and Delta have withdrawn maybe it all cancels out and the risk diminishes!?!?!

    • Rob says:
      24 Jul24 July 08:45

      Big gamble. We saw the Air India A350 on Monday. If I was heading to Delhi it would be my top choice, followed by BA if CS and then VS very much last if 787.

      • DeB2020 says:
        24 Jul24 July 10:18

        Having just returned from India and seen the A359 on the ground, it looked very eye-catching. However, social media, especially X/Twitter, are flooded with complaints about the airline. Indian passengers say that the airline is worse now than when it was government owned.

        Time will tell, of course.

        • Kpworldtravels says:
          24 Jul24 July 23:00

          I dont think its possible for AI to be worse than when it was government owned. Literally impossible!

  • chris w says:
    24 Jul24 July 08:08

    The headline of this article should have been “Virgin Atlantic refuse to announce refurbishment timeline for 787 Upper Class seat”.

  • TomB says:
    24 Jul24 July 08:16

    As long as that 787 remains in service I won’t be booking any UC flights with VA, unless they are able to guarantee at booking that the plane won’t be switched for a 787 last minute. It is absolutely dire, not worth a penny more than the BA equivalent flight in their PE cabin.

  • roberto says:
    24 Jul24 July 08:22

    Virgin need a rebrand. The name is a little too “lad mag” now and to me they are just tinkering around the edges.

    I agree about the seat , I have not flown them in Upper for about 8 or 10 years choosing PE as the bang for the buck (points) is just not really there in my mind.

    And then there is the routes , of course its Virgin ATLANTIC so that sums it up.

    I feel they are like a boutique brand, lost in the the 80’s with a new mixed message ethos trying too hard to balance their old edgey Rock Star vibe with overly woke/green aspirations.

    • Rhys says:
      24 Jul24 July 08:55

      Good luck getting one of the most recognised UK brands to rebrand! Might be an uphill battle, that one.

      • Alex G says:
        24 Jul24 July 09:54

        It’s a recognised brand. But I dont think it is synonymous with high quality any more. Just ask any Virgin Media or Virgin Money customer.

        And having said that, I’m off to enjoy a Virgin Vodka with Virgin Cola on a Virgin Train to Manchester. Such a successful brand.

        • Rob says:
          24 Jul24 July 10:21

          I think part of the issue is that the different Virgin brands appeal to different segments. I had assumed Virgin Hotels would be a ‘W’ clone, for example, but actually they are very classy and generally expensive properties. Virgin Limited Editions is exceptionally high end. And what is the Virgin Voyages image / reality and how does that match the airline / hotels?

          In truth, Virgin has ‘grown up’ in the same way that Branson himself has aged – and indeed his original customer base, from the old Virgin Records days, has aged. My daughter had never even heard of Richard Branson.

        • RussellH says:
          24 Jul24 July 10:25

          Coventry Building Society are definitely not going to keep paying Branson for the use of his ridiculous brand name.
          I would like to see the return of the Clydesdale name to Scotland and the Yorkshire Bank name to England, but I imagine that in the Midlands at least, the Coventry name has the best recognition and reputation.

          • mnlbay says:
            24 Jul24 July 10:31

            Re: Coventry – Nationwide are in the process of purchasing Virgin Money. It feels unlikely the Virgin brand will stick around there, equally Nationwide is going to likely not reintroduce the regional branding for Scotland and England

        • Andy says:
          24 Jul24 July 11:25

          I think part of the trouble is Virgin is just a brand that’s licensed to other companies

          When I see something branded Virgin I just see it as oh they paid Branson some money to use his brand and I’ve no real affiliation to it or expectation of what sort of quality it is

      • jjoohhnn says:
        24 Jul24 July 20:28

        Alaska were perfectly happy to drop it. Although it has still cost them, unfortunately.

    • Andrew. says:
      24 Jul24 July 10:26

      Virgin was around about 25 years before “lad’s mags” launched and have outlived them by almost a decade so far.

      • roberto says:
        24 Jul24 July 12:19

        Andrew I agree but I fee that they stopped being current at the same time as the lad mags did – hence the reference. Like an old man with a new wife and young kids trying a little too hard to hang onto his past.

        As for the rebrand , it wont need much – Perhaps its time to hang up the Atlantic – Lets go Virgin Airlines , dump the “we used to be cool in the 80’s” Tshirt and try hard to offer what people today are looking for.

        Brands are great , and as others have said some of the Virgin Branding works and is still relevant , the airline just seems stale to me. I like the innovation of Virgin Voyages however that appears to be nimbly evolving even in the short time its been around. The cruises I have been on have moved ever so slightly towards a bigger target market (whiter/straighter/older) in my very limited experience with out any detriment to their brand. Occupancy is up as is the cost to cruise – its working.

        Full disclosure I am 60 and have seen their rise and fall , I met SRB many years back on a few occasions and he was a force of nature but dressing as a Pirate and chucking people in the pool was then – the business (and the public) are a little more sophisticated now and expect different things to cheap fares and hot girls in red shoes.

    • chris w says:
      24 Jul24 July 11:37

      Virgin are essentially now just a Delta subsidiary.

      I’m surprised Delta haven’t made the Virgin brand a lot more corporate and a lot less fun already.

  • Paul says:
    24 Jul24 July 08:26

    Disappointing all around. Ordering old planes with new engines is a shame – passenger comfort is well behind what it would be on the A350.

    • Rob says:
      24 Jul24 July 08:41

      You can get them though. Not sure ordering an aircraft with no delivery slots until the next decade would help much.

    • Alastair says:
      24 Jul24 July 12:58

      Have you flown on a 330 Neo? In some ways it’s superior to a A350 at least in VS’s layout – PE is 2-3-2 not 2-4-2, and Y is 2-4-2 rather than 3-3-3. I have found it a quieter, more modern evolution of an already excellent aircraft and if it means VS can get them into service quickly then it gets my vote.

  • Michele Baldrick says:
    24 Jul24 July 08:46

    Hi, i flew out of Boston beginning of this month and didn’t know there was a Virgin Club Lounge. I checked Virgin website which indicated only Washington, JFK and San Francisco have Virgin Club Lounges. I was told i had to use the Delta Sky Club lounge. I do travel to/from Boston a few times a year. If there is a Virgin Club lounge can someone in the know tell me where it is located? Thanks

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