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

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 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.

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.

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.

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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):

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.

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

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.

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.)