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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Julie Delahaye

First look at Virgin Atlantic's new A350 including its lavish Upper Class suites

Virgin Atlantic has revealed a first look inside its highly-anticipated A350-1000 aircraft, and it hasn't disappointed.

The airline has seriously upped the ante, and not just because the aircraft is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, or the more spacious seats and sleeker designs.

The biggest luxurious offering comes in the form of its entirely redesigned Upper Class cabin, where passengers will get entire SUITES to themselves, as well as access to an on board bar.

Oh, and it's all as swanky as it sounds.

The suites come with window-facing seats, deployable privacy screens, heaps of leg room (44" pitch in fact), and a seat that transforms into a fully flat bed.

But that's not all.

If passengers get bored, they can watch films, TV shows or play games on the 18.5-inch screen, Virgin Atlantic's largest ever in-flight entertainment screen.

The Upper Class cabin has been entirely redesigned (Virgin Atlantic)

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Or of course they can head to the on-board bar The Loft, designed "for customers to gather, chat, enjoy a drink or dine with friends".

Choose from cocktails, opt to dine together with friends and colleagues on dishes by Donal Skehan, or even make the most of the Mile High afternoon tea by Eric Lanlard.

Upper Class suites will include seats which transform into fully flat beds (Virgin Atlantic)

Fancy watching a film together? The Loft will feature a 32-inch screen which customers can connect to using the Bluetooth headphones.

But don't worry, it's not just the Upper Class cabins where there's luxury to be found (although this is where you'll need to be for the suites and bar).

The A350 will have its own on board bar The Loft (Virgin Atlantic)

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Premium cabins will offer 13.3-inch screens, seats with a seven-inch recline, increased storage space, and even a four way adjustable headrest and luxurious leather seat.

Meanwhile, Economy seats have been upgraded to more luxurious fabrics, with adjustable headrests, and entertainment screens measuring 11.6 inches.

It's the first peek inside the new A350 the airline has shared (Virgin Atlantic)

There will be plenty of leg room too as Economy Light and Classic will offer a 31-inch seat pitch whilst Economy Delight offers 34-inch.

Oh, and of course there's free Wi-Fi for everyone on board.

There are 12 A350 aircraft joining the Virgin Atlantic fleet (Virgin Atlantic)

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The first A350, named 'Red Velvet' will take to the skies in August, with its first flight operating on the airline's flagship route between London Heathrow and New York JFK, followed by further JFK services later this year.

Virgin Atlantic has ordered a total of 12 Airbus A350-1000, all scheduled to join the fleet by 2021 in an order worth an estimated $4.4 billion (list price.)

The A350 will also be the first aircraft in Virgin Atlantic’s fleet to feature its new Flying Icons.

A glimpse at the Economy seats (Virgin Atlantic)

Mark Anderson, Executive Vice President Customer, at Virgin Atlantic commented: "The introduction of our A350 represents a true evolution of our customer experience.

"We believe flying should be exciting, whether it’s your first or 100th flight with us and that’s why we’ve elevated our offering to provide our customers with something totally unique.

"The A350 forms a significant part of our fleet transformation strategy and by 2022, we’ll have our youngest, cleanest, greenest fleet in the sky as the aircraft transforms our customer experience, reduces our environmental impact and improves our route economics."

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