Virgin fit Double Suites

[Pete]

From VAA Press Release, 1st October 2004

TWICE AS NICE!
VIRGIN ATLANTIC OFFERS UPPER CLASS PASSENGERS SUITE-ER DREAMS WITH DOUBLE SUITES ONBOARD

Virgin Atlantic is delighted to announce the introduction of double suites for passengers travelling in the award winning Upper Class Suite. The airline has fitted four pairs of double suites onto two of its Boeing 747-400 aircraft, giving passengers travelling together 2 square metres of space to enjoy their flight closer together.

Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Atlantic, commented:

“We are delighted that Virgin Atlantic is the first airline to offer this unique service. It has been one of my long held ambitions to have double beds onboard our aircraft and now, once again, we are leading the way in product innovation onboard our aircraft.

“The award winning Upper Class Suite provides the passenger with by far the longest and most comfortable bed flying in the air today and now passengers can enjoy even ‘suiter’ dreams next to their loved ones!”

The double suites are located in the centre of Zone B on the lower deck where the suites in the centre of the cabin are arranged in a herring-bone configuration. Passengers can reserve a double bed at the point of checking in for the flight, when the reservations agent informs them that these are available onboard. These suites can remain separate until the passengers wish to go to sleep, when cabin crew unclip the middle partition transferring the space into a double suite. Alternatively the partition can be removed at the beginning of the flight when the suite is in seat mode for passengers who wish to socialise during the entire flight.

The Upper Class Suite is different to anything else flying today, the product has been designed to be separately both the most comfortable bed and the most comfortable seat in the air. Instead of extending from a seat into a bed Virgin Atlantic’s seat provides the passenger with a luxury leather armchair to relax on which then flips over into a separate bed with a mattress to sleep on.

Since being launched in November 2003, the Upper Class Suite has won six of the industry’s most prestigious design awards, which are as follows:

D&AD AWARDS Yellow Pencil (Silver Award) Product Design
IDEA AWARDS IDEA Gold Award – Transport Design
FX AWARDS Best Leisure Furniture Award
DESIGN WEEK AWARDS Best Industrial Product Design
ID ANNUAL REVIEW AWARDS Best in Category – Furniture
RED DOT AWARDS Best of the Best of High Quality Design

Virgin Atlantic plans to introduce double suites onto all of its Heathrow Boeing 747-400 fleet.

Don't you just love VS marketing?

Unclipping the centre partition gives you two seats at a 90 degree angle facing away from each other. That's not like any double bed I know!

BC

BC

I think it'll be the divider between 2 rows (say 8C/9C) rather than between the 2 aisles

Still, it's not like a proper double bed is it?

Cheers

Michael

[Pete]

Nah, it has to be the divider in the middle. Those side walls have way too many electrics in them, plus that's probably the reason why it's only the Zone B centre section on the 747s.

Pix

quote:Originally posted by pixuk
Nah, it has to be the divider in the middle. Those side walls have way too many electrics in them, plus that's probably the reason why it's only the Zone B centre section on the 747s.

Exactly. And the implication that VS have only just fitted these wonderful new "double suites" also seems to be VS marketing spin. All they have done is fit four removable partitions on a couple of planes.

BC

Think of the hilarious antics if it was a real double bed:D

quote:Originally posted by jaguarpig
Think of the hilarious antics if it was a real double bed:D

EEEEEWWWWW!!!!!
Stainy! [:p][:p][:o)]:D:D

quote:Originally posted by jaguarpig
Think of the hilarious antics if it was a real double bed:D

That would explain the wear and tear discussed in the other thread! [}:)]

Phil (Buffy)

quote:Originally posted by pixuk
Nah, it has to be the divider in the middle. Those side walls have way too many electrics in them, plus that's probably the reason why it's only the Zone B centre section on the 747s.

Fair enough - but it seems hardly worth it just to be able to talk to the back of your flying partner's head

Cheers

Michael

[buns]

Michael

quote:Fair enough - but it seems hardly worth it just to be able to talk to the back of your flying partner's head

But surely this would be better than talking to thier feet if this was introduced on BA!

Buns

quote:Originally posted by buns4vs
But surely this would be better than talking to thier feet if this was introduced on BA!

Just count yourself lucky the seats are not at right angles - think what you'd be talking to then [}:)][B)][:0]

Phil (Buffy)

quote:Originally posted by buns4vs
But surely this would be better than talking to thier feet if this was introduced on BA!

It's sometimes a bit disappointing to slay a joke with an ugly fact, but on a BA NCW 747 or 777 there 6 pairs of seats (E&F) that could be far better described as double beds than anything VS has. And both seats point the same way (rearwards), the only hassle being the need to step over the neighbours' legs on either side.

BC

I heard a rumour that SRB was considering fitting a small number of "cabins" on the A380, which would be available for an extra premium, though I don't know if that sort of thing has been shelved post Sept 11th - unless they look something like the 1st class "cabinettes" on EK's A340-500s:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/466749/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/466680/L/

I wonder if they will have a double bed?

While I was there, I found this:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/133609/L/

Don't these look like cloth covered versions of Virgin's "Plastic Terrors" (aka the new PE seats)?

Cheers!
Mike

Saw these on Ruby Tuesday, VS3 on Monday 27th September. The partition between the centre seats in the same row is removable - a heavy duty clip at each end. One couple had the screen removed. It wasn't a double bed, but it did look kind of cosy - snuggled up head to head. They were also able to watch the same screen (but presumably had to have the soundtrack from their own side of the seat. this wouldn't work on V:Port unless you managed to get the film playing at exactly the right time...

[Bazz]

I think the two aircraft are Ruby Tuesday and Lady Penelope. The seats are 15 through 18 D and G which are the centre two seats in the B zone directly ahead of the bar.

There has been much talk of this in earlier threads but SRB takes the biscuit by referring to it as a double bed (echo BC's comments), still it's a good marketing ploy I suppose.

[mitchja]

Yes indeed 2 flat J2000 seats next to each other produces a better double bed then 2 UCS seats!

Regards

[Decker]

I think we may be missing the careful wording here chaps and chapesses. The release refers to "Double Suites" which this indeed is. Yes SRB does express a wish to provide double beds but as he carefully says

quote:It has been one of my long held ambitions to have double beds onboard our aircraft and now, once again, we are leading the way in product innovation onboard our aircraft.

So it's a great marketing coup whilst remaining factually accurate.

[Bazz]

Ahh yes but the piece also says

quote:...Passengers can reserve a double bed at the point of checking in for the flight...

Firstly, apologies if I've misunderstood the way these double suites are to be set up!

The Sunday times article had a picture of a dozing couple in what looked like a widened UC Suite.

If they are in the middle section of zone B downstairs, I am assuming this will be 15D/G, 16D/G, 17D/G and 18D/G. Which seats are paired? Is it D paired with G, or, for example, is it 15D and 16D paired?

Reason I ask is that I'm scheduled to be on one of these with my other half at the tail end of November, and all these seats (apart from the bulkheads in row 15) are showing as available.

Cheers, Howard

D&G in Zone B are paired. They are not double beds, just a removable divider. See this thread for first hand experience.

BC

[ChuckC]

One of our Los Angeles radio stations, KTWV (94.7, "The Wave" on the FM frequency) had quite a long bit yesterday morning about the Double Suite. They read a press announcement, then joked about having sex in the beds and whether the airline would care? According to the announcers, someone called VS and was told that VS wouldn't mind pax having sex so long as no other pax were offended!?!?[:I]

Regards,
Chuck-

quote:Originally posted by ChuckC
They read a press announcement, then joked about having sex in the beds and whether the airline would care? According to the announcers, someone called VS and was told that VS wouldn't mind pax having sex so long as no other pax were offended!?!?[:I]

From the description of the removeable divider, and the herringboned seats facing away from each other, I would suggest that one would have to be a very well endowed contortionist to achieve such a feat, or maybe I've been doing it wrong all this time (or lack adventure).

Cheers, Howard