Birthday Girl takes to the skies with innovative design

The first Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 aircraft will take to the skies on October 26, 2014 flying from London Heathrow to Boston signaling the arrival of the airline’s new £2bn fleet of 16 aircraft. Bringing a unique design and customer experience offering as well as commercial and environmental benefits, the new 787s will be delivered over the next two years.

Reuben Arnold, brand and customer experience director, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, commented: “These new aircraft have given us a real opportunity to look at the design and customer proposition on-board. We really wanted to showcase the sense of spaciousness that the 787 offers and to reflect Virgin Atlantic’s unique style and flair. . We have introduced a clean finish along with a sophisticated colour palette and installed full RGB mood lighting that brings atmosphere and drama to the cabins. Customers will also find a few Virgin touches throughout including the design of the Flying Lady and our new Wander Wall, a new social space in Premium Economy”.

The first aircraft has been named “Birthday Girl” in celebration of the 30 years since the airline’s inaugural flight across the Atlantic from London Heathrow to New York Newark on the June 22, 1984. Birthday Girl features some very special paintwork – for the first time ever, customers will see the face of the iconic Virgin Atlantic Flying Lady as she is now displayed face on and carrying a celebratory champagne coupe.

Upper Class customers will enjoy a redesigned cabin with a new subtle, sophisticated backdrop with drama and ambience delivered through extensive, dynamic lighting options. The iconic Upper Class Suite has been given a new finish with geisha white paint with a mica finish and the seat, in espresso leather reclines to give customers the feeling of sitting in their favourite armchair whilst also flipping over to provide a proper mattress on a fully flat bed. Each seat still has its own direct aisle access, so you can get in, out, and back in again without treading on anyone’s toes.

The focal point of the cabin is the redesigned bar which is a design collaboration between the Virgin Atlantic in-house team and VW&BS and manufactured by Altitude. Progressing on from the A330 bar, it frames the Upper Class cabin and greets all passengers on boarding. The bar boasts a white Corian worktop as well as RBG white LED lighting which can be controlled independently of the cabin allowing  crew to tailor the look and the atmosphere depending on the destination, time of day and the desires of the customer. A central feature of the new lighting concept is the use of the textured back-lit panelling in the bar area which creates depth, movement and intrigue. The design of the new bar encourages interaction and sociability with four stools, a perch and a lean-to allowing eight people to relax comfortably in the area. Two stools now sit opposite each other to offer customers the option of dual dining at the bar. Taking inspiration from the trend of the “communal table” new experiences for customers at the bar have also been developed, including pre-dinner cocktail hour, wine tasting and social dining experiences. There is also  an interactive TV screen at the bar with a view to showing popular events, ambient backdrops or simply flight progress, adding to the social aspect of the area

The Premium Economy cabin has been refreshed and refitted with an even more comfortable seat with improved ergonomics, deeper recline and more knee room. The seat itself has a brand new trim and finish with luxurious espresso leather dress covers and a new Geisha white backrest developed to enhance the feeling of space and compliment the cabin mood lighting. The size of the seatback screen has been increased to 11.1 inches offering an enhanced experience for customers. A social space – the Wander Wall – can be found in the front galley where passengers can stretch their legs and mingle with other passengers and crew. Developed to reflect the design of the Upper Class bar, it offers a mini fridge, water fountain and a self-serve area where passengers can help themselves to snacks and refreshments.

The new Economy cabin features the best-in-class Recaro 3620 seat installed throughout. This innovative slim profile seat provides more knee room and new levels of comfort through its excellent ergonomics and innovative design. The majority of the seats are upholstered in red and espresso fabric with extra legroom seats upholstered in gold fabric. All seats are fitted with Recaro’s adjustable ‘hammock’ type headrest, upholstered with premium espresso leather.

Mood lighting has been installed throughout all cabins of the 787 to create a relaxing ambience onboard. The lighting changes colour throughout the flight to help passengers relax and unwind, fall asleep and even adjust time zones. On boarding the aircraft, a soft “rose champagne” colour has been chosen to de-stress passengers whilst encouraging them to relax into their journey. This then changes into “purple haze” which is designed to be cosy and comfortable before transforming into “amber warmth” which creates a candlelight environment for passengers whilst dining. To help passengers drift into a deep sleep, “silver moonlight” is introduced to reflect a beautiful moon-lit sky.