Virgin Australia has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-8 aircraft as part of its fleet renewal programme, while revealing its highly anticipated new Business Class and Economy cabin interior. There are also plans to refresh the interior cabins on the airline’s remaining Boeing fleet, as part of a $110 million investment to “improve the flying experience for customers”.
Features of the new Boeing 737-8 cabin interior include:
- In-seat power for all Business Class and Economy seats
- Larger overhead lockers, with capacity to stow up to 50% more carry-on baggage
- Wider Business Class seats which also feature leg rests with extendable footrests, storage compartments, tablet/device holders and water bottle holders
- A new Economy seat design, featuring a ribbed backing to elevate comfort and ergonomics
- A personal tablet/device holder for all Economy seats, making it easy to view inflight entertainment
The interior refresh and product upgrade across Virgin Australia’s remaining Boeing fleet will commence later this year, with the work set to be complete in the next two years. The upgrade includes:
- Installation of in-seat power for all Business Class and Economy seats
- Installation of new Business Class seats, consistent with the new Boeing 737-8 aircraft
- Installation of new or refreshed Economy seats, with seat design to be consistent with the new Boeing 737-8 aircraft
- Introduction of inflight Wi-Fi and complimentary inflight entertainment (via a passenger’s own personal device) to majority of remaining fleet
“In 2021 we introduced a prototype cabin interior on two Boeing 737-800 aircraft, and over the last couple of years we’ve been able to obtain feedback from our guests, which enables us to enhance our entire Boeing fleet with the features that are most important to them,” said Paul Jones, Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer. “We’ve always said that we are a business that listens to its customers, and this is a testament to that. If you look at the business community, what matters most to them outside of network schedule is in-seat power and inflight Wi-Fi, so I’m really excited that will feature on the majority of our fleet. There’s also a huge number of customers who fly with us for leisure who value in-seat power for a different reason – powering devices to keep their kids entertained, or streaming and bingeing on the latest must-see shows. With the reconfiguration of our cabin interior, we are also able to add more seats to the market without changing the legroom experience, providing Australian travellers with even more choice and great value airfares as well as a consistent inflight experience.”
