Sleek Virgin Upper Class A330Neo To Tampa

It’s been a busy few months with work, I’ve been fortunate enough to still manage a fair bit of travel, even if it means falling behind on the reviews I’ve been eager to share. So, let’s catch up, starting with a journey on Virgin Upper Class A330Neo To Tampa, a trip I took earlier in year to make good use of my Virgin upgrade vouchers.

Virgin Atlantic introduced the sleek Airbus A330-900, also known as the A330neo, on the Heathrow to Boston route last year. With just five of these state-of-the-art aircraft in their fleet, they mainly serve Boston, Tampa, and, occasionally, New York and Atlanta.

What makes this flight particularly exciting isn’t just the upgraded aircraft itself, but also Virgin’s decision to enhance their Upper Class offering. They’ve introduced a new and improved full Suites product, even better than what you’ll find on their flagship A350s. Ready to explore what finally brings Virgin to where it should have been years ago? Let’s dive in…

Flight Particulars

Route: London Heathrow – Tampa
Flight No: VS129
Date: 25.02.2024
Departure Time: 11:05
Flight Duration: Blocked 9 hours 35 minutes
Aircraft: Airbus A330-900
Seats/Suite: 1K

Check-In

Virgin Atlantic offers an exclusive Upper Class Check-In Wing at Heathrow, but I’ve skipped this on many prior flights. I usually find it faster to take the Heathrow Express or the Elizabeth Line to the airport.

However, with this flight departing later in the morning, I didn’t mind spending an extra 20-30 minutes on the road. As you approach Heathrow, you’ll notice specific signs directing you to the Upper Class Wing, steering you away from the regular Terminal 3 drop-off zone.

And what a private entrance you arrive into!

No sooner had my car stopped by the curb, I was greeted by 2 friendly Virgin Atlantic staff ready to take my bags and escort me through..

This reception has two different seating areas should you need somewhere to gather yourself and your documents..

I love the fact that they have these large Virgin aircraft models and the seating spaces feel like an extension of the Clubhouse.

With everything at hand, I had my bag checked and boarding pass printed in less than a minute and directed to the private security area ! This was all more akin to a First Class experience, than business.

The Virgin Clubhouse

Once through security, I had just 1 hour 20 minutes to enjoy the infamous Virgin Clubhouse at Heathrow…

I’ve reviewed this Clubhouse previously just post-covid.

I enjoyed a nice waiter served breakfast. This time it wasn’t the Egg Royale, but a different kind of Salmon and Egg Quinoa combo..

The ordering system has remained the same as before, via table barcode or just flagging a waiter down. You can see the Clubhouse Menu in advance here.

The lounge was busy, but still very pleasant. I feel they had more than enough staff to guest ratio,  waiting more than 5 minutes for an order.

After a freshly made coffee, I had a little wonder..

I previously did not notice this, but I like how the bar only have glass dividers, meaning you get a nice display of Champagnes and other drinks on offer here ! I then did notice something new. There is now what is called a Retreat Area

These are like mini cabana like loungers with curtains for full privacy if you decide you want to get some rest..

It’s a cosy setup with a very Virgin-esque mood and style.

After 20 minutes here, it was time to board ! We were designated gate 19, which involved some walking to get to..

Boarding itself was well managed, from what I could see.

Virgin Upper Class A330-900 Suites

The A330-900 features 32 new Upper Class Suites in 8 rows between doors 1 and 2. This is followed by 46 Premium seats right behind.

As usual, I was warmly greeted by the door and directed through the onboard “Loft” social area, to my seat. At this point most of the Upper Class passengers were either settled in or boarding, so unfortunately had no chance of a full cabin shot. The aircraft looked and smelt brand new still.

Passing through a very glamourous and sleek cabin to my Suite 1K right at the front..

These Suites are based of Thompson Vantage XL, which may look familiar to some, as they are the same base product used by Delta Airlines for it’s Delta One Suites.

Straight away, I preferred Virgin’s own touch and aesthetics to the product than what Delta did..

Notable features as stated by Virgin :

• 17.3” touchscreen with Bluetooth audio
• 6ft4” std/ 6ft7.5” front row fully flat bed
• Enhanced storage, including shoe stowage and lockable in-seat stowage
• Fully closing privacy door
• AC, USB-A and USB-C ports
• Wireless charging
• Do not disturb light
• Customer-controlled mood lighting

Seat control panel and power outlets are neatly arranged by the side console..

An arm flap opens up to reveal a small vanity mirror as well as a small IFE controller..

You then have a bigger mirror ( because who doesn’t need multiple mirrors to check their hair mid flight?? ) inside the closed storage unit which houses the noise cancelling headphones..

After the initial relief and excitement of Virgin finally have a modern Business Class seat on their A350’s, later flights highlighted issues with the A350 product, that proved the product just wasn’t all it could have been.

The open “storage” areas, the angles with the dining table, it just wasn’t ideal after you do a few 10 hour flights with them, you really notice it.

I found the remote control simple and easy to use. It is however a shame that you don’t have a secondary screen to keep an eye on flight maps etc

I went out of my way to ensure I selected one of the 2 window bulkhead Suites which provides noticeably more leg space ..

All this made the 9 and half hour in Virgin Upper Class A330Neo To Tampa a gay old time for me.

It felt supremely comfortable,  I wondered if it was the bulkhead seat itself could make so much difference over my experience of Delta’s A330Neo? Was there something else that made Virgin’s product more comfortable? If you know be sure to leave a comment below !

Virgin Upper Class Retreat Suites

Speaking of bulkheads, Virgin has decided to join the “Business Plus” bandwagon here with the centre bulkhead seats on this aircraft..

These Suites are even slightly longer in length and the additional foot space here has been well utilised with an ottoman style footrest area that also doubles up as a buddy seat where you can dine together ! Or have 4 people eating or socialising..

What should be noted however is despite the vastly increased amount of space, increased storage and 27″ monitor, your seat and shoulder width is exactly the same !

Virgin allows you to allocate these centre Suites for an extra £300 per person. This was £200 at launch.

The Suites do look great, but I personally do not think they provide £300 of extra value over the standard Suites, since there is no soft product differentiation here.

Now if Virgin offered a nicer champagne here and say enhanced catering like Caviar options, then that would change the equation for me to consider it !

Virgin Upper Class A330Neo To Tampa Service

On boarding, I was offered a choice of welcome drink between  Hambledon Cuvee Rose English sparkling wine or N.V. Laytons Brut Reserve  or Juice. I opted for the former.. which came topped with a fresh raspberry

If you ever needed a welcome drink to prove you are in a Virgin Upper Class, this might be it? I think Virgin should make this a signature.

Post take off there was a hot towel service, followed by more drinks. I decided to try the Champagne this time, which was served with a mini bowl of chips as Virgin tends to do these days..

Meal preferences were taken at this point, and the menu for this flight was as follows:

Note, you can pre-order your meals with Virgin from a much more extensive selection, I opted not to do that, as I like to go with the mood on the day.

Lunch arrived about one hour into the flight, which was a little early for me. My starter choice was the Smoked Salmon with Quails Egg’s with asparagus

This was a great combo. I did also like the sound of the Butternut Squash and Sage Arancini, which could be just as delicious.

For the main, I went with the Roasted Trout Fillet..

This was not quite what I had expected in my head. It essentially tasted like a mild Thai green curry. Except, I have never had a Thai green curry with Trout, which is a very distinctive fish in it’s own right. I feel the flavours clashed a little here. Might be just me though.

I still enjoyed and finished the dish however !

For dessert of warm Apricot & Almond cake rounded up the meal nicely ..

As is usually the case, I had no space to try the cheese course !

A couple of hours later, the crew went through the cabin offering snacks and Ice-cream..

However, these snacks are all available in the self serve area in the Galley also.

Pre-Landing Meal

About an hour and half before landing, I got a wee bit peckish, so decided to order the Bao bun with cashew satay chicken and onions served with a mustard sauce..

This was again, scrumptiously delicious! A perfect snack. The problem is, it was rather small, and I wanted more! So about 15 minutes later asked for seconds, alas it already ran out!

Instead, I just decided to have the Cream tea, we Brits do love our tea time 🙂

Upper Class A330Neo Bed, Entertainment & Amenities

Virgin still provides the same recycled black paper amenity bag since 2021 and it is getting rather boring now. That said, the contents with Ren skin products, and all other essentials are still very good..

                                                   Virgin Upper Class Amenities

I do especially like their eye masks, they are very high quality, which I use at home for months on end until I get a new one.

Virgin IFE selection is decent with enough movies and shows to watch. The new screen were very slick and response which sure makes a difference, when you never have to tap or click something more than once, and yet not too trigger happy with light accidental touches with remote.

About 5 hours in, I decided to have a little nap for about 90 minutes and made the bed (the crew are very happy to make your bed for you if you ask ) but it was no big deal just to do it myself..

With the bed made and door shut, it sure did make a very cosy space and did not feel as boxed in like Delta’s NEO’s or I imagine the non-bulkheads might feel just behind me..

For the last hour of the flight after the meal, I mostly just enjoyed alternating between the views to the clouds and watching our flight path on screen. The flight map app here is excellent, and again super customizable and responsive !

Overall Thoughts

This was yet another excellent Virgin flight that I thoroughly enjoyed. The A330NEO is a great evolution of Virgin’s Upper Class and I like how Virgin made it it’s own. The good news is in addition to the 5 frames already delivered, Virgin Atlantic has ordered 7 additional A330Neo’s

I have no flown Virgin Upper Class 4 times in the last year and have never had a subpar experience. The crew are always friendly and joyful, service is generally very good.

That is not to say there is no room for improvement however, I find the menu can be rather repetitive out of Heathrow. The meal presentations are also not always great. It’s on a good European level but still some distance from ME3 carriers, where they do compete in some routes.

My return flight from this trip was from Miami on a Virgin 787 Upper Class, which really needs a facelift. I honestly would be happy to see Virgin return the leases on these planes and order more A330Neos or A350s.