Virgin 747s to get £50m facelift
Virgin Atlantic is to invest more than £50m in a much-needed refurbishment of its fleet of leisure aircraft next year.
As the first step in the airline's recently announced £100m product investment, it will completely overhaul the interiors of its 747-400s operating out of Gatwick and Manchester.
Beginning next May, it will install new seats in Premium Economy and Economy and a cutting edge entertainment system offering 300 hours of content, including video-on-demand for the first time and touch-screen handsets.
By October, premium economy passengers flying out of Gatwick and Manchester to destinations including the Caribbean islands and Las Vegas will have leather ergonomic seats with an increased pitch of 38-inches, lumbar support and an adjustable headrest with wings.
They will also be able to make telephone calls and send messages from their own mobiles for the first time.
This will be the first major refurbishment of the 10-year-old 747s which operate Virgin's holiday routes from Gatwick and Manchester.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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