Virgin Atlantic has announced a series of ¡®premium¡¯ upgrades that include the rollout of Starlink wifi, the refurbishment of its fleet of B787-9 aircraft, and a number of lounge upgrades.

The airline will become the first UK-based carrier to deliver ¡®streaming quality¡¯ wifi onboard with the introduction of Elon Musk¡¯s Starlink wifi beginning in Q3 of 2026 and due to be installed across the fleet by the end of 2027. Members of the airline¡¯s Flying Club loyalty programme will have unlimited use of the onboard wifi.

Moreover, as part of its $17 billion fleet transformation, the airline is upgrading seating on some aircraft and increasing the percentage of premium seats across its fleet. The upgrades were hinted at when BTN Europe interviewed the airline's CEO Shai Weiss last month, who said the news ¡°will reinforce our position as a premium carrier¡±.

The carrier¡¯s B787-9s will undergo a ¡°full cabin re-design¡± with new seating in all three cabins inspired by designs on its A330neo aircraft. Virgin¡¯s Retreat Suite will be installed on the aircraft for the first time, while Upper Class cabins will increase from 31 to 44 seats and premium economy will increase from 35 seats to 56. The economy cabin on B787-9s will be reduced from 192 to 127 seats.

Meanwhile, premium seating on ten new A330neo aircraft arriving from Q3 2026 will increase from 32 Upper Class seats on current configurations to 48, with premium economy rising from 46 to 56 seats and economy dropping from 184 seats to 128. The new aircraft will also feature six Retreat Suites per aircraft compared to two currently.

The airline has also announced a multimillion-pound investment in its Clubhouse lounges which includes the refurbishment of its London Heathrow and New York JFK facilities and the launch of a new customer app towards the end of this year.

"In the last four decades, we¡¯ve evolved from a challenger to a leader and a premium, long-haul flag carrier. We exist to make our customers smile, it¡¯s that simple ¨C obsessing over finding new ways to delight our guests, delivered by our amazing people, on our journey to become the most loved travel company,¡± said Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss.

¡°We are investing billions to fly the youngest fleet across the Atlantic; the first UK airline to have free, streaming quality, fleet-wide wifi; more premium cabins and a full retrofit of the 787 fleet; alongside a new app featuring the world of Virgin Atlantic in your pocket, all delivered by our amazing teams. The best is yet to come.¡±

The airline¡¯s chief experience officer Siobhan Fitzpatrick said every new product, partnership and platform ¡°has been shaped by guest insight and fuelled by our people¡¯s ingenuity.¡±

She added: ¡°We understand who our guests are and everything we do begins with them, as we use our insights to create thoughtful experiences that feel brilliantly different at every opportunity.¡±