Virgin Atlantic is to offer business travellers flying from Heathrow airport a new upper-class cabin in a bid to attract more passengers.

The airline said it has invested £100 million into the new cabin, which is expected to be introduced to travellers in spring this year.

The cabin, which Virgin says is “cutting edge” and will give business travellers the “wow factor”, has better seats and will feature faster service times than the airline’s traditional business class.

It will initially be used on Virgin Atlantic’s daily morning flight which connects Heathrow airport and New York, but the company has announced plans to roll it out across its entire fleet at Heathrow once it has been successfully bedded in on the Airbus 330.

Virgin Atlantic’s chief operating officer Steve Griffiths said he was confident the new cabin would boost the number of passengers on business travel.

He said: “This is not just about the seat. It involves new product, new in-flight entertainment and investment in the service. It will absolutely make Virgin Atlantic the best in class.

“There are elements of this investment we believe business passengers, in particular, will appreciate.”

Virgin Atlantic is part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and operates between the UK and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.

Copyright Press Association 2012

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