Virgin Atlantic Introduces The Booth, Your Very Own Private Luxury Lounge in the Air

It’s called The Booth, and it is exactly what the name implies. It’s a private booth slash lounge-type in the Upper Class, or what Virgin Atlantic calls Business Class. It provides a special and specially designed space either for socializing or entertainment, and it’s meant to be luxurious, personalized and, most importantly, a pleasant way to pass the time on those several-hour-long flights.

In December 2021, Virgin will introduce a new fleet of leisure aircraft, starting with A-350-based G-VEVE, named Fearless Lady in honor of Sir Richard Branson’s late mother Eve. The new addition will be new Airbus A350 planes with a lower carbon footprint, as they will require 30% less fuel to fly and create less noise.

They’re powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and they come to replace current Boeing 747s. Virgin Atlantic says the new planes represent the company’s ongoing commitment toward a more sustainable fleet: most airline companies have already set deadlines for going carbon-neutral and switching to more efficient and less polluting aircraft is only the first step.

While the A350s are far from fully sustainable, they represent a sure step in the right direction. Because no one said sustainability should come at the expense of comfort or even luxury, they come with an upgraded interior throughout, from Economy to Upper Class, and the aforementioned The Booth. After all, what good is an upgraded interior for if it doesn’t have a private flying lounge?

All jokes aside, if you’re planning on flying Business from London (UK) to Orlando (Florida, U.S.), it’s best if you do it with access to a private booth. It will feature sofa-like seating for two and a single leaf table large enough to hold a couple of drinks. Or more, just not at the same time. The Booth comes with luxurious finishes, including “luxurious leather,” which we’re assuming is leather of the real kind. So much for sustainability.

Almond gold highlights and dual 27” touchscreen monitors with Bluetooth audio jacks allow you to dictate the atmosphere inside The Booth: dimmed lights for a private conversation, or viewing of curated content on the screens for yourself and your other party member. Virgin says that content “will be continuously updated, tailored to the route and time of day, meaning that the look and feel of The Booth will evolve over time.” The first flights will include as content a digital art gallery featuring up and coming artists, as well as live feeds from cameras in the tail and belly of the plane.

The Upper Class redesign includes only window-facing seats with a 44” pitch and a fully flat bed, and the largest entertainment screens in the entire Virgin fleet. Meanwhile, the Economy section of the plane gets a Delight sub-section, which offers more legroom, priority boarding and advanced seat selection. The other passengers in Economy get… even less space, as the number of seats has increased.

The Airbus A350 carries a total of 397 passengers, divided into 16 Upper Class suites, 56 Premium seats and 325 seats in Economy.

The special social space dubbed The Booth will be introduced in December 2021, when the first new aircraft makes its debut. Four more aircraft will follow suit, one in April 2022 and the other three by June 2023. All dates are subject to change depending on the international context and, presumably, demand. This explains why, for the time being, Virgin has released only two photos of The Booth.