What Innovative Changes Will Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class Introduce?

With the development of the Upper Class Suite, Virgin Atlantic has taken the business-class experience to the next level of passenger comfort and convenience. Our Upper Class passengers can choose to be productive or relax during their flight, enjoying one of the largest fully flat sleeper beds, on-demand in-flight entertainment, flexible meal options and our famous onboard bar. We plan to continue focusing on the ground experience with our award-winning Clubhouses and well-received Upper Class Wing at Heathrow.

With 10 New Airbus A330S On Order, What Enhancements Will We See Within The Virgin Atlantic Brand?

The introduction of the A330s, beginning in early 2011, enables us to consider developing new markets or adding flights in existing markets. An exciting product featured on these aircraft is the new eX2 in-flight entertainment system from Panasonic. This system will enable our passengers to email, text message, update social media accounts and make phone calls while in flight. The intent is to enable passengers to use electronic products and technology just as they would at home.

Considering Virgin Atlantic’s Growth Over The Past 26 Years, What Is The Key To Success In Reaching The Individual Traveler?

Virgin Atlantic has always remained a customer champion and a differentiator in the market. We pioneered products that have been adopted industry-wide, such as premium economy and personal in-flight entertainment. We will continue to look for areas where passengers find services lacking and innovate with new products to meet their needs. An example of this is the Upper Class Wing at Heathrow. We’ve streamlined the airport check-in experience for our Upper Class passengers so they can move from curbside to our Clubhouse lounge in 10 minutes. This has also enabled us to change the required business-class check-in time to 45 minutes prior to departure.

Tell Us About Your Career In The Airline Industry.

After a brief time with Delta Air Lines just out of college, I joined Virgin Atlantic in 1992 as a passenger service agent in Boston. I later moved to the sales area, first in Boston and later at our U.S. headquarters in Connecticut. After leading the U.S. sales team into the early part of the last decade, I was fortunate to become vice president of sales and marketing for North America, which led to my present position in 2007.