at240

I think this thread has got quite confused!

All of the LHR fleet, except the A333s, has the "old" Upper Class suite, which was installed around 2004. It is still in good condition, but perhaps a little worse in the 747s.

The A333s have the brand new product, the Dream Suite, unveiled last year.

The existing LHR fleet with the "old" UC suite is not expected to get the Dream Suite fitted into it. Nor has the "old" UC product in the LHR fleet been refreshed -- there has been no opportunity for that and I'm not sure that it would happen anyway now with new aircraft on the horizon (well, distant horizon).

The LGW fleet is irrelevant here, but the 747s were recently refurbished to fit the current PE product (and I think to revamp Y too). The old UC product in them was 'refreshed' (i.e. cleaned and patched up) and given the latest IFE (along with the rest of the plane) at the same time.

Anyway, have a good trip!

cadencotard

Thanks!
I know they're not gonna touch the A340's, but why wouldn't they re-fit their LHR 747 like they did with the LGW ones?
I'm still having a hard time understanding this whole re-fitting program.

cadencotard

Thanks for clearing that up. It's actually exactly what I understood, so I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say there's a misunderstanding It's same as below: I just don't understand why they didn't refresh all their 747s instead of only the LGW ones. Now I'm thinking I should've just gone A346 both ways (or A346 + A333) but oh well, I guess it's nice to go on a 747 for the last time of my life probably. It seems that they use the oldest 747s for that route too (the one that's flying today was put into service in 1994). I don't know, I can still pray for a switch to another 747... who knows!

clarkeysntfc

They didn't re-fit the Upper Class on the LGW 747's.

The UC cabin on those aircraft is still the same 2004-spec seat. They were just refurbished/deep cleaned with new IFE.

cadencotard

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en...t/new-747.html

That's from 2004??

slinky09

Because it's a) very expensive (refitting seven Gatwick 747s was rumoured to have cost �100m), b) because the IFE on the LGW 747s was ancient and was a priority to update, c) because the PE and Y product on these planes was dated and the cabins needed updating too, and d) because there's actually nothing wrong with UCS, in fact IMO it's much better than the dream suite, and e) because the dream suite was not designed for, nor certified for the 747.

There is nothing wrong with these 747s. BA's go back to the 1980s (some) and age is not a factor in anything. Many people believe that the nose of a 747 is the best place to be. I also like the A346s.

cadencotard

Thanks.

I wasn't saying they should have the Dream Suite on the 747, but rather the same re-fitting they did on the other 747's (LGW). 20 years old is quite old, but you're right it could be worse. I've read on many reviews that the seats are getting a bit old (scratches and what not), and the IFE is definitely outdated (the screens look like they're from the 90's!), which is fine since I usually use my computer anyway.

ratechaser

Good lord, I had no idea that the VS class structure was so complicated and confusing. Almost as bad as the 7 tiers that we apparently now have in the UK (apparently I'm an 'elite' which suggests that there must be some flaw in the methodology. )

All I can say is avoid the UCDS and you won't go far wrong. Eith that or oil yourself up so you don't get stuck in the cramped seat

UKtravelbear

The planes may be 20 years old - which is still pretty young - but the UCS is a lot younger that than - installed in 2004 - so not even 10 years old.

What happened to the LGW fleet is that they gave them a good wipe down with a damp rag, repaired any defects and install the new IFE - it was a refresh not a refit of a new product.

VS described it as a refresh too
e.g. in this http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en...t/new-747.html

correctioncx

Why did VS introduced the dream suite? They look a lot of tight and less room
Than the original uCS?

oliuk

Im guessing so its they can advertise an 'improved' hard product whilst secretly giving us a more profitable (and worse) one

Froggitt

The LGW fleet was known as the Alitalia Five.......planes that were built for Alitalia but bought by Virgin before going into service around 2001. They were meant to be refitted five or six years ago, but that was put off due to the recession. They were by last year awful to fly in.

Anyway, the refresh was not just a good wipe down, everything was stripped back to the bare metal, and replaced with new....IFE, seats, UC. The UC was the original UC suite design, not the new one.

They didn't refit the LHR fleet of 747s at the same time as they were fitted/refitted much more recently than 2001.

Both before and after the refit, the LGW fleet had identical layouts......from memory VS has four different 747 layouts.

UKtravelbear

The seats were not new (they were still the 'old' design) they were only 'refreshed' hence my humorous 'wiped down' comment which is the word VS used for them - not refurbished or replaced but refreshed.

UKtravelbear

That's not correct either.

VS change the upper deck to 1/2 Y and 1/2 PE (previously all PE) and extended the PE cabin and reduced the Y cabin on the lower desk.

The number of seats remained just about the same but the layout was certainly changed.

Froggitt

The fleet had identical layouts, ie all 5 of the planes had the same layout. That layout changed after the refit, but all 5 were still the same.