Review/Evaluation of NEW Business seating?
 

Since VH-VPD has been refitting and flying the LAX/SYD route for almost two weeks now I am wondering if anyone here can give us a review/evaluation of the new seating? This is the 777-300ER. Thoughts?

Here's a brief review:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/virgin-australia-velocity/b77w-business-class-seat-map-72909-18.html#post1443708

Hi,

I just returned from PER on Tuesday. I flew in "the business" from LAX-SYD-PER in the new seats on the way there (this was on May 6...the 6th revenue flight for VH-VPD post-refurb), and was in a combination of business and the new premium economy on the way back (May 10). I'm looking forward to posting a full report this weekend with pics, etc.

But, in the meantime, here are a few quick observations from the perspective of a regular customer (i.e. not a reporter). Also note that I was in 10K on VH-VPD (last row of business on the starboard side...a great choice btw!), and then 5A and 3K on my two A330 "the business" flights:

--The suites on the 777 are a bit wider, given the wider fuselage, and that's especially noticeable with the larger TV screen and also the deeper side bins with far more storage space on the 777 as compared with A330.

--Overall, the seats on both the 777 and A330 are extremely comfortable and extremely stylish. In terms of padding, the seats reminded me of BA F -- they are covered with a comfortable fabric (and have a leather headrest) and then they have what feels like an inch or so of foam immediately underneath that you sink into a bit. Personally, I find these seats to be much more comfortable than, for example, all-leather seats on SQ, EY, etc. I didn't have any issues with seat width, so I can't really comment on that, but I'm also not a big guy (5'7", 130lbs).

--Each seat has a little purple pillow on it that works well as lumbar support (and is a beautiful compliment to the black/white/silver in the rest of the suite). The suites also have white pillows that work well as pillows for sleeping, though are a bit on the small side. I used two of them and was fine.

--The aisle-side armrest on the 777 was already loose, which unfortunately I was reminded of every time I rested my arm on it. Both the entire armrest would shake, and then the lid on the top of it would also shake (the lid opens up and a water bottle and headset is stored inside).

--The side table is spacious (again, especially on the 777 as compared with the A330) and split into two separate areas with two separate lids. If you lift one up, you get the controller for the TV system as well as FA call button and overhead light button. If you lift the other one up, you get a shallow bin and also all of your plugs (USB, etc.). The one problem with this design is that, if you have things on the side table, you need to move them every time you need to access anything under the lid. For me, this meant that if I wanted to turn the overhead light off and on (to read, to sleep, to eat, etc) I had to first move everything and then open up this giant lid to get to the controller underneath. There are buttons for the other suite lights that are on the side of the seat, but the one for the overhead light is only under the lid. So, slight annoyance, but certainly not the end of the world :)

--The size and resolution on the TV were excellent. And it was extremely responsive to touch.

--Speaking of IFE...There was *very* limited programming on the 777s, especially for TV shows. There were none of the standard set of sit-coms, dramas, etc. that you might expect for a TV show selection (how else am I going to catch up on all of the Big Bang Theory episodes I've missed??!!). The A330 system did have these, but the 777 system did not. All the 777 had was a *very* limited selection of variety and fashion shows (the variety shows were episodes of a show called "Balance" by Deborah Hutton). I was quite surprised by the limited selection on the 777, especially given the options I had on the A330.

--The bar area is gorgeous and also extremely spacious. Plenty of room to walk around, sit down, and/or stand up. There is a large white table along one side in the bar area that could probably use something on top of it for decoration (or utility...perhaps a basket with snacks?). Anyway, it looked a bit barren the entire flight. But, otherwise, the bar area is just gorgeous.

--Two other "teething" issues -- One is that there are three Nespresso machines onboard but unfortunately two were broken and the third one was testy. Second, right now there are no curtains between the bar area and row 8, and so I would definitely advise against row 8 if possible. Also, the one "extra" business class seat on the left side (11A) is also in a weird position as people from the first row of PE can basically look right at you (the curtain was never totally closed, and in any event is at a weird angle).

--Overall the FAs were fantastic -- very attentive, warm welcomes on board, offering different wines, offering to hang up clothes, offering snacks, etc. They also did a great job "reading" me as a customer and could tell that I was looking for wine recommendations, was excited about the refurb, etc. The only thing I'll say is that the service was a bit slow on the 777 (though great on both A330 flights), but again I was in the last row and they were just getting used to the new service.

Oh, speaking of service patterns -- one thing that's different from before is how they prepare all of the food. There is still only one business class galley, in the very front of the plane. But, for the FAs serving the back section of business class (rows 8-11), in order for them to not have to constantly be going back and forth as much they set up all of the apps/drinks/etc. in the bar area for serving. So, that's where they set up all of the olives/nuts and prepare the drinks, and then bring them to passengers. I just found that to be kinda interesting.

--The food and other amenities in "the business" were the same as before (Luke Mangan menu, pajamas, Mandarina Duck amenity kit). They do have some special drinks that they offer now (e.g. at the beginning of the dinner/lunch service they'll invite guests to have a bellini or a few other "bubbly" drinks), but otherwise I didn't notice many differences.

--The lavs were not redone and definitely were not in great shape (and were kinda dirty for much of the flight...tp on the floor, garbage full). Also no extra amenities in the lavs. Just soap.

--The consistent branding across service elements, the hard product, and the ground service was extremely impressive. Two elements of this: First, the pattern printed on the menus matched the pattern on the shells of "the business" seats. I'll post a pic to show you what precisely what I mean. Second, the ceiling in the refurbished bar area has the same wavy pattern that appears in the VA lounges. I really appreciate this kind of attention to detail.

OK maybe that was more than just a few thoughts...anyway, I look forward to posting an even fuller report with pics this weekend! Happy to answer any q's if people have them, too!

Best wishes,
Adam

Great stuff Adam! It's reviews like yours that get the rest of us excited to try this new cabin out. I think the armrest issue is a legitimate one. Hopefully the designers are reading this with interest. It's vital that customers' feedback is considered, if Virgin is to sell this product with confidence.

Thanks Adam,
Do you recall seeing or noticing what seat(s) in the 777 have a bassinet?

Thanks clipped! Yes -- I told the FAs about the armrest issue when I was hanging out at the bar after dinner and they definitely wrote it down. There was another customer sitting at the bar as well who said he had experienced the same thing, so it wasn't just my suite.

Both of my A330 armrests were perfectly fine, so my guess is that it's a manufacturing issue more than a design issue.

Yikes, unfortunately I don't -- sorry about that :(

There were no bassinets in place during my flight and I didn't think to look at the walls in front of row 8 or row 1 to look for where they would go. Again, my apologies.

Hi all -- Quick update: The full report of my 777 trip is currently posted on airliners.net on the "trip reports" page. I am trying to post it on FT too but I'm encountering a series of database errors unfortunately. Hopefully I'll get to post it here soon, but in the meantime please enjoy it over on a.net :)

Wow.... a great read.
 

Nicely done, Adam. Thank you so much for having taken the time to share your thoughts, especially with regard to the 330 vs. the 777. ;)

Glad you enjoyed the review! More to come!

I just flew this route over the past few weeks. LAX to SYD in VA. I booked Delta low level award last year before things tightened up and the miles went up.. The outbound LAX to SYD was the new beds and the product is similar to AA new seat on the 777W (Business). I liked the new seat and all was good. Tons of extra storage etc. The service on the flight is poor. They served me the wrong main dish, had to replace that, three different times I ordered coffee and it did not come. My breakfast service was also not complete as to what I ordered. Really crummy crew. My wife asked for the inflight snack which was prawns. The FA send sorry that is for later. Later means the FAS are eating them in the galley. Zero other snacks were seen on a 12+ hour flight. On the return I was sure I had the new beds also. I was wrong. I got on the plane and was pissed. The old CRUMMY beds. No privacy etc. ZERO STORAGE.
Service was somewhat better at least with one of the FAS. Zero snacks in the galley. I asked for the in flight snack and the FA told me she might have to substitute. She never returned. That means the FAS must have eaten everything in the galley. Even though Virgin Atlantic MIA-LHR can vary per service I am less impressed on a much longer route from VA.

How was the new Premium? I've heard that it's the same as the old Premium with better pitch and more legroom?