Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic, announced that his airline will offer the award-winning Upper Class Suite on its new Dubai to London route when it launches services next March.
The airline will operate Airbus A34H-3DH aircraft with its latest innovation onboard so that all passengers flying between Dubai and Heathrow can experience the longest fully flat bed in Business Class in world aviation.
“It is great news that the Upper Class Suite will be available for Business Class passengers travelling between Dubai and Heathrow as it truly is a First Class product for a Business Class fare,” said Branson. “The London route is now the biggest long-haul route out of Dubai and Dubai is the second largest-long haul route from Heathrow with each city growing in popularity with travellers. The consumers of UAE are among the most discerning and sophisticated in the world and we are sure that the Upper Class Suite cannot fail to impress.
“The Upper Class Suite offers passengers the longest fully-flat bed in Business Class along with a number of unique onboard products including inflight beauty therapy and an onboard bar. The product has received more than ten prestigious design awards and has successfully driven market share from our competitors on other routes it has operated on.”
The Upper Class Suite consists of a reclining leather seat for take off, a place to sit and eat a proper meal opposite your partner, the longest fully flat bed flying in the world with a proper mattress for sleeping on, a private onboard bar and a private massage area. The Virgin Atlantic Upper Class experience also includes a complimentary limo service to and from the airport, a Freedom meal service where passengers can eat what they want when they want, a state-of-the-art inflight entertainment system video and audio on demand.
“Just like Virgin Atlantic, Dubai is committed to growth and we want to help it happen,” added Branson. “Virgin Holidays has seen a huge rise in holidays to Dubai amongst its customers with sales up more than 50 per cent year on year and has seen so much growth that it will be launching its first ever stand-alone Dubai brochure to support the route.
Virgin Atlantic services between London and Dubai launch from March 21, 2008. The non-stop flights operated by an Airbus 340-300 between Heathrow and Dubai will operate four days a week, increasing to five days a week from May 1 and daily from June 1. From June 1, flights will be operated by an Airbus A340-800 – the longest commercial aircraft in the world.