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A330NEO Upper seat

NEWS: Virgin’s new A330 business class layout, AA to adopt Starlink and Etihad’s new amenity kit

American Airlines to adopt Starlink

Starlink is gaining almost universal rollout amongst the major airlines with BA and Virgin amonsgt those racing to fit the ultra fast wi-fi to their aircraft. Now AA has joined in too. I recently did 3 short-haul flights with AA and was already impressed with their free (for Advantage members) Wi-fi and streaming of entertainment and live TV onboard.

Starlink will be installed on more than 500 narrowbody aircraft beginning in Q1 2027. Starlink is widely regarded as the world’s most advanced satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting inflight streaming, online gaming, collaborative meeting tools and more.

 

“As a premium global airline, we are continuously seeking out world-class partners like Starlink to deliver what our customers need and want,” said American Airlines Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden. “The addition of Starlink solidifies American as a leading airline in keeping passengers connected in flight.”

“American is committed to elevating every aspect of our customers’ travel journeys, which in the air means keeping them connected and comfortable with the assurance they won’t have to download documents ahead of a flight or worry about lag time,” added Garboden. “Starlink’s high speed and low latency make the Wi-Fi more reliable, which matters when customers are trying to load pages, join real-time collaboration tools or stay connected consistently throughout a flight. We are excited to bring an at-home level of Wi-Fi experience to our narrowbody fleet, enabling our customers to work, game, stream and scroll endlessly.”

American plans to update its Wi-Fi offering on its fleet of more than 500 Airbus aircraft, including new A321XLR and A321neo deliveries. However, there is no mention yet of AA’s long-haul fleet of wide-body aircraft, which probably need the upgrade more than their short-haul aircraft do!

 

New Etihad amenity kits

 
Etihad Airways has been constantly upgrading its Business Class experience over the last few years, and now they have introduced a highly collectable new lineup of travel kits called “The Destination Collection”. The collection features 14 different collectable amenity kits inspired by major cities across the airline’s global flight paths. The sleek bags come in two styles and seven colours, with embossed geographical coordinates, a custom zipper, and unique interior lining matching its designated city.
The initial rollout highlights seven cities, including Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, Lisbon, and recent route additions like Atlanta and Krabi.
 
Etihad has partnered exclusively with ultra-popular K-beauty brand LANEIGE for the contents of the bags. This marks the first time the hydration-focused skincare brand is taking to the skies. Inside the kit, flyers will find LANEIGE’s famous Water Sleeping Mask to pump up moisture, a Lip Sleeping Mask (which I am a big fan of) for ultimate hydration, and a rich hand cream to fight off dry cabin air. These products willbe packed alongside standard comfort essentials like an eyeshade, earplugs, and a toothbrush kit.
 
The new collaboration is a key part of the airline’s broader Etihad Wellbeing initiative, which focuses on delivering a more holistic and relaxing environment for premium travellers. Each flight will be stocked with a completely randomised mix of bag colours and destination designs, meaning you can hopefully collect a different bag every time you fly.
 
 

Virgin Atlantic’s new A330neo layout revealed

A330NEO Retreat Suite
 
I recently flew on Virgin’s A330-900neo for the third time, but this time I sampled the Retreat Suite (review coming soon) When Virgin originally announced their A330neo order, it wasn’t widely known that there would be two different layouts of the aircraft’s business class cabin. Last year, there was a small reference to a new premium configuration for the A330neos during the announcement about the refurbishment of the B787S, but no further details were given.
 
Now, the US blog OMAAT has uncovered a very interesting change in layout for 10 new A330neos to be delivered that will have 48 Upper Class seats. The current A330-900neos have 262 seats, with 32 business class seats, 46 premium economy seats, and 184 economy seats. The newest deliveries will now have 232 seats, with 48 business class seats, 56 premium economy seats, and 128 economy seats. The extra 4 rows of business class will be behind the second set of doors, creating a mini cabin. More interestingly, there will be 4 more Retreat Suites. The current aircraft has two Retreat Suites in a middle pair at the front of the business cabin. The new layout will have four extra Retreat Suites at the bulkhead in the smaller second cabin. This means there will be two solo window-seat Retreat Suites, which will no doubt be popular with solo travellers.
 
The Retreat Suite seats are currently sold as a seat upgrade of around £250pp each way, which you select during the seat selection process. It is not a separate business class product as the service is exactly the same, it’s just a much better seat. They apparently also try to offer upgrades to these seats to Gold Flying Club members if they are not sold by a certain point, which is a nice touch.
 
A330NEO Upper the Loft
 
The regular Upper Class suites will remain the same as the current seats, although it is not 100% clear whether there will still be a Loft-type social area. The B787 refurbishment will remove the current bars and not replace it with a social area, so it will be interesting to see if it remains on the A330neo. Whenever I have flown on either the A330 or A350, the Loft has usually been deserted. It was a great idea in concept, but it has not proved a hit with passengers in the same way as the bar was.
 
 
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2 comments

  1. Yep, the.Loft is always deserted.
    The bars are often well used, tho: fun for interacting with crew and other travellers, and a good space be if you need a break from your seat during the flight.

    Reply

  2. @John, 100% agree. In my opinion, The Loft is now a complete waste of space. I rarely ever see anybody using it, and the snacks and drinks always seem to be empty. More generally, the entire Upper Class cabin often feels understocked these days.

    I remember when the bar area was a real social hub. I used to enjoy sitting there with a drink and afternoon tea, chatting with the crew and meeting other passengers. It created a genuinely enjoyable atmosphere and made the flight feel special.

    Now it all feels much quieter and far more isolated, which is quite a shame.

    Reply

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