Virgin Atlantic premium economy: the seat by aircraft and what Premium includes

Source: Virgin Atlantic

Economy Delight is an Economy fare with extra legroom, not the Premium cabin. Premium is a separate cabin with the wider leather seat. Side by side:

Source: Virgin Atlantic

Virgin’s seating page rounds the figures slightly differently in its cabin comparison: 18 to 21 in wide for Premium, and “up to” 34 in of pitch for Economy Delight.

When comparing prices, compare the cabin, not the legroom. If the choice you are weighing is Premium against Upper Class, see Business class or premium economy: what changes on BA and Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin fits a Premium cabin on four aircraft types, and the published figures are not the same across them. Pitch is up to 38 inches on all four; the A330neo and A350-1000 also share an 18.5 in width.

Source: Virgin Atlantic

“Up to” marks a maximum, not a promise for every seat, and individual aircraft may differ from the figures for their type.

Virgin gives two figures for the A330-300 Premium seat: 18.5 in on its Premium page and 21 in on its A330-300 fleet page (both read 11 November 2026). We print both because we cannot tell you which is right.

Virgin’s pages do not say which aircraft flies which route. What they do say gives you three things to work with.

• The seat map. Virgin says you can select your seat from the seat map when you book or, later, in My Booking. In Premium that costs nothing at any time, so there is no reason to wait for check-in. Layouts vary slightly by aircraft, Virgin adds, and you can view your seat in My Booking whenever you like.
• The A330neo layout. This type flies in two layouts, with 46 or 56 Premium seats. Virgin’s A330neo page says, in its section on the Upper Class suites, that you will see the layout for your flight when you choose your seat; it does not say the Premium seat count is shown.
• The small print. Under article 17.4 of Virgin’s conditions of carriage, where the airline has named an aircraft at booking it will try to keep your flight on it, but does not guarantee it: the type or model may change for operational, safety or security reasons. If an aircraft change moves your seat, Virgin says it will try to match the location and seat type, which is not always possible when the configuration changes.

We did not go through the booking flow, so we cannot tell you at which step the map appears or whether the aircraft type is shown before you pay.

Virgin set out its plan in a press release on 8 July 2025: ten A330neo aircraft with 56 Premium seats, due from the third quarter of 2026, and a full redesign of the Boeing 787-9 cabin with 56 Premium seats, up from 35, rolling out from 2028 to 2030. By 2028 it expected to fly 19 A330-900s, 12 A350-1000s and 14 787-9s; the A330-300 is not on that list.

That is the plan, not a status report. Virgin’s A330neo page now lists the 56-seat layout on “selected aircraft”, but we could not confirm how many are flying.

Can you sleep in Virgin Atlantic premium economy?

You can recline, not lie flat. Virgin gives 7 in of recline on the A350-1000, 8 in on the 787-9 and up to 7 in on the A330-300, with no figure for the A330neo, and includes a Premium amenity kit; a flat bed means Upper Class.

Do you get free drinks in Premium?

Yes. After the glass of bubbly on boarding, Virgin says drinks are all included in flight, with a full bar service.

Is it worth paying for Premium?

It is if what Economy Delight leaves out matters to you: a seat 18.5 to 21 in wide rather than 17 to 17.9 in, a second 23 kg bag, priority baggage delivery and the meal on china. It is not if you want a lounge. We have no fares to weigh against this.

Which are the best Premium seats?

Virgin’s public seat map for the A350-1000 with the Loft puts Premium in rows 21 to 27, eight seats across in a 2-4-2 layout, and marks rows 22 and 23 as Preferred seats, which cost extra. We have not checked the maps for the other types, and we name no best row. If width matters most, the 787-9 is the type for which Virgin consistently gives up to 21 in.

How many Virgin Points and Tier Points does Premium earn?

In Flying Club, Virgin multiplies the miles flown by a percentage set by booking class and tier. For Red members, Premium earns 250% in classes W and S and 175% in H and K, against 150% for Economy Delight (class V); Silver and Gold members earn more. Virgin shows the points for each flight when you search on its website.

For status, each Premium flight earns 100 Tier Points in classes W and S and 50 in H, K and P, against 200 or 100 in Upper Class; Virgin awards Tier Points in class P only on full points Reward Flights and companion bookings. Silver starts at 400 Tier Points and Gold, the tier that opens the Clubhouse, at 1,000.

Is Virgin Atlantic or BA premium economy better?

That depends on what you weigh. Business class or premium economy: what changes on BA and Virgin Atlantic sets out both airlines’ premium economy cabins, and British Airways premium economy covers the World Traveller Plus seat.