How Virgin Atlantic Created The Best Airplane Seat Over The Atlantic

Richard Branson founded Virgin Atlantic to give people a better way to travel. Of course, better can mean a lot of things - crew, service, aircraft, and so much more. But in 2019, when I was VP of Customer Experience at Virgin Atlantic, one of our many focuses was on a better airplane seat. Actually, not just better - game-changing. 

Shai Weiss had just become CEO, and challenged us to design the best airplane seat over the Atlantic. It can be easy to simply create something better than others, but - like all Virgin initiatives - our aim was so much more than that. Better was simply not good enough.

A small team of us from Customer Experience and Engineering went to the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg - the biggest in the world. For an aviation enthusiast, visiting this expo is like being a kid in a candy store. We got to see and experience almost every seat in production, and glimpse some incredible future concepts. It was the inspiration we needed to start creating our own seat of the future. 

On our return from Hamburg, we went straight to work, constantly pushing ourselves and each other to go further. We looked at, and carefully examined, every single airline seat in the world. We also looked for trends and insights outside our industry - fashion, automotive, retail. We raised the bar, and then we raised it again, always looking for opportunities to give our customers and our crew the best experience in the sky. 

When we presented the concept to Shai, Corneel Koster (Chief Customer and Operating Officer), and the leadership team, there was little question whether or not it was right. Instead, there were questions about “what if” - what if we could do this, and what if we could do that - always putting confidence in what we presented and challenging us to do even more. And we did.

Once we had the final concept, it was unanimous - we nailed it. And to ensure we had complete alignment and even more support, Shai asked me to present our thinking and design to Richard Branson. The next day, I found myself 5,000 miles away, in Los Angeles, nervously waiting in the lobby of the ACE Hotel for my first-ever meeting with Sir Richard. 

When I walked into the room, Richard immediately made me feel comfortable: “I just ordered a soft-shell crab burger”, he said. “Do you want one too?”. 

Sitting around the lunch table, Richard and I discussed every detail of the design. I remember his laser focus on The Retreat Suite, saying “So, you’ve created a first class concept for Virgin?”. I quickly replied, “No. You created Upper Class to be better than business class, and we’re building on your vision to make Upper Class the best product in the sky.”

Our (lunch) meeting lasted over an hour. No phones, no interruptions, no side conversations. I’ll never forget Richard’s positivity and complete attention to every single slide… “Yes, and…” Always offering ideas, suggestions, and most of all, support. 

When I left the meeting, I immediately texted Shai to say I thought the meeting went well. He texted straight back; “I know, Richard already texted me. He loved it!”.

Now that we also had Richard’s support, we developed an internal showcase to share a mock up of the new seat with our colleagues. The energy was off the charts, helping to create alignment, spark new ideas and incredible support from across the business.

We all signed a development scrapbook, capturing that fantastic moment in time and acknowledging those who were on this special journey.

This will be the most loved cabin design! - Shai

Little did we know how drastically the world would change. But despite the enormous challenges of the years that followed, the momentum remained. The commitment to this project was a commitment to the future. And the future finally arrived this month, on Virgin Atlantic’s brand new A330neo. 

I am one very proud #avgeek who got to work on this unparalleled project. One of many who made up a true dream team. Those who worked on the initial ideation and development, those who’ve since worked on the implementation, and those who will work in the skies bringing it to life every day for years to come. We all worked together, for all the customers who will enjoy a better way to travel, and the best airplane seat over the Atlantic. Bring it on!

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Daniel is a senior marketer focused on enhancing customer experience and promoting sustainability in the travel industry. He has explored over 100 Countries and all 7 Continents.

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Header picture: Rick Boyes Henry Buckley Will Bex Russell Sam Pennington Shai Weiss Darren Sherlock Juanita Cowell Liselle Simmonds Albert Thomas

#virgin #virginatlantic #travel #teamwork