Virgin At The Bar

Architectural Review, The, June, 2000 by Julia Dawson

As part of a [pounds]37 million relaunch, the Virgin Atlantic Airways Upper Class cabin has been redesigned by Lorenzo Apicella Associates. The spacious seats and cabin interior are decked out in metallic silver and chrome with red leather, complemented with warm purple textured fabric; and a luxurious new seat is being introduced which will transform amazingly into a 6'8" bed, recreating all the modern comforts of a hotel.

The centrepiece is a big streamlined bar surrounded by seven soft leather fixed stools for customers to drink, eat and socialize in comfort (turbulence permitting). A new lighting system creates eight different moods depending on the different stages of the flight experience: from dawn to dusk, and from restaurant to lounge. The design is intended to hark back to the romantic era of flying in the 1930s and '40s when, as in Casablanca, travel was glamorous and exciting.