Upper Class seats past and present

Just following on from something that Blacky asked in another thread:

Just had a look at the old UC on the link you posted joey,before I started flying with virgin,what was it like? Did you prefer it ?
Blacky

The link to the still functional part of the VS site I posted is: http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/wh ... /index.jsp

I found the lie flat seats a bit weird, you were effectively sleeping on the floor and i was worried about being kicked. I did like the social layout of the seats though, it was much easier to speak to people, watching my dad drunkenly chatting away some times was hilarious - oh yeh, I was not of legal drinking age back then.

The seats in upright position were comfortable for the short flights but I could not imagine sitting in them for longer than 8hrs. Comparing the cabin as a whole to the UC of today it felt a lot roomier.. not just talking the UCDS here, same goes for the other UCS .. all those partitian walls can feel a bit claustrophobic at times. The less said about the dream suites the better

It felt a lot lighter too, the mood lighting and purple(or now brown) seats of the modern UCS are definitely welcome after the angry reds and the lights either off or on... if there was a dimmer installed I never saw it used.

The bar area was a lot bigger, although I think they made the right call in shrinking it down and separating this more from the cabin. It could get pretty noisy if you wanted to get some shut eye or just some peace and quiet only to have a load of drunk business men and woman comparing to each others achievements ii)

My preference is definitely for the UCS.... the UCDS has potential although, before I am publicly shot, there is still a bit of work that needs doing.

That all being said, nostalgia does sometimes take me back to a simpler time.. 8D

Wow - "The newly redesigned amenity kit by Ozwald Boateng contains all the essentials needed for your flight from eyeshades and socks to a bespoke luggage tag, presented in a stylish travel wallet and wash bag."

I used to love the Ozwald Boateng amenity kit.
Not only did they look the part but was a very nice gift for the wife ):
I think I still have two or three around somewhere.

Comparing the cabin as a whole to the UC of today it felt a lot roomier.

I only flew it the once, and in my mind it always seemed roomier than the present UC cabin. I always thought this memory should be filed alongside policemen being older and doctors driving Rover P5s and smelling of cigars, so I'm happy that others of a far younger vintage than I think the same.

It beggars belief that that page is still live. Apart from the seat and the amenity kit, it also talks about the Freedom Menu!

And the link to current movies fails...

:0 :0

Joey
It's funny that you said that it felt a lot roomier because that was exactly what I thought when I saw the pic on the link,it looks like a lot buisness class offerings still about today on other airlines in regards of the seat and config

I still have the cuff links from the amenity kit!

So do i, in fact, I found a fair few cuff links and unused amenity kits not so long ago when I moved house.

so I'm happy that others of a far younger vintage than I think the same.

Joey
It's funny that you said that it felt a lot roomier because that was exactly what I thought when I saw the pic on the link,it looks like a lot buisness class offerings still about today on other airlines in regards of the seat and config

That it does. Does that make VS ahead of other airlines then I wonder

I think it was the area directly behind the middle row back seats that really opened the cabin up. The bar area as you come into the cabin was massive by an airline standards back then, definitely innovative. It gave the feeling of a nice open space right from the get go.

8D

Apart from the seat and the amenity kit, it also talks about the Freedom Menu!

Indeed, a moment's silence to remember fallen comrades

Last time I travelled in UC, the J2000 seats were still new! I remember the previous UC to that - and managing to get a solid 6 or so hours sleep on a flight home from ORD, which is still a record for me.

I still miss the freedom menu - of all the cuts in recent years that one alone was the greatest mistake from my point of view. The amenity kit was lovely but for me once you'd collected twenty of them getting time to sell them on eBay was limited. The bowl of goodies was the best - when good quality, take what you need only.

As for J2000 seats I thought they were lovely. Really it was all upwards for VS from:

- Big old plus armchairs - roomy and comfy but not beds.
- Onward and upward to J2000 which looked lovely and were great in seat recline mode with the big IFE monitors. I got on with them in bed mode, I know others didn't.
- UCS originally on the 747, an absolute winner and justifying the old tagline 'First class at Business class prices'.

Let's not mention the 'dream' suite. That's when things went backwards again.

Does anyone have any old photos of interiors of old that they could post on here or any ideas how to view some as I tried google but no luck
Blacky

[mitchja]

There's quite a few cabin photos on A.net:

J2000 1

J2000 2

J2000 3

In the A.net photo search tool, select VS as the airline and change the category to 'cabin views'

Excellent James
Many thanks
Blacky

Why does the past always cloud the memory. Yes these cabins seemed more spacious but it was a bit like the non refurb / refurb LGW issue we have had over the last twelve months, hoping back then you you would have a new UCS as appossed to the old j2000

Having a preference for a slightly slanted angle when sleeping (and given planes tend to tilt slightly upwards anyway during flight) I too like(d) J2000 style seats and, to this day, have a strong preference for seats that can supply continuous recline in going flat over UCS style seats. But I can sleep pretty much anywhere.

The amenity kits ended up feeling like a bit of overkill. They mixed it up a fair bit more than the page suggests, with different shapes: one was more washbag size, while another was more filofax (remember those?) style, and they came in red and purple; I still use a filofax OB container to collect all foreign CC, program membership cards, health insurance card etc etc so I can just pick them all up and chuck them into the case when I leave. It's gone all over many times, with nary a scratch, they really were pretty decent quality; I still have luggage tags, cufflinks and small mirrors (no, I don't use 'em to touch up my lipstick). But yeah, after a while I would just stop taking them, you really didn't know what to do with them. And the house is still awash with the metal pens, both the long and the short ones (which came in the kits), steel & the short lacquered black ones, even if they could use refills.

SF got the UCS pretty early on, IIRC it was the first route to go all UCS, and there was palpable, tremendous excitement on every flight. There was still a lot that I liked about the J2000 though, and was not in the slightest disappointed with the occasional swap. It was far better than the J product United just got done replacing, for instance, and on a par with the product AA just started replacing, LH still flies for the most part (even on the A380), as do many otherwise vaunted Far and Middle Eastern Asian airlines on many of their planes. A great product.