Virgin Atlantic Retires Its Iconic Onboard Bar After 40 Years

Virgin Atlantic will say goodbye to its iconic onboard bars and will reduce the size of its economy class cabin to allocate more space for premium seating, aiming to attract wealthy travelers.

A Toast to the Past: Virgin’s Storied Bar Legacy

In-flight bars have been entertaining Virgin Atlantic travelers on some journeys since Richard Branson’s company’s maiden voyage in 1984. Reportedly, the upstart airline’s single jet at the time, a Boeing 747-200, had an L-shaped bar on its upper deck, contributing to the famous mile-high party atmosphere.

Richard Branson greeting the press before the first Virgin Atlantic flight aboard the Maiden Voyager from London to New York, June 22, 1984 / Photo: Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic

While Virgin claims to have pioneered the onboard bar, planes frequently hosted flying lounges and social spaces during the golden age of air travel in the 1960s and 70s. American Airlines briefly operated piano bars on the top decks of its first 747—all fogged with cigarette smoke, of course. In the 1980s, Continental Airlines operated “Pub Flights,“ complete with fully-stocked bars and electronic games.

However, Virgin Atlantic certainly kept the in-flight bar operating as air travel became less chic and more cramped in the following decades.

When Nostalgia Meets Modernity

In fact, Virgin’s onboard bars have stuck around for so long that they have become trendy again, being added to planes by luxury-minded airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Photo: Courtesy of Avic Cabin Systems

However, Virgin has pushed its stool away from the bar over the last five years. In 2019, the airline began substituting bars for a “Loft“ with couches and a 32-inch TV, located between Upper Class and Premium Economy, on its new planes.

Photo: Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic

However, many of the airline’s newest Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 aircraft continue to have bars for Upper Class (business class) travelers, although they usually have just a handful of seats, and bartenders are only present through part of the flight.

Farewell to the Mile-High Lounge

Now Virgin Atlantic is moving away from the mile-high boozers entirely, responding to travelers’ post-pandemic preference for private luxuries over communal spaces.

Photo: Courtesy of Avic Cabin Systems

“At Virgin Atlantic, people love a bar. It’s a very emotional word here. I love the bar and a lot of people love the bar,“ Virgin CEO Shai Weiss said.

“But the world has moved on. You can’t stand still. We’ve made the decision, a bold decision, to try to make more of that space.”

Photo: Courtesy of Boeing Commercial Airplanes

As part of its $17 billion cabin overhaul, expected to be completed by 2028, Virgin will replace the onboard bar with additional Retreat Suites, its business class plus suites.

Premium Over Packed: The Economy Shrinks

Virgin will also buy more space for extra premium seating by shrinking its economy cabins. On the carrier’s retrofitted Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, economy cabins will contract from 192 seats to just 127, while 13 Upper Class and 21 premium economy seats are added.

Meanwhile, 10 new Airbus A330neos due to be delivered next year will have 30 percent fewer economy seats and 16 more seats in upper Class and 10 more in premium economy.

Photo: Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic

Weiss said that Virgin is responding to “an insatiable demand for premium travel.”

90 percent of the seats in the carrier’s premium economy and Upper Class cabins are filled, “so we know we have the ability to provide more of it,“ he added.

Virgin is coming off a bumper 2024, where it posted £230 ($309) million in profit, a fourfold increase over 2023. Those results are enabling Virgin to invest in luxury upgrades, Weiss said.

Virgin certainly isn’t alone in chasing mid-air opulence. Air France, Lufthansa, and Emirates have all premiered new first-class suites in the last year. In the U.S., even budget carriers like Southwest and Spirit have sought to reposition themselves as more premium, with accessible luxuries such as extra legroom seats.