Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 787-9 seat map (three class)
Upper Class, Premium and Economy, 258-seat cabin
787-9business class, premium economy and economy258 seats
Not yet confirmed against a primary source. Treat row-level detail as indicative and check at booking.
Our best current understanding, not yet confirmed against a primary source.
About this cabin
Virgin Atlantic Airways' 787-9 in this configuration seats 258 (J/J/W/Y/Y/Y/Y/Y). This is our best current estimate for this layout, built mainly from secondary sources — treat exact seat-by-seat detail with a little more caution than usual. Virgin Atlantic Airways flies only this one cabin layout on the 787-9 — no version lottery on this type.
Quick pick, by traveller
| If you're… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Travelling solo | 3A | A window seat rated highly with nothing working against it — lean on the wall, control the shade, nobody climbing over you. |
| Travelling as a couple | 23A | This row's layout puts a genuine two-seat pair here — no middle seat exists in this group, so it's just the two of you. |
| Tall passengers | 45D | Genuine extra legroom that also still reclines — not every extra-legroom seat does. |
| Trying to sleep | 3A | A window seat away from galley and lavatory traffic, so aisle lights and trolley passes are less likely to wake you. |
Seat map
Upper Class (business class)
Upper Class spans rows 1–11 in a 1-1-1 layout, 22in seat width. Worth avoiding: 1G, 1A, 1K — next to galley.
Upper Class is a 1-1-1 herringbone and its centre column stops at row 9, so 10G and 11G do not exist and rows 10 and 11 hold their A and K seats only. That is why eleven rows hold 31 seats and not 33. Virgin Atlantic's bar sits immediately behind row 11.
Premium
Premium spans rows 21–25 in a 2-3-2 layout, 38in pitch and 21in seat width. Worth avoiding: 22C, 22D, 22G, 22H — next to galley.
Economy
Economy spans rows 45–68 in a 3-seat layout, 31in pitch and 17in seat width. Worth avoiding: 52D, 52G, 68D, 68G — seat doesn't recline.
Row 52 is the centre block alone, with the mid-cabin lavatories taking both sides of the row on Virgin Atlantic's own drawing. The side blocks run 46 to 51 and 53 to 66, while the centre runs 45 to 68.
Rows 67 and 68 are the centre block alone as the tail narrows. Virgin Atlantic's side blocks stop at row 66 while its centre block runs on to row 68.
Cabin specs
| Cabin | Pitch | Width | Recline | Power | IFE | Wifi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Class | — | 22" | Lie-flat | — | — | — |
| Premium | 38" | 21" | — | — | — | — |
| Economy | 31" | 17" | — | — | — | — |
Seats to avoid
| Seat | Cabin | Why to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| 1G | Upper Class | A galley is directly next to you, so expect crew activity, cart noise and light throughout the flight, especially during meal service. |
| 1A | Upper Class | A galley is directly next to you, so expect crew activity, cart noise and light throughout the flight, especially during meal service. |
| 1K | Upper Class | A galley is directly next to you, so expect crew activity, cart noise and light throughout the flight, especially during meal service. |
| 22C | Premium | A galley is directly next to you, so expect crew activity, cart noise and light throughout the flight, especially during meal service. |
| 22D | Premium | A galley is directly next to you, so expect crew activity, cart noise and light throughout the flight, especially during meal service. |
| 22G | Premium | A galley is directly next to you, so expect crew activity, cart noise and light throughout the flight, especially during meal service. |
| 22H | Premium | A galley is directly next to you, so expect crew activity, cart noise and light throughout the flight, especially during meal service. |
| 52D | Economy | This is the last row of the cabin, or the row directly in front of an exit, so the seat back is fixed upright for the whole flight. |
| 52G | Economy | This is the last row of the cabin, or the row directly in front of an exit, so the seat back is fixed upright for the whole flight. |
| 68D | Economy | This is the last row of the cabin, or the row directly in front of an exit, so the seat back is fixed upright for the whole flight. |
| 68G | Economy | This is the last row of the cabin, or the row directly in front of an exit, so the seat back is fixed upright for the whole flight. |
Known quirks on this aircraft
- Seat doesn't recline (13 seats: 25A, 25C, 25D, and 10 more) — This is the last row of the cabin, or the row directly in front of an exit, so the seat back is fixed upright for the whole flight.
- Often cold or draughty (12 seats: 1A, 1K, 2A, and 9 more) — Seats next to a bulkhead or door on a long-haul widebody are usually the coldest in the cabin — bring a layer for this one.
- High foot traffic (22 seats: 1G, 2G, 21C, and 19 more) — This aisle seat sits right next to a lavatory, galley or exit, so expect a steady stream of people brushing past, especially early and late in the flight.
- No underseat storage (22 seats: 1A, 1G, 1K, and 19 more) — Bulkhead and exit-row seats have nothing in front of the seat to store a bag under, so your bag must go in the overhead bin for the whole flight.
Frequently asked
- How many seats does Virgin Atlantic Airways' 787-9 have in this configuration?
- 258 seats in total, arranged as J/J/W/Y/Y/Y/Y/Y. This is one specific configuration — Virgin Atlantic Airways' fleet may include other configurations of the same aircraft type, covered below.
- Is this the only cabin layout Virgin Atlantic Airways flies on the 787-9?
- Yes, as far as we can determine — Virgin Atlantic Airways flies only this one cabin layout on the 787-9. There's no "version lottery" to worry about on this specific type for this airline.
- Which seats should I avoid?
- Seat 1G in Upper Class is worth avoiding: A galley is directly next to you, so expect crew activity, cart noise and light throughout the flight, especially during meal service. The full seat map marks every seat we'd steer you away from, with the specific reason for each.
- How confident are you in this seat map?
- This configuration is marked "provisional" — assembled from secondary sources and not yet confirmed against a primary one. See the sources and last-verified date lower on this page.
- Has a real person checked these individual seat scores?
- Not yet for this specific configuration. The scores above come from our rules engine, which reasons from real aircraft geometry, but they aren't marked as human-verified until someone has actually reviewed the unusual ones — see the verification section below for the current status.
Related
Other airlines flying the 787-9
- Air India Limited 787-9 — Business Elevate Ascent, Premium Economy and EconomyJ/W/Y
- Japan Airlines Domestic 787-9 — Business, Sky Premium Economy and EconomyJ/W/Y
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 787-9 — World Business Class, Premium Comfort and Economy, three-classJ/J/W/W/Y
- Royal Air Maroc 787-9 — Business, Eco Premium and Economy ("v2", 16C/28W/276Y)J/W/Y/Y/Y
- Royal Air Maroc 787-9 — Business and Economy, standard configuration (26C/276Y, "v1")J/J/Y/Y/Y
- AeroMéxico 787-9 — Clase Premier, Economy (extra legroom) and EconomyJ/Y/Y
- Ethiopian Airlines 787-9 — Cloud Nine and Economy on the Boeing 787-9J/J/Y/Y/Y
- Etihad Airways 787-9 — Business Studio and Economy Smart Seat, 335-seat cabin (Layout 3)J/Y/Y/Y/Y
Other aircraft Virgin Atlantic Airways flies
- Virgin Atlantic Airways A350-1000 — Upper Class, Premium and Economy, 397-seat cabin with The BoothJ/W/Y/Y/Y/Y/Y/Y
- Virgin Atlantic Airways A350-1000 — Upper Class, Premium and Economy, 335-seat cabin with The LoftJ/W/Y/Y/Y/Y
- Virgin Atlantic Airways A330-300 — Upper Class, Premium and Economy, 264-seat cabinJ/J/W/W/W/Y/Y/Y/Y/Y/Y
- Virgin Atlantic Airways A330-900neo — Upper Class, Premium and Economy, 262-seat cabinJ/W/W/Y/Y/Y/Y
- Virgin Atlantic Airways A330-900neo — Upper Class with six Retreat Suites, Premium and Economy, 232-seat cabinJ/W/Y/Y/Y
Data sources & verification
- Configuration last verified
- , against Virgin Atlantic Airways' own published seat map and fleet data below.
- Seat-by-seat scores
- Generated from the configuration data below by our rules engine. Awaiting human review before individual scores are published as verified.
- Fleet status
- Fitted fleet-wide — 100% of aircraft on this type carry this cabin.
- 2 sources cited
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Seat reviews
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