Virgin Atlantic gives first look inside new Dreamliner

ATLANTA — Virgin Atlantic flew its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Atlanta to show off the new aircraft in the hometown of its new partner Delta, which owns a 49% stake in the carrier.

Virgin Atlantic, founded by British tycoon Sir Richard Branson, doesn't launch regular service to Atlanta until Sunday (Oct. 26), and those flights will be on Airbus A330 aircraft — not on the Boeing 787. Virgin Atlantic's first regularly scheduled Dreamliner flights will come Tuesday (Oct. 28), when the airline puts the 787 on its route between London and Boston.

But, in the style of its media-savvy majority owner Branson, none of that stopped Virgin Atlantic from making a flashy display of its newest jet Friday in Atlanta.

A day earlier, Virgin Atlantic flew a special Dreamliner flight from London to Atlanta that featured not only invited guests and U.K. media, but also a live in-flight music performance from two popular British groups. Even Branson himself flew to Atlanta late Thursday to so that he could be on hand for Friday's festivities.

Virgin Atlantic is the first carrier in Europe to take delivery of the 787-9, the so-called "stretch version" Boeing's latest and so-far biggest model of its new-age jet. Virgin Atlantic's U.K. rival British Airways already flies the Dreamliner, but it's the smaller 787-8 version that was the Boeing's first version of the aircraft to hit the market.

Virgin Atlantic has 21 new Dreamliners on order, and the airline has big plans for the bigger stretch version of the aircraft, which CEO Craig Kreeger called the airline's "flagship" aircraft. He says Dreamliners will make up more than half of Virgin Atlantic's fleet within four years.

"This jet just gets every single detail right," Branson told Today in the Sky while getting his first look at the interior of the aircraft since it was delivered from Boeing on Oct. 10.

Virgin Atlantic also hopes the aircraft can provide a jolt to its cutting-edge image, which some critics says has grown stale in recent years. The carrier, still majority-owned by Branson, has spent years positioning itself as avant-garde airline high on customer service and one that's at the forefront of contemporary style and technology.

Among the highlights from the new interior on Virgin Atlantic's Dreamliners are an updated version of the carrier's Upper Class "Dream Suites," enhancements to all seats in economy and the addition of public congregating that the airline hopes will foster interaction in both the Upper Class in and the economy cabins.

Included is a bar in the Upper Class cabin that features a 24" touchscreen monitor that Virgin Atlantic says can be used for everything from movies to live feeds of sporting events — or even to show Powerpoint slides as part of an in-flight business meeting.

There also is a "wander wall" in Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy cabin, a bulkhead area where Premium Economy fliers can "wander to" and help themselves to snacks, drinks and newspapers.

"It creates a space where customers can get out of their seats and stretch their legs," Kreeger said in Atlanta from onboard Virgin Atlantic's first 787. "It gives them a destination, someplace they can walk to that's not the bathroom."

Virgin Atlantic will unveil in-flight Wi-Fi for the first time on its Dreamliners, charging £14.99 — or about $24 — for connectivity for the entire flight. And in a perk aimed at the Millennial set, Virgin Atlantic is unveiling "#SkyhighSelfie spots" near the back of the aircraft, giving social media-savvy customers a place to take "the perfect selfie."

On a similar note, Virgin Atlantic says fliers will be make one in-flight check-in on Facebook for free, though they'll have to purchase Wi-Fi for additional posts.