Jaunted

Airline News / Airlines / Virgin Atlantic / Virgin / Business Class Travel / In-Flight Meals / Airline Lounges / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / → All Tags

Virgin Atlantic's Big News: Sexy New Clubhouse, Sexy New Seats, Sexy New S & P Shakers

When some sweet airline news comes down the pipeline, we get a little shiver of a thrill. The latest carrier to give us those goosebumps of expectation is Virgin Atlantic, as they've got a slew of updates hitting the sky later this year:

· New Upper Class seats, coming Spring 2012.

100 million GBP. That's how much Virgin Atlantic is laying out to get you all laid out in "enhanced" Upper Class seats and enjoying all their spring 2012 upgrades. While we don't yet know specifics like seat width, gadgets or even the design, we do know that the seats will debut on the airline's London-New York route in just a few months. Following this, VS planes will get the Upper Class refresh throughout the world, over a period of three years. Stay tuned, since details can't be kept secret much longer.

more ›

In-Flight Cocktails / Drinking Travel / Booze Travel / Virgin Atlantic / Virgin / Airline News / In-Flight Cocktail of the Month / In-Flight Drinks / San Francisco Travel / SFO / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / → All Tags

In-Flight Cocktail of the Month: Virgin Atlantic's 'Virgin Kiss'

As many already know, we have a serious obsession with airline cocktails, and so much is our passion that we've created a whole first-Friday-of-the-month feature called In-Flight Cocktail of the Month, which highlights the special concoctions that flight attendants whip up with only a cocktail shaker, some tiny liquor bottles and a whole lot of hope that it won't make you drunk and unruly.

Up until now, Virgin Atlantic's In-Flight Cocktail of the Month accolades have been the liquidy soundtrack to our past two summers. But a cocktail is for life, not just the hot months, so for December we're warming up with the SFO Clubhouse's signature cocktail: the Virgin Kiss.

more ›

Space Travel / Virgin Galactic / Travel Snapshot / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / Virgin Atlantic / Virgin / LHR / → All Tags

The Little Virgin Galactic Surprise in Virgin Atlantic's Heathrow Clubhouse

Where in the world is Richard Branson? He's in the Mojave Desert today, for the official dedication of Spaceport America, the base and building for all the fun of Virgin Galactic.

Here's the thing, though—Spaceport America has already been "open" now since May, when their three-hour tours began. Today was just all the official pomp and circumstance, plus a little show-off flight from SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo.

more ›

Airport Lounges / Airports / Photo Gallery / SFO / Virgin Atlantic / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / First Class Travel / → All Tags

Inside the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at SFO

There are airport lounges, and then there are Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses—the type of lounge that makes you pray for a flight delay. Happily, when we scored access to the Clubhouse at San Francisco International Airport the other week, we were early for our flight. Unhappily, it left on time. Here’s what we found.

The room is bright and airy, overlooking the runway like most lounges. But unlike most, it’s sexy. Take the vast bar, for example—it’s colored an icy blue, and takes up about half the length of the (lengthy) room. Propping up the bar is even more appealing when there’s a shelf of travel guides to flick through, too. Over by the window, facing the bar, is a row of armchairs.

There aren’t many snacks scattered around—just a plate of fruit and cookies at the bar—but, instead, the end section of the lounge works as a restaurant, with a cluster of TVs to watch while you wait for your table service, and pictures of pinups if you’re bored by the telly. By the window down that end are sofas, which also get table service. Windows have blue and pink-tinted filters over them, which is weird at first but quite soothing.

more ›

In-Flight Cocktails / Drinking Travel / Booze Travel / Virgin Atlantic / Airline News / In-Flight Cocktail of the Month / In-Flight Drinks / London Travel / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / → All Tags

In-Flight Cocktail of the Month: Virgin Atlantic's "'New' New York Sour"

As many already know, we have a serious obsession with airline cocktails, and so much is our passion that we've created a whole first-Friday-of-the-month feature called In-Flight Cocktail of the Month, which highlights the special concoctions that flight attendants whip up with only a cocktail shaker, some tiny liquor bottles and a whole lot of hope that it won't make you drunk and unruly.

Last summer, we dubbed Virgin Atlantic's Virgin Redhead the In-Flight Cocktail of the Month for June 2010. This summer, it's about time to highlight another Virgin drink, especially since their airport lounges feature an impressive signature cocktail selection.

Therefore, for July 2011, we're in love with the "New" New York Sour, a traditional whiskey sour with a surprise: a float of claret. Served up at Virgin Atlantic clubhouses—we downed this one in the New York-JFK Airport lounge—and possibly on flights in Upper Class (ask nicely), the "New" New York Sour is served in a chilled glass with a nice foam. When ours arrived, both tables on either side of us asked after it and ended up ordering their own; it's a conversation-starter!

more ›

Airline News / AIrport Lounges / Fashion Travel / Virgin Atlantic / Virgin / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / LHR / London Travel / Luxury Travel / → All Tags

Have a Layover? Have a New Pair of Shoes Made at Virgin Atlantic's London Clubhouse

Have you ever been inside the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Clubhouse at London-Heathrow? It. is. insane. We mean insane in the best way, of course. There's a hot tub, a pool table, old school Atari game tables, a free Bumble & Bumble salon, an outdoor deck, a sea of Eames lounge chairs and waiters who will bring you a proper teatime setup.

As you can imagine the services available are numerous during your couple hour stay in the Clubhouse, but Virgin Atlantic has gone ahead and added one more: bespoke shoes. For one month only, from March 18 to April 18, there will be a representative from Finnish cobblers The Left Shoe Company on hand to custom fit Upper Class passengers. The idea is traditional, but the process is quite futuristic:

more ›

Airport Lounges / Airport News / Virgin Atlantic / Virgin / V Australia / Virgin Blue / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / SYD / → All Tags

The Rise of the Airport Super-Lounge: Virgin Planning a Doozy in Sydney

The best part of visiting Australia might just be found at the airport, that is if the folks at Virgin get their dreams to come true. Virgin Atlantic is thinking about building their first clubhouse down under, and it won’t just be one of their traditional airport lounges. Not only would it be their newest, but it could be the best, with new technology and extra space needed, as it will be available for flyers aboard V Australia and Virgin Blue as well.

The Virgin Group is already working on a new place to score a Virgin Redhead before your flight for all three of its airlines in Los Angeles, so these super combo lounges might just be part of their future plans for their company and passenger comfort. Right now they’re committing to finishing things at LAX, but it sounds like the blueprints to their latest clubhouse might be sent to Sydney at some point in 2011.

more ›

Airport Lounges / Lounges / EWR / Airports / Virgin Atlantic / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / → All Tags

Inside the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Newark Airport

Tucked behind a Hudson newstand before the security checkpoint in Terminal B at Newark Airport, is the Clubhouse for Virgin Atlantic.

This clubhouse is nowhere near the design spectacular that you will find at JFK, but it still has that certain je ne sai quoi that is unquestionably Virgin Atlantic. It's quite vibrant compared to other airport lounges, which typically go the cookie-cutter route of grey carpeting, brown leather seats, wood-paneled walls and an overall boring, business traveler feel.

But this clubhouse is full of pinks and purples and flat-screen TVs, not to mention little nooks for a library and a computer work area. All in all, it's a perfectly pleasant place to while away an hour or so before your flight. We managed to get in about 30 minutes in the Clubhouse and this is what we found:

more ›

In-Flight Drinks / Cocktails / Drinking Travel / Virgin Atlantic / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / Airport Lounges / In-Flight Cocktail of the Month / → All Tags

In-Flight Cocktail of the Month: Virgin Atlantic's Virgin Redhead

It’s getting pretty warm out, so we knew that this month’s airline cocktail had to be refreshing, colorful, and a little fruity. That’s why we chose a classic from Virgin Atlantic—The Virgin Redhead.

Available onboard selected Virgin Atlantic flights—of course it'll be easiest to order onboard their 747s with Upper Class bar—and within the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses around the world, the drink was created for the airline with the help of Bombay Sapphire.

Even if you aren’t a fan of gin, we’re thinking that this drink might just change your mind. The base of the drink is a combination of muddled raspberries, fresh lemon juice, cassis and framboise liqueurs. That mixture is then shaken—not stirred—with Bombay Sapphire Gin and topped off with champagne.

more ›

Airport Lounges / Lounges / LHR / Airports / Virgin Atlantic / London Field Trip / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / Videos / Travel Videos / → All Tags

Inside the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London's Heathrow Airport

You know when you're flying in economy class and you're walking through the terminal clutching your carry-on luggage and a Cinnabon, desperately seeking out a WiFi signal or comfortable seating, when...you pass a pair of sliding doors that briefly open to reveal what looks like a hidden wonderland within the airport? When this happens to us, our heart melts a little in agony that the experience of a first class lounge is so unattainable at that moment—but it wasn't last week, when Virgin Atlantic invited us into the holy grail of airline lounges: their Upper Class Clubhouse at London's Heathrow Airport.

What can we say about the place, except that it made our wildest airport dreams come true? The fact that free WiFi, complimentary Bumble & Bumble salon appointments, a pool table, an outdoor deck and even a HOT TUB exist in one place at an airport means we're going to need several hours to fully absorb it all, and thus we arrived nice and early.

After the jump, tons of pictures and more about that hot tub...

more ›

Airport Lounges / Lounges / LGW / Airports / Virgin Atlantic / London Field Trip / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / → All Tags

Inside the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London's Gatwick Airport

Who goes all the way out to the airport just for afternoon tea, without a flight to catch? We do! Especially when we're talking about tea inside of the freshly remodeled Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Clubhouse at London's Gatwick Airport. It just reopened with the updated interior in November, so we were all about experiencing that precious "new airport lounge" smell.

Last week, we took a day from our London Field Trip to head out into the foggy London morning and check out this playful space over a pot of Earl Grey with Virgin Atlantic's Head of Design Joe Ferry and Senior Design Manager, Jeremy Brown. Our big question for them: why are Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, and in particular this updated one, considered just so cool?

The answer involves rock & roll, after the jump.

more ›

Airport Lounges / Lounges / JFK / Airports / Virgin Atlantic / London Field Trip / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse / → All Tags

Inside the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at JFK Airport

Man, you guys are good! We posed a challenge to you back on Friday, to guess where we were at that very moment with only the photo above as a clue, and although had some great guesses—the Big Brother house, the Bridge of the Starship Enterprise and Austin Powers' lair—two of you were totally jetsetting with the correct answer: Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class Clubhouse at JFK Airport.

On Friday evening, after sitting in rush hour traffic trying to get to the airport and mentally panicking, we arrived and checked into VS 046 to London-Heathrow. The good people at Virgin hooked us up with Clubhouse access, and we quickly collapsed into a futuristic chair and ordered up the lounge's signature drink: the Virgin Redhead. And that's when the fun began.

more ›