The product had to be fast to market but also comply with a large number of legislative requirements including crash tests up to 16Gs. The Business Class market is lucrative but extremely competitive with a great deal of product differentiation – so creating a best in class product is particularly challenging.
The Design
The biggest innovation in the Upper Class Suite, designed by the Virgin In-house Design Team, Pearson Lloyd and Design Q, is that the passenger moves out of the seat to go to bed: this allows the backrest to flip over to become a bed which has firmer foam for support and is covered in breathable fabric. All passengers have direct access to the aisle (a first for any Business Class) and can take off and land in the reclined seat position. The seat width, at 22 inches, and bed length (79.5 inches) are greater than rival First and Business Class products, with over 12 inches more shoulder room in the bed mode.
The Results
Flights with the Upper Class Suite installed have seen an average increase of almost twice as many passengers as other airlines. Virgin has seen a significant increase in passenger numbers and an increase in travel by its frequent flying club members. There has been a sizeable market share shift across all routes. There have also been improvements in company morale: Cabin Crew Service was rated by passengers as 100 per cent excellent two months after launch. The new suite also allows the airline to heavily reduce discounting of ticket prices, while industry surveys give Virgin’s Upper Class the number one ranking. The cost of design and development was easily covered by an IPR deal in which the Upper Class Suite was licensed to another airline. This has contributed to Virgin’s profits, which in 2005 were reported as the highest since 1999.
Judge’s Comments
‘A very tough category and difficult to crack: a brave proposition,’ said Darren Briggs, Head of Internal Communications at Vodafone. Cath Keers, Customer Director, O2 saw ‘creativity and innovation. The business results were strong, with customers and staff loving a new cabin experience’. ‘Virgin continues to lead the field with design playing a pivotal role,’ added David Godber, Director, Nissan Design Europe.
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