Virgin Atlantic has unveiled its new ex-airberlin leased A330-200 aircraft
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
Virgin Atlantic has released footage of their new aircraft “Daydream Believer” (G-VMNK), the first of four A330-200 leased from the remnants of airberlin to replace some of its B787 aircraft whilst engine issues are being sorted.
From March 2018 the A330-200 will operate on the Manchester routes to New York, Boston, San Francisco and Barbados.
The seat configuration will be different to the usual Virgin Atlantic aircraft.
Upper Class will have 19 seats with three different variations: Love Suite (in the centre of the cabin and ideal for couples or groups travelling together), Solo Freedom Suite (direct aisle access) and Solo Corner Suite (extra privacy). This is, in truth, a way of selling as a benefit the lower level of privacy that some airberlin seats have compared to the standard Upper Class seat.
The Economy cabin will have 46 Economy Extra Legroom seats and 222 Economy seats. There is no Premium Economy.
The planes are fully Wi-Fi enabled with free messaging in Upper Class.
You can see the transformation of the exterior from airberlin to Virgin Atlantic in this rather cool video below.
PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.
How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (April 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.
You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, the Reward+ card has a bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points and the free card has a bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points):
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard
3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review
You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 50,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 50,000 Virgin Points.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points.
1DES1 
Rob 
Kevin 
George 
Roger 
jason 
Tracy 
Cat 
AriseSirGenghis 
Alan 
Tilly 
David 
Zain 
Jonny 
thehornets 
Boi 
Liz 
Genghis 
Bigsi 
KevMc 
MarkH 
Cuchlainn 
Comments (74)