Virgin Air’s ‘suites’

On a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to England on Virgin Airlines in late April ’05, we had an opportunity to try out the new upper-class suites.

Each suite is a small cubicle with high sides and a very comfortable seat that converts to a bed at the touch of a button. Your back is to the window, your feet to the center. There are duvets and pillows behind each seat.

Seats that are upright but reclined can stay reclined during takeoff and landing — very comfortable.

If you are traveling on flights of 19 to 22 hours, these are lifesavers. If you are working and want no interruptions, these are ideal. But if you are traveling with someone, it is almost impossible to talk to them over the partition. That was the only drawback I found, the difficulty in communicating with my travel mate.

NANCY R. MARTIN
Greenwich, CT