Re Virgn and tatty interiors :
The first Virgin flight I ever took was LHR-LAX in early 1996. Aircraft was a 747-400 (G-VHOT) only about 18 months old at the time. I couldn't believe how the interior had got full of worn and broken fittings, seats etc in such a short length of time. I'd actually never seen an aircraft interior like it before. I still recall the IFE controls (novelty at the time) were notably worn through. And this was in Upper Class ! I presumed that nobody from maintenance had replaced a single cabin fitting since it was built.
Looks like not a lot has changed.