Loading... Be … Newspaper service is a business class feature on many global airlines. Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy has a 21″ seat width, 38″ leg room, free drinks and free food. Virgin Atlantic Carry-On Allowance: Passengers in Economy Light, Economy Class, Economy Delight, and Premium are permitted to bring 1 piece of carry-on luggage plus 1 personal item, such as a handbag or small backpack. While the style of food provided is broadly aligned with the back cabin, the hardware on which it is delivered is nicely upgraded, and it is these small touches that one is now seeing more in Premium Economy. “I am so sorry about this. Definitely next time. A handbag, rucksack or laptop bag is permitted in addition to the above. Accordingly, I ordered the vegetarian tortellini. Considering the value that can be had for redeeming miles for a Premium experience on this route, the product is a huge step up from standard economy and worth it on a route like this, a seven-hour jaunt between New York and London. Virgin Atlantic A330-300 premium economy. Curiously, there isn’t a traditional inflight magazine, but the IFE guide is extensive and contains some articles so serves a quasi-option for this item. Each seat also came equipped with Virgin’s seatback entertainment system, though the screens on this A340 were a bit worn down and dim. It was good enough to occasionally load a web page and email. Hope you can try Premium Econ again on the 787 or A350. In hindsight, the concept seems obvious. Your email address will not be published. Efficiency during the main contact points is all quite satisfactory with drink and meals delivered with good speed, and there is decent attention to clearing away the litter. It went by way, way too fast. And that’s where this Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 review ends. It resided somewhere between the increasingly rich perks of business class (Upperclass, in Virgin lingo) and steerage. Those extra few inches of space, a glass of bubbly as you board, and a tasty meal served on china crockery with proper cutlery. After departure the cabin crew provide large leather footrests for those customers on the front rows – other seats have the more traditional fold-down facility. An American Express Platinum card won’t get you in here, nor will a wad of cash. Introduction: Having flown both British Airways World Traveler Plus cabin and Virgin Atlantic’s premium economy cabin tens of times across the Atlantic, I am going to be comparing pricing, seating and comfort, service, food and drinks, entertainment. I’ve enjoyed premium economy flights on other airlines to and from Europe and even across the Pacific. Beat the lines, drop your bags at Premium check in. The cabin design is contemporary with dark seat covers and carpets, and the main colouring is from the mood lighting which is well used for this late morning departure. » Flying London to Rome return with British Airways during COVID-19. Richard Branson and company were right. Virgin is in fact planning to replace them, generally with A350s. The meal arrived plated just as one might expect on a domestic first class flight in the U.S. Having upgraded service and an adequate seat is enough to make a trip like this extremely pleasant. Will new transatlantic competition lower ticket prices? There is a large full seat width headrest which has up/down adjustment – there are no covers, but this does appear to be clean. Unfortunately, delicious only appeared in the menu on this flight. A British Airways 787 Dreamliner and A Virgin Atlantic 787 Dreamliner. The flight departs 30-minutes late from Heathrow due to weather-related ATC issues and arrives into Seattle more or less on time after a journey that is just over 9-hours in duration. A bottle could run you about $70 on the ground. After two minutes of being unable to get the boarding pass to read ‘Platinum’, a nearby supervisor escalated things to another level. InsideFlyer was created by travelers, for travelers. If you don’t have bags, being able to use the Virgin Atlantic mobile app to download a boarding pass is even better. Still, the whole place elicited a peculiar sense of British refinement and hospitality that I haven’t encountered elsewhere. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The discipline and skills are not at the level one will see in Asia and the Middle East and sitting close to the galley numerous items are being dropped during the meal service which is sometimes followed by rather colourful language. Staff presence for arrivals is quite satisfactory, and given the connectivity with Delta Air Lines, there is reasonable assistance for transfer customers. Sometimes a flat bed is not necessary for comfort. The pitch in Virgin Atlantic’s Premium Economy is more than generous and it’s that number that determined my happiness (or not) on the 8-hour flight. Read traveller reviews and opinions for Airlines and Airports worldwide, airline lounges and airline Seats. My favorite part of the onboard food service was the afternoon tea. We’re a small diverse group of experienced frequent flyer experts, travel community builders, technologists, and friends of the flyer who want to help you learn to be an expert traveler. I have no idea what premium economy or Upper Class boarding is normally like, since I was given the dreaded SSSS on my boarding pass. The Virgin Atlantic Economy food is of a much lower caliber and is not noteworthy so Premium Economy definitely provides a much nicer dining experience. The new cabin was a hit. Virgin’s famous “wander wall” of snacks and drinks was woefully absent from this flight. Today Virgin has on offer 140 movies, 123 TV options and approximately 400 albums. And it was a very nice liqueur to serve in conjunction with something ending in “economy”. There is a USB socket integrated into the PTV screen, and there is a 110v International outlet for larger devices under the seat. That’s all. The food is quite excellent, and the product sits somewhere between long-haul Economy Class and regional Business Class for flavour, texture and presentation. The comprehensive Airline and Airport customer review site for airlines and airports across the world. There’s also a roof deck but it was closed given the January gloom outside. She phoned the Clubhouse lounge to advise my impending arrival. After dozing off I decided I needed a coffee (though I could have ordered another cognac, if my mood was a bit different). keep it up and thanks again. Cabin cleanliness appears satisfactory onboarding and all primary contact areas around the seat are clear and free of debris. But it was so un-memorable that, as of sitting down to begin this post, three days after the flight, I can’t remember what I ate. The Upperclass wing actually features an entirely private check-in area, which I did not visit, as its accessed from a private driveway outside. The bread served in Air France economy was fresher, the salad more inventive and flavourful, and the pasta was cooked with cheese that I could actually taste. I only had about a half-hour to spend here, given some of the delays at immigration and during check-in. The 787 Premium Economy has a “Wonderwall” which I’m curious to read about. It is a style of interaction that may not appeal to all passengers, but it is delivered with warmth, and as long as one doesn’t mind being addressed occasionally as “love” or “my darling”, it should not offend. Find our best fares on your next flights to the US and beyond, with a fantastic choice of food, drinks, award winning entertainment and onboard WiFi. It was past midnight in London at this point. There is also a purpose-built bar area for Premium Economy passengers to pick from which Virgin name the “Wander Wall”. Virgin offers 3 classes of service between NY and London: Economy, Premium Economy, and Upper Class. Instead, I entered a cabin with great seats, but dingy interior appointments otherwise. View details, » London Gatwick Airport gets the 3-Star COVID-19 airport for coronavirus procedures. It was a great way to wash down dinner. See the Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy service on the new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. Read the review. Next time. Domestically, this works out great. View details, » Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport is the first airport in Europe to receive the COVID-19 Airport Rating. Cabins include seating in Upper Class, Prem Economy, and Economy. There was no mood lighting in the economy cabins. Most annoying was the power port situation. Newspapers shortly follow and individual menus. The seats are pitched 38-inches apart, which is about average for first class cabins on domestic U.S. airliners. » Special features. The seat is decent and provides all the expected mod-cons for comfort and working. Wow. However, I get it that for most others, and especially those younger than myself, the low res screens and those wonky controllers for the A340 seatback entertainment system, are far less desirable than the crisp resolution and touch pad IFE found on newer aircraft. With Global Entry I was able to pass immigration in just a few minutes. The blanket is black with brown trim, and this is constructed from the thinner fleece-style material that is becoming popular amongst many global airlines. Hopefully more modern aircraft will be introduced on this and other routes soon. Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350 Premium seat map (Image courtesy Virgin Atlantic) Bottom line. Boeing 787-9 in Premium Economy which was close to full. If passengers pay extra for wider recliners on domestic flights, wouldn’t they be more inclined to do so on a 10-hour haul? » Virgin Atlantic customer reviews This includes Upper-Class cabin passengers, FF members and handily, Virgin also include Premium Economy in this category. I love this, as the excruciatingly long taxi times at Heathrow are perfect for catching up on the news. She then called over a red coat to escort me through the Upperclass wing. The cabin staff during boarding are chatty and effusive, and there is a sense of the party vibe that is often portrayed in the airline’s marketing. I am in seat 21G which is an aisle seat in the bulkhead row. Consider that across the tarmac, passengers in United’s Polaris business class were drinking from plastic cups. This turned out to be my favorite part of the meal service. The jam was from a British supplier. None of these wines were top flight, but they weren’t bad either. After some searching, I found a sub-$1000 round-trip Virgin Atlantic premium economy fare from London Heathrow to Newark. The benefits are extra knee space and the fact there is no dreaded invasion from a forward seat. Passengers could choose between the London Times, Financial Times and The Guardian. They sat us on metal benches common not in airports but institutional waiting rooms. Virgin Atlantic launched its new premium seats this week, and they let you recline seven inches. The headphone jack was worn out and the plug needed to be situated just right for stereo sound. Get Global Entry or suffer. We will get this straightened out in no time.”. I was in need of a return flight from Berlin to New York. In the movies section, there is a fair mix of new films as well as older classics, around 20 world films and 14 for kids. Be sure to use these facilities whenever you can, and if you happen to hold Delta … Anyhow, that’s about it – we didn’t use the Clubhouse (but hope that someday we’ll get to see for ourselves what that’s like), but absolutely agree that Virgin Atlantic’s staff at London/Heathrow are exceptional as they went all out for us, too, when an IT problem of the airline’s making complicated things for us! Featured image by Emily McNutt/The Points Guy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on InsideFlyer. Your email address will not be published. Their economy seats have a maximum recline of … The system is branded up as Vera – Virgin’s trendy moniker for the interface and accompanying IFE guide. Hello you. Virgin Atlantic have 3 Class types, Economy, Premium Economy and First Class. The Upperclass Wing really shined during the security screening process. Immigration processing is quick today, and bags begin to arrive shortly after this. He asked if it was my first time visiting and then offered to take me on a full tour of the facility. I arrived in Europe 9 days earlier via SWISS’ solid business class throne seat. There is some coffee-ring staining to the tray table when this is pulled-out but the fact that the mood lighting is quite subdued and dark means that this is only seen after departure when there is more illumination. Delta and Virgin Atla… They weren’t great, and I ended up using my iPhone headphones instead. After some searching, I found a sub-$1000 round-trip Virgin Atlantic premium economy fare from London Heathrow to Newark. Staff are somewhat active in the cabin during the meal toing and froing with drinks, and there is a moderate degree of ad-hoc tray clearance for those customers that finish early. Joanna and I had been planning to visit New York for some time and we were still in the middle of making our plans when the travel Gods smiled down on us in two wonderful ways. Much of the view was then gobbled up by two of the A340’s four big engines. They called it Champagne but I’d beg to differ. Virgin Atlantic hails 22 per cent reduction in aircraft carbon emissions. » London Heathrow Airport has been certified as a COVID-19 3-Star Airport. There was a good diversity of options, though. This afternoon transatlantic crossing is just such an occasion. I’ve flown in the last year both the A340 (BOS-LHR in Upper Class) and the 787 (LHR-DXB r/t in Upper and LAX-LHR r/t in Premium Economy) and can attest the 787 PE is awesome with international 110v outlets. WiFi was provided by Gogo, also known as NoGo and SlowSlow. The one and only area where Virgin’s premium economy cabin stood out was seat comfort. They are timed to account for the precise walking distance to various gates. There’s a seat in Virgin Atlantic’s A350-1000 economy cabin that has more legroom than any seat in premium economy, or even the airlines beautiful new upper class. View airline, airport, seat, and lounge photos. A must read article! The bathrooms were basic, boring and offered no amenities beyond foaming soap. Virgin really needs to do something with these dingy old A340s. The food, on the other hand, was just okay. After my first flight, I sense that Virgin Atlantic is a great airline with a unique culture of service and style. wouldn’t they be more inclined to do so on a 10-hour haul. Service presence and energy does decline somewhat as the flight progresses, litter clearance is not as frequent, the second meal tray is slow to be removed, and perhaps most importantly washrooms become quite messy and stocked low with tissues and towels. A lone, vested doorman warmly greeted me. If you decide on upgrading your next trip with Virgin Atlantic to Premium instead of economy, this guide should help you in some way to make sure you pick the right seat to get the most out of your experience. The width isn’t all that is extraordinary about the seat, however. 26 Jun 2017. To pull that off requires a pretty special formula, which Richard Branson and co have perfected going on four decades. Depending where you’re flying from, those travelling with a Virgin Atlantic Economy Delight ticket will either benefit from a dedicated desk or will be able to use the Premium facilities. Drinks are presented in proper glassware, and wine comes in stemmed design much the same as you will find in any regional Business Class cabin. In an instant, she had read up on my entire Delta frequent flier history — all while making the sincerest apologies, repeatedly. Part of what made this itinerary doable was the availability of low-cost flights ($68 to be precise) from Berlin to Heathrow on Eurowings. The wing has a dedicated security checkpoint and I was literally the only passenger in line. This is well-stocked with a range of packet snacks, soft drinks and water, and the staff seem happy to provide other drinks from the bar menu to those customers that want these. The Premium Economy cabin crew had plenty of adapters on hand, but they only supported U.S.-style plugs (ahem, isn’t this is a British Airline???). After a comfy snooze in my supremely padded seat, I enjoyed a skyline view of Manhattan on descent into Newark. Soft drink choices are similarly extensive and include more niche items such as ginger ale, cranberry juice and sparkling water which are not always found outside of the front cabins. The washrooms are outfitted with the usual design for the B787, and like the cabin, this is finished to a good standard. 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