Virgin Atlantic Airways Passenger Reviews and Customer Trip Reports

Returned from BOS-LHR round trip. Outbound from BOS, boarding was heavily delayed and staff seemed inadequately trained in basic PR. Onboard (A330, coach class) cabin was ridiculously cramped, yes its a shiny modern plane but about the most uncomfortable experience I have ever had in coach. Food, purple plastic ware, inattentive cabin staff all smacks of an airline deep in cost cutting/yield management. Virgin Atlantic used to be an airline I looked forward to flying - now its headed the way of the American Airlines. Experience was so bad that I stumped up the $400 to upgrade on return leg - entirely different experience as one would expect. Will consider premium economy only in future with this airline. My ratings are for the economy leg.

Flying from Johannesburg to LHR. Flight was ok but fell short of expectations. The crew were very friendly but a little distant - more like robots. The food was ok but quantity was lacking, its a 11 hr flight and yet no snacks available during the flight - only small packets of pretzels. Seats are very close together, entertainment was ok but switched on late in the flight and off to early also announcements from crew were poor with lots of umming and arring, also the first time we heard from the captain/flight deck was before landing - very odd.

We flew to Delhi and back on packed 340s. Both flights left and arrived on time and the cabin crew worked hard and were cheerful despite the full planes. The much vaunted on demand entertainment system had poor screen resolution and was difficult to operate since there were few instructions in the back-of-the-seat guide and it certainly was not intuitive. The supplied headphones were very poor. On the way out, my vegetarian meal was probably the worse I have had on any plane for many years, a very cold tasteless salad with no dressing at all, then a gelatinous pasta dish, and finally a dry powdery apple dish of some sort all served to me some 40 minutes before that of my partner (hence we could not eat together) and the pre-dinner drinks (only one alcoholic drink was allowed) arrived 10 minutes after their meal. After dinner, the only choice was tea or hot chocolate (no coffee). Extra snacks if you felt hungry during the night were available provided you paid. Breakfast was barely edible. On the way back, the food was very acceptable and tasty for an economy class ticket (perhaps the Delhi kitchens are better than Heathrow). Cost accountants seem to be ruling the day hence overall, these were flights to be endured rather than enjoyed (although enjoying an economy long haul flight seems to be an impossibility these days). My advice would be to take your own food and your own good headphones. Duty free prices on-board for those items we were interested in were slightly cheaper than those at Heathrow although the risk you take is that they may have run out by the time the trolley gets to you.

Flew out on Virgin to NYC in November, flight out very busy but crew kept us all well 'fed and watered' throughout the flight. The plane out was the new airbus and was pretty impressed with the entertainment system, kept me amused between sleeps! On the flight back was on an older airbus, slightly dodgy screen with the entertainment system, picture looked a little 'snowy' or grainy but still kept me occupied between sleeps on the overnight flight back. Food both ways was OK, the premium service on the way back was great and the bigger seat comfortable. 1st time flying transatlantic! Flight was smooth.

CPT-LHR. Old and dated entertainment. Was surprised as I thought this was what Virgin Atlantic were known for. Bad food, no pre-dinner drinks. In fact, no drinks until after we had eaten. Staff friendly, but the service was bad.

Flew Gatwick-Las Vegas VS43 on 17th Feb, managed to get top deck seat in Premium Economy, well worth it if you can, with only 20 seats and a nice wide aisle it was very comfortable and quiet as there are not many people moving around. Service very good, food good, although very small portions. Flew home VS44 on 22nd Feb in main Premium Economy cabin in 19A+C. Great seats. Service OK, a little rushed, no drinks or water runs on this flight, and lots of crew moving between top deck, First Class and Economy which was a bit of a pain. Seats great for sleeping in, new entertainment system very good. One thing, sort the toilet configuration out Virgin, for First and Premium economy its a joke, there are signs but no one takes any notice and the crew don't care, it seems anyone can use any toilet they like. Still overall very satisfied. Will fly with them again.

VS603, Feb 1st 2013, London-Cape Town. Cannot state strongly enough my disappointment regarding the poor in flight experience. There appeared to be some issue amongst the cabin crew. During the flight there was almost no evidence of the cabin crew even when the buzzers were used. I never saw any drinks, water etc. being offered except at meal times. Breakfast was served so late that there was a rush to get it cleared away before landing. On this showing alone I could not recommend Virgin Atlantic. Return flight, VS604 on Feb 9th was completely the opposite, super service, cabin staff in constant evidence, a successful team effort. One other problem, seats row 48, A340, are far too cramped for someone over 5 ft 10 inches tall and too close to the toilets, non-stop disturbance all night long. Remove this row and increase prices accordingly, would be worth it on a flight of this length.

LGW-MBJ-LGW, Jan 16 and 23rd 2013, VS065/66. Poor experience, booked row with 2 seats at the back of the aircraft 90 days before, at last minute Virgin changed them. Food portions small and boring, VERA IFE is touch screen so prodded in back constantly as some kid was playing games on it! Not a good idea on refurbished 747! Had to wait 1hr 50 mins to get a drink on return journey, served after food which was slow an evening departure. Staff bland and hid for a lot of the time! Wont use VS again if at all possible.

Manchester to Las Vegas, out 3 Feb, back 10 Feb 2013. Outward Boeing 747, 13.35 departure. Good flight, economy seats, good old leather, went back enough to have a short doze. 1 veggie meal, but both meals good, not expecting fine food on a flight but it was edible and tasty. Staff ok, day flight so staff available for drinks. Only issue with getting a drink as was stuck in seat by sleeping passenger, a bit slow to respond then forgot. Aircraft was very noisy which made it impossible to hear the captain and staff announcements. Homeward flight Airbus A330-300, 14.55 departure - night flight. They let us spread out after take off within the economy seating areas, but had to return to original seats for landing. Fed and watered food good as above, had hot chocolate, plus water and juice brought round during sleep time. Staff happy and cheerful throughout, only problems seats uncomfortable and did go back enough to enable reasonable dozing/sleep. If I had to choose it would be the 747. Inflight entertainment very good but again problems with sound/earphones on 747.

I haven't flown with Virgin for a few years. Flew from LHR to Johannesburg on 4/02 and returned 14/02/13. It all started badly at LHR with the rudest most abrupt woman at the check-in counter. Onboard, the food was tasteless and now very poor quality. The return flight was worse. The entertainment system didn't work despite being rebooted a few times, the flight attendant simply ignored my partner. Gone are the pre-dinner drinks and don't even dare ask for a second drink! What a difference a few years can make.

Premium economy. From Heathrow to Miami and back. Came from Copenhagen and needed connecting flights. That was a mess, a long line and very slow service. No sign of separate desk for premium or business class as was promised online. Onboard, the seating was fine, wider seats with good space. Flight attendants all seemed out of whack one way or another. Some smiled all the time, others not friendly, none seemed very professional. The food was okay on that leg of the journey and were pretty satisfied. On the way back, different crew, same odd service. The leading flight attendant addressed us like we were in kindergarten, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls" was the start of each announcement. This gets irritating after 8 hours. Seating fine again but now the food was incredibly bad. Compared to business class this offers no sleeping chance and like many others commented if the person in front of you puts his seat all the way back you have little space left. Entertainment consists of mostly b movies and the screen is small.

Manchester to Orlando on 21st January return on 20th February. Outward bound sat on plane for 2 hours due to runway closed due to snow and ice and then waiting for de-icing of plane. Kept informed by crew of what was happening and offered drinks during the wait, cant blame them for the weather. Arrived in Orlando about 2 hours late again not the fault of the airline. Seat back entertainment system very good, food was usual airline fare on both flights with choices available. Return flight left on time and arrived 20 minutes early. Cabin crew on both flights very good. My only gripe is the seats, leg room was fine but the seat was uncomfortable, I felt as if I was being pitched forward all the time, not what I expected for a fairly new A330 airbus.

Flew on Havana route from Gatwick, economy. Meal was small only offered one glass wine with lunch, announcement that they had run out of alcohol half way through the flight which was very poor for an outward flight. Returned in premier section, they ran out of main choice meals after a few servings, not good for premier, coffee in paper cups, not a good service at all. Overall a declining service with small meals and no offer of further drinks, the only advantage being the larger seat in premium class.

I'm a frequent flyer from London to Johannesburg, but this was my first Virgin trip. I was looking forward to it - I expected the service, safety and entertainment to be great, but I was sadly mistaken. Very little space available and felt decidedly cramped (I'm only 5'5 but would hate to be any taller), food was mediocre to say the least and outbound and return flights were both late arriving.

Flew from New York to Cape Town with layover in London. Website would not let me check in online for London to Cape Town flight. I called and was assured that this would not be a problem and to show up as scheduled for onward flight. Arrived at Heathrow 3 hours early to be told that flight was oversold and that I had been bumped. Flight had filled almost 6 hours before takeoff. Stranded for 24 hours at airport hotel waiting for next flight to Cape Town. On return trip from Cape Town inexplicably unable to check online again. Call centre useless and unable to help. Virgin gate only opens 3 hours prior to flight and no staff available outside of these hours. I used to really like this airline but lately customer service has really fallen off. Will never fly them again.

Flight Number: 75 and 76, Manchester to Orlando, 26 Jan 2013, return 3rd Feb 2013. A330, in Premium Economy. Check-in in Manchester was not good, an un-smiling assistant who showed neither respect or common politeness as we checked in. Flight was on time. Great seating by a window, big comfortable leather seats and a welcome glass of bubbly passed by smiling and attentive cabin crew, who remained polite through the flight. The seat TV was excellent, huge screen and many new and up to date films on demand. Jet was clean and had a new feeling even though it is 2 years old! Meal service was very good, not massive portions but very good, I recommend the lasagne! Staff were constantly walking the aisles offering drinks, water and could not do enough for you. Afternoon tea was basic but again excellent. Space to recline was very god and in answer to anyone thinking if Premium is worth the extra - for me it is. Our return flight from Orlando to MAN was on a Boeing 747, and again we were in Premium Economy. Flight only had 180 passengers and very few were in the Premium Cabin. Service again was excellent and the seating as per the outbound flight. Landed at Manchester early. We will travel again with Virgin.

30 January 2013, Flight VS603, LHR - Cape Town. Ageing fleet. Noisy, uncomfortable, broken entertainment system. Late departure without explanation, no water provided during wait or throughout the flight. Poor food quality. 11 staff for a full flight of 242 customers. The staff in economy were unhelpful or poorly trained. 5 February 2013, Flight VS604, Cape Town - LHR. Broken entertainment system. Uncomfortable seating. Provision of water during the flight was an improvement on the outward service. This was my first and definitely last trip with Virgin. Overpriced and shoddy.

Flew to Miami from Heathrow. Have used Virgin before and we really noticed a decline in standards. Although the aircraft have been refitted the seats on the return flight were the most uncomfortable we have ever had. The food was pretty poor and not very much of it either. Staff came round once with drinks just before meal on the outward journey and only once with water. Return journey was worse with drinks coming only with dinner and no water served at all. I find this appalling on a long haul flight. We have been using BA and Delta and it looks as though we will be staying with them. Such a shame as we used to really rate Virgin.

NRT-LHR on A340-600. I flew with a very old airbus, broken IFE system (got reset several times), poor taste and quality of food. I got my head bumped by FAs due to a narrow aisles. Very poor and it's a pity to SIA and ANA for having this kind of codeshare partner.

Flight out V63 to Havana and the flight back V64 to Gatwick couldn't have been more enjoyable. Staff were friendly and helpful. Inflight drinks given in the correct manner regarding the safety of other passengers and we were all advised of this before hand, there's nothing worse than a loud awkward passenger on a long haul flight. The food was acceptable and the inflight entertainment was excellent. I believe the 747-400 had been refurbished, it was modern and clean. Captain was very informative throughout the flight.

LHR-MIA and LAS-LGW Jan 2013. After reading mostly bad reviews before my trip, I was preparing myself for a miserable journey on my first trip with VS. However, I was very pleased with everything. All the ground staff and cabin crew I encountered were chatty and friendly. Heathrow-Miami, upper deck economy on B747. Very pleased with the service which was very quick. Entertainment was very good. Food was nice but I thought the portions were quite small. Frequent drink runs. Arrived into Miami ahead of time. Las Vegas- Gatwick, nice flight on a newly refurbished B747. Flight was nearly empty, every passenger had 3 or 4 seats to themselves! Flight left ahead of time and arrived in LGW an hour early. Food was good but again the portions were smal, cereal bar and muffin top for "breakfast"? The cabin crew did about 5 drink runs after dinner and before "breakfast". New entertainment system was excellent. Really could not find any faults with VS and would not hesitate flying them again.

Poor experience. Booked assistance, never happened at Heathrow and nearly missed our connection despite having 3 hours. Never saw the lounge on this occasion which would have been the best part of the Virgin experience. Uncontrolled heat in Upper Class, entertainment system not functional in my seat both directions and the best the staff could do was to say that it was an old plane waiting for a refit. Pathetic and unlikely to be getting my hard earned money for a premium flight in the future and I fly long haul regularly.

Tired airline. Flew premium economy last month to Australia. Wasn't premium economy at all and I complained only to be given some pathetic excuse that premium economy had not been available on that flight even though I had paid for it. Virgins decline is their loss and if I had wanted to fly Thomson I would have booked the same.

Virgin have a good reputation but they have gone downhill in recent years. Recently travelled to Miami November 2012, they made an announcement half way though flight that they had run out of alcohol? How can you run out of all alcohol, I don't drink but it is not good. Returning from Miami, no drinks just straight into dinner service with no tea or coffee the drinks trolley came behind, not enough headsets to go around? Breakfast before landing was in a box containing a small, very small breakfast bar and orange juice? Not good.

We flew to Barbados in November from Manchester. We wanted premium economy as we usually do but all booked. Outward flight was fine with touch 'entertainment' and ok service - but the homeward journey was a different story! A much older aircraft! No offer of pre-dinner drinks and eventually a meal arrived - were allowed wine - grudgingly! When I asked if I could have a gin and tonic was made to feel like an alcoholic. My husband had wine I had G&T both served in paper cups with no hint of ice or lemon. Not a hint of pleasantness let alone a smile - the weary meal was eventually removed to our relief. We are going back to Barbados on April 1, again could not book premium economy! The new advert has made me write this - infuriates me - 'ordinary' would be a great improvement! Dreading the flight.

LHR-CPT-LHR travelling in Premium Economy on A340 aircraft. Aircraft was clean, tidy and bright and the Premium Economy seating was as described, with decent legroom and wider seats than in economy. The experience was enhanced with some nice touches, such as a drink immediately after boarding and a drink offered after dinner. On outbound flight staff were good and catering was enhanced compared with economy and was nicely presented, which added to the experience. On the return flight, due to staff shortages the crew were under slightly more pressure but managed well as the flight was not full, but the catering was not as good as on the outbound leg. Both flights were overnight and staff passed through the cabin offering water and soft drinks during the night. Both flights were punctual and check-in was efficient with no queues. A good experience with Virgin Atlantic: Premium Economy offered a more comfortable experience at a realistic cost. I would use this service again.

Returning from Antigua on 19th December the flight was delayed 4 hours in Antigua. They did feed us as they should have, but proceeded to fly at low level to Barbados where the second batch of passengers were to be picked up. Plane had to have spares flown from the USA, kept on board for a further 3 hours while the repair was done. Under EU rules compensation is due, but Virgin seem to policing themselves and have rejected any claims. This leaves a bad taste, after a fantastic holiday.

LGW-MCO in January 2012, we have more flights booked for the 5th Feb 2013. In 2012 we travelled on a 747 and it was less than impressive! Inflight entertainment kept crashing, in the end they turned it off! Staff were embarrassed and apologetic - we were told all planes were to be refitted by April 2012 and we were on one of the last ones not to have been upgraded. We found the staff very helpful, a lot of the reviews on here moan about only one drinks round, I find if you just ask you can have as many drinks as you like. The flight back was great, entertainment worked and plane was half empty. As soon as the seat belt light went out we found an empty row of 4 in the middle and crashed out.

Travelled from Las Vegas to Gatwick, paid excess baggage because I felt we would be over weight. Arrived at Virgin and told we were not overweight and would have to call customer service to obtain refund. Called and advised that excess baggage not refundable. Will never fly with them again.

Staff rude, seemed put out if you ask for anything. Stood in centre area chatting and ignored you if you went to ask for service. Booked children's meals and sky crib on inward and outbound journey. Didn't have children's meals and wouldn't allocate us seats for use with sky cots at check in, claiming they prioritised the elderly for those seats. The had in fact sold them as extra leg room seats. Ran out of snacks 4 hours into long haul flight. Meals small. We asked for the children's meals early, they eventually let us have them begrudgingly. Passport control in Orlando took 2 hours. Not ideal when travelling with baby and small children. Due to not having sky crib found it a struggle on overnight flight. Staff unsympathetic. We did receive an apology on leaving the flight but following this experience we will never book Virgin again. The use of seat belt lights through night fights is somewhat dubious.

Dec 2012 - SFO-LHR and return LHR-SFO in Jan 2013 in Premium Economy. Outbound leg, very disappointing as there was no drink service after take-off, went straight into dinner service. Food portions ok and a decent breakfast. Crew came by twice mid-flight with water or juice. Return flight much better which included a drink service, lunch, mid-flight snack and afternoon tea. Crew was visible through-out the flight. Premium Economy is a good option for folks like me who cannot afford the business fare but willing to spend a bit extra for a bit more comfort. Overall a good experience with the exception of the out-bound flight.

Flew LHR-JFK-LHR, (VS03 & VS04 both A330-300). Both flights on time and overall very satisfactory. New IFE very good although touchscreen is quite sensitive. Cabin crew very good in both directions, although turning off the IFE over 1/2 hour before landing to play a charity film seemed a little unnecessary. Food could do with some improvement but generally pleasing. I would fly with virgin again.

We were kept waiting at the airport and boarded late. Once on board there were delays and we were told we needed to disembark and take all of our belongings with us. Flight was cancelled. The staff were totally unprepared to assist us. We were transferred from one person to another. We were at JFK for 24 hours and missed the first day of our cruise. This is total inefficiency.

Flew premium economy return December 2012 to Orlando from Gatwick. Food was not very good, Virgin seem to have reduced the portion sizes and to cap it all Virgin now serve the tea and coffee in paper cups. I would expect that from a budget airline but not from Virgin, especially paying premium economy prices. It seems all you get now for the extra cost is bigger seats, there wasn't many drinks offered on both flights, it looks like that's another cut back. The only good improvement is the entertainment system, all this has changed since May 2012 when we used the same airline for the same trip.

We flew from Tokyo to London yesterday and without a doubt it was the worst long haul flight I have experienced. Seats are the narrowest I have encountered and gave me a sore lower back. Food portions were child sized and we were starving the entire flight with no snacks available. Inflight entertainment was broken for 50% of flight and unwatchable due to pixellation the rest of the time. Bathrooms were old and needed cleaning, leg room was non-existent. Only positive comments I can give was that the air hostesses were nice. Will avoid Virgin in the future.

This Christmas were meant to fly SAA back to South Africa from Heathrow and due to overbooking we were bumped off and had to fly Virgin! Sat on the tarmac for a while waiting for passengers - this was very poor. The interior of the plane was not that clean and the ageing of the equipment was very visible - the remotes were so used that you can not see the icons, as well as the fact that they did not work very well either. The seats were very uncomfortable and hard. Seats also showed signs of missing bits with dirt in the grooves. I have to say I was very disappointed. For us we did not find the staff very friendly - can not fault their job they did that but really no extra smiles or interaction by them. Also the after meal service, clean up was very slow - my plate was on my tray for an hour after I had finished. Generally the food was not of good quality.

Flew to Las Vegas 23/12/12 from London Gatwick. Seating uncomfortable. Crew unhelpful. Lack of water and soft drinks dispensed by crew. One cup of water on 10+ hour flight. Return flight 30/12/12. Crew members more helpful but still lack of water jugs dispensed by crew members. Crew members are on duty and working, they should be regularly going round with water jugs and soft drinks.

I flew to and from New York for Christmas 2012. Economy-class seats were, by some distance, the most uncomfortable I have encountered. They are narrow and do not benefit from a great deal of legroom but the overwhelming problem is how incredibly hard they are and their odd shape, which forces your lower back into an uncomfortable position whether the seat is reclined or upright. After just 2 hours of a 7 hour flight, I was in pain. I have flown for up to 14 hours straight with other airlines and have never had cause to complain about my seat before. I will never fly Virgin again, which is a shame because the cabin crew were excellent. (The food was average to ropey.)

My husband and I travelled to Las Vegas to spend Christmas with our family and returned just before the new year. The flight out was brilliant as there was only 80 passengers and we could spread out and get comfortable. Very impressed with the entertainment system, the films were awful, but the games kept us amused. On return journey there were a few more passengers but the plane was nowhere near full, so again we could spread out and get comfortable. The only big complaint was the terrible food. The journey back was the worst, with such small portions for the evening meal and as for the breakfast, forget it, a breakfast bar and a muffin. I really do advise anybody to take extra food with them as we were so hungry by the time we landed.

Staff were excellent from Sydney to Hong Kong and very good onto London. The premium economy seats were a little cramped as centre rest tended to dig into your leg at times. As I am over 6ft I also found that the table was very tight. All this said not reasonably happy with the flight.

Have been flying with Virgin for 20 years. We were always impressed with the quality of Virgin flights and with the staff. However we have noticed a steady decline in all areas in the last few years. We awaited the new aircraft in the hope that the little problems would be rectified but alas not. We flew in the new Premium cabin which is now a 2x3x2 configuration. The flight home was amalgamated with an earlier flight resulting in passengers not being able to sit together. So many people complained and no one liked the new cabin. The only improvement is the In flight entertainment. We have another flight booked in March. If things remain the same we will be taking our custom elsewhere.

MCO-LGW, A330-300, 2nd flight in 12 days. I've stayed away from VS for some years, but despite some of the reviews this flight was as good as the one taken 12 days ago. Check in downtown, boarding was quick and simple. FA's where great as were the seats! The VOD has great content and more than enough on this 7.5 hrs flight. The food was good enough with drinks being offered on boarding and throughout the flight, I like the A330-300 very quiet so managed a few hours sleep. I've stayed loyal to the 2 frequent flier schemes I'm enrolled in over the past 10 years, but recently I've enjoyed flying with other airlines with schedules that suit my travel plans. Would use VS again.

After a 12 year gap in flying VA out of Newark to Heathrow I thought I would try again. My premium economy seat was supportive, a little hard but the seat pitch seemed stingy and uncomfortable with the seat in front reclining. Both outward and inward were on time and cabin crew were friendly, the cabin chief should have laid off the jokes since the Brit humour was lost on the 70 percent of non English language passengers who made up the passengers on the late evening return flight to Newark. Next time its back to United/Continental in their premium economy which has better leg room.

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