Virgin Atlantic Airways Passenger Reviews and Customer Trip Reports

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.

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