Virgin Atlantic Airways Premium Economy and Economy class seat reviews

VIRGIN ATLANTIC BOEING 747-400 ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 6 April 2011 by  C Bain (UK)

Very hard and uncomfortable seats on a long haul flight, recline was poor, no head rest sides to fold in to prevent your head from slipping. Very poor tv, grainy and small and trying to remove the remote from the armrest with someone sat next to you is not the easiest. Trying to move in and out of the seat also proved a challenge. Have been in more comfort with budget airlines.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC BOEING 747-400 ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 6 April 2011 by  Charles Grey (UK)

Upper deck standard economy seat. Seat in front is about 10" from your face when reclined. Way back paid £120 for pair of exit seats. No legroom worries or chair in the face worries but narrow (as tables take up space between). I had to get physically out of my seat to get at any of the controls. Ridiculous and incredibly uncomfortable.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC BOEING 747-400 ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 3 January 2011 by  D Chana (Ireland)

Flew Virgin from Johannesburg to Heathrow, sitting in Row 80 on the upper deck. I used to fly Virgin very regularly between London and the US but haven't flown with them in the last 4 years and I have definitely noticed that the quality of the seating has deteroriated over that time. It almost feels like you are flying with a budget airline with the way Virgin have tried to cram every spare inch with a seat. I would be interested to know if they have changed the dimensions of the seats and the lefroom in the previous 4 years. The other minus point was the quality of the service The flight attendents could not have been more uninterested if they tried - it was very obvious that all they wanted to do was to feed the passengers and get to the back to chat with the other attendents. I would not fly Virgin again and based on this trip would not recommend them to anyone either.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC A340-600 ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 5 December 2010 by  Dawn Tustian  (UK)

Seats are very hard and uncomfortable, you will need the pillow to sit on or put behind your back for more comfort.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC A340-600 PREMIUM ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 21 November 2010 by  Janet Williams  (Australia)

Seats 20H/K Sydney-Hong Kong. Footrest on seat in front not good. Fare only good for extra 5 inches of seat pitch - not when front and rear passengers recline their seats. Could not exit our seats. Would prefer to pay for old style business class seats giving good access for both or shell seats where centre will not encroach into others space.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC BOEING 747-400 ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 22 September 2010 by  Andrew Ingram  (UK)

Manchester to Orlando with wife and 2 kids. (7 & 2) The seat was not as bad as expected and legroom was OK. Sitting in the seat with and without recline was OK but trying to sleep was difficult. The screen was OK but the one I had was not as clear as others. The armrest went up as far as the sitting position but was annoying when the seat was reclined.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC BOEING 747-400 ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 10 August 2010 by  Damien Corrigan  (Ireland)

Seat was terrible for comfort and armrest didn't go all the way up, it digs into your back. An experience I want to forget.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC BOEING 747-400 ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 26 July 2010 by  K Andrews  (UK)

Armrests between chairs do not go all the way up, seat was terribly uncomfortable, no way is this a 31" pitch, as much as I hate BA their seats are way better.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRBUS A340-600 ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 7 June 2010 by  K Holmes  (UK)

Seat 61 D. Very, very narrow (even for a small person like me!), extremely uncomfortable with no lower back support and a design that pitches your head and neck forward. Fold out table too small for food tray. Tables for the passengers in the seats to my right tipped forward! I will not choose Virgin Atlantic again for long-haul flights.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 27 May 2010 by  Steve Horrell   (New Zealand)

First and last flight with Virgin! Horribly uncomfortable seat, dreadful viewing of the IFE screen, poor service and poor food just made it even worse.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 17 Deember 2009 by  D Long   (Australia)

We were seated in 55H/K. Pitch and width both OK. Base of seat was hugely uncomfortable after a few hours - seemed to have very little padding. TV screen becomes all but useless if the person in front of you reclines, even if you also then recline. On the return leg (LHR to SYD) we were on an older A340, which had the docking position for the entertainment controls on the inside of the armrest making it very hard to remove / replace while sitting down. The aircraft on the flight over had this under the screen, which was far more sensible. My reading light seemed to be aimed right in between the seats and couldn't be adjusted.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 19 October 2009 by  Alison Criado-Perez   (UK)

I will never willingly travel Virgin Economy again, after an excruciating 12 hr flight from London to Shanghai. I checked out the Premium Economy on my way out of the plane, and have upgraded for my return flight because couldn't stand another 12-hour flight in those uncomfortable seats. I think they were the hardest I've ever sat on. Felt similar to flying Easy Jet, but those are normally a 2 hr flight so your bottom doesn't go numb! I resorted to using my inflatable neck cushion to sit on. The other problem was the lack of a foot rest. Having recently suffered DVT, it was important not to have my legs hanging down for 12 hrs (even though I wear stockings and walk around every few hours); Virgin had told me incorrectly that there would be one. I think it's irresponsible to have seats with no foot rests on long haul flights, given the incidence of dvts occurring after these flights; raising your legs helps the venous return. All in all, a terrible experience.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  - 17 December 2009 by  D Long   (Australia)

We were seated in 55H/K. Pitch and width both OK. Base of seat was hugely uncomfortable after a few hours - seemed to have very little padding. TV screen becomes all but useless if the person in front of you reclines, even if you also then recline. On the return leg (LHR to SYD) we were on an older A340, which had the docking position for the entertainment controls on the inside of the armrest making it very hard to remove / replace while sitting down. The aircraft on the flight over had this under the screen, which was far more sensible. My reading light seemed to be aimed right in between the seats and couldn't be adjusted.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC ECONOMY CLASS SEAT REVIEW  -  3 March 2009 by Clifford Hirschman (USA)

Seat pitch on this newish A340 was nowhere near the advertised 32 inches. It could not have been more than 30 inches. Remote for the video froze up two-thirds through the flight - could not even turn my reading lamp on. No pre-dinner drinks, no offers of drink refills during dinner. Asked for a napkin with breakfast muffin and f/a told me, "we don't have any in this aisle, although they do in the other aisle," and left it at that. My first experience with VS, and not a positive one.