Virgin Atlantic

Barbados to Gatwick 24 February 2015. Terrible Business Class lounge but this is not Virgin's fault as it caters for all airlines. Apart from free drinks it is all very basic and it can be hard to find anywhere to sit. On a positive note the crew were absolutely outstanding and the food was very good. Unfortunately as we were on an Airbus it was obvious that too many Upper Class seats have been squeezed in. The herringbone pattern does not work well as it provides little privacy the seats are very narrow and the fixed screen between the seats mean there is little conversation if you have someone with you. And the tiny bar is a joke. Choose a 747 Jumbo if you can.

Gatwick to Barbados 12 February 2015. Delighted with fast track and with Virgin's Upper Class lounge offering great food from cheery staff so the journey started well. Then it became even better as the aircraft was a 747 Jumbo which meant there were only 14 Upper Class seats. This was more like Business Class of years ago with ample space to walk around a proper bar attentive and outstanding crew and very acceptable food. Plus our luggage was waiting for us upon arrival. The only downside was the seat design as there was a fixed screen between each seat which effectively prevented any conversation.

LHR-MIA and IAD-LHR all in PE. A busy morning at LHR check-in but staff were there to minimise the queues and I was checked in at an Upper Class desk within 5 mins of arriving. A full cabin on the day flight to Miami. We left on time and a Bloody Mary was mixed at the bar for me (a nice touch) with lunch following drinks all presented on a try with real crockery and cutlery. Plenty of space around me although the old IFE system was used on the ageing 747. We live in a touchscreen digital age now and negotiating screens with a sticking cursor keypad was somewhat archaic and annoying. Crew were pleasant and helpful with regular rounds of water and orange juice (or any other drink if you wanted). We landed 20 mins ahead of schedule and my luggage was one of the first out another reason I like PE. The flight back from Washington was on the new 787 and the difference in seat style and IFE against the 747 was immediately noticeable. Flight was only a third full so I had the window and isle to myself. Dinner served promptly after take off but I wanted a drink first so they put my meal back in the oven and I had it when I wanted it - a more business class level of service from a personable professional team. The IFE touchscreen was great and I stretched out and thoroughly enjoyed the movies snacks and drinks all night long! A full English was served an 90 mins before landing. We arrived an hour early due to strong tailwinds and my bag was out within two mins of me arriving at the belt. I don't mind paying what was nearly double the economy fare when the experience was as good as this. Well done Virgin I'll definitely be back again - just upgrade your seats and IFE on the older aircraft (I really only want to fly on your A330s and 787s from now on) it's the only reason this review isn't 10/10.

Flew ABZ-LHR-EWR returning JFK-LHR-ABZ. Outward flight with Little Red was as with my previous flights outstanding. The Little Red service exceeds what is expected of a short domestic flight and the crew clearly take pride in delivering the product. Another exemplary flight with the short haul branch. This was my first experience with long-haul Virgin. The outward flight to Newark was comfortable and I found leg room to be sufficient. It was perhaps a bit tight at the shoulders but I was in fairness seated towards the back of the A330's cabin where the cabin begins to narrow. In flight entertainment offered an excellent choice of movies including many that were nominated for Oscars. The crew were polite and friendly not exceptional but gave no cause for complaint. The food (chicken something or other) looked a bit pathetic and the chicken was a bit tough but actually tasted OK otherwise. The sandwich box was a tasty way to round off the flight. Ground staff at all airports went above expectations and were particularly helpful on arrival at Newark. I returned on a 747 from JFK. I had paid extra to select my seat choosing the upstairs economy cabin for the novelty value. Unfortunately my flight was remarkably quiet and they closed the upstairs cabin re-allocating me to the rear of the plane. The ground staff at JFK were not particularly helpful at first in addressing this although eventually offered me an exit row seat which was more than comfortable and although I wasn't offered a window seat (which I would have preferred) the offer to upgrade my seat was certainly welcome compensation. The flight was very lightly loaded and I had very few people around me. The beef stew for dinner was again not particularly appealing to look at but actually tasted very nice. The Gü puddings were absolutely delicious. The IFE broke down and was unusable but we were offered tablet devices and compensation for this - the issue was dealt with well. I managed some sleep on this overnight flight - the complimentary amenities kit helped a lot! I awoke to find I'd missed the breakfast service but the crew had kindly left me a tasty breakfast box without disturbing me which was very thoughtful. As for the final Little Red flight back to Scotland - again excellent. It is clear that the Little Red staff take a great deal of pride in offering what I judge to be the finest short-haul economy product in the skies. The Virgin product is pretty standard and although they promote excellent service certainly for the Economy product it only shows in small areas such as the nice puddings and some little touches here and there. It's certainly not a bad product but not quite the "rock star" service that they sell to us. I'd certainly use them again long haul although probably will not be able to with the domestic flights being withdrawn in due course. The Little Red service continue to provide the best short haul flights in the skies and will be sorely missed.

Having flown to New York with Virgin in 2000 and found them to be the best airline I've travelled with thus far I was looking forward to my flight home (if one can look forward to returning from a great holiday). I was offered an upgrade on my seat for $70 as I had been unable to check-in online and was therefore stuck at the back of the aircraft but declined. In retrospect I wish I had because the seat I was in was incredibly uncomfortable and I was on an aisle so was able to stretch out a little unlike the guy next to me. The cabin crew were friendly the inflight entertainment very reasonable but the food was pretty poor to say the least and a lot of options had run out by the time they got to me (which I understand to an extent as I was one of the very last to be served due to my place on the aircraft). It might have been a bit of a blip as I loved them before but I'll certainly be plumping for Delta over Virgin in the future if given the choice.

Virgin Upper Class LHR-HK return. A340-600 in each direction. Only 9 people in Upper Class on the way out busier on the return. Crew good - the problems come from the seat and the Vera entertainment. The latter has a very small screen for this class (compared to say Austrian or Swiss) awful music selection (surprising) and generally feels old. The seating is awkward - shoulder light cannot illuminate the dinner table due to angle seat upright is narrow for anyone with broad shoulders and horizontal sleep impossible for the same reason. Gangways are small. The bar area is not workable with one more person in it. Overall disappointing whilst other airlines have progressed this has not in some time.

Used Virgin Atlantic twice on one trip. First been London to Tokyo. The plane was ageing and a number (including mine) of inflight entailment systems over worked instead we got old DVD players that run out before the film finished. My seat didn't work and not once stayed in any position apart from upright. Apart from the staff I can't think of anything on that flight that should stay even the food tasted like it'd been used a few times. The second flight was San Francisco to London. The entailment system worked however it was very old compared to the Golf airlines more than me had problems with the seats on the flight.

Travelled Economy LHR-MIA and return in February 2015 on board a 747. Good check-in both sides quick efficient and friendly.No longer supply sparkling wine with a meal. Who on earth is providing their in flight meals it was appalling. Do the management actually try it. I know that to many a £500+ return is not big money but surely it is not beyond their wit to provide the passenger with something edible. The cabin crew were as always delightful. I think we will give them a miss for a while in the hope of some improvement.

My husband and I were on our 10th holiday to Jamaica and when asked to fill out the immigration cards we were told by the stewardess that we only needed to fill out one card as we had the same surname (same family) which seemed strange as we usually have 1 card per person. We did as we were told only when we got to immigration in Jamaica we should have filled out one card per person. We then had to fill out 2 new cards along with loads of other passengers who had been told the same information - and then go to the back of the queue which is something you don't need after a 9.5 hour flight I can tell you. Personally I think Virgin staff need to get their act together regarding this issue. Apart from that everything was great - boarding and take off on time.

Flew from Manchester to Hong Kong and returned Shanghai to Manchester via Heathrow both ways. The little red service is great quick efficient and perfect for connecting it's a shame this service is being discontinued as even though BA service is fine enough connecting from Terminal 5 is always a nightmare I find terminals 2 and 3 much more comfortable. As for the long haul service I struggle to understand how Virgin can put an ancient A340-300 on a 12 hour long haul route the entertainment was shocking the old Vera Reel system should of been replaced years ago. I could tell they had put there most battle hardened cabin crew on this route obviously to deal with this I have never seen a cabin manager talking to so many passengers mid flight though it must be said she did a great job. Luckily the return flight from Shanghai was on a newer A340-600 and the on demand entertainment was much better. The crew on this flight though were clearly struggling with the majority Chinese passengers and while there were Chinese crew to help there was no communication between the British and Chinese crew. I find the crew on Cathay Emirates Qatar and other long haul airlines to have a much more professional attitude. Overall though the flights were on time comfortable enough for an economy ticket and I would fly Virgin again luckily they are retiring the old A340s because flying on one of them again would be the deal breaker.