Virgin Atlantic

Flew New York to Edinburgh and I was sceptical as I normally fly BA but decided to join the frequent flyer programme and go with Virgin after a friend swore by them! And I must say I was impressed! The aircraft was a 747 and the seat was decent the food was tasty and loved the Virgin flair in general. The crew on both flights to London and Edinburgh were lovely and professional! The Crew stuck out and nothing was to much effort even on the short flight from London to Edinburgh nothing was to much trouble! All flights on time smooth flights and Captain always keeping us updated and pointed out sights on the flight from Edinburgh to London! I am flying Virgin next month again! I have started flying Virgin America in the US and they are great too!

Flew MIA-LHR B747 economy class. Another good flight with Virgin pre booked and paid for exit row seats. Flight departed MIA on time and arrived LHR 30 minutes early. Being able to pre book exit seats makes all the difference. It takes the dread out of an economy class long haul flight and makes it somewhat easier to rest and enjoy the flight.

Flew LHR-JFK A330 economy class. Virgin now allow their economy class exit row seats to be booked at the time of reservation so we booked economy plus paid £60 per person for exit row seats. We made our reservation on line then spoke to their call centre to pre paid for the exit seats all very easy and efficient. Seat numbers were assigned I think around 3 weeks before we travelled which was excellent and reassuring. We checked in online as usual and arrived at the bag drop at LHR T3 around 2 hours before departure and we were having breakfast in the departure area 15 minutes later. The flight departed on time. The seats themselves were a little narrow but acceptable however the leg room was what we had paid for so all was ok however there is no way I could travel for more than 30 minutes in a regular Virgin Atlantic economy class seat the pitch is appalling. The flight itself was fine food and drinks ok good service from the cabin crew and good inflight entertainment.

Flew LHR-SFO Premium Economy on 15th November. On time. Cabin appeared clean but a lot of dust gathered around air vents. The aircraft was a 747 with the interior really starting to show its age. The IFE screen was very poor quality which meant it was very difficult to work out what was happening in the films. Food was regular and average to good which was pleasant. Aircrew were polite and went about their work in an efficient manner. Premium Economy on the whole is starting to look a little expensive for what you get. The return from EWR to LHR was in economy with extended leg room and I felt that there was little difference between the the two. In short I would fly again but will start looking at airlines that are offering more modern aircraft which are more comfortable with better IFE.

Flew with Virgin Little Red from Manchester to London for a connection to Virgin Atlantic for a flight to Newark in Premium Class on an A330. Used the Number 1 traveller lounge at discounted price using Virgin flight reference which whilst no where near the Virgin Lounge quality was excellent and way above the normal pay for Exec lounges. Flight to Newark was very good plane in excellent condition and staff attentive polite and helpful. In flight entertainment was adequate with plenty of options. The meal was well presented and again the presentation was excellent. On arrival in Newark the Priority baggage did not materialise and it was the usual 'dog fight' to wait for luggage. Our return flight (after a cruise) was via Orlando international direct to Manchester on an old B747 in upper class. The Delta lounge was offered as a code share and was a nice quiet oasis although these American lounges are not a patch on the UK lounges regards food etc. Escorted by a Virgin staff member to the gate when the flight was due to be boarded and the upper class area was excellent The seating was not the new seating product as used on the new A330 fleet and the newly arrived 787's but was still very nice and the best way one can travel 'Red Eye' back to the UK. The staff were so attentive nothing could be too much trouble the novelty bar was just that a novelty for some the food was excellent the Beef Filet excellent as was the cooked breakfast. The fold out bed with mattress was a great feature and the Virgin pyjamas. The bed itself was quit hard but I was still able to have a nice sleep. Overall despite some adverse reviews recently My wife and I found the service to be excellent although I do think the US Airways Envoy 'Product' is better.

LGW - Cancun return in Upper class. Lounge at Gatwick is very good with large selection of food/drinks. Boarding a bit chaotic but once on board everything was a pleasure. Food was very good and drinks plentiful. On the return trip lounge at Cancun is very basic to say the least. Upper Class was called first to board and again once on board everything was perfect - apart from my table that got broken on the way from London. It was not a problem for us as I shared my husbands table and we could have a nice dinner together. I managed to sleep for 6 hours the bed is comfortable and duvet very soft. The only issue for me was the seat as I like to sit in 'half way position' but the seat only goes some way down and you have to get up if you wish to put the seat in bed position. This would not put me off flying with Virgin and I am looking forward to my next flight on Upper Class in the future.

Virgin Atlantic flight in Premium economy from London to Newark A330. excellent flight good meal and flight crew were attentive polite and happy. what a joy. The baggage collection was not that good as the priority luggage did not materialise and it was any bags that came through except the crews. Return flight Virgin B747 Upper Class Orlando - Manchester. Staff attentive nothing too much trouble and very helpful. Upper class cabin wonderful quiet oasis but the product is not the best. The reading light in effective the position for the headphones terrible location and the converted bed mattress is not that comfortable. The inflight entertainment was good but it was the older product and the slightly smaller screens that in other business Class products. The food was excellent and the large dining table is very good and the ability to eat my meal with my wife sat on the foot rest is a great plus. I do believe that the US Airways Envoy is still the best Business class product pity about the US style of crew. Virgin do have that wow factor because the crew are so good.

Orlando to Manchester on 5th November Flight VS76 with my grandchildren. I will never fly Virgin again. I have given Staff service 1 star but only because the option to give none is not available (like a lot of onboard services). On trying to book in there was a long queue which did not move. No announcements were made and eventually another passenger told us the computer system was down. The ground crew were exceptionally rude and our party was split despite having reserved seats before we left the UK. The cabin crew were almost invisible. They disappeared to their rest area shortly after serving the meal. Call bells were ignored. When they did appear they were disinterested and barely polite. The meal was unappetising. Perhaps if Virgin spent some of the money they spend on advertising and hype on training staff and updating very tired and worn aircraft passenger satisfaction would improve.

Travelled from LGW-BGI and BGI-LGW several weeks ago. Both flights were on time boarding was quick and efficient staff were friendly. Aircraft were clean and the inflight entertainment was excellent. Food was frequently served and tasted nice.

I was flew premium economy from Gatwick to St. Lucia but on the way back we got upgraded to upper class. It was very nice and new with new lighting colours and various patterns across the cabin. The seats were very new and modern and the bed was comfy. My suggestion is that these seats are only on the A330-300 but to give everyone this modern even more luxury experience I think it should be released across the whole fleet (not A320). The seats and the bar. This would give the airline an outlook on the modern perspective of Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class and luxury flying.