Virgin Atlantic

Two good flights to and from IAD. Airbus330-300 generally comfortable except seats become hard further into the flight. FAs good on both flights plenty of runs through the cabin with water or juice. Both flights departed on time. Arrived in IAD late due to weather conditions.

Took outbound Manchester - Heathrow - Washington and inbound Boston - Heathrow - Manchester. Everything was fine except the food really. I am lactose intolerant and the only choice was a vege/lacto option meaning no meat. They just didn't get it repeatedly gave/offered me food with dairy in. I had one meal put in front of me which looked as though it was dairy free but thankfully I double checked the ingredients otherwise I might have had a very bad flight. I have been with other airlines that separate the vege and dairy free options it isn't difficult and would show more of an interest in their customers. There was probably also the need for a few extra classic family films as entertainment was lacking. Most annoying were the unresponsive screens that need seriously updating.

From Manchester to Barbados 8/914 - 15/914 in Premium Economy. Seated downstairs on outbound - upstairs inbound which was a nicer atmosphere. Don't like the fact that Virgin have filled most of upper deck with economy seating. Crew all friendly and drinks service good. Didn't get my vegetarian meal and eventually got one on a tray from economy with no bread and plastic cutlery. Not good for premium standards. Entertainment system worked ok and film choice was good. Used to always fly BA to Barbados but last few times been with Virgin as it's the most convenient from Manchester.

Flew on Virgin Little Red to EDI from LHR on the VS3005. The flight left on time we even got a complimentary drink and snack! The cabin crew members are super friendly and both crew that actually served us added to the experience. I must also say the ground staff where friendly too! Aircraft lovely and purple so Virgin! Great trip and compared to BA amazing fare! Terminal 2 at Heathrow is lovely and easy!! Great option and value for money better value than the train!

We flew with Virgin Gatwick to Orlando. We had initially booked economy however decided to upgrade to upper class at the last minute. Not a problem for the return flight however we could only secure one upperclass seat for the outbound journey. I let my wife take advantage while I started the journey in economy. When the stewardess was made aware of the situation I was handed a pre flight glass of champagne to the bemusement of other passengers! I was also told I could join my wife in the upperclass cabin and enjoy some drinks at the bar. A nice touch I thought. Economy food was bad in fact I can't remember having food quite so bad on any previous flight we have taken. What a difference upperclass is! Only 14 seats really gives you the impression you're the only passenger the cabin crew have to look after impeccable service lovely food linen table cloths salt and pepper shakers proper cutlery great tasting food plenty of drinks and snacks. It really is another world. After spending the majority of the flight in upperclass I reluctantly returned to economy only to be quizzed by everyone around me as to what its like up there! The flight home was superb it helped that both my wife and I were officially in upperclass this time. Outstanding service wonderful food the IFE is poor regardless of class. Virgins lie flat seat is ok nothing special. Would we fly with Virgin again the answer to this on completion of our holiday was 100% yes but only in upper class. Since our holiday we have tried to book another with Virgin however they are currently advertising upperclass sale seats on their website up to 13th Oct 2015 however when you try to book them the are unavailable. If we change the dates to around June or July they become available however disappear as soon as you log in to your Virgin Club account - there's loyalty for you.

We flew Virgin Atlantic in early October 2014 and were really impressed. The attitude of the cabin crew was terrific always smiling always ready to help. This is our second flight with Virgin Atlantic (the first was Economy Class) good service great attitude and a comfortable seat. The meals were tasty and filling and the entertainment was up to date and varied. Highly recommended. They're on our list for the next trip.

Flew on VS7 from LHR to LAX on 21st September and back on VS8 on the 9th October (upper class). The return flight was exactly the same price (to the penny) as BA business class which I have used before on a different route. I chose Virgin because the seat layout is better. Check-in was efficient at Heathrow and was given directions to the Clubhouse lounge. It’s in a different league to BA business class lounge. Super food great at table service great ambience. The flight was an hour late departing with late arrival of the aircraft as the reason. But we watched it arrive 2.5 hours before the scheduled departure time? The gate was chaotic and they started boarding premium economy before Upper class so we just walked through onto the aircraft (didn't pay a small fortune for this). On the plane the staff were great. Very friendly and helpful. Replaced my main course which was inedible (braised beef) with a delicious piece of salmon. The seat was very comfy and went completely flat. The entertainment system needs updating. The screen is small and picture quality and audio is poor my system needed a re-boot twice. Returning on VS8 we arrived at terminal 3 check in early (4.5 hours before departure as our connecting flight landed on time from Tahiti). The check in desk was closed and we had to wait for an hour and a half before we could check in. Not a fan of LAX staff are cold bordering on rude but the biggest gripe is a complete lack of seating. Standing around with luggage for an hour and a half is not fun. Once check in opened it was ok. The lounge is the Air New Zealand lounge which is ok. Boarding was fine and properly prioritised. Onboard the aircraft the staff were great in every respect. Again the food was only ok. We had a main course of fillet steak which was great but a starter of 2 small cold scallops with some puree was very poor. Breakfast was a disappointment. The bacon was cold and the sausage tasted bitter. Would I use Virgin upper class again? Absolutely but they need to up their game with the onboard food and entertainment system.

JFK-LHR LHR-JFK 747 Economy. Seats were tight and on the way back my brother's TV was broken but they gave him a mobile DVD player instead. Food was good ordered vegetarian special meal. Check in was easy and convenient good for my first transatlantic flight. Good crew. I'd say its a great airline and would definitely travel with them again. Good variety of entertainment.

Heathrow to JFK at the end of September. Virgin staff at Heathrow looked after us very well and all went smoothly until we were in the air. Apart from the usual poor food and narrow seats our major complaint was with the terrible entertainment. Terrible because the whole system had more or less broken down - including the sound and despite several attempts to reboot it never worked properly and we were not able to watch anything. The return journey which was a night flight was awful. Again the entertainment system was faulty and the hand remote controls failed to control anything. When I tried to plug in my headset I couldn't because another passenger had jammed a piece of their headset in the hole so mine couldn't plug in. We were told that most of the screens were faulty on the plane and efforts would be made to reboot the system. When after an hour we asked what was happening we were told by a stressed attendant that as there were only 4 of them to look after 250 of us we would have to wait. I thought this was odd as previously the Captain had stated with pride that he had on board 16 attendants for the flight. When I mentioned this to the attendant he said through gritted teeth that the other 12 were looking after upper class. So poor food no entertainment and people in next row in front with children who were allowed all through the night to move about talk loudly and generally behave with absolutely no consideration for fellow passengers. The flight attendants kept well away but were only too much in evidence when time came to push the duty free at us. We travel regularly to the States as our son lives there but I can assure Virgin we will be flying with BA in future and not darken Virgin's door again.

My wife and I travelled from London Gatwick - Barbados - London Gatwick on VS030 Upper Class having used my miles to upgrade from economy. The herringbone seat layout meant that window seat passengers could not look out of the window without turning their heads at an awkward angle and aisle seats could not talk to their neighbours at all without physically getting out of their seats and if you put your feet on the stool they were liable to get knocked by anyone passing. The FA's were excellent very attentive helpful and very pleasant. The food and drink was very acceptable and the in flight entertainment also very good with lots of choice. Having flown with Virgin since the late 80's I still recommend them although I do not like the seating arrangement on the A330 much preferring that on the 747 hence only 8/10.