Virgin Atlantic

Flew both PE and Upper class so will write PE review here first. Not worth the money as when the seat in front of you is reclined it is almost impossible to get out of your seat. All of the window seats where we were sitting were broken and would not stay upright. The lovely flight attendant attempted to fix them to no avail. There was not enough time in Hong Kong for them to fix the seats so it was a very uncomfortable 23 hours in the air. As others have said do not waste your money on premium economy.

We flew BOM-LHR-EWR this May. I have an infant with me. Honestly I was very dissatisfied and disappointed with the airline service and seat arrangement. Cramped front row economy seat. Food quality horrible. I requested for baby food prior unfortunately the crew says no baby food available. Normal food service also very ordinary and when asked for spare the crew was not at all supportive. Even when asked to refrigerate baby milk they were very uncooperative.

We have just returned from visiting friends for a month in Orlando. We flew from Glasgow. The whole experience was excellent. My wife is disabled and was well looked after. The food was yummy the flight attendants both ways were helpful polite and attentive. Both flights were faultless despite a measure of turbulence on both. Well done Virgin hope to go with you next year!

Gatwick to Cancun in Mexico trip on "Pretty Woman" aircraft was good. We had one of the small side two seats at the very rear of the plane. The extra space between the seat and the window was very useful to stretch the legs occasionally. Food was good and plentiful. Staff were cheerful and helpful. Return trip from Cancun to Gatwick was poor in comparison. Breakfast provided was dire. The dry and unappetising croissant was inedible. The staff were the poorest experienced unsmiling and not interested in helping. Food was plonked dismissively in front of you. We were asked "Tea? Hot Chocolate?" Very brusquely with no please or thank you. We had been in a lovely 5* hotel and had been used to a very high level of customer service and Virgin Atlantic couldn't match it. One male Cabin Crew member older and presumably more experienced than most was the worst offender. This was not the best ending to a wonderful luxury holiday in Mexico.

LHR to Shanghai. The standard of Premium Economy was ok the food was not of a good standard (beef like rubber). Crew friendly half Chinese half English. The film selection very poor whoever selects them has not got a clue go and research Singapore Airlines! The equipment was so old fashioned.

HKG-LHR-EDI. Very good lounge in HKG with tasty food options and good service from the staff. More than acceptable dinner and drinks selection on the flight (inc two helpings of an excellent pear crumble) and slept for seven hours on the very comfortable flat bed. Flights on time and bags off quickly. Only down side was that my limo didn't show up at EDI although the local Virgin staff were helpful and apologetic.

SYD-HKG-LHR on A340-600. Had a champagne prior to take off which was average to say the least. The cabin service was friendly and attentive and food was a step up from Economy. It was a nice touch having real cutlery china and your meal tray served on a tablecloth. The seats were wide but not as much space as I would have expected to the next seat in front. The old bugbear when the seat in front reclines fully is still a problem in Premium Economy it is very intrusive and you need the passenger next to you to climb out if you want to get past them. We got more sleep than previous flights in Economy but it is still a fairly uncomfortable experience. Virgin Atlantic needs to introduce noise-cancelling headphones as the sound quality is poor with the existing headphones but the entertainment selection was excellent. The cabin noise was quiet having only 38 passengers and a dedicated toilet was a good feature. This was our first experience in Premium Economy and while it was a step up from Economy I do not think it is worth the extra money. We would have stopovers next time and avoid flying a 14 hour leg if we could as you do not arrive at your destination feeling particularly refreshed.

EDI-LHR-HKG. This was my first time flying Virgin so was interested to find out what they'd deliver. Excellent connection from T1 to T3 at LHR meant that I didn't have to go through security again and the Clubhouse lounge was very good. On board the seat was very comfortable equally so when it was turned into a flat bed. The food selection and quality were good and there was a decent choice of entertainment. Only thing I didn't like was the relative lack of storage around the seat and a drinks table that is at shoulder level and slightly behind.

Virgin Atlantic to Dubai on 16th May but had to return on the 18th May as a close relative had died whilst we were flying out to Dubai. The staff on our return flight were tremendous they upgraded my partner and his brother who had lost their mother. I would not usually bother to write a review but we so appreciated their care and attention

LHR-LAX-LHR in Business class. I was a little disappointed on this occasion; on the flight out there didn't seem to be as many FAs and there wasn't the usual friendly introduction. The food wasn't as good as usual tiny portions and fairly overcooked. Good choice of IFE and although the bed lets you get some sleep they seem to be getting harder and harder. Temperature control was cranked right up so it was a hot and sweaty snooze. On the return leg the FAs were friendlier but it seemed quite slow getting drinks served and there was no welcome drink on boarding. I managed a decent night's sleep but breakfast took a while and for once was really unpleasant; undercooked bacon overcooked egg sausage with negligible meat content and baked beans with the highest sugar content known to man. I've had better at motorway service stations! The decaf coffee was served in a mug (nice touch especially as the mug turned out to be made by someone I know) and was fantastic. Reasonable croissant but no hot towels offered. Cabin temperature was better this time. The planes seemed a little tired and the bathrooms were clean but nothing special. I just wonder whether Virgin Atlantic is in financial trouble (more than any other airline?). Value is rated high because I got an upgrade from PE on the return leg.