Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy: A Review – InsideFlyer – IAM Network “Mr. Most annoying was the power port situation. Passengers could choose between the London Times, Financial Times and The Guardian. Staff service begins well during boarding with much of the well publicised, spirited approach on full display. If you don’t have bags, being able to use the Virgin Atlantic mobile app to download a boarding pass is even better. Let the battle commence! It was past midnight in London at this point. The welcome at the door sets a good first-impression and combined with simple purple mood-lighting and attractively laid out bar area (for the Upper-Class cabin) there is a prestigious feel. Virgin Atlantic is one of the few reliable option left in the Delta SkyMiles program. Today we are announcing… Continue Reading. Thanks for posting this amazing information. I was one of the last passengers onto the aircraft. The meal tray is delivered around 25-minutes later, and there is a choice of 3 entrées (beef meatballs with pasta, coq au vin and mushroom risotto), and to begin there is an orange and walnut salad and dressing, and a blueberry cake for afters. Immigration processing is quick today, and bags begin to arrive shortly after this. Premium economy is now a staple on many long-haul routes around the world, and now three U.S. airlines are in the process of rolling out this middle cabin on widebody jets. The trolley is well-stocked with a wide range of mainline spirits, red and white wine from Spain. They are timed to account for the precise walking distance to various gates. After noticing a discrepancy on my printed boarding pass (the card said I was a ‘Gold Elite’, when my status recently upped to platinum) one of the check-in agents at the Premium Economy desk went absolutely all out to get it resolved. Loading... Be … Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club frequent flyer redemptions are easy to use. Get Global Entry or suffer. I’ve enjoyed premium economy flights on other airlines to and from Europe and even across the Pacific. See the Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy service on the new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. It is important to note, due to restricted space on the terminal train between customs and the arrivals building, International passengers going to the city must put bulky luggage back into the baggage handling system to be recollected on a second delivery belt in the domestic area. This includes Upper-Class cabin passengers, FF members and handily, Virgin also include Premium Economy in this category. Their economy seats have a maximum recline of … All seats are upholstered in a nice looking dark brown leather, and the visual appeal is high. The Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card and Platinum SkyMiles Credit Card, from American Express, often offer introductory mileage bonuses that are more than enough to book a Premium Economy or Upper Class lie-flat seat. The benefits are extra knee space and the fact there is no dreaded invasion from a forward seat. Once at my seat, the flight attendant offered me a glass of really bad sparkling wine. Our Economy seats are a generous width of up to 17 inches on all of our planes. The discipline and skills are not at the level one will see in Asia and the Middle East and sitting close to the galley numerous items are being dropped during the meal service which is sometimes followed by rather colourful language. My guess is that Premium Economy was introduced because so many companies stopped being willing to pay for Business. There was no mood lighting, no Wander Wall and no power outlets. Overall, very happy with this Premium Economy experience and Virgin Atlantic has struck a fine balance between Business and Economy Class for the product and service offer. 30 Sep 2014. There is no live TV news – however, there is a pretty decent news feed which is updated regularly during the flight with various business, sports and entertainment stories. You should have done the math on the MQD because oftentimes you get more MQD booking direct on VS than on DL, since it’s a percentage of miles travelled rather than dollars. About 90 minutes before arrival flight attendants served scones, cakes and sandwiches with a variety of spreads and creme fraiche clotted cream. PE ain’t Upper Class, but I find it of excellent value in terms of comparative comfort with Economy and mileage-earning ability. With Global Entry I was able to pass immigration in just a few minutes. The jam was from a British supplier. He is wearing a blue coat, black jeans and boots and should arrive in about 5 to 10 minutes. Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse is exclusive to the airline’s most prized clients. Like Delta’s cards, bonuses on the Platinum Card from American Express and Chase Sapphire Cards can score you a seat in Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy. I am in seat 21G which is an aisle seat in the bulkhead row. Staff are somewhat active in the cabin during the meal toing and froing with drinks, and there is a moderate degree of ad-hoc tray clearance for those customers that finish early. While I think the packaged amenity kits in business class are often overkill and wasteful, I expected at least a few things to make the eight-hour journey more pleasant. Boeing 787-9 in Premium Economy which was close to full. Were our meals something to write home about? Unfortunately for me, that left me to deal with security guards with little regard for their jobs let alone the passengers. Cabins include seating in Upper Class, Prem Economy, and Economy. You can transfer in rewards from both Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express. I’ve seen and heard great things about Virgin’s new 787s, though, which look to become the flagship of the fleet. Virgin Atlantic also offered an afternoon tea service shortly before landing. View details, » Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport is the first airport in Europe to receive the COVID-19 Airport Rating. Virgin Atlantic's brand new Panasonic fully touch screen AVOD system JAM, is available in all classes featuring over 300 hours of on demand entertainment. However, I get it that for most others, and especially those younger than myself, the low res screens and those wonky controllers for the A340 seatback entertainment system, are far less desirable than the crisp resolution and touch pad IFE found on newer aircraft. says, […] on June 10, 2019 by Benjamin Alexander De […], Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy: A Review - My Blog I requested compensation SkyMiles through both Delta and Virgin Atlantic, but haven’t yet received a response. I’m not going to say that my meal in Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy was bad. Anyhow, we chose the spicier options for our meals in Virgin’s PE – and found all of our meals quite tasty and satisfying! There’s a seat in Virgin Atlantic’s A350-1000 economy cabin that has more legroom than any seat in premium economy, or even the airlines beautiful new upper class. It’s unfortunate you got stuck on one of the A340 dogs. Efficiency during the main contact points is all quite satisfactory with drink and meals delivered with good speed, and there is decent attention to clearing away the litter. I paid for the flight using my Platinum Card from American Express. Enjoy 3 more inches than the rest of economy. I was effortlessly on my way to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. Virgin Atlantic was one Delta partner I was dying to try out. The boarding music is a mix of modern and classic pop/rock tunes, and this is a nice alternative to the repetitive Muzak delivered by many airlines. Book your Economy Delight seat today. However, it is a difficult item to criticise as the overall outlook of the front-line interaction is quite enjoyable and pleasing, and this more than makes up for these minor service failures. A must read article! The cabin design is contemporary with dark seat covers and carpets, and the main colouring is from the mood lighting which is well used for this late morning departure. Virgin Atlantic A330-300 premium economy. This is well-stocked with a range of packet snacks, soft drinks and water, and the staff seem happy to provide other drinks from the bar menu to those customers that want these. It is a pleasant surprise that the product is continued for the mid-flight drinks where customers may avail from chilled tumblers in the galley display – which seems to be lieu of any ice provision. From the main menus, it is possible to filter into numerous sub-categories by genre. The system is branded up as Vera – Virgin’s trendy moniker for the interface and accompanying IFE guide. » Flying London to Rome return with British Airways during COVID-19. Service at the counter is probably the weakest element during this flight experience – it is totally efficient, but there are no niceties, and I am simply directed to look at the information screens for my gate allocation at the service closing. Consider that across the tarmac, passengers in United’s Polaris business class were drinking from plastic cups. Over 20 years after Virgin introduced its premium economy, the product has a solid lead over competitors in at least one respect: the seat. Personally, as an old school “avgeek”, it was love at first sight for the four-engine Airbus A340 (of which three were flown on that trip, two on Virgin Atlantic and one on South African Airways), so while, yes, the 787 was much newer and had a far better seatback entertainment system than the old, clunky, difficult to use one on the aged A340s, I’d have no problem flying the older A340s as long as they’re still flying. There is a large full seat width headrest which has up/down adjustment – there are no covers, but this does appear to be clean. Virgin offers 3 classes of service between NY and London: Economy, Premium Economy, and Upper Class. Service and food are similar on both airlines, but Virgin Atlantic does have a snack bar available for self-service refreshment, something British Airways only offers in business class. The space is easy to identify with massive logos visible from the drop-off forecourt, and once in the terminal, there are numerous signs with the various check-in counters, as well as an abundance of self-service units. This netted me an additional five points per dollar, on top of the nine SkyMiles per dollar I would earn as a Platinum Medallion. Each seat also had an adjustable, inflatable lumbar support and a rather large footrest. I love this, as the excruciatingly long taxi times at Heathrow are perfect for catching up on the news. There is a USB socket integrated into the PTV screen, and there is a 110v International outlet for larger devices under the seat. Note that Virgin Atlantic also offers Economy … Together, the A350s & A330neos will replace all of Virgin Atlantic’s remaining quad-jet A340s and () her majesty the Queen, aka Boeing 747s. This is quite strange and embarrassing. The obvious inconvenience of the bulkhead is that this is just behind the galley, Business Class bar and washrooms, so there is high-potential for intrusion. Virgin Upperclass passengers, Delta One passengers, Virgin Gold Card elites and Delta Platinum and Diamond Medallion elites can visit. The food, on the other hand, was just okay. Just, wow. I have no idea what premium economy or Upper Class boarding is normally like, since I was given the dreaded SSSS on my boarding pass. Hopefully more modern aircraft will be introduced on this and other routes soon. Part of what made this itinerary doable was the availability of low-cost flights ($68 to be precise) from Berlin to Heathrow on Eurowings. The legroom was adequate. » London Heathrow Airport has been certified as a COVID-19 3-Star Airport. If do need some extra legroom it's well worth upgrading to Economy Delight (The Premium check in and priority boarding are lovely perks too). keep it up and thanks again. They weren’t great, and I ended up using my iPhone headphones instead. Virgin Atlantic launched its new premium seats this week, and they let you recline seven inches. I arrived in Europe 9 days earlier via SWISS’ solid business class throne seat. Hope you can try Premium Econ again on the 787 or A350. The new cabin was a hit. It looked like the A340-600 I was flying on was updated about one decade ago. Immigration in Newark is immigration in Newark. Virgin must be the last airline in the world still sporting the bizarre custom DC power ports, which require adapters to use. Virgin Atlantic’s Premium Economy cabin is known for offering the widest seats you’ll find outside of a First or Business Class cabin and, combined with the airline’s reputation for friendly flight attendants, that’s what made this cabin an appealing choice for an overnight flight that I had to take between Washinton D.C. and London at a time when Business Class fares were sky-high. The sheer thickness of the padding on these seats was something I hadn’t experienced before. Additional fares (fuel surcharges) are also much less in premium economy. I stopped by both areas to check them out. Virgin really needs to do something with these dingy old A340s. I’ve flown in the last year both the A340 (BOS-LHR in Upper Class) and the 787 (LHR-DXB r/t in Upper and LAX-LHR r/t in Premium Economy) and can attest the 787 PE is awesome with international 110v outlets. She phoned headquarters. » Special features. Considering the value that can be had for redeeming miles for a Premium experience on this route, the product is a huge step up from standard economy and worth it on a route like this, a seven-hour jaunt between New York and London. Did You Know Emirates Offers A Student Discount? Virgin Atlantic have 3 Class types, Economy, Premium Economy and First Class. I felt disappointed with the condition of the A340, though. London to Newark was Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural route (the flight numbers on this route are still VS1 and VS2). But internationally this indenturement leaves me constrained. Harper is a very pleasant gentleman whose boarding pass incorrectly says he’s a Delta gold member. And that’s where this Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 review ends. I was in need of a return flight from Berlin to New York. It was the most comfortable airline recliner I’ve sat in. They called it Champagne but I’d beg to differ. On a recent return from Europe to the U.S., I decided to give it a try. The bar and wine selection was quite adequate. Cabin cleanliness appears satisfactory onboarding and all primary contact areas around the seat are clear and free of debris. WiFi was provided by Gogo, also known as NoGo and SlowSlow. Soft drink choices are similarly extensive and include more niche items such as ginger ale, cranberry juice and sparkling water which are not always found outside of the front cabins. Joanna and I had been planning to visit New York for some time and we were still in the middle of making our plans when the travel Gods smiled down on us in two wonderful ways. The Virgin Atlantic Economy food is of a much lower caliber and is not noteworthy so Premium Economy definitely provides a much nicer dining experience. Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350 Premium seat map (Image courtesy Virgin Atlantic) Bottom line. As Virgin Atlantic doesn’t operate any domestic or short-haul flights, it has a pretty clear-cut baggage policy.