Come Fly with me! (Virgin Atlantic)

Member Name: Whizz11

Product:	Virgin Atlantic
Date:	27/05/08 (320 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great customer service, great routes,

Disadvantages: Small leg room, a bit expensive

I have read a few reviews recently on Virgin Atlantic which have been quite positive so I've decided to write about my experiences with Virgin Atlantic which will also be positive as for me, Virgin Atlantic are a great airline whom I would most of the time always choose to travel with.

As we all know Virgin is part of the Virgin Group (which includes entities such as Virgin records, Virgin holidays, Virgin money etc) owned and founded by the entrepreneur Richard Branson. I could write a whole review about the man himself, a very interesting individual who has dyslexia and left school at sixteen (proof that people can be successful without a college degree) but this is a review just about the airline and my experiences with it.

Back in the early 1980's. British Atlantic Airways was founded as a successor to Laker Airlines. They had encountered various problems when the then chairman met Mr Branson at a party. After several contract negotiations they formed a partnership and Virgin Atlantic was born. The first flight took place in 1984 and they actually made a profit in their first year of operation.

Virgin now operates long haul routes to the US, Africa, Asia, Middle East, Caribbean and Australia. I have been flying with Virgin for about 15-20 years now and am a Silver Card holder. Their Flying Club (Airmiles scheme) is really a great benefit that they offer. You earn points for every qualifying flight that you take, for example if you fly economy you will receive 50% of the number of miles flown. For a round trip to California I earn approximately 10,000 miles. Spending your miles is extremely easy too. I have booked flights before using half money/half miles (20,000 are needed for this) and have saved myself quite a bit of money. A round trip flight to New York in economy will cost you 22,500 so it is not too hard to get up to that level to experience the benefits. You can also recommend friends and family and receive bonus miles when they take their first flight too. Being a flying club member also allows you to benefit from special offers, competitions etc.

One of the main reasons why I like Virgin so much is their fabulous customer service. The hosts are always extremely polite and helpful no matter what class of travel you fly. In this day and age I believe this is a great benefit and one that definitely makes a better company. I think part of this is to do with their mission statement:

" To grow a profitable company
Where people love to fly
and where people love to work."

I have heard that they promote a positive working environment and obviously happy employees make for happy customers.

I once had the great experience of being upgraded to first class, oh my gosh if I had the money this would be the way I always would travel. I was booked onto a flight but was willing to be bumped as the flight was too busy. In the end I didn't need to but to thank me they upgraded me. As soon as I stepped on the plane I was offered a glass of champagne. Then I was shown to my seat, a lovely leather chair that extended all the way to a flat bed, heaven if you wanted to sleep. The blanket was more like a duvet, very comfortable and warm. Then, you did not have to wait til food time if you wanted something to eat, they came round to your seat and asked what you would like from the menu and then would fix it then and there for you. I had one o the best steaks I have ever had and I don't even really like steak. You also have access to in-flight massages and well being, fantastic.

I once also had the need to use Virgin cargo. I had my cat, Whizz, when I lived in California but wanted to bring her back with me when I moved back to England. Virgin cargo were great. I had to pay for her to fly back with them, I can't remember exactly how much it was but I believe it was in the region of $200 (£100). I had to make sure she had all of her vaccinations in the proper time limit and then she was fine to fly. I had to bring her to the cargo area about 6 hours before the flight in a sealed flying container and they processed all of her paperwork. When she landed on the other side they completely cleaned her up, made her container all nice and clean and then had her ready and waiting when I picked her up from the delivery area. It was a great service that went really smoothly. She now has her own passport and they gave her a little goody bag/pack pack when she landed with a toy and a sticker, very very cute! I even got 1,000 flying miles for her.

My parents were on a flight with Virgin Atlantic the day Princess Diana died. Richard Branson was a friend of hers and he was also on that flight and announced the news to the whole of the airplane. My parents said it was a very moving and poignant moment, especially to be told by someone close to her.

My only complaint with Virgin Atlantic is that over the years their seat size has seemed to get smaller and smaller meaning now that I don't really seem to get much leg room in economy. I am a size 10 so it is ok for me but I do wonder what problems taller or larger people have with space as it's not great.

Also, at times I do find them a bit expensive. They are the first carrier I go to to check out flights but, for example, I am flying to California next Wednesday and Air France were actually over £200 cheaper than Virgin for the same dates and route so I choose to go with Air France (expect a review on them when I come back) but by far Virgin is my favourite airline and one I definitely recommend.

Summary: My thoughts on Virgin Atlantic!