Virgin Atlantic - best of a bad bunch (Virgin Atlantic)

Member Name: JT86

Product:	Virgin Atlantic
Date:	01/06/08 (552 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Seat back TVs, food, online check-in

Disadvantages: Not the cheapest, service varies

I've been to Orlando 9 times, and each time have flown with Virgin Atlantic, 8 times from Manchester, once from Gatwick.
Out of those 9 times I've flown economy twice, and premium economy the rest. Needless to say I much prefer premium economy.
I'm also a member of the Flying Club, which I'll review separately. I now always use Flying Club miles or companion tickets to buy my VA tickets, thereby saving quite a bit.

The economy cabins are pretty standard, with a 31" seat pitch and each seat having it's own seatback TV which is great for a long haul flight.

Meals and drinks are free throughout the flight.
An example of meal service on a flight from Manchester to Orlando would be 3 course lunch, ice cream during one of the films, 3 course dinner, drinks served in between. Coming back you'd get dinner, then breakfast before landing.

Premium economy comes with the following extras-
* Seat pitch of 38"
* Wider seats
* Foot rest
* Drink when you first board (champagne, orange or Buck's Fizz)
* Priority boarding and disembarkation
* Luggage is supposed to be first off, but it doesn't always work that way
* Free newspaper
* Meal is served on real china plates with proper cutlery
* Free fruit throughout the flight
* After dinner liqueur
* Dedicated cabin crew just in premium economy
* Premium economy amenity kit containing eyemask, toouthbrush and toothpaste, socks, earplugs, pen (same as you get in economy, just a different colour so it looks posher!)

The seats are reasonably comfortable in both classes, with PE obviously being better because of the extra room. PE seats are all supposed to be getting redone in purple leather, but only a handful of planes have been completed and the others seem to keep getting delayed.

I've had mixed experiences with cabin crew. Some you get are great and can't do enough for you, others are the complete opposite and are completely useless.

I've never had a problem with major delays going either way. And if we've been delayed by 20-30 minutes we've usually made the time up flying across.

Flight costs tend to be around the £500 mark for economy, depending on the time of year you're flying and how far in advance you book. In my experience premium economy seats can be anything from £800 upwards.

VA hold sales at various times through the year, so it's worth keeping an eye on national press, their website and signing up for their newsletter.

Seats can be reserved online or by phone, although they are not guaranteed and can & do change, for example if the plane configuration changes due to a different plane being used.

Economy is downstairs, premium economy and upper class locations vary depending on the aircraft configuration.

Baggage allowances vary according to which country you're travelling to. For the most popular routes (to USA) they are-
Economy - Two pieces of luggage per passenger, each weighing up to 23kg
Premium economy - Two pieces of luggage per passenger, each weighing up to 32kg
Upper class - Three pieces of luggage per passenger, each weighing up to 32kg

Hand luggage allowances are -
Economy & Premium economy - one piece of hand baggage
Upper class - two pieces of hand baggage

VA offer online check-in, so you can avoid having to arrive at the airport a number of hours before your flight. Just login, enter your details, choose your seat and print your boarding pass. When you get to the airport just drop off your bags at the baggage drop-off point and you're set!

The food had improved significantly on our last flight, and it was nicer to have it served on real plates.

As I understand it, Virgin have now switched their customer service call centre to a foreign call centre, which obviously brings with it the joys of these types of call centres. It's a real shame as I've had the pleasure of speaking to some extremely helpful Virgin call centre staff in the past. Here's hoping that same level of service will translate.

I've read a few bad reviews and complaints about Virgin Atlantic recently and it does seem their standards seem to be slipping. Our last experience of flying with them was ok, and BA really isn't a welcoming alternative so we'll stick with them for now.

Summary: A good, reliable airline