This is what flying should be like (Virgin Atlantic)

Member Name: stuff10

Product:	Virgin Atlantic
Date:	03/07/09 (101 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent entertainment system, free drinks, good food

Disadvantages: Screen quality not fantastic

I recently had the pleasure of flying Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick to Barbados for our honeymoon, it's the first time I've ever been on a Virgin flight and I can honestly say it was a fantastic experience!

The plane we were on was a Boeing 747 (named Cosmic Girl) and it was absolutely massive! It dwarfed all the other planes in the airport with its sheer size. Walking up to the plane it's hard not to be impressed at this fantastic feat of engineering. How does something this big get off the ground? If you've not been on a jumbo, you won't appreciate just how magnificent the plane looks, but believe me, it's fantastic!

We were called for boarding approximately an hour before the flight. They boarded Upper Class passengers first, then Premium Economy, then the peasants in cattle class (us ordinary folk). Before we got to the walkway there was a stand giving out free magazine such as T3 and Making Money as well as holiday brochures and newspapers. We were seated right at the back of the plane and so had to walk through the Premium Economy section, scowling in jealousy at their bigger, more comfortable seats and enviable leg room.

When we eventually made it to our seats (it's a big plane) we were happy to find that even though there's not as much room as in Premium Economy, it was still fairly generous and comfortable.

All the seats on our plane had seat-back TVs that feature a fantastic on-demand entertainment system. You had the choice of over 60 films (including the latest releases such as Marley and Me, Role Models and Confessions of a Shopaholic as well as some all time classics like Police Academy and Airplane!), plenty of TV shows (including The Simpsons and Family Guy) and hundreds of music albums from a variety of artists (from Take That to Elton John). You can also play basic games on the TV including Hangman and Tetris, as well as view an interactive map of your journey - showing you exactly where you are, how fast you're flying, the outside air temperature and how long until you land. All the entertainment is available on-demand, meaning you can watch what you want, when you want.

Aside from the entertainment system, the food and drink was pretty reasonable too with a good choice of main meals (chicken, beef and a veggie option), and free drinks served throughout... yes FREE drinks - including alcohol!

Needless to say, unlimited FREE beer + 60 films + Family Guy = best flight I've ever been on!

Summary: Next time we fly over the Atlantic, we'll be going with Virgin