Having travelled to San Francisco on numerous occasions with a couple of different airlines, I can say that Virgin has been the best experience I have had so far on a plane. If price is permitting, and usually there isn't much between Virgin and BA, I would always choose Virgin. I am in my mid twenties and I really appreciate the less formal approach on Virgin, and as much as I hate flying, Virgin makes it as painless as possible.

I have always found the checking in staff to be friendly and courteous, but this can be said off most airlines I have travelled with. The main difference for me is when you get on the plane itself. The instant site of the T.V screen in back of the seat in front was always such a bonus on an 11-hour flight, the movie selection was always good, the added Video game was a nice bonus to pass an hour and the ability to view the progress of the flight was a nice touch. The plane was always clean and well kept and the service was prompt and always delay free (but that has probably just been luck).


The other main difference for me on the actually plane is the air stewards, not only are they friendly an efficient, they also had a nice human touch and actually interacted with the passengers like they were real humans, something which I have not always encountered on other transatlantic flights. They were very friendly and came across as informal yet professional. To me this makes a huge difference as I always fly alone and it is nice to get the human touch in what cane sometimes be a solitary experience. The food always was off a good standard (for a plane!) and refreshments and such were freely available if asked for.

It can be quite hard distinguishing from the many airlines as most reach a reasonable standard and its only usually noticed if the service is poor, if an airline has done its job well the passengers should leave the plane and not even think about the flight they have just been on, for virgin thoug
h thi
s isn't quite true as you come of the plane almost having enjoyed the experience!