FLIGHT REVIEW: Virgin Atlantic Business Class From London to Atlanta – “I Was Wrong”

• LHR – ATL
• VS103
• A350-1000
• Upper Class

Today’s article is from TLFL regular contributor Jason. You can follow Jason on Instagram here @planejayds

Booking

Like many others disappointed by the BA Exec Club changes, I thought it was time to try other options and weirdly, despite living in the UK for a long time and having flown airlines from Saudia to Garuda, I had never flown Virgin Atlantic.  The Gold status match offered by Virgin helped pique my curiosity and before long, I had booked a ticket using points from the airline’s home at Heathrow to its big sister Delta’s home in Atlanta. I had heard all the hype about Virgin Atlantic and to be honest thought it was just that – hype – and being a pretty reserved and introverted guy, I wasn’t sure if it would be a brand for me.  I was wrong!

Check-in

I was able to check in online 24 hours before the flight departed and having already selected 11K I was able to add my digital boarding pass to my Apple Wallet.  This being a review, I however wanted to experience all the touch points so rolled up at the Upper Class check in desk at LHR terminal 3.  Virgin shares a large area of the terminal with partner Delta and there are designated check in desks for Upper, Premium and Economy classes. 

This was to be my very first interaction with an actual Virgin employee and after no wait, I was checked in by a friendly agent who ‘welcomed me back’ as a Gold Flying Club member and advised me of the 35-minute delay to departure.  After checking in, another member of staff guided me to the lift (you need to scan your boarding pass to call it) up to the dedicated security lane for Virgin.  Again, the staff member was friendly and chatty whilst I waited for the lift and said how much she thought I would enjoy the Clubhouse and gave me directions. 

The lift emerged in a hallway that leads to the back of the very attractive looking kerbside check in service that Virgin Atlantic offers for those arriving by car and through security, I went (nothing at all had to come out of my bags) with no queues at all.  Once through the dedicated security lane, you end up where the general security lanes emerge and like almost every other airport in the world these days, it’s wind your way through duty-free hell before reaching the main departure concourse.  Heathrow uses letters to guide passengers to the appropriate lounge and the Clubhouse is in ‘H lounge zone’ along with the American Airlines lounge.  Once reaching the H lounge zone, the AA lounge is on the ground floor, and you can use the lift (complete with sofa) or grand staircase to the Clubhouse which is one floor up. 

Lounge

I had heard a lot about how great the Clubhouse is at Heathrow, so I went in with pretty high expectations and overall, they were lived up to.  Although the spa and barber are no more it is still one of the nicer lounges I have been to – especially as this is a business class lounge – and it certainly is better than some of the First Class lounges I have been to. 

After scanning my boarding pass, I quickly got a lay of the land with the large, tended bar being straight ahead after entering, dining and some lounge space to the left and further lounge areas, a nap room, yoga space and showers to the right. 

There was also an upper floor with some more lounge space and apparently (I only found this out after leaving the lounge) an outdoor terrace.  The dining area features a delicatessen style bar complete with cold cuts, yoghurts, muesli, etc., which you can pick and choose and the staff will plate for you.  There are also items you can order from a menu.  I went to the dining area which is staffed and was a little unsure how it worked – did I just plonk myself down or did I wait to be seated?  I chose the former and then the dilemma was, did I order from the staff, or did I order from the Deli? 

A friendly guy came over and asked me if I wanted to order something and provided me with the menu and whilst perusing the options, I then realised I could have ordered using a QR code on the table. 

Virgin is known for their tongue in cheek style but sometimes it gets lost on simpletons like me!  I had clocked the large lettered ‘SCAN FOR CHAMPAGNE’ sign but missed the ‘(or whatever you fancy)’ underneath it. 

Eh ho I will remember for next time. Within a minute, I had my flat white, and my order was taken for the eggs royale and fruit salad, which arrived about ten minutes later and was delicious. 

The staff in the lounge were great. The guy looking after me in the dining area asked if I preferred my hollandaise sauce on top of the egg or on the side and when I tried some of the cold deli options later, one of the staff approached and asked me if I was aware there were also hot items available to order.  It was small attention to those kinds of details as well as being proactive that set the theme for most of the Virgin staff I interacted with.

The clubhouse benefits from lots of natural light and airplane views, which is always a plus in my book and wandering around, there are a lot of different seating options.  For dining, there are tables, red velvet booths for larger groups or stools and bar tops and for lounging, there is an array of sofas, chairs and hanging pods!  I found a quiet corner by the Yoga space and did some work on my laptop while having another coffee before heading to the gate when boarding was announced by the lounge staff over the Tannoy.

Boarding

Gate 35 was about a ten-minute walk from the lounge and boarding had not yet started; however, judging by the number of passengers waiting at the gate, it looked like it would be a fairly quick process.  Boarding started at 10:45 with group 1 which includes all Upper Class passengers called first.  I was welcomed at the door and as I stepped on the A350 named Rosie Lee into ‘the loft’ space, I loved the mauve mood lighting and the pop boarding music which created a really relaxed vibe.  I didn’t have far to go to reach my seat, being the last row of Upper Class (I always like to choose the last row as I feel less intrusive taking photos for review,s plus the best wing views) and started checking out my Upper Class suite. 

Virgin has two A350 configurations, this one has an Upper Class cabin with 44 seats, which occupy the whole front section of the plane. There is also a leisure configuration with a cozy 16 Upper Class seats. Behind Upper, there were 56 Premium seats and 235 economy seats. On this aircraft, there were bathrooms aplenty for Upper class passengers to use, with two at the front and three at the rear of the cabin (shared with Premium), so there was never a wait

The cabin and seat itself had beautiful contemporary finishes that were both distinctly Virgin yet at the same time not ‘too much’ with their shift from ‘virgin red’ to darker tones of claret red, mauve and burgundy.  The shells of the seat are white but the mauve mood lighting casts a shadow on them, so they almost appear light pink.

Waiting at the seat was the menu and drinks list for the flight, an amenity kit, the bedding and a can of water hiding in the recess of the stowed table, which I didn’t discover until after take-off.

Ellis, one of the fantastic crew who would be looking after me ,approached and ‘welcomed me back’ and we had a bit of a chat and not long after the brilliant Flight Service Manager Neo did the same. They were the perfect combination of being professional yet also friendly, authentic and relaxed, which is a service style that resonates with me and that I prefer versus a forced or slightly rehearsed introduction.  Another one of the team came by to offer me a drink and I am not sure what I had, but it was pink, had lime in it and was delicious!  Not long after, Ellis returned with a really cute handwritten card welcoming me on board, which was a really lovely touch.

The captain also made his welcome over the PA and he came across as equally friendly, professional and relaxed and encouraged everyone to enjoy the flight.  I loved how he started each one of his announcements with ‘Hi everyone, it’s Gareth the captain, how are you?’

At 11:15 am, the door was closed; we pushed back at 11:32 and after a relatively quick taxi to the runway (by Heathrow standards) were airborne at 11:49. I loved how the Virgin A350s are fitted with both tail and under belly cams, which always have me glued to the IFE screen.

The Seat

Virgin has three different seating products: currently, their most recent suites that have doors are on the A330neo, the oldest ‘coffin’ seat is on the 787s and A330’s and all the A350s have the Safran Cirrus NG product. Configured 1-2-1 ,the seats are 20 inches wide (extended by a further six inches in bed mode with the armrest depressed) and are positioned at a slight angle towards the windows instead of a full reverse herringbone setup up which are more commonly seen these days.  Although the suite does not have a door, it does have a kind of partition that extends eight inches and it enhances the privacy of the suite, the shell is quite high as well and I could not see anyone in the seats opposite from my seated position. 

I found the seat really comfortable in both the seated and bed mode and the cushioning was just right for me. The footwell was plenty large enough and the seat is easy to operate by the touch buttons along a strip at the side.  Keeping devices juiced up was no issue with a universal power plug as well as two USB ports in handy locations. 

The table was different, it folds down from the side and then slides over (although you can keep it as a half table at the side if you prefer) and it was large and sturdy with plenty of room left still when I popped my MacBook onto it.

If I had to be picky, the only thing I would say that could be improved is storage space for bits and pieces. There is a little shelf at shoulder height where you can put some specs or a phone etc., but there is no door to the compartment to keep these enclosed.  Many airlines that have the large armrest that recesses into the seat also allow the top of it to flip up and be used as additional storage.  Also, despite these aircraft being relatively new, there was quite a lot of wear and tear around the suite, but nothing dramatic. 

The Flight

Less than ten minutes after take-off, I was offered a hot towel as Ellis passed through the cabin taking drink and meal orders.  By 12:17, just twenty minutes after the wheels left the ground and as we were approaching the east coast of Ireland, I had my ‘Virgin Red’ cocktail and a bowl of crisps in front of me.  The drinks were run by hand and then a trolley was used to lay up the tables, which started from the front of the cabin.  The service was swift, but in no way too quick or rushed; it was at a perfect pace.

As we were leaving the other side of Ireland for the Atlantic, my table was laid up with a place mat, side plate and butter, cutlery pack and the collectable (AKA stealable) little airplane salt and pepper dispensers.  I was offered wine, water and bread from the basket and my starter was delivered shortly after.

Between the two starter options of soup and goats’ cheese with beetroot, I went for the latter with to be honest, neither of the options was hugely appealing to my taste buds. I have to say though, the starter was absolutely delicious, the honey with black truffle was the star of the show and the combination with the goats’ cheese was incredible.

Wine and water top ups followed, and this became a theme for the remainder of the flight, this crew was certainly not one of those that get the meal services out and disappear in between.

Starter plate cleared, my pre-ordered main of Penang cod was delivered and again I was really impressed, it had all the elements you want – quality, quantity and visually appealing. Fish, like beef, can often be a tricky one on planes as it can dry out very quickly, but this large chunk of cod was perfectly cooked, and the Penang sauce gave it a kick.  All the mains are plated in the galley instead of being delivered in pre-assembled casserole dishes, which also helps with presentation.

I was fairly full by this stage, but took a cheese plate for the tea,m passing on the two yummy sounding sweet options.  The cheese plate had three varieties of cheese alongside crackers, chutney, some grapes and candied walnuts.  The crew proactively offered a glass of port or wine to go alongside.

After a delicious leisurely meal and passing on hot drinks, my table was cleared with just over six and a half hours to go to Atlanta, so in total the first service took around an hour and forty which in my book is pretty ideal for a flight of this length.

I had been awake since 4 am that morning to catch the 6 am BA flight down from Manchester to London, so I reclined my seat into a bed to get some shut-eye.  I found the seat to be really comfortable in bed mode and the bedding was great with a large pillow, duvet that was big but not too heavy and a mattress topper to smooth out the uneven areas of the seat when flat.  Nap time was definitely helped by the TWO air nozzles that kept me nice and cool.

‘The loft’ was directly behind me and when choosing the last row, I did wonder if it was a wise decision given the social space being so close, but I did not see it used at all during the flight. It is nice that Virgin created a space for passengers to get away from their seat,s but I cannot imagine many other airlines giving up precious real estate to a lounge.  The loft has two sofas that face each other, as well as a 32” TV screen and eight Bluetooth headphone connection ports, I guess with the idea being that a group of people could watch a movie together.

Just as I was inspecting the snack basket contents in the loft, the ever attentive Neo approached me and said, ‘Oh I was just looking for you.  Is there anything I can get you at all now that you are awake?’  I thought now was a good time for a coffee and a few minutes later, I had a cup of espresso pod americano and a little bag of sweeties delivered. 

I got the laptop out and did a little bit of uni work and got a start on this review and I was impressed by how often the crew were up and down the aisles, proactively offering juice and water as well as tending to requests. 

We had just under two hours to run to Atlanta now and unlike most airlines across the Atlantic, Virgin does not have a fixed service time for a pre-landing service, instead, you can order from a variety of light meals anytime between the first service concluding and forty minutes before landing.  Unlike the one or two options on their competitors, Virgin offered an impressive three diverse options, including a halloumi burger, chicken bao and a ploughman’s plate.  I went for the ploughman’s and was not disappointed, I liked the different take on the old ham and cheese combo with the ham being substituted with a liver pate. 

FSM Neo again came and thanked me for flying with Virgin and as it seems is the norm with Virgin crew, went that little extra mile by asking me if I needed a bottle of water or anything for my onward journey.  It is small personal touches like this that effectively cost an airline nothing but truly push the customer’s experience to the next level.

Just before the crew took their own seats for landing, they passed through the cabin offering a basket of mints, something that used to be the norm years ago but is not often seen these days.

Despite the forty-minute delay departing, we pulled onto the stand only seven minutes behind the scheduled arrival time.

IFE & Wi-Fi

The IFE screen measures 18.5” and flips out from the side of the suite in front however, it can remain out for take-off and landing, which is great.  The screen is, of course, crisp and has great definition and it is also possible to link your phone via Bluetooth to use as a remote.  There were hundreds of movies, box sets and of course an interactive map, but the highlight for me was the high definition tail and belly cams, which always brings out the big kid in me.  I really liked their audio selections too, which were extremely extensive, and I enjoyed listening to some Becky Hill whilst up in the clouds. 

WIFI was also available at GBP20.99/6.99/2.99 for full flight/one hour/messaging only.  I didn’t see any complimentary options for free messaging for Flying Club members like BA offers to all Exec Club members. I purchased a one-hour WIFI session and it worked OK, had a few dropouts, but that is par for the course with inflight WIFI on any airline.

Final Thoughts

Long gone are the heyday of onboard massages and a barber in the clubhouse that Virgin once offered, but it remains at almost every touch point ahead of the competition in terms of a business class transatlantic experience.  Staff, whether it be at check in, the Clubhouse, gate, or onboard, were consistently friendly and proactive, the clubhouse lounge was fantastic, great onboard catering, a beautifully appointed cabin and a nice seat.  The highlight for me though, was the crew onboard who went above and beyond.  It can be really difficult to get that perfect combination of being very professional yet at the same time friendly and relaxed, yet Neo and Ellis struck this balance better than any other crew I have experienced.