eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'insidethetravellab_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_12',129,'0','0'])); Even for frequent flyers, that first trip with a child is fraught. There is no seatback IFE, but tablets are available for business class passengers ), The first thing you notice, because Virgin have made a point of making it a point, is the glowing white bar. You’ll also notice the iconic Virgin Atlantic bar - though its popularity has diminished over the years and it’s been replaced with a different concept, a social space called The Loft, on new A350 aircraft. But what is it like to fly business class with Virgin Atlantic? There are air vents and two overhead lights above the seat, as well as an additional small light above the small cocktail table. Unfortunately the bed as such is hard, and the mattress sheet doesn’t do much to help. Despite the rock ‘n’ roll image, I found the Virgin staff to be extremely “family friendly” in that they were kind to everyone in the family. Still, food, drink, newspapers, wifi, and power points are all present and correct. I went for a Spanish white wine with my meal and was pleased to find it was well chilled (so many airlines can’t manage this). Virgin’s premium economy seats, at 21 inches wide, are as wide as any domestic first or business class recliner on the market and set the international standard in premium economy. My table was set with Virgin’s famous salt and pepper shakers. 6 min read. We booked my trip between London and New York as a round-trip award, so we paid a total of 95,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles and about $845 in taxes and fees. Virgin partner with Delta Air Lines to connect the UK to more than 200 destinations in North America, as well as flying to the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. Do you want to join the party? Virgin Atlantic’s A350 aircraft features one large Business (“Upper”) Class cabin, which is located in the plane’s front section. I ended up buying both the £2.99 messaging package for my phone, as well as the Max package so I could work on my MacBook. There’s also the chance to recline your seat considerably. Business Class 737 Cabin. The new Club Suite from British Airways is a real game changer Read more here... Pin now and read laterWelcome to the latest business class review! I’ve flown the herringbone-style business class seat on many occasions in the past but found it terribly uncomfortable in the upright position on this flight. Virgin Atlantic doesn’t offer dine on demand, and lunch service began at 12pm. 6 Jan 2021 – It also had socks, eyeshades, earplugs, a pen, a dental kit. No sleep suits were offered. Premium Economy Vs Business Class: Flying Club Miles Watch this space for an update. The napkin presented on the tray table contained only one knife and fork, and I wasn’t offered fresh cutlery for the main course. And, truthfully, is it worth it? I flew the new Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350-1000 in Upper Class, and it’s now one of the top tier business class experiences to be reckoned with, especially departing from London Heathrow. USB and mains plus can be found under the TV monitor. With limited exceptions, I will always avoid the bulkhead. Among other changes, the beds will no longer need flipping and the bar will become a lounge. Virgin Australia’s all-new A330 business class goes head-to-head against the Qantas Business Suite in the airlines' continued dogfight for premium passengers on the lucrative east-west route. The Virgin Atlantic experience started great in JFK lounge which has good amenities and funky decor. The Qatar Airways Business Review: How to Save Over 3000 GBP Flying in First, The Cathay Pacific Business Class Review: Service at Its Best, The Best Way To Sleep On A Plane: 10 Lessons from a Lifelong Insomniac, an overnight flight when you wanted to get some sleep. The Virgin business class cabin is in a 1-2-1 herringbone configuration and split over two cabin spaces, the front cabin is larger with 24 seats, while the second cabin behind has only 13 seats. The low dividing walls between seats means another passenger’s head isn’t far away, though fortunately I had an empty seat next to me. I loved the ergonomic design of all the storage areas around the seat: there’s space for a washbag, laptop and cables underneath the foot stool at the end. We flew on the 737 from Perth to Sydney on the Red Eye which departs Perth around 11 pm and lands in Sydney just over 4 hours later. Actually, quite good fun. Virgin Atlantic’s “classic” herringbone business cabin (the one featured here) is being phased out in favour of a new 1-2-1 configuration on its A350 aircraft. There’s a small ottoman at the end of the seat, meaning your feet don’t disappear into a small footwell. There are new rules and it feels as though the stakes are high. Cabin crew are respectfully quiet and the Dreamliner auto-darkening windows mean you’re not accidentally woken up by someone suddenly admiring the rise of a new dawn! Important Information. The Indian government has announced that non-resident Indians (NRIs) would be permitted to own up to a 100 per cent stake in the struggling national airline. 70 / 100. Flying Economy with Virgin Atlantic is typically a pleasure rather than a survival exercise, largely down to the professional behaviour of the staff and cheery outlook of the company. Airline review: Virgin Australia business class, Boeing 777-300ER, Los Angeles to Melbourne The Virgin Business Class Review: Is it worth it? Gone…. The chocolate pudding and vegan custard was just OK, but something had a slightly floury taste. Virgin Business Class Service. Overall, the main course was good, and the bhindi (okra) still had some bite. We pushed back at 10.30am and the cabin was sprayed with a “non-harmful” insecticide before our take off at 10.45am. I booked the flight directly on Virgin Atlantic’s website about three weeks before travel and the reservation process was easy enough. Well known for their stylish design and funky airport lounges, Virgin call their business class The Upper Class Suite. I flew Virgin Atlantic Upper Class on their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from London to Los Angeles, which ended up being my favourite flight I've ever taken! Because of the bar, seat choice is more important than in many business class cabins. Depending on who you’re travelling with, that could be a blessing or a curse. And then not even as young as that.). I am that rock and roll.). Note there is no possibility to recline / incline the seat yourself - the crew must flip your bed over. They were also, luckily, the first. As in the lounge, different crew members who passed by my seat would stop to ask if I wanted anything, and I found the service to be more proactive than you’d find on some other airlines. Virgin Australia Business Class 737. Seats have more space between them than in economy, champagne will flow and your meal will arrive with a grown up knife and fork. In this review, we test Virgin Australia's Boeing 737-800 Business class service on VA91 from Auckland to Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Looking for the best luxury travel gifts for him? Business class passengers have sole use of the bathroom at the front of the plane. In this post, I’ll be reviewing Virgin Australia’s A330 Business Class with service from Hong Kong to Melbourne Airport. Flight review: Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 Upper Class Suite. Join our newsletter "if you only read three things this week" and access our library of free travel resources. It still seemed to take around 20 minutes before I had my boarding pass in hand. The carpets had been vacuumed and there were no obvious signs of wear and tear. This flight was very lightly loaded, with just 15 passengers in business class and only about 60 passengers in economy. Alongside the main we got a small salad, some warm bread and butter, and a cookie for dessert. Luke travels the world for work and pleasure, always searching for the best deals using miles or money. Photo: Virgin Australia. Until then, though, this Virgin Business review still shows you what you’ll get (and remember, it will take a while for the new seats to become standard on all routes. As ever, as always I kept the right to write what I like because otherwise what’s the point, life’s too short etc etc Also, though I usually use my own images on this blog, for business class reviews I tend to use stock images most of the time. I’m usually someone who finds pillows to not be substantial enough, though Virgin Atlantic’s was almost too thick for me. I worked on my laptop and dozed on and off for the second half of the flight meaning I didn’t watch TV at all. Currently, the only international routes that this aircraft is flown on are: 1. The seats are all leather recliners offering a pitch and width of 37 and 19.5 inches respectively, and I found them to be very comfortable. Not sure if it was due to being unfamiliar with a new aircraft or just bad luck.) The seat is narrow, lacks privacy, and offers no recline: it’s lie-flat mode or fully upright mode only. Virgin Australia’s 737 business class. I’m looking forward to trying Virgin Atlantic’s new business class product as soon as I can. It kept all the people who wanted to stand around and chat well away from me, which let me settle down and sleep. Arriving at London Heathrow Terminal 3, the home of Virgin Atlantic and its partner Delta, in pouring rain, I was glad to get into Virgin’s large check in area. Virgin Australia Boeing 737 Business Class tray table. Make your choice about whether you want to work and sleep or chat and party – and then pick your seat accordingly. It was good to have direct aisle access and the service was proactive, consistent with what I experienced on the ground. Within a couple of minutes I was in the lift next to priority check in and straight up to the Upper Class Wing for security. As we’ve mentioned, business class is called Upper Class and cattle class is, well, Economy. Business has 11 rows (numbered 1 … This one-way redemption flight was something of a bargain, costing just 37,500 miles plus £367 in taxes and fees. Both Oman Air and Saudia have released some good deals on return travel from India to Saudi Arabia. And of course, also, remember the bar (!). Having said that, I enjoyed this flight and it was nice to fly with an airline I don’t travel with regularly. Tom Goward | 27/01/2020. The TV screen folds out from your seat’s “wall” which makes it a little fiddly if you’re also having dinner or tapping on your laptop but it’s hardly an insurmountable problem. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Virgin Atlantic 787 Business Class - Review, Vistara 787-9 Dreamliner business class - Review, Air India B787 Dreamliner - Review (including a look at business class), See all 14 posts The seatbelt sign was turned off at 11am, and decent quality hot towels handed out. (And, it doesn’t really show you much more in any case.) 2. Slick, stylish and friendly. Virgin Atlantic business class cocktail Service was definitely a bit slower than one would hope, but that was clearly because it was the first time for much of the crew on the A350, and new planes take getting used to. Virgin Australia’s “The Business” is one of my personal favorite business class products. The chicken karahi was also quite salty but had a REAL kick to it. Luckily, too, Virgin is pretty generous whe… Sit further ahead in the plane. I have flown with Virgin Atlantic many times in my life, for work and for leisure, too many times to keep count. Virgin Atlantic A330 Upper Class The food was fine (it’s quite hard to ruin a curry), it was flavourful and hot….and the flatbread was actually pretty good. Flying with Children: Virgin get top markseval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'insidethetravellab_com-banner-1','ezslot_8',128,'0','0'])); I’ve taken a fair few flights with a baby and toddler by now and, hands down, Virgin have been the best at this. How do you find Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class? Virgin arranges its seats in a chevron pattern, with two seats in the centre and one at each window. A review with photos of the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 Upper Class cabin from London to Mumbai, including service, the food, seat and the onboard bar. Plenty of space to bend your knees – always something I watch out for! Business class on a nine-hour flight doesn't get much better than this. Hm, now Detroit currently doesn't have a Virgin lounge, it has a (very busy) generic one. The further you are to the front of the plane, the quieter it gets. All Business Class, Platinum and Gold members are able to access this facility. "I will not fly Virgin Atlantic business class again" Flew VA Airbus A330 in Upper Class from JFK to LHR. The meal service was wrapped up by about 12.45pm. So much so, that I began to almost doze off just before lan… Virgin Australia B737-800 Business Class Review. Our Rating. Sit near the bar. The Ren products inside were nice, but I did think the name and the bag itself were a bit cheap. The options on the menu were arancini balls and a fig, chorizo and feta salad. Slick, stylish and friendly. But the fun was over when I got into the herringbone arranged seat on the plane. I’m fine with spicy food so I enjoyed it and the fresh coriander and chillis gave a lot of flavour. The seats are similar to domestic flights class seats in the USA, with limited recline but slightly better legroom and width. ... 56 in premium economy and 44 in business class in a 1-2-1 configuration. Seriously, even though I didn't use it. Manchester’s Terminal 2 check-in area is predominantly used by Virgin Atlantic, Tui and Jet2 (two European leisure airlines). It had been a few years since I last tried Virgin Atlantic’s business class - and a good-value redemption flight provided the opportunity to give it … I initially turned down a cheese plate, but my arm was twisted when the crew passed by with the trolley. I did ask to have my bed made up with about an hour an a half to go, primarily so that I could test out the bed in full-flat mode. Especially because I didn't use it. Priority immigration, priority baggage. Conclusion – 9-3 British Airways. British Airways Business Class Review: The New Club Suite. Marketed as ‘The Business', the seat+service package will be rolled out onto all six of Virgin Australia's Airbus A330 jets by the end of October 2015. I tried the bread selection and while the paratha was a little heavy and dull, the fig roll was soft and fresh - and I was offered hot ones from the oven. Drink orders were taken shortly after and I asked for another glass of champagne, which was served with a small bowl of potato crisps. Boarding began at 9.45am - a little less than half an hour before our scheduled departure. Unfortunately, there was a used tissue in my seat, but John was apologetic and offered me some alcohol hand gel after I returned from washing my hands. When I arrived at the Upper Class check-in desk, the line was pretty much nonexistent compared to the huge ones for the economy check-in at both Virgin and Tui. Why? So, they ignited a lifetime love of travelling with children, rather than a shaking dread of it, as a few other airlines may have. The Virgin Australia B737 seat was very comfortable, the food was fantastic and the staff were extremely friendly. It was quite salty, but otherwise good. Wi-fi was available and chargeable in all cabins as follows: Initially I could’t get the sign up page to load so John told me to navigate in a browser to the URL 1.1.1.1 in order to force it (which made me think that it’s a common problem). Hi, I'm Abi, a doctor turned writer who's worked with Lonely Planet, the BBC, UNESCO and more. Do you want peace and quiet? Virgin Australia Business Class cabin only has 8 seats and is in a 2+2 configuration. There’s precious little storage at the seat and you struggle to find space to keep your passport and other bits and bobs (I used my shoes for storage!). However, the lack of in-seat power and seatback TV screen would be a … This is our review of Virgin Atlantic Upper Class on the A330-200 fleet. His favourite deals, reviews and travel updates can be found right here at TakeOffWithGuru.com. Perhaps the coolest feature? However, since the design involves flipping the bed over completely to make it flat, first time flyers will need some help to do this. You can take a pushchair right up to the gate and the crew were so helpful getting us on board. Enjoy Priority Check-in, Priority Boarding and access to the Virgin Australia lounge^ at the airport. Blankets were stored behind the seats. Sydney/Melbourne – Nadi (seasonal Saturday service)This is the same product you’ll find on East Coast – West Coast domestic flights.The difference between this product and the 777 flying between the East Coast of Australia and LA is that the 777 seat is longer and wider and that cabin has an inflight bar. The good news is that the Indian government has announced it is reversing its ban on in-flight wifi, so we'll soon be able to surf while we fly in Indian airspace. →. Onboard announcements were made in English and Hindi, and John soon came back to offer a glass of champagne. One of the best Business Class Seats right now. (And, yes. Actually, quite good fun. By this stage of the flight I thought I’d found all the design flaws around the seat…but then I found one more. There’s a dividing wall between the A seats on the left and the central G seats, so you may find A seats (shown below) a little more private. There was complimentary WiFi which worked fine. (Note from Michele: I have flown Virgin many times and the crew have normally been the highlight. Virgin Atlantic business class snacks. This is a review of Virgin Australia’s business class offering on board its Airbus A330-200 aircraft flying from Melbourne to Hong Kong. While the original seats don’t exactly feel cutting edge anymore, I do like how open and airy the 787 cabin feels - especially when Upper Class is lightly loaded. It’s a staggering amount to pay on top of a mileage redemption, but when you consider that round-trip business-class tickets between the two cities regularly sell for anywhere from $2,700 to over $8,000, it doesn’t seem so bad. Quiet flights are always more pleasant, though not necessarily reflective of the typical experience. By comparison, the same flight with British Airways would cost 62,500 (off-peak dates) or 75,000 Avios (peak dates). Plenty of space to bend your knees – always something I watch out for! The cauliflower and vegetable starter was (unexpectedly) served hot and had a bit of a spice kick. all the Virgin Atlantic Business Class details here. Back to the 787, and you’ll find 31 flat-bed business class seats in a 1-1-1 format. Virgin Atlantic tries to be different, and the mood lighting and cheesy 80s pop music playing when you board reflects this. 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