Virgin Atlantic » Economy » User reviews

anthony37 flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LGW/MAN Config 2 (14/05/2012 21:19)

Flew with Virgin Atlantic to Orlando MCO on a 2 week vacation on this 747-400, from the moment you check in for this flight you know that there are 400+ people onboard because the check in area is chaos even though Virgin allow you to drop off baggage the night before boarding.

The seats that I originally chose for my family party of 5 were changed 24 hrs before departure and we were plonked next to the toilets which is where I didn`t want to be, credit to Virgin for changing them back after I ranted at them, but I should have needed to do this.

Seats in economy are 31" pitch upholstered fabric seats which believe me you will be looking forward to seeing the back of on a 8hr flight because anyone over 6ft will struggle bigtime! You do feel when you glance around the airplane that Virgin could have taken out 2 rows of seats and increased legroom to at least 33" because on the lower deck their are 390+ people crammed in like sardines.

I refuse to pay almost double the price of a ticket for Virgin Premium Economy with this airline because it simply is daylight robbery for a 38" seat pitch.

My flight home was delayed for 4hrs because a technical fault but Virgin still insisted that you check in at Orlando at the normal time and then wait around in a the Airport Terminal for 5 hrs like a nomad!?! they should have e-mailed or rang passengers and informed them of the delay before they got to airport and allowed them to check in later.

The inflight service was average, I think they served drinks twice and if you wanted another you had to pester the cabin crew who generally looked put out by the request. Wouldn`t use again unless

eudes@972 flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LGW/MAN Config 2 (21/04/2012 23:43)

Our trip : Paris (CDG) to Manchester : Air France flight Operated by Flybe the connection to Orlando (MCO) with Virgin Atlantics

In this short summary I will only cover my flight from Manchester to Orlando.

Coming from Paris CDG and landing at Terminal3 I used the transfer shuttle from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1. Shuttle is running every 10mn until 1:30PM and then On-Demand. Shuttle took me from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 where I had to go through security Check.

I was welcomed by a Virgin Atlantic assistant who checked my passport / e-tickets / and registered manually (!!) my luggages to have them properly loaded on VS73 flight.

I had a 2h30 stop in Manchester before boarding on Virgin Atlantics flight. This is enough time to commute form T3 to T1 and have lunch or visit the large duty free shops available.

Boarding was yet started when I arrived at gate 212 at 12h40 (boarding was due to start at 12h45). So we got onboard within 5mn.
Plane took off on time.

Onboard :
Plane is old fashion 747-400. Probably former Alitalia airplane because all information were Italian/English.
Entertainment on board was really poor compared to up to date airplanes : no VOD / no game and small screens.

Up to date movies but without any foreign languages subtitles (only English fluent speakers are flying Virgin Atlantic?).

Steward(ess) were helpfull and ready to answer every traveller requests. Flight was half full (in Economy) so we had the chance to use empty rows to find room to sleep or quieter room to sleep.

We have been served some cocktail / beer / wine as "aperitif".
Then a meal came (menu was offering a choice of 3 main courses all available) with some more wine or beer. Separate Dessert (Mousse au Chocolat with salted butter fudge at the bottom = delicious!) was served just before cofee or tea.

A small ice cream stick has been served as a Movie Snack (too cold so tasteless). Then Coffee/tea were served later in the afternoon

2 hours before landing a small snack was served with Tea/Cofee
Plane landed 20mn before schedule.

The good and the bad :

The Good :
- Online check-in is really easy
- No extra charge to travel with your favourite sports idems (windsurf / Waterski / etc.) in addition to your 23Kg piece of luggage
- Food onboard was ok
- blanket and socks were given so you could take off your shoes during the flight
- Service onboard delivered by flight assistants
- Punctuality

The Bad :
- Onboard entertainment
- Just one piece of handbag with less than 6Kg is really far from the 10Kg + laptop bag given on regular International Airlines.

kanehighfly flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LHR Config (05/04/2012 15:43)

I flew from Miami international to London Heathrow on August 15th 2011.

After having a wonderful holiday in Orlando for a week then moving down to Fort Lauderdale for another week, I arrived with my family at Miami international I was quiet disapointed. It was a very small area to check in and then there was on little duty free shop.

When we boarded the plane (after waiting for premium economy and first class to board) they only just turned on the air conditioning and smoke was coming out of the vents my daughter got quiet worried but it was fine, as i am a plane lover and love to fly i was looking forward for the new ife system with larger screens than normal.

But we had a disappointing announcement by the pilot. He said that the new ife system wasnt working and we could have had a 24hr delay or just flew for an 8 1/2 hr flight with nothing - at this point i was very annoyed.

But after an hour or two in to the flight they played a dvd but we could not change channels all there was is about 6 films played one after another. As we were at the very back seat (the 4 in middle) there was no window apart from on the exit door which was hard to see out of.

The cabin crew were friendly but i am not sure what they was doing as they came round once for our evening meal, once for drinks and then once for our breakfast and then again for tea and coffee. My wife was very thirsty about half way through our the flight and she had to go to premium economy to ask the cabin crew if she could have a drink and they told here that there are some in the kitchen so she had to get one herself.

Overall I was not happy with the Virgin Atlantic experience it is too exspensive for what you get. I would fly with them again as long as some issues are resolved.

GeoffOrmond flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-600 (05/04/2012 13:27)

This was a truly awful experience. I had never flown Virgin before - and were it not for the excellent experience on the return VS002 in premium economy, I never would again.

The original aircraft scheduled for the flight had a technical issue so a replacement had to be found. However the delay in getting it onto the stand meant that all the passengers had to first of all queue outside and then be crushed together inside a fairly small departure lounge for what seemed like an age.

Announcements were made - 'only another 5-10 minutes', etc, and when boarding was finally announced it was a stampede and a complete shambles.

Once on board it soon became clear that the seat was both cramped and uncomfortable. I am only average height - but once the passenger in front reclined his seat I was literally wearing the seat back and the tv screen. I've never felt so claustrophobic in an aircraft.

The in-flight entertainment programming was poor - especially so considering that Virgin are/were known in the entertainment and music industry.

We were offered an aperitif and then wine with the main meal - but there was no suggestion whatsoever of any second drink and the meals themselves featured some of the worst airline food I have ever been offered.

However by far the worst aspect of the whole unfortunate experience was the crew - they really didn't give a damn. They were all rude and uninterested - It was so obvious that as passengers we were a complete inconvenience to them and they really had better things to do. They chewed gum, they carried on talking between themselves when passengers wanted to ask questions or request something, they literally threw the food and drink items at us and they seemed very pleased to finish serving us and even more so when we landed and they could then 'clock-off'.

Having been late taking-off we arrived more or less on time thanks to the favourable conditions en-route. However when I picked up my suitcase one of the wheels was hanging off and there was a hole in the surrounding area where the case had obviously been dropped.

All in all a flight to forget - although as previously mentioned I am more than happy to give due credit for the totally opposite and positive experience on the return in premium economy.

However it would also be entirely fair to say that I've had vastly superior service on flights with so-called budget airlines - and I will certainly never again fly Virgin in economy class. I'd also think twice about flying on an A340 with any carrier if the seating problems I experienced are typical of what to expect. It is not hard to see why Virgin have been downgraded to a three-star airline.

Personally I'd only rate them one-star - and that's for bothering to turn up and for actually getting me to my destination.

Morrs101 flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LGW/MAN Config 3 (12/01/2012 16:16)

This is a review of the return leg following a fantastic initial flight from London Gatwick to Barbados which I posted previously.

I arrived at Grantley Adams airport with my travelling partner at 1530 via a taxi transfer from my hotel. I was again unable to check in online again so joined the check-in queue at the Virgin Atlantic desk which runs parallel to the quick bag drop queue. The Virgin Atlantic area is located in the main open forecourt of the airport, round the corner to the left hand side.

Neither queue was too long but they all led to the same desks so we were held at the front while at least three groups were allowed to go ahead and drop bags. I had attempted to reserve seats before leaving England but these again were not confirmed so I was asked my preference and secured the two aisle and middle seats in the central bank of four that we preferred.

The woman at the desk was extremely friendly, smiley and helpful throughout the process and I was away in no time. I turned around and went straight through to security by 1545 and handed in my immigration slip (maintained from the inbound flight) before going through the x-ray machine (laptop out, shoes off) and was airside by 1600.

There are plenty of shops airside, mostly duty free booze, souvenirs, some clothing and one shop selling magazines, books and papers. In terms of food and drink the selection is meager with an oriental takeaway and a Caribbean takeaway serving tasty looking chicken wraps, salads and other simple fare. There is also a cafe once you pass through to the gates and a small bar for that last Banks beer before leaving the island, if you can get a seat.

There is plenty of seating airside but most areas are always busy. I picked up some souvenirs and settled in and read my book for an hour until boarding was called at 1700. Reading was not as easy as you would expect though as there was a near constant stream of loud speaker announcements, accompanied by an irritating jingle. The gate was not up on the board half an hour before the flight but I could see the Virgin Atlantic jumbo through the windows sat at gate 15 so sat nearby in anticipation.

A 15 minute delay to boarding was announced before priority boarding commenced. From then on people were called forward by row numbers but it seemed that 90% of people ignored this and went up anyway, leading to a horrendous queue which many people then tried to jump as they felt they were in the right rows to proceed. The whole process was frankly a shambles and a bum fight with many people getting extremely irritated. Staff did nothing to try and organise the chaos and may as well have called everyone forward in the first place.

Once we reached the front of the queue our boarding passes were taken and we were told that we had been upgraded to premium, only to then be told that he had made a mistake and that we had been moved forward to row 35 which on this configuration was still located in an economy cabin, the first of the disappointments to come.

Nevertheless we were seated in 35B and C by 1750 for our scheduled 1755 takeoff. These were an aisle and middle seat next to a chatty Spanish woman and I was disappointed to realise on boarding that this was an older plane than that used for our outbound journey. This meant the seats felt more cramped and reclined clumsily. The IFE screens were tiny (around 6” square) and was played on a loop, not on demand as on the way out. The movie selection was poor and out of date (Red Dog anyone?). Some members of staff were good enough but one older stewardess was extremely surly, complaining to her colleagues throughout. The other crew performed their duties but were keen to get them done and get us to sleep, as per usual on a night flight.

We took off at 1830. Menus were not brought round as they had an error printed on them so dinner choices were said over the loudspeaker and consisted of a beef stew with mash, vegetable pasta and green beans or Caribbean chicken with rice, which my travelling partner really enjoyed.

I opted for the beef which arrived at 1930 and was an oily stew with shredded beef which was really very tasty with smooth mash and a few beans. This came with a side salad which was far better than the bland one offered on the way out including red onion, peppers, beans, lettuce, tomato and (shock horror) some dressing. Pudding was not served separate and was a bizarre (not in a good way) and dry apple crumble. There was no drinks service before dinner which seemed cheeky but drinks were served with dinner. Tea, coffee and hot chocolate then came round at 2030 and most people began settling in to sleep. Passengers were irritatingly not asked to put their seats into the upright position for the dinner service.

I dozed for two hours after watching some programmes on my laptop and woke at 0500 for breakfast. This consisted of peach yoghurt, blueberry muffin and some melon served with tea, coffee and juice. We began our descent at 0545 before a smooth landing at 0615. I disembarked via an air bridge and was through a very quiet immigration by 0640, the e-passport lanes were shut, and I had my bag off the carousel by 0700.

VERDICT A very disappointing flight following the great experience I had going out to Barbados. The airline and crew appear to not be so concerned with finishing your holiday as well as they like to start it with the aircraft, seating, entertainment and food all a lower standard, roll on the refit of these dated aircraft.

Morrs101 flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LGW/MAN Config 2 (12/01/2012 16:08)

Flight VS029 from Gatwick to Barbados, Tuesday December 27, economy class.

CHECK-IN I arrived at Gatwick South Terminal’s new exchange area, lit up in blue, with my party of 9 at 0800. We had booked through Hayes and Jarvis and all attempts to check-in online up to and including Boxing Day were met by error messages (we later heard that a similar thing was happening to another family we met who had also booked through an external company).

This meant that we had to queue to check in and drop our bags however there was not much of a queue so this did not seem too bad. The queue was slow and when we eventually reached the front of the desk we were told that the seats we had pre booked two weeks earlier had not been ‘confirmed’ and that they would do all they could to make sure that we were able to sit together as a family making me ask why allow someone to pre-book seats if they are not secure?

After much waiting we were eventually sat together and our boarding passes were printed. All of our bags went off OK apart from my sisters (over by a solid 7kg as per usual) so she had to go to the ticket desk at the far side of the room to pay a £30 fine and receive her boarding pass. We were all finally checked in at 0900, an hour later, and made our way upstairs to the new security area with half an hour until our designated boarding time.

All of the overhead screens in the security area designated a 1 or 2 minute wait and there were no queues for the automated barriers. The new system is simply a case of placing the barcode of your boarding pass on a screen (much like the Eurostar at St Pancras or the E-Passport system) and the doors should automatically open. However some people did have trouble getting through and there was only one very distracted person on hand to help anyone struggling.

From here you can join the shortest queue for the x-ray machines and from here the process was smooth and friendly. You can put all your items (laptop, jacket, belt, keys etc) in the same large tray and the track system is automated. We were airside by 0910 and made our way upstairs to grab some breakfast at Pret a Manger and a few mags from Smiths. At 0930 we made a move for gate 19 which was at the far end of a long hallway, a ten minute walk. Boarding had not begun when we reached the gate and special assistance/priority boarding commenced at 1000.

Boarding was complete by 1020 and we took off at 1035, only five minutes late. The seatbelt signs were off by 1045 and headphones and amenity kits (socks, eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste, pen) handed round soon after. The Virgin crew were all smiles throughout the flight, as per usual.

FLIGHT I was sat in seat 43K, a window seat located four rows back from the Premium economy section on this version of the B747-400 jumbo jet in a 3-4-3 layout. The legroom felt good and spacious although it was very warm on board. I had 4 toilets located just in front and to my left, however two were reserved for the premium economy cabin. The plane looked completely full on a quick glance.

The entertainment system was the V:port on demand system which had over 50 different TV shows and 49 films in total including recent releases Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Friends with Benefits. I opted for The Help. The system felt clunky and slow at times and was not touch screen, with the fast forward and rewind facilities proving almost impossible to use. However the selection was good and kept me entertained with a clear picture and good sized screen.

As part of the revamped dining service in economy menu cards were brought round at 11 along with immigration landing cards to be filled out before landing. The menu consisted of a welcome cocktail of mixed fruit juices with or without vodka as well as a full drinks service starting at 1115. The main meal was a choice of Sausage and mash with gravy and green beans, chicken in a creamy leek and mustard sauce with broccoli and potatoes or penne pasta in a creamy sauce with roasted Mediterranean vegetables and hard Italian cheese. There was then a break allowed before pudding of an Uglies chocolate caramel cup was brought round with tea, coffee and hot chocolate.

I opted for the chicken which was served at 1215 tasty although a little small, the crispy roast potatoes were particularly good though. This was accompanied by a bread roll and a very bland mixed salad that was crying out for a bit of dressing. This was served on the newly designed small trays which gave me more space to manoeuvre but which was determined to slip down onto my lap. Trays weren’t collected until 30 minutes later. The chocolate mousse was a combination of milk and white chocolate mousse with a caramel sauce and was deliciously moreish. A full drinks service with wine was served with lunch.

The flight settled down after this as people got comfortable and ice creams were brought round at 1530 and juice and water at 1630. The seatbelt sign only came on once throughout the flight and even then there was no turbulence. Afternoon tea of a minced pie, a Lindt chocolate bunny and a white cheese and onion finger sandwich was brought round at 1715.

My grandfather asked one member of cabin crew for 2 beers during the flight but was told he could only have one. He asked if he came back for another one after he had finished it if that would be OK and was told yes which caused him a great degree of frustration. Considering drinks should be free throughout the flight crew are very unwilling to hand any out following the single drinks service at the beginning of the flight. This feels like a recent change to me as I have flown Virgin Atlantic almost annually for 10 years and had no problems acquiring extra drinks before.

Sweets were then brought round before we started our descent at 1830 and we landed at 1910, right on schedule before boarding buses to the terminal building. The terminal building was well air conditioned and the queue for security took 15 minutes and we were out of the building in half an hour, impressive considering we had 10 cases. The only thing you must remember at Barbados is to have your immigration form filled out correctly and to maintain the slip for customs after the baggage carousels.

VERDICT Virgin is updating its entire Gatwick and Manchester based long-haul fleets but following this experience you wouldn’t think they needed to. The little touches and smiling cabin crew really make the effort to get your holiday off to a good start, thoroughly recommended.

steveyp flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-600 (10/11/2011 16:27)

I flew Virgin Atlantic from LHR to JFK Fri 4th and returned the following Monday in Economy.

I've never flown with Virgin Atlantic before and have to admit I was very impressed.

Im not short coming up at just over 6ft 3 so leg room is always a big issue and Virgin were absolutely fine, it was a comfortable trip over the atlantic with ample leg room. Though no economy airlines will have fully stretch out leg room, this was by the far best ive seen, far superioir to the airline I use most, BA.

Not just the legroom that was better, the food and IFE were far superior. The attendants were attentive too, drinks and snacks were available almost instantly during the flight.

I will definately fly Virgin again, with possibly the only fault i could find is that the departure lounge was quite small and crowded and the aircraft looked like it could have done with a bit of maintenence with regards to the seats, the one in front of mine's upholstry looked tatty and there was litter in the tray on the seat infront.

I'm a rather excitable flyer so sleeping did not occur during the flight, but again as with most economy flights for someone my height, it probably wouldnt have been the easiest or most pleasant experience

Overall a great flight.

mitchy376 flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LGW/MAN Config 2 (09/09/2011 15:12)

I've known quite a few friends and family that have flown with Virgin in the past and to tell you the truth, they have found the experience very average... Like you get what you pay for. However, this flight from Gatwick to Las Vegas McCarran was a very pleasurable journey. 31 Inch seat pitch though... Smaller than my Thomas cook flight.

Gatwick airport's South Terminal was busy, but similarly to my trip to Florida earlier in the year, I booked myself into the No1 travelers lounge, which again offered great views of the runway and was accompanied by attentive staff and complimentary drinks and a selection of foods. We boarded very near the same gate that we used on our Florida trip so getting lost wasn't a problem.

The cabin crew I must say are absolutely brilliant and work really hard. They are always smiling and never seem to sit down at all. By the end of the flight I am sure they must be truly exhausted and yet they are still smiling and look immaculate in their red uniforms.

I would rate the food much better than that of Thomas Cook, but you can also see the big difference in flight prices between the 2 businesses. Entertainment on this flight was using the old, and quite frankly dated system using channels on a loop. There was a decent selection but having to wait for it to come on was really annoying but very similar to my outbound Thomas Cook flight. The return flight with virgin was very much the same, crappy entertainment and a pretty old-looking 747. They really need to update their Gatwick & Manchester fleets...

Overall, I thought the experience was good, disregarding the entertainment. I would recommend this airline to friends.

SHEILABowyer flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A330-300 (10/07/2011 15:02)

Manchester to Orlando on new A330 airbus, eagerly anticipated travel on newest plane, for 3 week holiday in Orlando.

Decent flight price booked 10 days before, just missed out on booking discounted premium economy fare, first big mistake.
Online check in and bag drop easy as always, decided to check out upgrade price at airport £250pp (3 of us) too much me thinks for what you get. So I settle for £50pp exit row upgrade = £150, second big mistake, under no circumstances would I ever do this again, or recommend it to anyone. To be honest VA should be paying you to sit in these seats, the amount of traffic crossing over the cabin during the flight was immensely frustrating.

In hindsight it would have been better to pay £35 pp to sit in the additional legroom seats AC HK rows 51 to 57 I think, which is what I will do on return if I can, if Premium economy is still extortionate price.

Flight itself, took off and landed early, apart from the inconvenience of being stepped over most of the flight the seats were incredibly uncomfortable, the material seemed very harsh almost like sitting on a hessian mat. Food choices were not good at least did not appeal to my taste, only two rounds of refreshments served in a 9 hour flight, no mention of going to collect your own as happens on other flights.

Flight crew pleasant enough. IFE excellent according to my travelling companions who had their own personal headphones, I had difficulty hearing anything through the supplied headphones due to excessive noise at exit row.

Plane was new and clean which was a bonus after travelling previously on VA 747.
On our return I will hopefully get a decent price for PE upgrade, if not will try to upgrade to AC HK extra legroom seats, all our party are over 5' 11 tall even me (mum).

All in all lesson learned in future to book PE when discounted price available, definitely do not sit near exit or on exit row (centre 4 across). Have travelled many times with VA economy and got to point where this was the last attempt and hoped for a better experience than the 747, lets see what the return brings.

If only BA flew from Manchester direct to Orlando or Vegas.

JRankin flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-300 (11/04/2011 12:56)

Flew out and back to new York JFK in March, on the A340. The outward journey was fine, uneventful and unspectacular. We were allocated an extra legroom seat because of a mix-up with the booking. One bag had both wheels ripped of it into new York.

On the return journey, however, it was slightly different. The flight departed at 6-15pm. there was no pre dinner drink at all. The dinner took about an hour to begin service, and we received our drink after we had finished eating dinner. When we did receive the drink, the white wine was at room temperature. When this was brought to the crew members attention, they shrugged and carried on with the service.

The breakfast consisted of a hard and stale top of a muffin. No juice or anything else was offered. My partner had a coffee which was served after she had eaten her food and I wanted a tea which was eventually brought around 15 minutes after the food.

The seats were very comfortable when upright. However, being six feet four inches tall (193cm) I need a bit of space. When you recline the seat, Virgin have some new gizzmo to try to gain more recline - the base of the seat lifts up and slides forward at the same time as the back reclines. However, this takes your knees straight into the seat in from, and makes it extremely uncomfortable to sleep. Normally I can get four or five hours on these flights, but I only managed about 15 minutes on this one. Not at all comfortable.

IFE was excellent - so much better on Virgin's ex-Heathrow flights than on the ex-Gatwick aircraft.

Funnily enough, I always enjoy my outward daytime flights on Virgin to the US, but rarely do I find them enjoyable on night-time return flights. Maybe its me, or maybe its the crew rushing to get home!

disgruntled flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 Config 4 (17/03/2011 23:47)

Virgin's service has been disgraceful to the point that I will never use them again, never recommend them to anyone and in fact go so far as to warn people against them here and on travel forums, my marketing workplace, my friends and family and the various blogging and forum sites I work with.

The signs are there with the insufficient legroom on a crowded plane, yet the "purple" seats with extra legroom are empty! You have to pay extra to sit there, even if they're empty after take off.

I could have noticed the company was poorly guided there but the revelation came when my father passed away - a sad and strange time when the world moves faster whilst you stand still. I checked my terms and conditions and noticed a waver in the case of bereavement, so I relaxed a little. Regular changes cost $275 plus ticket price difference and on "no show" you must pay $375 plus ticket price difference to fly. Under each of these conditions is a reminder of this very sensible waiver. I thought "good on Virgin, that's very decent of them to have thought of this". I couldn't bring myself to do anything as the grief set in but eventually thought I should get in touch with Virgin and explain what's gone on.

I was bounced around from one person to the next, each time forced to recall events, each person not knowing what was previously said and not helping. I asked for a supervisor and she was aggressive and counter-productive. I bought the flight with Expedia and she wanted me to call them. She wouldn't listen to the fact that I had already spoken to them and they had been very detailed and helpful in telling me that once a journey had begun the tickets are the responsibility of the carrier.

She discounted the fee to $275 and said she couldn't see any reason why she should do as much as she did. She also said that the rest of the fee was due to Expedia and advised me to call them. Expedia had been so helpful the first time so I wasn't afraid of calling them, but again they advised me very clearly and calmly that the fee was Virgin's. They called Virgin for me and explained the situation for me. They then put me through and I was hopeful, but as soon as the Virgin Atlantic supervisor got on the phone she went off on one about how ridiculous it was that Expedia pass their problems on to her, and that I have to simply pay up.

I never minded paying, I simply wanted the correct info and for the terms of the flight to be upheld in a sensible and humane way. I was met by misinformation, aggression, no sympathy and very little help that in hindsight I'd rather have avoided for the trouble and extra grief it caused.

Whether I had to pay $275 or not, I hope Virgin enjoys it as it's the last penny they will get from me.

odedfarhiA1 flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-600 (20/07/2010 08:32)

went on a business trip using economy class. Online checkin was available only 24 hours before flight time. When trying to choose seat, most of the seats were unavailable - these were being held for those willing to pay more for "extra leg room". Airport baggage drop went smoothly, as did the borading. However, we were not offered a seat upgrade option either during check in or at the aiport (possibly the flight was full). Seat space was awful - we were in row 45 in the 4 middle seats and it was impossible to move within the row. The bag compartment of the seat in front of me was permanently lodged between my legs during the entire 10 hour flight. When the passenger in front lowered his seat the IFE screen was barely an inch from my face. Service was acceptable, but the food quality was atrocious and we were not given suffcient food on the outgoing flight. On the flight back we were offered at least 2 more meals/snacks - why, when its exactly the same distance? I would strongly recommend avoiding Virgin economy (cattle) class long haul flight unless you can upgrade your seat to economy plus.

alwaysairbound flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LHR Config (10/07/2010 20:44)

Having flown Air New Zealand regularly some months, Virgin has that feel of a Budget Airline trying to measure up with the best. Gimmicky, with big admirable ideas but nothing quite works. Virgin's biggest problem is their inconsistency. The cabin crew appear more like "gifted amateurs" than professionals. If you're lucky enough to get an A List crew, they are divine, if not, sit back and suffer British service at its dismissive "best". I'm sure the crew on my recent flight from JFK-LHR would have been great if they hadn't been so pre-occupied in their own conversations. Economy crew levels seemed light. They seemed rushed, and the moment the job was done they were back to nattering amongst themselves. Whenever you asked for anything, there was a sense that you were interrrupting a private moment. Unforgivably, on leaving the aircraft, the crew stood talking to one another instead of farewelling passengers. I have to say i would have enjoyed a "farewell" in preference to the conversation i heard: "I was so embarassed. I opened my handbag and my spare tampon fell out on the counter". Yes. Tasteful - Not. Professional - Not. Maybe if their uniforms were of better quality, were more practical and actually fitted those who wear it morale would improve and service would improve. My jury's out on Virgin. I have ahd occasions where they left everyone for dead, but when they're not on form, they are worse than the worst. On this flight, the food was OK, the seat was OK, we were on time, and the service was just slightly below average. I do however think that 4 cabin crew to serve the entire economy cabin on a 747 is too few.

UflyRight flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LHR Config (26/04/2010 13:55)

The vs150 was a rescue flight from Orlando to Gatwick. The TVs were new and clear, also you could choose what you watch and when.

There wasn't the variety of drinks available and no duty free which is understandable, but the meals where awful - the cottage pie was very watery and there was no meat in it at all.

The seats were just as bad as the outbound flight on VS28, and I still have back ache four days after returning.

The exit seats are even more uncomfortable and would not want to give the airline my money - I have never been more uncomfortable in my life.

UflyRight flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LGW/MAN Config 2 (26/04/2010 13:38)

This was the the sort of thing that I expect from Ryanair and Monarch. The in-flight entertainment system was difficult to work and the TVs were old and flickered, and some didn't work and the crew ignored this fact.

The seats are not leather and are very uncomfortable, and the exit seats are even worse. Also some of the seat reclines didn't work.

Where most airlines have different sections of the aircraft so everyone gets served quickly, Virgin didn't so food and drink took a long time to get around.

I won't fly with Virgin and if I return to Orlando I would use another airline.

EdwardFerrell flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-600 (21/04/2010 11:55)

Virgin Atlantic's A340s - window seats in coach. With the 2-4-2 configuration and several extra inches between the window seat and the wall, this is one of the most comfortable economy seats available (esp when compared to 747s and 777s).

peoplesonrules flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-600 (01/03/2010 16:49)

I finally got a Virgin flight with the V:Port IFE, and what a system. It is the best IFE system of any airline I've ever been on! The service and cabin crew were impeccable (as always) and the food was pretty good. However the legroom is a little small and the chair doesn't recline that far back. Boarding was quick, however, the gate closes 30 mins before departure, you only have to wait 20 on BA and less on United. Overall though, an excellent flight.

Massig1 flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-600 (28/11/2009 17:33)

Terrible service, uncomfortable seat, poor food ... Virgin seems to me is all marketing and not much substance.

Jaysdave flew Virgin Atlantic Economy (14/10/2009 05:56)

Below is a letter I wrote to Virgin after one of the worst flights I have ever been on......their rather unsatisfactory response is copied below the letter:

Dear Sir/Madam, It is with considerable sadness that I have to write this letter of complaint to you about our recent flight with you, (JFK - LHR , 15th August 2009, VS046, seat numbers 58A & 58B). I will itemise the points below as to why we are so unhappy, but I say it is with sadness that I write as we feel that Virgin Atlantic rightly sets its' own high standards, thereby compounding the disappointment that they were not only not met, but fell far short of those set by other airlines. In the last 12 months, we have flown by Jet Airways, Lufthansa, British Airways & Air New Zealand, and not had a comparable experience with any of those operators. In-Flight Entertainment This didn't work in our seats, or I believe in 10 other seats for the entire flight. tThe flight attendants were aware of this, and to their credit did 'say' they were making efforts to fix the problem.....however it was not until at least 2 hours into the flight did a senior stewardess come to our seats, and when she did, it was to tell us that the problem should be fixed within 10 minutes. I and my girlfriend fell asleep within 30 minutes of her telling us this, (in which time, we were told nothing and needless to say, the system was still not working). At the end of the flight, we were given a voucher for 4,000 miles or £20 off a virgin holiday along with an apology. Were that the only incident, we could accept that occassionally these things happen, although I am unsure why checks aren't made on the systems while the plane is being prepared. As a result though of the overall level of service we received through the flight, I have to question the veracity of the crews efforts to fix the problem, and the sincerity of what we were told. In-Flight Service This aspect of our flight was the most disappointing. At no time in the run up to dinner being served were we offered a drink or a bag of nuts, and when dinner was served, we were not offered a drink until dinner was completed. When we were offered a drink, I asked for a bloody mary which was given to me as a vodka & tomato juice with a dash of worcester sauce. I asked for some tabasco, which I was told they didn't have. I asked for some salt and pepper, to which I was told that I had been given some with my cutlery and that there was no more available. How foolish of me not to have pre-empted this situation and saved some for my drink, rather than use it on my chicken & pasta dinner. (On which point, I would add that it was, apart from my LHR - JFK flight, the worst bit of airline food I or my girlfriend have eaten. It actually takes more talent to make a piece of chicken taste that bad than it does to make it taste delicious). Back though to the salt & pepper. As I say, this seemed a request too far for the stewardess making my drink, (incidentally, I believe her name was Caroline). In the disappointment of no tabasco sauce, or salt and pepper, I forgot to ask for a slice of lemon....but at the same time, she didn't ask whether I would like one which even the most amateur of staff would have done in a fourth rate hotel. As I said earlier it was while our trays were being collected that a senior crew member informed us that our entertainment systems would be working within ten minutes. This is important to bear in mind as I had been waiting for the Duty Free trolley to be brought around which we had been told at the beginning of the flight would happen after the dinner service. I was therefore very much awake for a full half hour after our trays had been collected hoping to a) watch a film, or listen to some music and b) buy some cigarettes. In the boredom, I did eventually fall asleep. When we were awoken with the breakfast offer of a muffin, I asked the stewardess whether I could buy some Duty Free goods. I was told that the time to buy Duty Free had come and gone, and (once again, Caroline) said that she had come round after dinner herself, offered Duty Free products and now all the products had been sealed in their containers and it was impossible for me to buy anything. I do not doubt that she did come around, but her assertion that she did so immediately after dinner was patently untrue as I had most definitely been awake for 30 minutes with cash in hand. My girlfriend, by this time extremely angry about our whole experience asked for a complaint form, at which point a stewardess, (not Caroline, although she was the one closer to the galley area) went to speak to a colleague who came back to us and said that rather amazingly Duty Free was still available though they may have sold out of some products. As it was, I managed to get some cigarettes, (but no complaint form). I earlier said that I question the sincerity of your crew simply because I was told that Duty Free was offered immediately after dinner, (not true) and that after the Duty Free service had finished, all products were stored in their container, and the container was sealed immediately thereafter. Having threatened to complain, I managed to get some Duty Free at least two hours after the service had apparently happened, and therefore at least 90 minutes after the containers had been sealed. It is, I hope you see, irrefutable that there is at least one mutually exclusive fact here, which unfortunately casts a shadow over all other assertions made. I hope you can understand our anger over the service you offered us. I have only flown Virgin once before many years ago to LAX and I was extremely impressed at the time, though my girlfriend has flown with you more often and she was the one who very much wanted to fly with you specifically because of your famous in-flight entertainment. Sadly, it seems time has taken its' toll on your standards. I completely understand that the current economic climate, increased airport taxes, fuel surcharges etc., have made the airline companies work extremely hard to maintain reasonable prices, and cut backs have had to be made. However, as I said earlier, we travel very often, mainly to India, Sri Lanka & Hong Kong and have in the past year used 4 or 5 different airlines, and none of those companies have left me feeling even the slightest bit angry. It is with eager anticipation that I wait to hear your reply. Their reply:

Thank you for taking the time to email us about your flight from New York.

I'm sorry to hear that your personal TVs weren't working on this flight. I can imagine how frustrating this must have been for both of you, especially as you were looking forward to enjoying it.

We know what an important part of the flying experience our in-flight entertainment can be. So, our engineers do a pre-flight maintenance check and complete any repairs required before departure. Unfortunately, sometimes there's very little time between the plane arriving from one flight and leaving on another. It's not always possible for problems to be located and repaired within the limited time available.

Also, if we have a problem like this, we do everything we can to fix it on the spot. But because our in-flight entertainment system is so state-of-the-art, we do sometimes have to call out a specialist engineer - which is fine whilst the aircraft is on the ground. However, once airborne our crew have to do their best with the resources they have.

I quite recognise your annoyance with the on-board drinks service. As you know, we offer everyone a drink at the beginning of our flights. Sadly, we can't always come around again after that because there's not always time. But passengers are welcome to go to the galley any time during the flight and ask for refreshments. Also, if you ask our crew for anything during the flight, they'll be happy to give it to you. I apologise if this wasn't your experience.

We realise the importance of having good food when flying, so we've hired the best caterers in business. It's therefore concerning to read your comments. It appears that something went wrong here. Obviously, this was distressing for you, and I apologise.

I do acknowledge your disappointment when you were informed that you couldn't buy anything from our duty free. While I'm glad that you were eventually able to buy the cigarettes you wanted from our duty free, I appreciate your annoyance with the information and lack of assistance you got from our crew. Their attitude must not have made you feel any better.

We train our staff to be warm, friendly, professional and give correct and clear information at all times. We're sticklers for making sure that we listen to all your needs as sensitively as we can. So, it does worry us to read your comments. It looks like our standards slipped, and we clearly fell short of both your expectations and ours on this occasion.

This certainly isn't the experience we want you to have. I've therefore let our in-flight services manager know what happened. Also, I've passed on your feedback to our catering team. They'll discuss this in their review, and do everything possible to ensure that we get things right next time.

From your email, I understand that our crew offered you vouchers as a gesture for the faulty entertainment system. Please fill in your details in these vouchers, and send it to us at the address mentioned on it. We'll action them accordingly as soon as possible.

Having experienced our services in the past, I quite appreciate your annoyance on this occasion - I promise you it's not something we make a habit of. I do hope you won't judge us on the basis of these incidents, and will give us a chance to win back your confidence. We look forward to welcoming both of you on one of our flights again soon.

Kind regards

Nancy Paul [Miss] Customer Relations Executive

gingermitten flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LGW/MAN Config 3 (12/10/2009 12:59)

My experience with Virgin was fantastic. I am a nervous flyer and they were very understanding of this and continued to ask after my wellbeing the whole trip.

Our flight was eight hours and the on board drinks and food were very good indeed.

Nothing is to much trouble for the staff.

We also had entertainment on the seat in front and had so many things to watch and games to play that we were busy for the whole flight.

I would receomment Virgin to all ages as there service is second to none.

sarahpedder88 flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LGW/MAN Config 2 (22/08/2009 09:50)

From LGW-MCO (Orlando) Easter 2009. Excellent service throughout, very good food. Kids loved the in-flight entertainment, current box office films on offer. 8.5hr flight seemed like 3hrs. Great service Well done Virgin.

peoplesonrules flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-300 (12/08/2009 23:54)

the only time we fly virgin we get the odyssey IFE and the old style seats, still could be worse. The meal was pretty good for economy and even though we got the odyssey IFE it was still leaps and bounds better than United's economy IFE. However the legroom came as a bit of a shock as we'd just flown united's eco. plus. Overall though, a decent flight.

High-Flyer flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-600 (14/10/2008 10:34)

I travelled with Virgin Atlantic to New York and was very impressed. The check in was quick and efficient, especially as I'd already checked in online. We boarded quite quickly and the cabin crew were very helpful throughout the flight. Virgin's onboard entertainment has always been the best, and on the basis of this flight, it still is. I could choose which films or TV programmes I watched and when I wanted. Given that I was in Economy, the seat was comfortable enough, I just wished that I'd paid to sit in an exit row seat as they have so much more space.

goswrang flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a A340-600 (30/09/2008 11:55)

Virgin Atlantic // London - New York (June 2008) return. Virgin Atlantic promotes itself as an airline with award winning service. Unfortunately this is far from the truth.

Even seated at Economy you should expect not to have to "fight" your way onto the plane. I fully understand that Upper Class and Premium Economy are prioritized before economy, but when Virgin do not manage to get their Upper and Premium passengers in their own line it is bound to cause trouble. It all ends in chaos.

Finally onboard Virgin staff served good food and offered great entertainment on their video on demand system.

Landing in New York two hours delayed the airline managed to lose our luggage. Things like these sometimes happens, but at least you expect to be met with some sort of decent service. No help, no toiletries, no instant compensation. Just a number to Virgin Atlantic Baggage Service. A help desk you might as well not call. No help whatsoever. They never called back, and never did anything to help us. We started our holiday with no luggage at all. Today (September) Virgin Atlantic has still not called us back, or showed any sign to help us. We have called them about fifteen times.

On the way back the flight was over four hours delayed and they managed to lose our (newly bought) luggage once more. Virgin Atlantic did not manage to book us on a connecting flight, which in the end was done by very helpful British Airways staff.

So Virgin Atlantic did not impress much...

annievtaylor flew Virgin Atlantic Economy, on a B747-400 LGW/MAN Config 3 (30/09/2008 01:54)

I found seats in row 41 were awful, but further forward in rows 28 much better... basically the further back you are, the more bumpy the ride and the less chance you have of getting the meal you want as they run out.You also have the loos and the smell to deal with. In 28, you have a galley next to you, so no one on one side. I was in row 21 once with the bulkhead seats and that was great for legroom, but with only a curtain between you and PE, it was torture watching them eat and drink proper food and be treated a lot better...we also had to walk back miles for the loo. We are going PE next time.