The newest Upper Class offer is in the Airbus A350-1000 and it has a seat width of 20 inches as does the A330-200. This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. Our clients have access to preferential booking channels including: This page may contain affiliate links which provide revenue to the website but come at no cost to you, the reader. Once the seat belt sign was off I walked to the back of the cabin to have a celebratory drink with some colleagues, and then returned to my seat to work. Had we been downstairs we or they could have walked over to the ticketing desk, but thats not possible from the Upper Class wing. On Virgin Atlantic, the staff in Upper Class actually come to your seat and proactively ask if there is anything more you would like. The coffin-like cubes are impossible to get comfortable in, much less sleep in so your experience on the older plane was in many ways the same as mine on the new A350. We took off at 0850 using a dual runway with BA 001 flight. I even prefer the Premium Economy in the 787 -but they are mysteriously not available on the same plane. And if you want to use the magazine rack to store a tablet or laptop you then have to find somewhere to store the headphones that the airline provides. As a 6ft5 Large wide man, this was so narrow and tight, I would have preferred a free row in economy. Plus Ups are excluded. The clubhouse also has several areas that can be used for things other than working, eating, or drinking. We offer specialised meals which you may prefer for medical or religious reasons. Related: How to pick your perfect airplane seat. $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline. I specifically booked this airline, time of departure and am connecting because I wanted to fly the A350. If they offered a complimentary flight change or even some kind of credit that would be a different matter. Cookie statement | I got this to work, but it was quite beyond me to understand how it worked so I just used the touchscreen. Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class afternoon tea. It might be worth noting that the Loft, an area that was designed as a social hangout to replace the bar, is situated at the back of the cabin. I chose cheese rather than dessert. Black forest gateau with coconut vanilla cream and raspberry flakes or. The A330neo and selected Airbus 350 planes have an area called The Loft. It also had the advantage that when the food is served you can move your laptop or work to one side and eat without having to put everything away. After eating and working I tried to sleep for an hour or so but it was too noisy, which is fair enough since this was the first flight to New York on November 8, 2021. $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. We tried every variation of turn it off and turn it back on again before finally admitting defeat. These routes will boast the most updated, modern version of the airline's Upper Class. Just flew the A350-1000 from ATL to LHR, 12/2/2022 will never fly Virgin again. Learn more. On this leg dinner (which was served around 11 am local time) was as follows: Tandoori Chicken bites with a cucumber, baby tomato and pepper salad, Barley salad with feta cheese, spring onions, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, pomegranate seeds, and a lemon mint dressing. I figured that this would make for a much more spacious and sociable meal setting than sitting in my little coffin, watching a monitor the size of a gameboy. As background, the Upper Class Suite seat is a be-spoked version of the Sirius New Generation (NG) seat, with the addition of a sliding privacy screen. Special Diets Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night, Drinks View all details meals, features Location and contact Heathrow Airport 234 Bath Road, Hayes TW6 1AP England Website +44 844 335 1801 Improve this listing Reviews (711) Write a review Traveler rating Excellent 571 $26.99. Virgin Atlantic places Upper Class at the front of its Boeing 787s, with 31 seats in a 1-1-1 layout: Window seats are labelled 'A' and 'K', with the centre spots as 'G'. Find Premium flight deals. Back then I was blown away by the experience, since I only really had economy and a handful of 90s Business Class experiences to compare it to. Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 'Upper Class' business class: the basics. What makes it a unique Upper Class product is that these four A330-200 aircraft were purchased from Air Berlin when the airline went bankrupt in 2017. When I booked these flights they were scheduled to be operated by an A350 with a competitive product but unfortunately theres a huge chasm in seat quality on Virgin. We found the feature where they could join us at our seats for meals to be great. Not just 30 upper class seats but 44 packed in like sardines. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. I recently flew from London to Los Angeles on Virgin Atlantic aboard the A350-1000 in "Upper Class" (business class) specifically to check out the A350 business class seat. Strangest of all was the proximity that we had to neighbouring passengers heads, that peered up over the very short walls of their seats. Dining options for Virgin Atlantic customers in 2021 include a main course of roasted chicken breast, potato pure, sauted spinach and girolles mushrooms, served with Bourguignon sauce The new Upper Class menu: Welcome drinks upon boarding Drinks and snacks after takeoff Main meal Starter Mozzarella and tomato salad with micro basil and cress (v) We arrived on time into New York and were quickly off the aircraft. Looking for an alternative booking now. The bag itself is plain purple and can be recycled eg it isnt something you can keep and reuse, which is unusual for business class. It really is such bad business practice to pretend like all their business class seats are equally appealing. (Very unlike British Airways who has an average premium economy offer and a great business class offer). It really adds to the experience, and is a reminder that it takes more than a great seat to make a great airline. Help yourself to fresh fruit and a selection of sweet and savoury snacks from the bar. Read More, WELL TRAVELLED + BOUTIQUE HOTELS + ADVENTURES = THE BOUTIQUE ADVENTURER 2020 The Boutique Adventurer Travel Blog . The image below serves to highlight another major issue with these window seats: they face into the aisle rather than the window. 2021 Brook Ridge Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, Quinta do Noval Black Reserve Port, Portugal. A very resounding YES! A SEAMLESS TRAVEL JOURNEY Delta and Virgin Atlantic operate in the same terminal in LHR. The tray table is excellent, and I think has been redesigned from the one on the first aircraft. Virgin Atlantic have a bottom of the barrel seat on the majority of their aircraft. Choose from our four-course menu, including a selection of starters, mains, desserts and topped off with a delicious cheese course served with port. 100% agreed with you on the ground experience. Then, four coveted seats 3A, 5A, 3K and 5K are flush against the window for those all-important photo ops in the sky. In conclusion, yes, Virgin Atlantic Upper Class gets a good plus rating from me because of the staff and clubhouse. We'll welcome you onboard with a chilled glass of Champagne or English sparkling wine. 2022 Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. All rights reserved.Registered office: Registered office: The VHQ, Fleming Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9DF No, Virgin Atlantic does not give you pyjamas. Schedule tweaks in the post-COVID recovery period have made this all too common, e.g. As with Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy, plenty of food is available at all times. Top picks: Number one, without doubt, is the Upper Class Suite onboard the A350s. Secondly, its debatable just how much extra privacy it gives you anyone walking past can look down onto you sleeping just as they would normally. However, if you have a seat in the middle, you will be directly facing those who have a seat on the right-hand side of the plane and vice versa. And lastly, it does make it awkward if you wake in the night and want to get up, since it is quite difficult to get up with the door shut, and opening it again while lying down isnt completely intuitive, or physically easy, though with practice it would become easier. I covered all of the costs of my return Upper Class flights with Virgin Atlantic. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. It offers a host of additional benefits which add the most luxurious touches to your flight experience. Around 90 minutes before landing I completely gave up on sleep and asked Kamara if she wanted to head to the bar with me to grab some food. Related: A350 suite showdown: British Airways' Club Suite versus Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class Suite. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card, Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu. I understand the lounge in T2 is nothing on the T3 Lounge. There were three choices for the main meal: Chicken and wild mushroom pie with colcannon mash, garden vegetables, and a red wine sauce, Butter chicken curry with coriander rice, garlic fried okra, mini naan bread, and chilli garnish. 21 Most Dangerous Roads in the World (2023) Travelers Need to Know. Eating and drinking on our flights is a kind of a big deal. Breeze through security with CLEAR lanes available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your membership when you use your Card. Even better, it has its own elevator (with its own little red carpet), which takes Upper-Class passengers up to security, where Virgin Atlantic Upper Class has its own security area. I was very impressed. There are power sockets everywhere which was great news. The bed width on both aircraft is 20 inches. Virgin Atlantic has also added to its pre-order menu, where Upper Class and Premium customers can pre-select their inflight meals between 72 and 24 hours of departure. Without me asking, one of the hostesses came up and said I could go and get my friend and move her up to upper class for the rest of the flight. The key difference of course being that BAs Business Class lounges were never good, Your email address will not be published. The fact that Virgin wont allow passengers to retain A350 bookings, when operational issues lead to an aircraft change, means that youre always risking a bait and switch with this company. I have visited over 70 countries and love finding hidden gems, boutique hotels and great food and wine. Not only is it the airline's newest, safest and most environmentally friendly aircraft, but it also boasts the newest, most comfortable and most modern airline seats of the entire Virgin Atlantic fleet. The dining experience in Upper Class Our menus are designed to compliment your departure time, origin and destination, served throughout your flight on designer linens, plates and cutlery. It is a 1 x 1 x 1 horizontal configuration, so it doesnt really matter if you have a middle seat when it comes to space or ease of getting in and out of the seat. Virgin's business class lunch menu (for flights departing between 10am and 4pm) includes a turkey, brie and fig jam sourdough melt. Over 8 years later, Virgin are still flying an almost identical seat, when many airlines have private suites with closing doors in Business Class. Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class drinks service. The best seats on Virgin Atlantic's A350 economy are rows 45, 52, 53, and 54. I have seldom experienced this, even in business class on other airlines. Best card for premium perks while traveling, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card from American Express, Traveling for spring break? Terms and conditions | Also took VA from JoBurg on A350 and was totally different experience. With this in mind, I wondered if the overall experience could still shine despite the old coffin seats. If you're spending your cold hard cash or splurging your stash of Flying Club miles on an Upper Class ticket, then there are definitely a couple of decisions to make before you click that confirm button. The best thing they can do now if you have any loyalty points left, is book the cheapest Heathrow upper class reward flight you can find enter the amazing clubhouse (which is still awesome) and spend as long as you possibly can inside before they kick you out of the airport and tell you that you are banned from flying Virgin Atlantic ever again. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. At the seat was the new recyclable washbag. On the plane, you'll receive a welcome glass of champagne, hot and cold menu choices based on time of day and destination, and luxury table settings. In addition to the bottle of water, we found an amenity kit waiting for us at our seats. Once we were on board the plane though, things improved. I have read that Virgin Atlantic has changed this on their latest aircraft, and the seats are now all facing forward. Virgin currently only operates long-haul routes using wide-bodied aircraft -- each one complete with an Upper Class cabin. Answer 1 of 2: Hi. The cheese plate was composed of Snowdonia rock star cave-aged cheddar, Shropshire blue, Somerset brie with grapes, plum and ginger chutney and crackers. For instance, 2A is a window seat and 7G is in the middle. Absolutely hated the seat configuration. lLondon to JNB) I must say the flight attendants were absolutely fantastic. The all grey colour scheme and factory standard sink didnt exactly scream luxury though. After a couple of minutes peeled away and then headed off to New York. The crew were very happy to set up a meal for us here and commented that it was a great idea! See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com, Hotel review: Canopy by Hilton Paris Trocadro. On night flights, wake up to a selection of hot and cold breakfast options, including the classic Full English breakfast, sweet breakfast pastries, Bircher muesli, fresh seasonal fruit and more. Toiletries were by Ren, a brand previously used in the suites and club rooms at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo. You might enjoy reading some more of my business class airline reviews: Delta Premium Select Review (2023) Is it Worth It? There is quite a bit of seat size variation across the different Virgin Atlantic fleet planes. Double-check which aircraft operates the route that you're about to book. There are several dishes to choose from, some of which are familiar, some that offer a few unexpected delights. You'll have to be flying on pretty specific routes to fly this unique configuration. The weight limit for one carry-on bag is 26 pounds, while the combined weight limit for two carry . Best of all was the area designed for sleeping/resting. Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. I took a taxi to the airport and arrived at about 0615 for the 0830 planned departure of VS3 to New York, with a flight time of around six and a half hours. Im Amanda, an Australian who has called London home for over 15 years. Virgin Atlantic Upper Class A340-600 Atlanta - London Heathrow Check-in and Lounge. Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class Wilbur and Orville. If it were priced in line with other business class offers, I would still take it most times because of the service and the clubhouse. As such, Virgin Atlantic is not an airline that I would currently recommend flying, unless the cost is materially cheaper than the alternatives. Prices vary based on the route, and there is often an offer for a limited time period and one for access for the entire flight. There was enough room to slot a bottle of water between the grate and the armrest. It definitely felt like I made a far wiser choice with the chicken burger, served with a packet of crisps and a chocolate cake. I appreciated the fact that each course was served in succession, rather than getting an Economy style tray with all courses presented together (something that many airlines are still doing under the pretence of COVID safety). Goodbye Virgin forever. Interesting take on the children visiting your seats. Virgin Clubhouse at Heathrow Terminal 3 reopens - take a look 15 July 2021 by Rob Burgess The Virgin Clubhouse lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 reopens - and we were there Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. The centre seats had a problem with the IFE so the tail camera didnt work, which wasnt great timing, but we could see the BA aircraft to our right as we took off and it was quite emotional seeing the two airlines, very briefly, working together to celebrate the opening of US routes to UK travellers after such a long period of time. Atlantic & # x27 ; Upper Class A340-600 Atlanta - London Heathrow Check-in Lounge... 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