Deltas new suite product (this one without doors) are a huge improvement over their old biz class product, and given the choice between Delta and Virgin codeshare flights, its Delta that wins out in every possible way. Virgin has altered the layout of its Club House lounge at T3, with the removal of the spa and the addition of some Peloton cycling machines. The Upper Class Suite is excellent. The annual airline fee statement credit can be complicated to take advantage of compared to the broader travel credits offered by competing premium cards. Strangest of all was the proximity that we had to neighbouring passengers heads, that peered up over the very short walls of their seats. Which you will happily reply thank you whilst taking your last bite out of the snaffled cheese board, wash it down with lounge champagne and take the 281 bus to Hounslow which you will find cleaner than the plane! I appreciated the fact that the Coke Zero was served in a proper tumbler with full sized ice cubes, rather than the thimble-like vessels used by some other carriers. You'll have to be flying on pretty specific routes to fly this unique configuration. 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. Apparently, it is a luxurious and romantic spot for two. Pre-dinner drinks if you're in the mood for a little tipple. Id noticed on the BA A350-1000 that the overhead lockers for the centre seats are difficult to reach, but thats not a problem on the Virgin version because theres a recess in the side of the seat so people can raise themselves up to access the lockers. Food and Wine Champagne Ayala or Hambledon Classic Cuveee English Sparkling wine. Upper Class passengers with Virgin Atlantic can enjoy a full-service meal in the lounge at the airport before boarding (the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at LHR is fantastic, by the way). Great interaction time, You see things differently when you travel with children. However, it is deli-style (which included things like smoked salmon, fresh fruit and Greek yogurt) and set up behind glass, so passengers must request that a server places everything on the plate. It offers a host of additional benefits which add the most luxurious touches to your flight experience. The herringbone seat is narrow and lacks privacy, the amenity kit bag was cheap and the alcohol selection wasn't the best. While some airlines operate four classes on some of their long-haul jets, Virgin Atlantic opted for three: Upper Class (business class), Premium (premium economy) and economy. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. 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. With such an enormous chasm between cabin types, its too big a risk to chance things with Virgin when other airlines offer far more consistency and certainty. However, I was surprised to find that I could either sit completely upright or completely flat no halfway recline in between, which was quite annoying. I got this to work, but it was quite beyond me to understand how it worked so I just used the touchscreen. Boarding took place at 0745 from gate 5, and there were TV crews filming both for news and documentaries, along with lots of American flag waving. Thank you Virgin Atlantic! Failing that, your next best option is flying a route operated by one of the airline's four A330-200 aircraft with its unique seating configuration. But I only think it is worth paying extra if it isnt a huge jump from the premium economy price. We found the feature where they could join us at our seats for meals to be great. I had the same issue the last time I flew with Virgin Premium Economy and it did appear that no one but me experienced problems with the wifi. 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. the 2nd daily San Francisco flight having been switched from an A350 to a B787. This was fantastic service recovery and not something I was expecting at all. The wifi was a disaster both ways. Seat Selection. For take-off and landing, there isnt any, really: just a very thin magazine holder where youll find the headphones when you first board. Virgin Airlines offers the only Upper Class service, which includes both Business and First Class. It definitely felt like I made a far wiser choice with the chicken burger, served with a packet of crisps and a chocolate cake. They both have 31 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration with a bar at the back of the cabin. Then, four coveted seats 3A, 5A, 3K and 5K are flush against the window for those all-important photo ops in the sky. As such, Virgin Atlantic is not an airline that I would currently recommend flying, unless the cost is materially cheaper than the alternatives. After the drinks service, trays were brought over with our starters. Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class seat storage. Its good for working at, good for eating, good for relaxing and offers a comfortable nights sleep. All rights reserved | Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow Terminal 3, 29 Most Dangerous Cities in Canada (2023) & How To Stay Safe. The minimum was 780 pounds, we bid 795 .. that was rejected, at the airport they accepted 812. Upper Class fares can be priced from 1,000 return, which is a great price for the benefits you get if you break it down on a cost-per-hour basis. *The Loft is available to customers flying Upper Class on our Airbus A350 aircraft. I love the Upper Class wing and the Clubhouse hence my very positive review of that portion of the trip! However, for an added feel of privacy and those views that we live for, any A and K window seat is slightly better than a D or G seat. The smoked duck breast was very basic in terms of presentation and execution. Which flipped down completely revealing a special sleeping surface under the seat (much like the old Singapore A380 seats). Naturally, I filmed my experience for my YouTube channel: Virgin uses Terminal 2 at Manchester, which is a much weaker premium experience than its other bases at Heathrow or Gatwick. Food and drink Whichever cabin you're travelling in, you'll enjoy delicious food and drinks throughout the flight. However, I cant help but wonder what it would be like if you were to fly in these seats with a crew that was having an off day. Despite the aggressively beige appearance, the food was delicious. You can order from our Extra Bites menu featuring an array of tantalising choices from cream tea to our popular burger, destination-inspired tasting plates and superfood salads.. I have seldom experienced this, even in business class on other airlines. 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. 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. The New Upper Class meal service Firstly you will get welcome drinks upon boarding. 21 Most Dangerous Roads in the World (2023) Travelers Need to Know. Much of my work trip this time was in Kansas - I used domestic airlines Jet Blue and Southwest to travel within the US. Not just 30 upper class seats but 44 packed in like sardines. They not only had French champagne (Champagne Chanoine Freres Reserve Privee Brut NV), but they also had English sparkling wine (Hambledon) and prosecco (NV Dea Del Mare). I remembered it as a positive experience particularly as I got fun pajamas and there was a bar. In a reversal of the simplification of its food and beverage service due to COVID, the airline is looking towards a return of some of the most popular elements of its Upper Class service. Youre right, this certainly isnt something Id given any consideration to. This isnt something that particularly bothers me since airline beef is often cooked to the consistency of boot leather, unless youre flying on ANA First Class. Each seat is on an angle, so they are next to each other rather than side by side. Cheese plate Wensleydale with cranberry, cheddar, chutney , grapes and crostini. Newer planes also have the Retreat Suite area at the front of Upper Class. On day flights, Upper Class passengers will get a second meal service, including Eric Lanlard's Mile High Tea or a lighter option. The image below serves to highlight another major issue with these window seats: they face into the aisle rather than the window. Virgin Atlantic have a bottom of the barrel seat on the majority of their aircraft. For example, seats 3A, 5A, 3K and 5K are called Solo Corner Suites, owing to the added feeling of privacy being farther away from the aisle. The dreamliners and A330s offer one of the worst seats currently operating in Business Class on any airline. Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class afternoon tea. A word of warning: Avoid seats in Row 7, as these have no window! 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. Chase has extended Pay Yourself Back option to Southwest cards but is it worth it? Trip Verified | Used Virgin Atlantic for this trip, first time with VA for about 5 years. Join Flying Club for free and earn Virgin Points on every Virgin Atlantic flight, and redeem them on fabulous rewards like upgrades, flights and much more. As of May 2022 this is still not something that British Airways is able to offer. However, once she got on the flight, she was confronted by an angry male passenger with his family who insisted that these were his seats, which was quite unpleasant. The A330-200 has a 15.3-inch screen, and the newest aircraft, the A350-1000 has a more generous screen size of 18.5 inches. I was very impressed. private suites with closing doors in Business Class, REVIEW Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Frequent Flyer status during flight: Virgin Atlantic Gold, Booking type: Cash fare (LHR-SFO r/t for 999). This aircraft has a total of 335 seats configured in three classes: 235 in economy, 56 in premium economy and 44 in business class (or Upper Class as Virgin calls it) in a 1-2-1 configuration of 11 rows (numbered 1-11) in an A-DG-K format. Drinks and snacks after takeoff 3. Main was a choice of one of the following: Pan-fried seabass, creamed mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables and a lemon butter sauce, Pepper chicken masala, carrot and beans poriyal, yellow dal and coconut rice, Kadai paneer, onion pulao, aloo saag and yellow dal, Black forest tart with berry compote and chocolate soil, The cheese plate included Emmental, brie, Danish blue and was served with grapes, mango chutney and crackers. Other than the shoe cubby, the only dedicated storage space was integrated into the left hand armrest and this was barely large enough to fit a phone and a passport. This A350-1000 has Virgin's new Upper Class Suite fitted. The overall maintenance and cleanliness left a lot to be desired. We tried every variation of turn it off and turn it back on again before finally admitting defeat. Passengers can order more than one of the following options: Cream tea: plain and fudge scones with clotted cream, salted caramel spread and strawberry jam (I chose this option and wow the salted caramel addition was fantastic!). In terms of entertainment, theres a choice of over 100 movies, 300 hours of TV shows, over 350 albums and podcasts and over 45 hours of kids content. Woman single-handedly takes on BA and wins, EasyJet pilot does 360-degree turn so passengers can see the Northern Lights, Flight review: Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 Upper Class Suite, Flight review: Singapore Airlines A350-900ULR business class (SQ21), Flight review: Qantas B787-9 Business Class (QF9), Flight review: Air France A350-900 business class, To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below, Pear waldorf salad, baby ear, toasted sunflower sees and loverage leaves (v), Smoked duck breast, fennel and dill salad, Seville orange marmalade and crostini, Braised pork cheek, cauliflower puree, potato fondant, kale and red wine jus, Roasted fillet of trout, chickpea masala, Gujarati green beans, red pepper pakoras and creamy curry sauce, Vegan spiced cauliflower, spinach and lentil pastry pie, sauted Lyonnaise potatoes, garden vegetables and herb gravy (ve), Lemon and coconut dome, coconut cream and freeze dried raspberries. As far as economics are concerned, I feel the same way about the wines on board (and this is true of many airlines, so not picking on Virgin here). The clubhouse also has several areas that can be used for things other than working, eating, or drinking. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com, Hotel review: Canopy by Hilton Paris Trocadro. The bar is available to customers flying Upper Class on our Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 aircraft. 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) Bed widths on these planes are 33 inches. The crew were very happy to set up a meal for us here and commented that it was a great idea! The above benefits come at no cost to youand are paid for by the hotel chains. It was incredibly kind of them and so thoughtful, as we hadnt even asked. Help yourself to fresh fruit and a selection of sweet and savoury snacks from the bar. Sort by. We also sampled this at Virgin's media launch of the new menu held at the airline's Brisbane hangar, although the dish was served fully-plated from Boeing 737 meal carts by Virgin crew. Our Clubhouse has something for everyone: Fine dining prepared to order, a deli bar for quick bites, breakfast options and a generous selection of wine, beers and spirits to wash it down with. I opted to skip dessert since neither the cheese nor the coconut dome appealed much to me. Even An old Air France Business Flight I Took From Paris to Punta Cana, was miles better than this. Virgin has plans to retire this aircraft by 2021, so I figured I really ought to ride on one before time was against me. They can also carry on two bags, plus a personal item. If it were a newer plane, I would definitely take Virgin Atlantic Upper Class versus its competitors at the same price. Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. There is a choice of 3 main courses and it is all served on china. I specifically booked this airline, time of departure and am connecting because I wanted to fly the A350. Such a shame that you arent able to guarantee the A350 on longer routes. Schedule tweaks in the post-COVID recovery period have made this all too common, e.g. To be fair, much of what youve said applies to BA too, if youre unlucky enough to end up in the old Club World seats. Virgin is nothing but a huge marketing scam now as far as their Upper Class goes fool me once, my fault fool me twice wont happen again. Quite possibly the least healthy meal Ive ever seen in my life, especially since I was back on the champagne at this pointbut delicious nonetheless. The configuration of the upper-class cabin is quite unique in the world of business-class cabins. The major difference is that the bar on the A330 is perpendicular to the fuselage whereas on the Dreamliner, it's parallel to the seats in row K. Related: 6 features that set the 787 Dreamliner apart from the rest. Interesting take on the children visiting your seats. Ive flown Qatar & Etihad Business, so this was a massive disappointment in Upper class. Honestly, I suspect that the ticketing desk would have taken just as long to resolve your issue had you been stood at the counter downstairs. Also, it is impossible to convert the seat from sitting up to flat without the assistance of a flight attendant, which I also find annoying. This is a couple of couches and a screen. A mixed picture I had a decent flight on Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class. There are two dedicated Business Class bathrooms on the Virgin Dreamliner (for 30 seats), which meant that there was no wait at all to get changed into sleepwear. Check out what you can expect flying in Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class: Enrollment required. There is also a bassinet directly opposite 1A, meaning you might be seated opposite a baby for your entire flight. Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Review (2023) Is it Worth It? Id love to help you find your next memorable vacation. Your email address will not be published. Virgin Upper Class Menu Virgin is almost entirely back to pre-covid catering now and the menu included multiple options for each of the three lunch courses. There is also a new leisure format of this aircraft with fewer Upper Class seats and many more economy to read more see, Virgin Atlantic unveils reconfigured A350 for leisure markets, We have reviewed this new seat before, on a trip to New York just over two years ago. Still feeling peckish? It really is such bad business practice to pretend like all their business class seats are equally appealing. Once you know what your options are, you'll be able to make a more informed decision about the seat you'd like to sit in -- happy flying! Mozzerella, artichoke and lemon basil mayonnaise in a mini malted roll and harissa chickpea and red pepper wrap, Patisserie lemon posset clair, passionfruit tart and blackberry and bay macaron, Dark and Thunder stormy Bacardi Cuatro rum, ginger ale, lime, Orchard Goose, Grey Goose vodka, apple juice, lemonade, Red Tail Bombay Sapphire gin, cranberry juice, ginger ale. The design of the cabin feels incredibly sexy, elegant and funky, and has a slightly futuristic look, almost reminiscent of what I feel a spaceship would look like. Check here before booking an award fare. The frequent flyer program is absolutely useless but people always say that theyre the best US carrierand by the sounds of things, far better than VS! Cellar selection of the day (there wasnt one). We had a very poor experience in the Upper Class wing last year, due to an issue with my wifes ticket resulting from the flight being rebooked due to COVID disruption. Definitely not an ideal situation though! Once we were on board the plane though, things improved. After a couple of minutes peeled away and then headed off to New York. Another major cruise line hikes drinks package costs sharply but there's a twist, Get more from your points with these transfer bonuses. So frustrated. Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class Extra Bites menu also has some brand-new additions, including cream tea with fudge scones and clotted cream, salted caramel spread and strawberry jam. A drinks service was offered prior to lunch being served. Had we been downstairs we or they could have walked over to the ticketing desk, but thats not possible from the Upper Class wing. There is a bar in upper class on the Airbus 330 and Boeing 787. The headphones were very plasticky and cheap feeling, a world away from the excellent noise cancelling headsets provided by American Airlines in Business Class. Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Main meal Starter Mozzarella and tomato salad with micro basil and cress (v) Ciabatta roll with butter Main Roasted chicken breast, potato pure, sauted spinach, girolles mushrooms, Bourguignon sauce This was the last time booking with Virgin Atlantic. Check in at Heathrow T3 very quick priority security also very quick, on to the Virgin Clubhouse which is always good but perhaps VS need to look at the scan system for ordering food which I waited . To celebrate both Virgin and British Airways collaborated on a dual take-off on the morning of November 8, 2021, with A350 aircraft taking off simultaneously from the two adjacent runways at London Heathrow at 0850. 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virgin upper class menu 2021