Review of Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy
Dec 10th, 2003, 06:11 PM
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Review of Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy
Just returned from a two and a half week trip where we flew from LAX to Heathrow and back in Virgin Atlantic?s premium economy cabin.
We used Delta Skymiles to redeem award tickets at 60,000 miles per ticket, a great bargain considering that it?s only 10,000 per ticket more than regular economy. Unfortunately just as I?ve discovered what a great value PE redemption is, they?ve discontinued this option using Delta Skymiles, only regular economy for 50,000 or upper class for 100,000 is now available.
We had specifically booked the earlier LAX-LHR flight because we knew this would be the 747 and not the Airbus as we had heard PE on the Airbus is not as good. Turned out they reduced to flight schedule to one per day anyway. We pre-reserved seats on the upper deck in row 71 and tried to secure row 70 (exit row, cannot be pre-booked) at check-in but no luck. There are separate check-in desks for PE passengers and priority boarding. PE seating on the upper deck is 5 rows with 2 seats on either side of the aisle. There?s a separate lavatory upstairs so never any wait. They have a storage area for any hand baggage that doesn?t fit overhead, just give it to the flight attendants, as well as a place to hang your coats and jackets.
Once on board, we were very pleasantly surprised as not only was the seat pitch better (38?) but the seats were wider and had leg and foot rests. A convenient storage bin is located next to the window so we placed all of the items that would normally go under the seat in there. The flight attendants came around with a glass of pre-flight champagne. I don?t remember which exact plane we were on but it had the Odyssey entertainment system with a selection of about 8 movies and various television shows, but it wasn?t on-demand video so you had to watch the movies at specific times, smallish screens. I think the in flight amenity kit is the same as regular economy, as is the catering. Meal service consisted of a hot dinner shortly after take off and a light continental breakfast prior to arrival.
The upper deck is very quiet and service attentive. Seats recline more than regular economy and even with the seats in front of us fully reclined, it didn?t feel too cramped. I slept about 5 hours straight which is pretty good for me. Only minor complaints would be that I could never get the headrest in a really comfortable position, also a better pillow would have been nice.
For the flight back to LAX, we were able to obtain row 70 exit seats at check-in, yeah! Again separate check-in desks and we were also allowed to bypass the lines for the secondary security at the gate area. This time we were on board Cosmic Girl which has the V.port entertainment system with on-demand video and larger screens. This aircraft had different style seats (more comfortable) than the outbound flight with adjustable lumbar support, leg & foot rests, and better headrests. A selection of about 52 movies and lots of other programming was available, also an interactive flight map. I watched 2 movies and a documentary and never read any of the magazines I?d brought. There are also in-seat power ports.
I thought catering out of LHR was better than from LAX, fresh rolls, real cheese instead of the usual ?mysterious cheese product?, and a real balsamic vinegar/olive oil salad dressing. They seem to be much more into natural foods in the UK. Meal service consisted of a hot lunch (the veggie curry was actually quite decent!), and later ice cream, another snack, and yet another light meal. Service is very good on the upper deck as there are only 20 PE seats and 12 upper class seats here. There?s also priority disembarkation and baggage handling.
Overall we were very pleased with PE service on the 747 and would highly recommend it. LAX-LHR roundtrips are available for less than $1,000 in the low season which I think is quite reasonable for the quality of the product.
We used Delta Skymiles to redeem award tickets at 60,000 miles per ticket, a great bargain considering that it?s only 10,000 per ticket more than regular economy. Unfortunately just as I?ve discovered what a great value PE redemption is, they?ve discontinued this option using Delta Skymiles, only regular economy for 50,000 or upper class for 100,000 is now available.
We had specifically booked the earlier LAX-LHR flight because we knew this would be the 747 and not the Airbus as we had heard PE on the Airbus is not as good. Turned out they reduced to flight schedule to one per day anyway. We pre-reserved seats on the upper deck in row 71 and tried to secure row 70 (exit row, cannot be pre-booked) at check-in but no luck. There are separate check-in desks for PE passengers and priority boarding. PE seating on the upper deck is 5 rows with 2 seats on either side of the aisle. There?s a separate lavatory upstairs so never any wait. They have a storage area for any hand baggage that doesn?t fit overhead, just give it to the flight attendants, as well as a place to hang your coats and jackets.
Once on board, we were very pleasantly surprised as not only was the seat pitch better (38?) but the seats were wider and had leg and foot rests. A convenient storage bin is located next to the window so we placed all of the items that would normally go under the seat in there. The flight attendants came around with a glass of pre-flight champagne. I don?t remember which exact plane we were on but it had the Odyssey entertainment system with a selection of about 8 movies and various television shows, but it wasn?t on-demand video so you had to watch the movies at specific times, smallish screens. I think the in flight amenity kit is the same as regular economy, as is the catering. Meal service consisted of a hot dinner shortly after take off and a light continental breakfast prior to arrival.
The upper deck is very quiet and service attentive. Seats recline more than regular economy and even with the seats in front of us fully reclined, it didn?t feel too cramped. I slept about 5 hours straight which is pretty good for me. Only minor complaints would be that I could never get the headrest in a really comfortable position, also a better pillow would have been nice.
For the flight back to LAX, we were able to obtain row 70 exit seats at check-in, yeah! Again separate check-in desks and we were also allowed to bypass the lines for the secondary security at the gate area. This time we were on board Cosmic Girl which has the V.port entertainment system with on-demand video and larger screens. This aircraft had different style seats (more comfortable) than the outbound flight with adjustable lumbar support, leg & foot rests, and better headrests. A selection of about 52 movies and lots of other programming was available, also an interactive flight map. I watched 2 movies and a documentary and never read any of the magazines I?d brought. There are also in-seat power ports.
I thought catering out of LHR was better than from LAX, fresh rolls, real cheese instead of the usual ?mysterious cheese product?, and a real balsamic vinegar/olive oil salad dressing. They seem to be much more into natural foods in the UK. Meal service consisted of a hot lunch (the veggie curry was actually quite decent!), and later ice cream, another snack, and yet another light meal. Service is very good on the upper deck as there are only 20 PE seats and 12 upper class seats here. There?s also priority disembarkation and baggage handling.
Overall we were very pleased with PE service on the 747 and would highly recommend it. LAX-LHR roundtrips are available for less than $1,000 in the low season which I think is quite reasonable for the quality of the product.
Dec 12th, 2003, 11:13 AM
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Hi Patty,
Thank you for your comments. I'm glad you enjoyed Premium Economy.
Being on the upper deck is a nice advantage that VS' PE service has over BA together with separate check in and priority handling. The cheap PE fares are good value for money.
Regards
TBS ( VS Frequent Flyer- so no bias in my comments, obviously [Grin!!])
Thank you for your comments. I'm glad you enjoyed Premium Economy.
Being on the upper deck is a nice advantage that VS' PE service has over BA together with separate check in and priority handling. The cheap PE fares are good value for money.
Regards
TBS ( VS Frequent Flyer- so no bias in my comments, obviously [Grin!!])
Jan 4th, 2004, 07:08 PM
#3
Patty,
Glad you had a good trip. We flew this summer from LAX to LHR on the same plane. The trip to LHR was quite nice. However, the year before, we flew from LAX to Amsterdam on KLM for a similar price -- but for business class. KLM was far superior, both in leg room, seat pitch, width and general comfort. The "freebies" (I know, you pay for them) were also much better than the little plastic bags given in P.E. on Virgin.
On the way back from London, though, the trip was not so pleasant. First, the personal t.v. for one of our seats did not work at all, and there was no alternative other than a cheap portable dvd player (we had one of our own anyway) which was not comparable. In other words, you couldn't listen to music, watch first run movies, or see the little picture of the plane and where it was at any given time. Next, there's only 1 toilet and for some reason everyone was using it at all times, as was the staff. We were not allowed to go into 1st class to use the loo, so the only other option was truck downstairs and wait there.
Finally, and this isn't a big deal, but I sort of dozed off, missed my meal, and when I woke up 30 min. later, the flight attendants had already scarfed my food.
But what really pissed me off was when we did need help for the t.v. thing, the flight attendants were always on a break, and it took over an hour before anyone would bother to check to see if there was another seat available (there wasn't) and try the alternative DVD. We had to play musical chairs the entire time, so we'd each have the opportunity to look at what we'd paid an extra $900 for.
Frankly, the personal t.v.'s in the economy section looked a lot nicer and better maintained. The ones in P.E. were pretty ratty looking.
Glad you had a good trip. We flew this summer from LAX to LHR on the same plane. The trip to LHR was quite nice. However, the year before, we flew from LAX to Amsterdam on KLM for a similar price -- but for business class. KLM was far superior, both in leg room, seat pitch, width and general comfort. The "freebies" (I know, you pay for them) were also much better than the little plastic bags given in P.E. on Virgin.
On the way back from London, though, the trip was not so pleasant. First, the personal t.v. for one of our seats did not work at all, and there was no alternative other than a cheap portable dvd player (we had one of our own anyway) which was not comparable. In other words, you couldn't listen to music, watch first run movies, or see the little picture of the plane and where it was at any given time. Next, there's only 1 toilet and for some reason everyone was using it at all times, as was the staff. We were not allowed to go into 1st class to use the loo, so the only other option was truck downstairs and wait there.
Finally, and this isn't a big deal, but I sort of dozed off, missed my meal, and when I woke up 30 min. later, the flight attendants had already scarfed my food.
But what really pissed me off was when we did need help for the t.v. thing, the flight attendants were always on a break, and it took over an hour before anyone would bother to check to see if there was another seat available (there wasn't) and try the alternative DVD. We had to play musical chairs the entire time, so we'd each have the opportunity to look at what we'd paid an extra $900 for.
Frankly, the personal t.v.'s in the economy section looked a lot nicer and better maintained. The ones in P.E. were pretty ratty looking.
Jan 5th, 2004, 08:38 AM
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Surfergirl,
Do you mind me asking how much you paid for your LAX-AMS flight on KLM in business class and what time of year? I agree that you can't compare Virgin's PE to transatlantic business class, but there's usually a big price difference.
Did you have a different aircraft back from LHR? I found the seats more comfortable on the return flight. I didn't really like the older style seats. I'm glad the entertainment system worked on my flights, but even if it didn't, I don't think it would have made a big difference to me. My priority when flying is comfort, everything else is ancillary. Sounds like you had terrible flight crew on your return which made things even worse.
Do you mind me asking how much you paid for your LAX-AMS flight on KLM in business class and what time of year? I agree that you can't compare Virgin's PE to transatlantic business class, but there's usually a big price difference.
Did you have a different aircraft back from LHR? I found the seats more comfortable on the return flight. I didn't really like the older style seats. I'm glad the entertainment system worked on my flights, but even if it didn't, I don't think it would have made a big difference to me. My priority when flying is comfort, everything else is ancillary. Sounds like you had terrible flight crew on your return which made things even worse.
Jan 5th, 2004, 12:37 PM
#5
Hi Patty,
We paid approximately $1,390 per ticket for the Virgin Air PE; and $2,000 per ticket for KLM biz class (I remember, it was just a wee bit over $6,000 for the 3 of us -- figured it was worth it since it was for the big 5-0 in birthdays!). The Virgin and KLM planes were the exactly the same -- 747's (-400, if memory serves)-- the configuaration of the upper deck, however, was slightly different, because there was NO first class on KLM (they have something called "world class" which is a fancy name for business class). Since you went on the upper deck, you could only have gone on the VS008 going and VS007 returning. It's the same plane. The faulty t.v. was in row 73 (I think seat C).
Because we have a kid, we can only travel in high season (summer). On Virgin, we left L.A. on August 1st and returned on August 17th. On KLM we left July 20th and returned August 10th.
On comfort -- the t.v. thing would not have been a big deal to me if I'd been traveling myself. But with 2 boys (and I include my husband on this!), they need to be occupied every moment of the flight and they never sleep. So the musical chairs 30,000 feet up was annoying.
We paid approximately $1,390 per ticket for the Virgin Air PE; and $2,000 per ticket for KLM biz class (I remember, it was just a wee bit over $6,000 for the 3 of us -- figured it was worth it since it was for the big 5-0 in birthdays!). The Virgin and KLM planes were the exactly the same -- 747's (-400, if memory serves)-- the configuaration of the upper deck, however, was slightly different, because there was NO first class on KLM (they have something called "world class" which is a fancy name for business class). Since you went on the upper deck, you could only have gone on the VS008 going and VS007 returning. It's the same plane. The faulty t.v. was in row 73 (I think seat C).
Because we have a kid, we can only travel in high season (summer). On Virgin, we left L.A. on August 1st and returned on August 17th. On KLM we left July 20th and returned August 10th.
On comfort -- the t.v. thing would not have been a big deal to me if I'd been traveling myself. But with 2 boys (and I include my husband on this!), they need to be occupied every moment of the flight and they never sleep. So the musical chairs 30,000 feet up was annoying.
Jan 5th, 2004, 12:44 PM
#6
Let me add one more thing on biz class. We first flew biz on Air France in 2000 back from Paris. We didn't pay for it -- they had overbooked and we got upgraded. We thought their first class was superior to KLM (maybe it was because it was free!). After that flight, it was sooo hard to fly 8,000 miles again in economy! So I'm always looking for the biz class bargain. In case you're interested, for this summer from LAX to Europe, Air France has the best deals, followed by Swissair, then KLM.
Jan 5th, 2004, 03:18 PM
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Hi Surfergirl,
Yes we were on a 747 both to and from Heathrow, but they were 2 different planes outfitted with different style seats and entertainment systems. VS only has 2 747's that I know of with on demand video. The rest of the 747's have different entertainment systems. That's why I was asking. Just curious if one system was more prone to malfunctioning than the other.
Was the KLM fare through a consolidator or thru KLM directly? Does it earn FF miles? I haven't been able to find biz class fares for less than $2500 unless it was an 'award' ticket someone was trying to sell.
Yes we were on a 747 both to and from Heathrow, but they were 2 different planes outfitted with different style seats and entertainment systems. VS only has 2 747's that I know of with on demand video. The rest of the 747's have different entertainment systems. That's why I was asking. Just curious if one system was more prone to malfunctioning than the other.
Was the KLM fare through a consolidator or thru KLM directly? Does it earn FF miles? I haven't been able to find biz class fares for less than $2500 unless it was an 'award' ticket someone was trying to sell.
Jan 6th, 2004, 05:05 AM
#8
Different plane with the same plane number -- I guess we were on the older one both ways, because the inside looked the same, as did the entertainment system.
No, we purchased the tickets from Northwest Airlines, who is partners with KLM, and received double frequent flyer miles by paying for biz class. I wanted to make sure we were on KLM and NOT NWA, so on the NWA website (nwa.com) you click on "more options" to add biz class and non-stop options, and the direct flight on KLM comes up. They are more expensive this summer ($2,400), but they have a very nice VIP lounge (free food and drink) at both ends. The KLM terminal is the same as Virgin. And you get the short line at check in.
For the sake of comparison, this summer Air France (LAX to CDG) posts a price of $2,200 and Swissair (LAX to ZUR) is $2,320. For an extra $100 on Air France under the multi-city option, you can fly to Rome.
Air New Zealand, on the other hand, priced biz at a whopping $10,000 to London.
You can also check with international consolidators (they're based in Santa Monica) -- I always got good deals from them for economy; their biz class was a little higher than the airline websites, which is why I did it directly.
No, we purchased the tickets from Northwest Airlines, who is partners with KLM, and received double frequent flyer miles by paying for biz class. I wanted to make sure we were on KLM and NOT NWA, so on the NWA website (nwa.com) you click on "more options" to add biz class and non-stop options, and the direct flight on KLM comes up. They are more expensive this summer ($2,400), but they have a very nice VIP lounge (free food and drink) at both ends. The KLM terminal is the same as Virgin. And you get the short line at check in.
For the sake of comparison, this summer Air France (LAX to CDG) posts a price of $2,200 and Swissair (LAX to ZUR) is $2,320. For an extra $100 on Air France under the multi-city option, you can fly to Rome.
Air New Zealand, on the other hand, priced biz at a whopping $10,000 to London.
You can also check with international consolidators (they're based in Santa Monica) -- I always got good deals from them for economy; their biz class was a little higher than the airline websites, which is why I did it directly.
