Virgin Atlantic Flight
 

Hello,
Flying to LHR from Chicago with Virgin Atlantic in coach.
Of course their webite raves about how great it is....but what is it REALLY like? (obviously this would have been better to ask before booking)
This is my husbands first time on an airplane, and he is not looking forward to it at all!
Also, is it possible to upgrade to premium economy when you get to the airport for a lesser fee (if seats are available) than if you booked online, or is that a myth?
Thanks!

It seems like economy transatlantic flights are all the same these days. But I will say that Virgin Atlantic does provide a better experience than any other airline I have taken when flying abroad. I'd probably pay a bit more to fly them over another airline. Another bonus is flying into LHR -- much quicker to get into central London than from Gatwick where it seems most of the other ORD flights go.

Service is better in coach than on most transatlantic lines - but the space isn't. So make sure your hubby gets an aisle seat.

Virgin will give you amenity kits (eye shades, toothbrush/paste, etc) and decent food plus they still offer alcohol for free (but don't overdo since too much alcohol can make jet lag even worse)

Also, can you watch more than one movie on the flight?

Virgin's individual seat back units offer a pretty decent variety of programming including several movies. We always try to book seats in the very back of their 747s from New York where you can get seats that are only two across.

If you want extra leg room, you can pay a fee for emergency exit seats. VS are are better to fly on than any US carrier no matter what class. Premium economy is nice too, especially if you get a seat on the upper deck. Meal service is different to economy.

They're system is a superior one to most others for movies and the like...you are in effect watching an individual DVD not a mass movie..you can stop it for dinner...you can fast forward...you can rewind...not all movies start at the same time and there's a huge variety and quantity

Food, although never forget it's economy, is better and tastier than most others doing JFK-LHR (BA is good too, AA is adequate IMHO), of course as noted there are free drinks (wine with dinner is free) although they don't serve coke or pepsi rather something called virgin cola and virgin diet cola (neither as good as the real things) and they've also cut back a bit..on the LHR-JFK they used to serve small sandwiches as afternoon tea about 90 minutes out from JFK, now it's a large cookie with tea (not as vile as the old snack pack AA used to distriubte, but they've fixed that to their credit)...everything else being equal, VS would be my preference; however everything else is not always equal)

I LOVE Virgin Atlantic and have used them all but twice, when flying to the UK. My husband (6 ft) flew with me to the UK for the first time 2 years ago...we had seats toward the back...he took the window and was very comfortable! I was able to upgrade for my flight back (husband had left a week earlier) to premium economy for next to nothing with an offer they had for passengers to Boston and though I loved it, I am very content just going economy this next time around in May!!! Their indiviual tv screens for each passenger offer a nice variety of things to watch and yes, you can watch more then one movie!!

<<< Another bonus is flying into LHR -- much quicker to get into central London than from Gatwick where it seems most of the other ORD flights go. >>>

???

Unless you are heading to Paddington or Earls Court / South Kensington area I can't see how it's quicker from LHR than LGW - especially once you add in the time spent between landing & exiting through customs

<i>Another bonus is flying into LHR -- much quicker to get into central London than from Gatwick where it seems most of the other ORD flights go.</i>

Which ORD flights go to LGW? American, United, British Airways and Virgin all fly to Heathrow from ORD.

To answer your last question, it's my understanding that you can not upgrade at gate for a lesser fee, which makes sense - otherwise, everyone would do that.

Hi H,

Go to www.seatguru.com for suggestions on which seats to choose.

We always get aisle seats.

((I))

I always fly Virgin across the pond. We've been lucky enough to fly premium economy a few times (on business) and have been upgraded to upper class twice (Virgin's 1st class).

Ask for a free upgrade at check in and mention it's the first time you've flown VA and it's your husbands first flight. You might get lucky! If not then you can ask about cost to upgrade.

Coach is fine just the usual legroom issues.

Movies are great. Good choice and you can play them when you want, stop and start etc. Enjoy!

We flew PE on Virgin, and it was quite good. For us, it was worth the extra $$. But if this is your husband's first flight, he will be spoiled if you get PE.
((*))

I have 2 extreme experiences of Virgin Atlantic: flying Upper Class on business a couple of times was unquestionably the best airline comfort and service I've experienced. On the other hand I made the mistake of flying economy with Virgin to India a few years ago and it was definitely one of the worst ever trips, on a par with Ethiopian airlines and Egyptair. Seat pitch so bad I felt crushed the whole flight (and I'm oly average height), staff rude and couldn't-care-less Attitude. They all disappeared into the galley/crew quarters after meal service and were not seen again until the end of the flight. Truly awful.

Thanks for all of the info...I'll mention that it is his first flight and our delayed honeymoon--maybe we'll get lucky! The worst they can do is say no ;)

I have to agree with Gordon R.

I recently had the second most uncomfortable flight of my life on Virgin - on the way out, in the two-across seats a previous poster recommends. Exceedingly cramped (I'm fat, but I've never had such a problem on any other airline) to a degree that the only explanation my docs can come up with for a DVT was the Virgin flight.

They may be wrong about that. But they're not wrong that I was kept awake most of the night by the incessant blathering of the flight attendants over the public address system.

There are no discounted upgrades to PE

I fly Virgin Atlantic to London regularly from Washington Dc I love the airline Most often book a premium economy ticket using airmiles from American Express and paying the extra for an upgrade. the service is wonderful. Also used to be a &quot;nervous&quot;(understatement) flyer. Your husband should look at Tom Bunn's website for &quot;fearful flyers&quot; which has great resources and he might want to consider doing a couple of sessions with tom who counsels people over the phone. Tom is a former United airlines pilot and a licensed therapist and he is wonderful when it comes to fear of flying. One nice thing about flying on virgin atlantic is that they have a relaxation tape on the audio system designed for people who don't like to fly, so you just get on and plug in and drift away until you arrive. Hope this helps.

If you're flying regular coach, don't have too much of an expectation that VA is better than the others. That way you won't be dissapointed. I found their FAs to be less mature and attentive than BA though definitely better than UA.

The only gripe I have is terminal 3. OK it may better than T5, but most transatlantic flights tend to arrive early morning, which also tend to coincide with other long-haul flights. So the immigration lines for non-EU passport holders can be quite long, esp in summer.

I love V.A. We played Super Mario Bros. on a flight from San Fran to London. The time flew by!