What I liked
- Decent sized flat bad
- Well made food
- Friendly and attentive crew
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Nice bar area
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I had a nice flight on Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class. The seat reclines to a fully flat bed, the food was good and the crew were lovely.
Every seat has aisle access too. So no climbing over anyone’s legs!
I flew from London to Mumbai via Upper Class.
This is an in-depth review. Know exactly what to expect when you fly. I’ve uploaded loads of photos. You can click any photo, to open out the full slideshow.
Virgin Atlantic’s Low Fare Finder is on this page. It contains the lowest priced flight to every destination that Virgin Fly to. It also has all of their current deals. It’s always worth checking this page before booking.
If you have experienced Virgin Upper Class and enjoyed the journey, then Custom Printed Pins are a fun souvenir! Whether it is delicious food, unique seats, or beautiful airport pictures, they can all be used as customized materials. Add your creative ideas, and these Custom Printed Pins will become a high-quality souvenir to commemorate your journey.
I've uploaded a video review of Virgin Upper Class on my Youtube Channel.
If you want to book your flight, I recommend to go to this webpage. It has all of Virgin’s current offers. They provide details of all discounts. They also show the lowest price available for each destination.
The Virgin Upper class seat has a herringbone layout. The seat is at an angle, with the passenger facing the aisle. At the end of the seat is a footstool, for you to rest your feat on.
The seat reclines out to a fully flat bed. Essentially, your seat goes flat and joins to the footstool at the end.
Each seat has its own personal entertainment system. When you want to use it, the TV pops out from the side.
Each seat has full aisle access. So no need to climb over anyone’s seat to get to the aisle. That being said, there were only 3 business class passengers on my flight! So this wasn’t going to be an issue for me.
I had a couple of hours of sleep during the flight. The attendant made up the bed next to my seat. She said I could use it at any time, which was nice of her! The bed was firm, which I like. The cabin was also nice and cool.
The Virgin Atlantic Business Class cabin is large, with 30 seats. There were only 3 Upper Class passengers on the day I travelled. If the cabin was full, I imagine it would be pretty tight. Between Premium Economy and Upper Class is the on-board bar and seating area. There’s a high table with a few seats, and some snacks.
With only 3 passengers on the flight, I didn’t use the bar. That would have been weird! I did like the bar area, however. The area felt sociable. I prefer it to the bar on Etihad’s business class, which feels more like an afterthought. Virgin was one of the 1st airlines to have an onboard bar, and it’s still amongst the best.
There was a small TV to the side of the seat. You just pop it out when you want to use it. There were a variety of English options to choose from. In truth, I didn't recognise most of them. I don’t get much time to watch TV these days. I spend my time working on my business or with my family. So I couldn’t tell you if the selection was good or not!
I was impressed with their meal choices. The following options were available
I went for the cod, based on the flight attendant’s recommendation. I probably would have gone for the duck otherwise. I might stop asking for flight crew recommendations, as it’s rude to choose something else after that!
The cod was a rather saucy creation, with mash potato and mushrooms. To be honest, I prefer fish to be pan fried. However, pan-fried fish or steak is generally a 1st class feature! Although the cod wasn't made to my preference, it was edible and flavoursome.
Before landing, we were served afternoon tea. British Airways also offers afternoon tea on their flights. Sadly, Virgin’s wasn’t great. There were two sandwiches, one scone, two mini cakes and coffee. The food had clearly just come out of the fridge, and the ingredients tasted 2 days old!
I have reviewed Virgin Atlantic Business Class on other occasions too. One of my other reviews is here. The food was better on that flight. I have an excellent soup and pumpkin pasta.
Virgin have a wide variety of premium drinks available. They offer champagne before take-off. Not all airlines offer this in business class. They have to pay taxes when they serve alcohol on the ground. So kudos to Virgin for this!
Regardless, a glass of champagne in Virgin’s Upper Class is a great way to start any day! They served Ayala Brut, which retails for about $45. I had a glass and I enjoyed it.
I switched to Dewar’s scotch whiskey after that. Which is a pretty strong scotch whisky! I probably drank a glass or two too much.
I don’t drink too much alcohol. However, I always have less self-control on an airplane. I guess I’m not the only one!
The drinks service in the Virgin Atlantic Lounges is excellent too. My review of the Virgin Lounge Heathrow is here. Not only is there bottomless champagne, there's also an outdoor terrace with ovely runway views.
The Virgin Atlantic Business Class amenity kit had the following items
I thought the variety was pretty good. The socks were lovely! They’ll happily reside in my sock drawer from now on! You can see a photo of them in the above slideshow. Quick housekeeping note – always wear shoes to an airline bathroom. If you want to find out why, read this article..
I was disappointed with the amenity kit bag, which was a cheap disposable item. There was a nice message on it, saying that it's sourced from recycled materials. However, if the Virgin Group wanted to save the environment, then they wouldn’t run an airline! This is a cost cutting measure, pretending to be green. Not cool!
The Virgin Atlantic Business Class crew were really friendly. Although it’s easier when there's only 3 passengers!
I generally find the crews on BA and Virgin to be pretty good, and this flight was no exception. The attendants were very friendly and quick to offer refills. They were also happy to chat.
I recently stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Review here. Service was fantastic there too. It’s the most famous hotel in Los Angeles. The hotel hosts the Golden Globe Film Awards every year. In the article, I explain how I stayed at the hotel for a 64% discount.
I enjoyed my flight with Virgin Atlantic Upper Class. The seat reclines to a fully flat bed. The food was good. The crew were super friendly too.
Virgin have a network of highly regarded lounges. I visited the Virgin Clubhouse at New York JFK. Review here. It’s an excellent lounge. There’s restaurant quality food, champagne on tap and a funky vibe.
I flew British Airways Long Haul Business Class. Review here. It was really good. The Club Suite is an excellent business class product. Comes highly recommended.
I recently stayed at the terrific Marriott Beach Resort Marbella - Playa Andaluza. It’s a family focused resort, with apartments and tons of activities. I had a terrific time with my family. The review also details how you can earn 15,000 easy Marriott Bonvoy Points.
One seat that I can definitely recommend is the Etihad Business Class. The Etihad Business Studio is spacious and comfortable. The food was high quality (although calorific!). The Acqua Di Parma amenity kit was super classy too.