A number of hits and a number of other misses: A assessment of Virgin Atlantic’s Premium on the A350 from New York to London

Flyers have loads of choices to hop throughout the Atlantic, particularly on the busy route between New York and London.

Personally, I’ve lengthy been a fan of Virgin Atlantic, with its cheeky, recent and enjoyable strategy to flying. I’ve been impressed each with Virgin Atlantic’s financial system and Upper Class (enterprise class) on its flagship Airbus A350 plane, so I used to be eager to attempt premium financial system, merely dubbed “Premium,” aboard the identical jet.

Virgin Premium was the very first airline expertise I reviewed for TPG roughly three-and-a-half years in the past on a a lot older plane. It was a wonderful, if unremarkable, flight. This time round, after flying the very luxurious British Airways First to the United States to movie an all-cabin video assessment with the U.Ok. group, I made a decision on one thing a bit of extra … economical for the return journey.

Here’s how my Virgin Atlantic Premium expertise rated.

Booking

Virgin Atlantic at the moment flies from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to its house at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) 4 occasions day by day, growing to 5 day by day flights from Mar. 27, 2023 after which six flights day by day from May 1, 2023 for the busy summer season journey interval. Virgin operates a mixture of plane on this vital route, with Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A330 and A350 plane getting used every day. For the most recent seats on its latest plane, search for A350-operated flights.

Related: Watch TPG UK assessment all 3 cabins on Virgin Atlantic’s brand-new Airbus A350

I’m a vocal supporter of jetlag-free daytime flights from New York to London in any cabin, so I instantly centered on flight VS26. It is flown by a mixture of plane, however fortuitously on my day of journey, an A350 was scheduled to function the service. The flight leaves New York at 8:15 a.m. day by day, touching down at London Heathrow Terminal 3 at 8 p.m. The flight is blocked at six hours and 45 minutes, although it’s typically a lot faster than this, often at the very least one hour shorter.

Cash fares in Premium on Virgin Atlantic at the moment begin from $1,160 spherical journey, which is simply over twice the worth of Virgin’s financial system fares on the identical dates. I have never discovered my premium financial system experiences prior to now to be twice pretty much as good as financial system however was keen to present Virgin an opportunity.

Award availability on this route is often good as there are a number of day by day frequencies. We booked this flight utilizing 27,500 Virgin Points plus $350.30 in charges, taxes and gasoline surcharges for a one-way flight in Premium. The charges, taxes and surcharges had been paid with The Platinum Card® from American Express, which earns 5 Membership Rewards factors per greenback on purchases made straight with airways (on as much as $500,000 on these purchases per calendar yr), choosing up an additional 1,751 Membership Rewards, price $35 by TPG’s present valuation.

With the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard®, you may earn 30,000 bonus factors (sufficient to e-book this flight) after spending $1,000 or extra in purchases inside the first 90 days of account opening. TPG’s valuations peg the worth of Virgin factors at 1.5 cents every, so this welcome provide is price $450. But, relying on how you employ your factors, you might be able to get much more than $450 in worth from them. The card additionally earns 3 Virgin factors per greenback spent on Virgin Atlantic tickets and duty-free gadgets bought straight from Virgin Atlantic. This means you will get a 4.5% return on these purchases primarily based on TPG’s valuations. You may switch American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Capital One miles at a 1:1 ratio to Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program.

With my paid fare, I used to be in a position to choose my seat totally free and selected a window seat within the final row of the cabin, so I may each look out the window, and observe the service circulation.

Related: Sorry, aisle-seat followers: The window seat is one of the best within the air

Ground expertise

Virgin Atlantic departs from Terminal 4 at JFK Airport, together with its companions, Delta and KLM (Air France departs from Terminal 1).

Virgin had devoted check-in lanes for Premium company (which Economy Delight, the most costly financial system class may use). There was no look forward to check-in and I used to be helped instantly.

One of the various causes I like daytime flights from New York to London is as a result of the airport is often quiet, with few worldwide departures. That’s why I virtually gasped once I noticed the huge safety queue awaiting me in Terminal 4. The line was so lengthy, I could not even work out the place to affix it, so I requested a close-by safety employees member. She checked out my boarding go and — in an sudden and nice shock — directed me to the precedence lane, explaining that Virgin Atlantic Premium passengers had been allowed to make use of it.

This was an amazing perk and made my safety wait time a lot shorter (I’m sadly ineligible for TSA PreCheck or Clear with an Australian passport).

Lounge entry will not be offered for Premium passengers and I’ve no elite standing with Virgin Atlantic or its airline companions, as British Airways Executive Club is my go-to program. Unfortunately, no Priority Pass lounges had been open previous to my 8:15 a.m. departure, both.

Related: Choose this, not that: JFK Priority Pass lounge version

Instead, I stretched my legs wandering by means of the trendy and pretty peaceable Terminal 4.

I arrived at my gate an hour earlier than departure. It was properly organized, with separate boarding lanes already in place and loads of seating for passengers.

The dawn offered a stunning backdrop to the modern Airbus A350 plane with its signature curved wingtips, standing able to take me house to London.

Boarding commenced 40 minutes earlier than departure with Upper Class company invited to board in addition to Flying Club Gold elites, adopted by Premium and Flying Club Silver members. My flight departed barely late however arrived early, as eastbound transatlantic flights typically do due to robust tailwinds.

Cabin and seat

Virgin Atlantic has 56 Premium seats on each layouts of its Airbus A350-1000 plane. They are specified by a 2-4-2 configuration throughout seven rows. This was a really giant cabin for what is meant to be a extra unique product than common financial system, and it left me feeling like I used to be simply one other quantity at occasions.

Eight locations abreast in every row meant the Premium seats had been simply 18.5 inches extensive, just one inch wider than Virgin Atlantic’s financial system seats, and narrower than these on low-cost airline Norse Atlantic, which operates the identical class of service on the identical route. This seat undoubtedly felt tight round my hips.

The different dimensions of the seat had been extra beneficiant, with 38 inches of legroom and seven inches of recline, each pretty normal for premium financial system. That meant I had no points when the passenger in entrance of me reclined their seat. The recline operate was operated by a single metallic lever on the facet of the middle console. Unfortunately, Virgin opted to not set up leg rests on its A350 Premium seats, a stunning oversight and one which made this seat much less ergonomic than these in different airways’ premium financial system cabins.

There was a small footrest that might be lowered so I may relaxation my ft on it. Other than its tight width, the seat was comfy. However, my very own private situation with premium financial system stays: You are seated upright throughout your journey. As somebody who struggles to sleep sitting up, I do not fancy the considered flying this on an in a single day, long-haul journey to, say, South Africa.

The seat hadn’t been cleaned correctly, and I discovered crumbs on the leather-based upholstery, which is a matter I’ve discovered widespread throughout virtually each service I’ve flown this yr.

I actually appreciated the sturdy tray desk that folded out of the outer armrest. While it was small and skinny, it was cleverly designed to relaxation with a rubber edge towards the middle drinks console, that means it remained secure whereas getting used.

There was a literature pocket within the seatback in entrance of me in addition to a skinny open storage shelf under the inflight leisure display, which was useful for storing a cellphone or small pill. In the middle armrest and drinks shelf was one other small storage space with a USB charger for small digital gadgets. Other than that there was no storage across the seat.

I appreciated that every Premium passenger had their very own private common charging level within the heart console close to their ft.

Amenities and inflight leisure

Waiting for me on my seat once I boarded was a pillow, blanket and amenity package. I additionally discovered a pair of headphones within the seatback literature pocket.

The pillow was skinny and its cowl was fairly scratchy. The blanket additionally appeared the identical because the one which was offered to financial system passengers, though this wasn’t such a giant deal on a comparatively quick daytime flight.

The headphones weren’t noise-canceling however had been nonetheless a particular step up from the pairs being handed out in financial system. They offered good sound high quality whereas nonetheless feeling comfy to put on.

The fundamental amenity package contained an attention-grabbing, Virgin-branded crimson eye masks, earplugs, a sustainable pen and a toothbrush with a tiny tube of toothpaste. I’m all for sustainability with these kits, however I used to be not a fan of the crumpled and battered “goodie bag” pouch the gadgets had been offered in, as it’s not one thing I might ever use once more.

Related: Delta overhauls the onboard expertise, goes all-in on sustainability

Arguably the spotlight of the flight was the terrific inflight leisure by way of the crisp and up-to-date 13.5-inch touchscreen that may be managed by my cell phone as soon as linked by way of Bluetooth. I counted 117 films and 81 TV exhibits to select from, together with “Top Gun Maverick,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” and “Sing 2.” There was additionally a wonderful interactive flight map accessible.

The display tilted barely up and down for simpler viewing by people of various heights, and it additionally had a USB charging level at its base.

Wi-Fi was accessible all through the flight, with pricing from 2.40 kilos ($2.60) for a messaging-only choice as much as 16.80 kilos ($18) for the full-flight choice. Once linked, I registered speeds of a suitable 11 Mbps obtain however no pace to add something. Nonetheless, I managed to work productively for a lot of the journey to London, one other benefit of daytime flights.

Two bathrooms devoted to the Premium cabin had been situated on the entrance of the seating, simply behind the Upper Class social house. Unfortunately, they had been fairly cramped and there have been no particular facilities in contrast with financial system bathrooms. The bathrooms had been saved clear, nevertheless, and with a number of empty seats within the Premium cabin, there was hardly ever a wait to make use of them.

Food and beverage

During boarding, the crew handed by means of the Premium cabin with trays of welcome drinks. With the solar barely up, I initially opted for an orange juice, however when the crew talked about Champagne was additionally on provide, it piqued my curiosity. A pet peeve of mine is when the crew describes prosecco or different glowing wine as Champagne. I had assumed solely French airways can be beneficiant sufficient to serve precise Champagne in premium financial system, so I politely requested to make clear if it was precise Champagne, or simply sparking wine.

The crew insisted it was the actual deal, so I attempted a small glass and it did certainly style like actual Champagne. There was no bottle or label to be seen, however I assume it was Ayala Champagne, which has been Virgin’s home model for a number of years.

As a common premium financial system traveler, I remarked to the crew that Champagne was not often served in these cabins. A crew member responded with a smile and informed me, “We do issues in a different way right here at Virgin Atlantic!”

While the welcome drinks had been a pleasing shock, each meal companies weren’t.

Airlines appear to insist on having just one full meal on flights between New York and London, with a second meal being a lighter “snack.” With an early morning departure and a night arrival at Heathrow, these two meals had been the one issues I ate all day. On this Virgin Atlantic flight, the primary meal was truly the lighter one and was served an hour after departure.

Menus had been handed out through the boarding course of and I may see there was a alternative between a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit or a Belgian waffle with syrup. Both dishes had been listed as being served with a facet of in a single day oats with mango and coconut.

Unfortunately, I quickly realized the incorrect gadgets had been loaded onto the plane and didn’t match the menu description in any respect. I used to be served a tiny, dry bacon roll with no butter, sauce or different condiments, and a small bowl of plain yogurt with some berries and kiwi on prime. The meal was small and disappointing. I selected orange juice and low to go together with it — I did at the very least admire the sturdy mug the espresso was served in.

I used to be ravenous by the point the trolleys appeared once more within the cabin for the second meal service, about an hour earlier than touchdown. Fortunately, a full-size meal was accessible and the meals corresponded appropriately to the menu.

The appetizer was a tomato, mozzarella and pesto salad and the dessert was a raspberry swirl cheesecake. There had been three selections for an entree — fajita rooster, crimson Thai curry, or vegetarian shepherd’s pie. I made a decision on the fajita.

The tray handed to me did not look interesting. For starters, it was offered the incorrect means round, with the dessert within the entrance fairly than the appetizer salad. The dish covers had been nonetheless on, and the cutlery was lodged inside two consuming glasses, which had been laying down on their facet. I did like the lovable little airplane-shaped salt and pepper shakers.

It would have taken the crew just a few seconds to tidy up the trays earlier than serving them, however as a substitute, passengers needed to do it themselves.

The mozzarella salad was tasty and recent, although the portion was a bit of small given how gentle the primary meal was. The entree was the precise reverse, a dense, tacky, sloppy dish overflowing with rice. I completed it solely as a result of I like Mexican meals and was ravenous, however it wasn’t visually interesting and never one thing I might serve a visitor in my house. I didn’t understand till I had completed the meal that there have been two small tortillas folded up within the foil lid to get pleasure from with the meal. One was comfortable and fluffy whereas the opposite was overcooked and as onerous as a rock.

While it was my fault for not realizing the place the tortillas had been held, I noticed a number of passengers round me making the identical mistake. It would have been nice if the crew members may have talked about how the meal must be eaten after they served it.

While Emirates gives three various kinds of bread in its premium financial system, a budget, white, plastic-wrapped dinner roll served on Virgin Atlantic was indicative of the shortage of thought and funding the airline appears to be making in its Premium eating expertise. The cheesecake, which each seemed and tasted nice, was the spotlight of an in any other case mediocre meal.

I selected a Brewdog Lost lager with my meal. It was served at room temperature, and I needed to name the crew to ask for a cup of ice to try to cool it down.

Service

The crew that labored the Premium cabin on my flight to London was pleasant and well-meaning, however not overly polished. I appreciated their excessive spirits for this early morning departure they usually made me really feel very welcome, however there have been service gaps throughout mealtimes. For instance, whereas the meals for the preliminary meal service did not match the menus the crew had handed out, they solely appeared to find this after passengers had completed consuming it — regardless of it being apparent the second I opened my meal.

During the second meal service, the crew by accident served me a particular gluten-free meal that I had not ordered. Fortunately, I noticed this earlier than opening or touching something and I used to be in a position to give the meal again to a crew member so they might serve it to the passenger who truly ordered it.

The beer I had with dinner wasn’t chilly, and establishing the meal trays with a bit of care earlier than serving them would have made a giant distinction within the expertise.

Bottom line

Overall, Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A350 is a superb plane to fly. Everything from nostril to tail feels recent, up to date and new.

There was a lot to love about this specific flight in Premium from New York to London, too — I particularly loved the big, crisp inflight leisure screens and the quite a few system charging choices. Fast-track safety and Champagne after boarding had been each nice surprises.

The meals, nevertheless, was a comedy of errors, together with the incorrect gadgets being loaded for the tiny first meal, the messy, upside-down tray for the second meal (with another person’s particular order initially served), the hidden tortillas and the nice and cozy beer. The cheesecake was the one factor I might ever look to order once more from the entire flight.

Taking all that into consideration, Virgin’s Premium is not a nasty product — only one on the identical plane as a really stable common financial system product however costing (at the very least) twice the worth.

This flight didn’t change my earlier ideas that premium financial system is at the moment overpriced throughout the business. As I wiggled round sitting upright on that slender seat, only one inch wider than financial system and with no leg relaxation — to not point out these out-of-whack meal companies — I could not assist considering I’d save the money or Virgin Points and simply select financial system subsequent time.