From sea to shining sea, from each side of the Pond, when asked whom they prefer to fly with, travellers inevitably respond, "Why Virgin Atlantic, of course!". Lulled by my acquaintances false sense of confidence and taste, I've now flown two return journeys from London to Los Angeles with the Red and Purple brigade.
And I can honestly say that I've had better experiences with RyanAir (though not EasyJet). Allow me to explain.
The service is very good at Virgin Atlantic. Of course, we've all experienced snooty Air Waitresses when flying, and VA undoubtedly employs a few of them. But on the whole, the stewards/esses are very friendly and attentive. When they have to ask you to do something, such as get your bum in the chair NOW, they do it in a friendly manner, without barking at you. Always a lovely touch.
The food is very good, and boy, do they keep it coming. An American, I possess a hearty appetite or three, but there was actually too much food for me to finish. This was easily solved by fobbing it off on my svelte but tall British husband. I'd say on average we were fed every three hours.
VA also offer free drinks, so I had three free choices of red/white wine, beer or mixed drinks, all very nicely done and proffered.
The little packages they give you contain sockies/booties, toothbrush and paste, and a little knapsack.
Their bathrooms are larger than most airline loos, and designed in a more chic manner, with ethereal blue lighting.
Yet I will never fly VA again if I can help it. See, while most airplanes are limited on space and a bit uncomfortable, VA have seating arrangements so heinously designed, they make the Gulag look like a job with plush perks. Perhaps I mix my metaphors, but you get my gist.
Instead of the typical horizontal arrangement of seats in a 2-3-2 pattern, VA have them in a 3-4-3 pattern in coach -- undoubtedly they get more passengers in, and make more money.
But what that means for you, if you sit in Cattle, is that you will have even LESS leg room than you'd normally have on a plane. And 11 hours is a long time.
VA have metal (let's call them) ballards between seats, instead of the normal, friendly armrest. These metal monstrosities are solid and immovable, from the ground up to your arm. That means that, if you get a middle seat, not only do you have THREE people to contend with AND less leg room, you also don't have the option of raising your armrest should no one be seated beside you.
Unless you're under 5', this will make for an excruciatingly uncomfortable and miserable journey. You will spend most of it walking up and down the aisles, getting glared at by fellow passengers.
Take my advice: take Sir Richard's trains, train at his healthclub. But do NOT fly in his planes, unless you can afford Premium or Upper Class, in which case I hate you. read more