$155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card. The tray table is excellent, and I think has been redesigned from the one on the first aircraft. Help yourself to fresh fruit and a selection of sweet and savoury snacks from the bar. There are two dedicated Business Class bathrooms on the Virgin Dreamliner (for 30 seats), which meant that there was no wait at all to get changed into sleepwear. Range of Pukka teas, hot chocolate and coffees. especially when it came to the rickety ventilation grate next to the armrest. As it stands, moving you from an A350 to a 787 is an uncompensated downgrade, plain and simple. We also like there to be some flexibility to the service, so on many flights we offer 'Extra Bites' you can order at any time. Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class Extra Bites menu also has some brand-new additions, including cream tea with fudge scones and clotted cream, salted caramel spread and strawberry jam. The amenity kit contained actual socks that youd want to keep (as opposed to the usual tubes with no ankle, given away by most airlines). There are power sockets everywhere which was great news. The Virgin Atlantic Dreamliner offers 3 rows of seats in a herringbone formation. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. Related: A350 suite showdown: British Airways' Club Suite versus Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class Suite. The key difference of course being that BAs Business Class lounges were never good, Your email address will not be published. Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 'Upper Class' business class: the basics. Eating and drinking on our flights is a kind of a big deal. Once we were on board the plane though, things improved. First off, every seat in the cabin is both parallel to the sides of the fuselage and faces forwards -- already off to good start. New Upper Class Menu: Welcome champagne and snacks - Including full bar service and the reintroduction of cocktails and barista style coffeesr Dine service Starters Pear Waldorf Salad, baby pear, toasted sunflower seeds and loverage leaves (v) Smoked duck breast, fennel and dill salad, Seville orange marmalade and crostini Entree Looking ahead to brighter skies SIA to acquire 25 per cent stake in Air India. There is a choice of 3 main courses and it is all served on china. Bed widths on these planes are 33 inches. Jenny Southan reports As we predicted in our 2022 Travel Trend Forecast , Long-Haul Revival has become a major travel trend, with many people around the world finally able to book long-distance flights with . This aircraft has a total of 335 seats configured in three classes: 235 in economy, 56 in premium economy and 44 in business class. It is visually much brighter than their A330, but I think it still . Starters for dinner were a choice between a chicken parfait with apricot chutney and beetroot with a goats cheese mousse, plus warm artisan pieces of bread. So, if you like to spend your time in-flight gazing out the window, then you might end up with a stiff neck by the end of the flight. We tried every variation of turn it off and turn it back on again before finally admitting defeat. Find the right card for you. Suite 29 Most Corrupt Countries in the World (2023) Revealed. 2022 The Luxury Traveller by Jarvis Marcos | All Rights Reserved. You are greeted at your cab, your bags are whisked away and you might see another passenger at check in or may not. It offers a host of additional benefits which add the most luxurious touches to your flight experience. The airline has also added to its pre-order menu, where Upper Class and Premium customers can pre-select their inflight meals between 72-24 hours of departure. I was very impressed. I appreciated the fact that each course was served in succession, rather than getting an Economy style tray with all courses presented together (something that many airlines are still doing under the pretence of COVID safety). Im Amanda, an Australian who has called London home for over 15 years. The A330-200 has a 15.3-inch screen, and the newest aircraft, the A350-1000 has a more generous screen size of 18.5 inches. If you're spending your cold hard cash or splurging your stash of Flying Club miles on an Upper Class ticket, then there are definitely a couple of decisions to make before you click that confirm button. The crew were really great in trying to help but ultimately they were just as stumped as I was. Kamara picked at a few things but noted that overall the dish was quite dry and not a patch on the mezze served by the likes of Emirates, Qatar or Etihad. Despite the aggressively beige appearance, the food was delicious. For example, seats 3A, 5A, 3K and 5K are called Solo Corner Suites, owing to the added feeling of privacy being farther away from the aisle. Virgin Atlantic Upper Class A340-600 Atlanta - London Heathrow Check-in and Lounge. Trip Verified | Used Virgin Atlantic for this trip, first time with VA for about 5 years. As I mentioned, I also feel like the seating plan offers the lowest level of privacy in upper class. The trays had a tablecloth integrated into them, as opposed to the crew setting a tablecloth directly on our tables. I am now stuck on the 787 and am not happy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 5 slices of smoked duck breast from a packet, a few dry slivers of bread, a dollop of chutney and some fennel shavings. (NB I use skyscanner.net to compare costs across airlines for both premium economy and business class). Not only is it the airline's newest, safest and most environmentally friendly aircraft, but it also boasts the newest, most comfortable and most modern airline seats of the entire Virgin Atlantic fleet. Absolutely hated the seat configuration. We're talking three courses, an impressive selection . Drinks and snacks after takeoff 3. The above benefits come at no cost to youand are paid for by the hotel chains. This A350-1000 has Virgins new Upper Class Suite fitted. However, sometimes my articles including affiliate links. So my departure back to the UK was via Atlanta where Delta now steps in and "hosts" the pre-flight experience. Then again, in this situation, something like a quad suite in Qatars Q suites would be far preferable. Learn more. The Upper Class Suite is excellent. Over 8 years later, Virgin are still flying an almost identical seat, when many airlines have private suites with closing doors in Business Class. Main meal Starter Mozzarella and tomato salad with micro basil and cress (v) Ciabatta roll with butter Main Roasted chicken breast, potato pure, sauted spinach, girolles mushrooms, Bourguignon sauce While their business class is pretty good, in some areas it lags behind rivals. And to make matters even more confusing, some airlines offer different products within their own fleets. The centre seats had a problem with the IFE so the tail camera didnt work, which wasnt great timing, but we could see the BA aircraft to our right as we took off and it was quite emotional seeing the two airlines, very briefly, working together to celebrate the opening of US routes to UK travellers after such a long period of time. Once we were sorted, I told the Virgin Atlantic representative that he could make it up to me by getting my friend either upgraded or empty seats next to her. Schedule tweaks in the post-COVID recovery period have made this all too common, e.g. Boarding was rather shambolic, with a huddle at the gate area and no distinction between classes of service. Otherwise, you would be better off taking the premium economy offer. Sometimes it's worth a large investment to reap the benefits of a great credit card. + -. Terms and conditions | Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. Virgin Atlantic 23 London (LHR) - Los Angeles (LAX) Tuesday, May 25 Depart: 2:30 PM Arrive: 5:45 PM Duration: 11hr, 15min Aircraft: Airbus A350-1000 Seat: 10K (Upper Class) I was first onboard and walked through the onboard lounge and turned left to find my seat on the starboard side of the plane. New additions include: Lamb hotpot with vermicelli rice and seasonal vegetables Vegetable korma with Gujarati green beans, jeera pilau rice and paratha The cutlery was full sized and of course the iconic Wilbur and Orville salt and pepper shakers were present too with crew encouraging passengers to take them home. My first ever luxury travel review was published on flyertalk back in 2013 and later re-published here. Kamara ordered the Mediterranean mezze, which much like my earlier main course, were awash in a sea of beige. It definitely felt like I made a far wiser choice with the chicken burger, served with a packet of crisps and a chocolate cake. TPG values it at $1,600. It can be used as a sort of extra side table once you have folded it down from the back of the seat in front, or you can then slide out the upper portion and position it right in front of you allowing you to work and eat. Virgin Atlantic has updated its in-flight menus and it's seriously upping the ante for its Upper Class (the airline's version of First Class). They were all smiles, jokes, and seemed to be taking real pleasure in the flight over (and back). Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: 47,500. If you have two devices then the code will work on either, but not on both at the same time. The wifi was a disaster both ways. After spending my 20s and 30s as a Marketing Director who made use of every vacation day travelling the world I am now a nearly full time travel blogger who focuses on unique adventures in interesting places which end with a high thread count on the sheets and a decent glass of wine! I was much more successful on the return overnight flight, and it also reminded me how good the Virgin flight attendants are, something I had forgotten in the two years Ive been away. Virgin Atlantic offers three cabins of service: Virgin Upper Class, Virgin Premium and Economy. Virgin has altered the layout of its Club House lounge at T3, with the removal of the spa and the addition of some Peloton cycling machines. A mixed picture I had a decent flight on Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class. These small areas featured deep, comfortable chairs with poofs and were much quieter than the rest of the clubhouse. In conclusion, yes, Virgin Atlantic Upper Class gets a good plus rating from me because of the staff and clubhouse. And forget about arriving into T3 at LHR with any hopes of making a connection within a span of at least a 3 hour ordeal if you have to change terminals 2.5 hours to bus from T3 to T5 to catch an intra-Europe BA flight exhausting and stressful. The seats are wide, the drinks are cold, and the atmosphere is calming. I have seldom experienced this, even in business class on other airlines. Special Diets Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options Meals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night, Drinks View all details meals, features Location and contact Heathrow Airport 234 Bath Road, Hayes TW6 1AP England Website +44 844 335 1801 Improve this listing Reviews (711) Write a review Traveler rating Excellent 571 This was the first flight after the lifting of restrictions on UK citizens (and EO citizens) travelling to the US. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. Dining options for Virgin Atlantic customers in 2021 include a main course of roasted chicken breast, potato pure, sauted spinach and girolles mushrooms, served with Bourguignon sauce The new Upper Class menu: Welcome drinks upon boarding Drinks and snacks after takeoff Main meal Starter Mozzarella and tomato salad with micro basil and cress (v) But next time you find yourself with an Upper Class ticket, you'll want to make sure you've selected the best possible seat in the cabin. On the 787, the video screen is quite small compared to most other planes and airlines, and the content selection is decent but not amazing. The food was good, but I didnt find it to be very different from the food on Virgin Atlantic in premium economy and like many airlines these days, the serving sizes are not large. Upper Class fares can be priced from 1,000 return, which is a great price for the benefits you get if you break it down on a cost-per-hour basis. Since we have written about the celebrations elsewhere: British Airways and Virgin Atlantic perform dual take-off from Heathrow to New York. Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class, London Heathrow - Delhi (February 2021) Boarding began at 8.45pm, 45 minutes before our scheduled departure time of 9.30pm and, with priority boarding, it didn't take more than a couple of minutes to get on the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 (which I've flown many times, pre-coronavirus). Evidently numerous passengers before me had fallen foul of this trap, in a desperate bid to find viable storage space. Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. A stylish lounge, free-flowing champagne and an Upper Class seat that has stood the test of time, Virgin Atlantic continues to impress. We picked seats 5A and 6A, figuring that it would be a good idea to be neither too close to the galley nor too close to the bar. Cheese plate Wensleydale with cranberry, cheddar, chutney , grapes and crostini. Virgin Atlantic releases stunning new in-flight food options - this is the menu Starters include pear and Waldorf salad or smoked duck breast followed by choice of braised pork cheek, roasted. It was incredibly kind of them and so thoughtful, as we hadnt even asked. My expectations were high, but they were quite honestly exceeded in almost every way onboard. In a seated, upright position it was hard to shift the impression that this was more of a Premium Economy product in terms of overall privacy. A list of partners is here. I have visited over 70 countries and love finding hidden gems, boutique hotels and great food and wine. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. 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