Full bedding was supplied with a mattress topper, duvet, and sizeable plump pillow. Wi-fi was available and, although a little patchy at times, was reasonable value at $19.95 (£14.99) for 150mb. Outright Virgin Australia business class redemptions cost 35,500 points. There were only 9 people in upper class and 60 on the whole flight. One of the most popular configurations is a “herringbone” layout that provides an easy access to the aisle for each passenger. Part 1 of our A350 Upper Class Suite review can be found here . Fare Details: Travel restrictions: No travel end date. The first thing I was thrilled to see was that pillows and bedding were in tact, to pre covid-19 levels. Is This The Best Private Club In America? Virgin Atlantic Upper Class London LHR to New York JFK Review Airbus A340-600. Flying is generally much safer than people think during covid-19 anyway, but every little helps. Virgin Atlantic always offered one of the best and most enjoyable ways to fly business class with Upper Class, the cabin originally launched by Richard Branson to bring first class features to the business class cabin, and as an avid flyer, I was really curious to see if the things I enjoyed before still existed today. Next up was our long layover in London, some time in one of the best business class lounges in the world (The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse) then our onward flight to Dubai. These famously say underneath "pinched from Virgin Atlantic." We'll offer you the finest food and drink throughout your journey, so just sit back, relax and let us look after you. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Will US Flyers Need To Provide COVID-19 Test Results After Passenger Death? The cabin was around 40% full, and seats had been blocked between traveling parties. My true passion has always been travelling in. Private Cabins In Coastal Settings And U.S. National Parks: Safe, Cozy, And Far From Chaos, Food To Look Forward To: My Favorite Restaurants Of 2020, A Cultural Betrayal By Venice’s Mayor Leaves Residents Furious. For now, this means you’ll find Virgin Atlantic immediately upon entering Heathrow T2, where you’d struggle to miss the well placed desk. Our family of four sat in the second row. I also have a serious suitcase and travel accessory addiction! The Upper Class bar slash social space on each aircraft is a bit of a grey area, but that’s the only remotely different bit. The 737s are outfitted with eight business class recliner seats, in two rows of a 2-2 configuration. I certainly wasn’t going to be happy with a ziplock bag and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, no matter how enjoyable one may be. Virgin companies encourage employees to bring their personality to work, and it shone through on this flight. Onboard our Boeing 737 aircraft will also enjoy a comfort pack**, containing a blanket and pillow, and stylish amenities*. When you look at the two popular “off the shelf” reverse herringbone products out there, both have storage. The best seats are on the ‘A’ side of the plane, where more privacy is afforded by facing the back of the middle seats. Flight Review: Virgin Atlantic's New A350 Upper Class || It's Awesome... Virgin Atlantic A350: Best Seats In Upper Class, Premium And Economy, Kauai's New 'Resort Bubbles' Reboot Island Travel, British Airways Launches 'Buy Before You Fly' Food With Tom Kerridge, Hot Deal: £1270 Business Class London To Seychelles With Qatar Airways, Don't Worry Y'all, 2022 Already Has A Nudist Cruise Scheduled, Korean Air Impressively Delays Points Devaluations To 2023. With Virgin Australia emerging from bankruptcy as a leaner operation with an exclusively narrow body fleet of Boeing 737 jets, the era of fully flat beds in domestic Business Class is no longer.. Back in 2012, Virgin Australia upped the ante by launching their ‘Coast to Coast’ service with a few older Airbus A330’s formerly flying for Emirates. A small, but positive side effect of covid-19 is that it forced a lot of airline clunkers into retirement. Following a successful kidney transplant in 2016, I decided to turn my hobby into a full-time job and launched my blog Turning Left for Less about luxury travel for less. This is part 2 of our review of the Upper Class Suite on the new Virgin Atlantic A350. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. Passengers can control how much light enters their window with a push of a button. Surely it’s actually the exact time to invest in customers to show they why you are worth spending money with. Same cabin, same uniforms, just some extra masks. I missed the Virgin Clubhouse for sure, but I was impressed with how Virgin has adapted, without compromising on things purely for the reason of cutting costs. Your email address will not be published. For sure. I write about travel specialising in airlines and luxury travel for less, EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Why Capitol Rioters Are Unlikely To Land On The No-Fly List Anytime Soon. Bridgetown airport appeared pretty much deserted, and there were no more than two other passengers in the check-in and security areas. Fortunately, most of the usual amenities were there, such as Virgin's environmentally friendly "goodie bag" made from responsibly sourced recycled kraft paper. Virgin Australia business class upgrades on transcontinental flights start from 9,900 points for a flexible economy ticket. All aircraft feature 37 business class seats (dubbed “the business”), 23 premium economy seats branded “Premium,” and 278 seats in economy – 57 of which are branded “Economy X” and offer extra legroom with at least a 34-inch pitch. The breakfast was also impressive with three main courses: full English, banana pancakes, or a roasted pepper omelet. 737 Business Class seat features include: Luxury leather; Generous recline; 38 inch (96.5 cm) seat pitch; Comfort. Full-size wine bottles were used instead of the plastic mini bottles many airlines are using, and top-ups were plentiful. At the boarding gate, there was something comfortable and soothing about still seeing the same – famed Vivienne Westwood red coats. We had both, with the 787 outbound to New York and A350 back from Los Angeles. Short story: aim for an A350. Given that they follow the same government guidelines, it's incredible how much they differ between airlines! Try not to let your eyes roll all the way into the back of your head with disdain in the interim. More by Gilbert Ott. With so few people (sadly) flying, the extra space gave me great peace of mind when traveling to catch up with family and being able to enjoy the finer points like multi course meals and business class level wines made it feel all that much more “normal”. I’m not much of a drinker on planes, but knowing that many airlines are serving economy cabin wines to premium customers, it was nice to see Virgin Atlantic hasn’t cheap’ed out and taken then easy way. Business class guests experience second-to-none space and comfort, and exceptional inclusions. After the turbulent time … I am based in the UK but normally spend a lot of my time flying round the world. © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. Whenever that change to testing meaningfully happens, expect Virgin and other airlines previously based in T3 to make their way back home. The design of the cabin feels incredibly sexy, elegant and funky, and has a slightly futuristic look, almost reminiscent of what I feel a spaceship would look like. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Fortunately, the renowned Virgin Atlantic plane-shaped salt and pepper shake were still on the tray. Pretty high, actually. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. Upper Class cabins offer roomy leather seats that double as sumptuous flat beds, ensuring you arrive refreshed and ready for anything. After a taxi to the runway by tug, which seemed more extended than for a flight departing Heathrow, it was finally time to get airborne. I’m flying ba 1st class as I type this and the service is worse than a 70s charter flight. Many had only recently returned from furlough, and having spent a few nights in Barbados, they were all in high spirits. Jayne Hrdlicka, who started in the role of Virgin Australia Group chief executive on Wednesday, has launched a strategic review of the airline's business class … Virgin Staff and (kosher) food were all excellent. Our fully inclusive fare allows you to feel at home in our spacious Business class cabin; where you can relax in (or work from) your luxurious leather seat, and enjoy premium food and beverages from our exclusive onboard Business class menu – designed by leading Australian chef, Luke Mangan. Required fields are marked *. Their recent enhancements, such as non-expiry of frequent flyer miles and tier points on reward bookings, are likely to help win back customers. That’s the main bad news: there were between 5-8 people in Upper Class on flights which would typically be oversold, showing just how hard it is for airlines right now. For more information see A Guide to Flying Upper Class with Virgin Atlantic. Virgin Australia Business Class cabin only has 8 seats and is in a 2+2 configuration. Unfortunately, one of Virgin Atlantic's most fun features, the onboard bar is not available. Based in locked down London, Virgin Atlantic, like many airlines has been forced to make changes which are noticeable instantly. I just don’t get the logic of making your product – aka your flying experience worse when you’re fighting to stay in business. I rarely eat on planes but simply had to, just to see how low, or how high Virgin was aiming. Virgin Atlantic's range of salt and pepper shakers. I have spent 27 years working in the travel industry with a large proportion of that spent working in Air Traffic Control. Pre-departure it’s bottled water, but once airborne I was ecstatic to see a proper drink trolley come around, with full sized bottles of wine, booze and champagne. Gordon “Butch” Stewart Changed The Way The World Went On Vacation, Hawaii: Kauai Launches Two Ways For Travelers To Avoid Quarantine, 2021 Luxury Hotel Openings, Live Abroad Inexpensively, Emirates’ New Business Class And More. Today’s Airfare of the Day goes to Virgin Atlantic and their business class promotional round-trip fares between Paris (CDG), France and New York (JFK), USA. You can not relax in the seat. Sadly the welcome glass of champagne has disappeared, and instead, you are handed a bottle of water. Virgin Australia's rollout of domestic business class for its entire Boeing 737 fleet sees new seats and in-flight service to attract Australia's business travellers.. Yes, that means champagne. Virgin Australia’s 737 business class. The seats in business class cabins are arranged in different ways. The new Covid-safe style of "buffet" was in evidence. Fly with another, and you might not know covid-19 had changed the world, minus the mask you wore on board. Virgin claimed to be offering a full service, but were they? Virgin Australia was sprung last week for serving two-minute noodles in business class. Many shops were closed, but it's hard to tell if it was due to the late departure time or Covid. It felt safe, fun, stuffing and enjoyable. ), and the menu was extensive, with the option to have light snacks, hot dinner, and/or hot breakfast. There’s a dividing wall between the A seats on the left and the central G seats, so you may find A seats (shown below) a little more private. Noise-cancelling headphones were also provided at each seat. Not Clubhouse nice by any means, but still nice, and the food wasn’t half bad. This flight was very lightly loaded, with just 15 passengers in business class and only about 60 passengers in economy. The Plaza Premium T2 space is surprisingly nice. With some business class flights having plastic glasses and food from a box, the Virgin dining experience was a welcome relief. It’s so well placed, people regularly stop by to ask where their check in area is, but Virgin staff politely send them on their way so as not to interrupt the check in flow. That’s likely contingent upon the UK removing impractical 14 day quarantine measures in favor of safer, covid-19 testing based solutions, which they say they’re “looking at”. The cabin was clean and fresh. BUSINESS CLASS CABIN Virgin Atlantic’s A350 aircraft features one large Business (“Upper”) Class cabin, which is located in the plane’s front section. The crew was eager to make up beds for passengers while you got yourself ready for bed with the help of the Ren toiletries provided in the washrooms. Sweden Ushers In Pandemic Law, Announces New Restrictions, The Hon. Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouses have a space to suit every kind of traveller – whether you want to chill with a cocktail or find a quiet spot to work – and are reserved for Upper Class passengers and Flying Club Gold members. After a quick stroll across the tarmac to the Boeing 787 aircraft, it was time to see what the pre-departure experience was like. The Caribbean yakitori chicken looked something of a mess, but was similar to a very flavorful Bajan version of an Indian biryani rice dish. Would we get a “meal box” with inedible treats better fit for feline friends? It’s not a big deal, but it’s a nice acknowledgement of the weird times we’re all living in. The amenities were top notch (amenity kits, pajamas, etc. Last Minute Deals! I never understood Virgin’s upper class seats on any of their planes. It is hard for airlines in 2020 to have fresh film content as so many releases have been delayed, but Virgin had a great choice. But even with so few seats to choose from they're not all created equal when it comes to legroom. For the time being, Virgin operates out of T2 at Heathrow, rather than their home base at T3, which features the Upper Class Wing and famed Clubhouse Lounge. There was no starter at all and no choice of dessert. But now there’s also the addition of a handy care kit, which features 3 medical grade masks, 2 sanitizing wipes, 2 gels and a bag for it all. As a reminder, I travelled to New York as the guest of Virgin Atlantic on the official media flight to celebrate the A350 launch. My areas of expertise are airline and hotel loyalty, all things British Airways and oneworld, as well as how to stay in the finest hotels for less. Why don’t they make it recline like every other business class seat. In Virgin Atlantic A350 Upper Class: The storage area next to the seat is small, and is exposed, and really isn’t big enough to store anything. This time around, Virgin Australia can’t even call it a Luke Mangan inspired chickpea mix. Some business class cabins feature self-contained seats that resemble suites typical of first class. You could immediately tell that this would be a great flight from their friendly and fun demeanor. The blog has been featured on Radio 4, Daily Mail, CNBC and i newspaper. For Melbourne-Brisbane business class, Qantas varied between $817 and $1,163, compared to Virgin Australia's $549 and $699. You’ve got a really top quality duvet – at least in plane terms – multiple pillows, mattress topper and more. Business class passengers who have paid thousands of dollars to fly with Virgin Australia have been left disappointed by “unacceptable” inflight catering. Maybe once a vaccine emerges, but even then…. If you ask me, Virgin Atlantic has here. Virgin Business Class Refresh Coming End 2019. Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Final Thoughts. After the turbulent time Virgin Atlantic has been through with restructuring to avoid bankruptcy, what is their onboard experience like now in Upper Class? Back to the 787, and you’ll find 31 flat-bed business class seats in a 1-1-1 format. The carpets had been vacuumed and there were no obvious signs of wear and tear. However, until the U.S. reopens to travelers from the U.K., it still leaves Virgin Atlantic in a precarious position due to their U.S. heavy route network. There was no actual champagne, but instead, there was prosecco or the excellent English sparkling wine, Hattingley Valley. We encourage our Business Class guests to download the Virgin Australia Entertainment App, available in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, to their device prior to their next flight. And following this article, I’m reasonably sure that I will fly Virgin Atlantic in December and forget about the other airline…the former Cruz ship. The leather seats have a 38-inch pitch and are more like Premium Economy than business. Many airlines have been using Covid-19 as an excuse to cut back on airport and onboard services as they struggle for survival. With a range of cabin classes available with Virgin Atlantic, you can design the way want to fly, so take a look at all the different cabins and seating options. This Boeing 787 had the older Virgin Atlantic seats, which flip over into a flatbed. Virgin Atlantic Business Class Bottom Line. Upgrades are well within reach if you have a stash of Velocity points sitting in your account waiting for a rainy day. Last time I flew with them I flew in premium economy. Upgrades to a business class ticket for a long-haul international flights. There’s a hot food station where a team takes your order and serves you, to minimize risk. Initially, these were not quite dark enough to block light entirely, but recent 787 models have had windows that have a darker setting. The cheese board was laughing cow triangles. The service started with a welcome drink. Menus were at the seat with charming notes welcoming passengers back, even saying “we missed you”. I still have a few Delta miles to spend, and I wouldn’t hesitate to try to use them on Virgin Atlantic again. They lack any substantial storage space at the seat and can be quite hard when in bed mode. Virgin Atlantic has their transatlantic soft product down to a science, especially for these painfully short East Coast to London flights. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Virgin have tried to walk the delicate balance of Covid safety with customer experience. The 'a' seats on Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class. Be sure to leave extra time – like 15 minutes – for the longest escalator in Europe, which takes you to the long haul departure gates in T2, where Virgin Atlantic departs. Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class business class product used to be one of the most fun business class products around. Perhaps that is the best way of summing up Virgin Australia’s radical upgrade of its international fleet of Boeing 777-300ERs. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. An instant noodle cup and a can of Coke was served as lunch to a customer who paid for a $2,500 ticket. Learn More{{/message}}, Stay up to date on everything travel, with our handy newsletter, Virgin Atlantic ‘Upper Class’ Business Class Experience During Covid-19. Virgin Atlantic always offered one of the best and most enjoyable ways to fly business class with Upper Class, the cabin originally launched by Richard Branson to bring first class features to the business class cabin, and as an avid flyer, I was really curious to see if the things I enjoyed before still existed today. In almost every way, it was the latter. No one is coming to visit the UK when they can’t leave their hotel room door for 14 days. Watch this space for an update. My true passion has always been travelling in luxury for the lowest possible price. Passengers took to Facebook, outraged at receiving a $2 meal after paying $2,500 for their tickets. 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