Virgin Atlantic Airways - VIR > Reviews > Virgin on the better side of BA

Author's product rating:   

Food Quality	Good
Customer Service	Outstanding
Punctuality	Always on time
Space	Fairly Comfortable
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	good entertainment,good food, feisty hostesses, as comfy as it gets on a plane
Disadvantages:	variation from plane to plane on ent systems

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

By sheer luck I find myself travelling to the States once a month on average.
The first time to Boston, I was booked onto a BA flight by my company - it was my first trip to the US and naturally I was quite excited at the prospect of my first Trans-Atlantic flight with the worlds favourite airline.

However I was trapped in a window seat for the duration, seating very uncomfortable (I was in the upper deck) and the food not spectacular.
The entertainment wasnt great - there were long gaps before showing a film or tv program, there was no choice and it was viewed on 'something a teacher used in primary school for showing slides on' - not the best view.
To top this I had the air steward from 'High Life' swanning about the place!

For a first timer this wasnt a great flying experience and but for the fact I had to travel again in a couple of weeks, would have put myself off long flights.

For the next return journey, by chance I was transferred to Gatwick for the Virgin flight as my connecting flight to Heathrow had been cancelled.
Imagine my surprise on finding myself surrounded in a congenial atmosphere. The music playing on the captains stereo was rather amusing 'Hey you whats that sound, everyone look whats going down' (or something along those lines which helped lighten the mood.

The seats were more comfortable than BA, although you can never have enough room on airplanes (unless your name is Sultan of Brunei)it didnt affect the overall comfort of the flight.
A big bonus was the in-flight entertainment system - Nintendo games, recent movies and cool music channels and TV shows made for a useful if surreal experience. A bit like playing golf at 4am over Canada...
It certainly made the flight pass quickly which is the no.1 req for long flights.

The only down side I have found is that there are variations from plane to plane and the entertainment systems vary so dont expect the same every time.

Coupled to this, the food was quite tasty and the friendly (if a little feisty) air hostesses always ensured your glass was never empty - so long as you asked that is.

The in-flight magazines and on board shopping were far superior to any other flight and they had some unique gifts although I passed on the Richard Branson teddy bear (sorry Rich). The only beef I have is that sometime I am too pissed to remember to give my FlyerClub card when buying...
A few comments as a member of the frequent flyer programme.
The turnaround time for a card from Virgin was fantastic in comparison to BA ( at least 3 months difference).
There are special offers with the card which you can spend your airmiles on flights, holidays or assorted car rentals etc.

All in I know which one I prefer and if you were going on a holiday (or work like a business trip!) this is a sure-fire way of kicking it off to the right start.

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