Virgin Atlantic Airways - VIR > Reviews > Virgins Travel in Style

Author's product rating:   

Food Quality	Excellent
Customer Service	Outstanding
Punctuality	Good
Space	Comfortable
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Entertainment and Variety
Disadvantages:	Only the usual lack of space suffered on any aircraft

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The prospect of going any distance abroad usually fills you with dread. Not necessarily because you’re scared of flying (although I know that will apply to some of you)but because you know that (unless you’re loaded and can afford first class every time) you’ve got a few hours ahead of you where you are cramped into a tiny seat, almost sitting on the lap of the person next to you, having no leg room whatsoever and being served with abysmal food.

However, Virgin is a delight to fly with. They don’t have particularly bigger planes or give you much more room but they are comfortable, you have “breathing” space at least. But there are so many more benefits with Virgin.

First of all, when you get to your seat you will find, apart from the usual blanket and pillow, a little plastic satchel filled with supplies for your journey. These include your headphones for the in-flight entertainment (which is ‘the business’ but more on than in a mo…), a pair of brightly coloured socks (well, more like 2 pieces of material sown together round the edge, but you’re not going to be wearing them as a fashion accessory), a tiny toothbrush and even smaller tube of paste (enough for the journey), a small writing pad and pen, a plastic shoehorn, an eye mask (if you do manage to sleep on planes) and a 10% discount voucher for Virgin Stores. This is yours for keeps. For kids, there is a brightly coloured rucksack filled with sweets, colouring books, pens etc. A very nice welcome aboard. As the flight taxis to the runway the staff come round (on some flights) with a boiled sweet to suck hard on during take-off and present you with a menu. The menu gives you three choices of main course, which is excellent, particularly if you forgot to mention you were vegetarian when you booked the flight, as one of the choices is usually suitable for a veggie. Plus there is usually chicken, beef or fish. Variety – a rareity!

Then they go through the usual safety procedures, seatbelt, gas, life jacket etc. There is a video shown on your TV simultaneously and there is also a safety card in your seat pocket. Then, the captain welcomes you aboard and advises how soon you’re likely to take off. As soon as you’re off the ground and levelling off, the trolley-dollies are coming round with refreshments, drinks and nibbles.

Now for the entertainment! Each seat on a Virgin flight has a small TV screen in the back of it and there is a remote control in the armrest. At the beginning of the flight the screen features a map of the world which shows the progress of the flight throughout it’s duration. The captain regularly announces where you are, how high and what the weather is like out there! The in-flight magazines tell you what’s on when and on which channel. Yes, which channel! Virgin has loads. There are three film channels, a couple of comedy and cartoon channels, several radio and music channels and ten computer arcade games (including casino card games of some variety and a Nintendo style game) and no doubt a couple of the channels I’ve failed to mention – probably because I didn’t watch them. On an average seven-hour flight to/from America for example there will be 2 sets of films shown so you watch two on the way and two on the way back. Then you can tune in for an episode of the Grimleys (or equivalent), perhaps the Simpsons, or whatever they have showing. Excellent. On a recent flight from America they showed a BBC concert by David Bowie, which I was at incindentally (several of my friends were on that flight having just been to New York to attend a charity concert he performed at – I actually missed that one, damn!)

When it’s time for food, you simply tell the steward(ess) what you want when they come round with the trolleys as they have a selection of each choice. The food is served on the standard flight tray with the starter and pudding and usually a small bar of chocolate. They offer you a bottle of red or white wine to accompany your meal, which is a nice touch, and then serve tea and coffee afterwards. Several drinks are severed before and after the meal. You can have a choice of beers, spirits or soft drinks, fruit juices etc… all of which are free (or in other words included in the price of the flight). They also come round with the usual duty free selection, (details or which are in a magazine in the seat pocket) including a couple of special Virgin Atlantic souvenirs of a teddy bear in a captains uniform and a model of a Virgin plane.

While you’re sitting there enjoying the second film they come round with brandy or baileys for you to enjoy and on a couple of flights (usually return trips from America) they come round with small ice-creams.

(A little amusing thing about Virgin is their descriptions in the inflight magazine. They refer to all passengers as "virgins" so you have things like, "baby virgins" for very young children, "young virgins" for kids and "teen virgins" etc.....)

A flight with Virgin is usually smooth and the take-off and landing almost perfect. I’ve never personally had any reason to complain about their customer service or their flight.

I would recommend that you experience a Virgin flight at least once. You’ll be spoiled once you have!