The thing to remember about Virgin Atlantic is that it is expensive, probably the most expensive airline around by quite a significant amount. Isn’t this a down side? Well yes, obviously in one sense. But in another Virgin knows that in order to keep its customers it has to do everything possible to make it that significant amount better than any other airline. It has certainly accomplished this as one can tell along every stage of the journey…
From the moment you encounter Virgin representatives at the airport they are, well, smiley. Flight attendants tend to be smiley, but virgin are extra smiley. Even better, they appear to be genuinely smiley. From the person waiting to welcome you to the desk clerk they are all friendly and helpful. You need a specific seat, a specific meal, you want to be as far away from your nagging grandmother as possible, you want to be upgraded for free – “We’ll see what we can do.”
I will add that if you are either an unaccompanied minor or disabled (I have traveled
myself as the first and with my grandmother as the second) you are whisked away by your own personal Virgin assistant as soon as you enter the airport. This assistant will take you past all the cues, load you onto the aircraft, and continue to check on you throughout the flight. At the end of the flight the same assistant will then take you off the plane and past all the cues at the other end. This is a free, efficient and of course, smiley service.
Now we get to what is probably the most risky part of flying – boarding the plane. We have all heard horror stories of planes being delayed by hours, sometimes days. I would assume that every airline has bad days, but I have never found a Virgin plane to be delayed at all.
Once on the plane, in the air, on time, you get the chance to explore the facilities. These include:
The toilets ~ Standard plane toilets; small, loud, equipped with sick-bags, sanitary towels etc, kept clean throughout the flight.
The kitchens ~ Where stewardess’s await to fulfill your dreams. Ok so I am exadurating slightly but they do have an unlimited supply of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and snacks for free.
The seats ~ I am 6 foot tall and most of that is legs! So naturally leg-room is a problem for me. But I find Virgin seats offer enough space (unlike other airlines ahem-American Airlines-ahem). In fact, if you ask specifically for a bulkhead seat you even have room to stretch out! Width-ways they are also quite ample and there’s no need to sleep on your neighbors shoulder as the headrests are quite comfy.
The entertainment ~ This to me is the highlight of a Virgin flight. Each and every seat has it’s own personal television, with lots of channels including movies, music, comedy, kids, flight tracking and more. It also has Nintendo games – a few minutes and I’m hooked. It even has a phone, though this has a charge. Believe me, 11 hours on a plane with nothing else to do and this little screen seems like a gift from god!
Ok, so you’re on the plane, you’re just about to beat the boss on a Nintendo game and you get a sudden thirst what do you do? You press the button to call a stewardess. The stewardess comes along, is of course, smiley and brings you whatever you require. This may seem simple but I have been on so many flights where they will look at you like you’ve asked for a million pounds, so it’s nice to have an eager-to-please service.
Now you’re sitting comfortably, drink in hand, 36,000 miles above the planet and you hear that dreaded rattle… You knew it was coming. It’s plane food. I won’t tell you it’s a wondrous experience because it isn’t. But it isn’t necessarily all that bad either. There are two or three dishes to chose from, which are usually all quite edible; in fact they can even be tasty at times. Follow this up with tea or coffee, an ice-lolly and maybe even another meal later on during the flight and you are quite well catered for.
Over all the flight experience is a good one. Virgin Atlantic flies to destinations all over the U.S.A. I use it at least once a year to fly to Los Angeles to visit family. I have tried most of the leading airlines and Virgin remains way in the lead. Yes it is expensive but it’s worth it because on a long flight comfort is of utmost importance.
And comfort is what Virgin offers to all its passengers no matter what their needs. I would recommend Virgin to anyone and everyone looking for a not only satisfactory, but also an enjoyable (and smiley!) flight experience.
Please note: This opinion is based on my travels in economy class. However, Virgin does offer business and first class facilities, which I believe include champagne and massages!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
A few points:
When I was travelling to the states in 2001, I went through a student travel agency, STA Travel (who actually get discounted tickets for ANYONE!), and Virgin were the cheapeast airline I could fly with - unbelievable!
Brilliant service, amazing airline (I should admit I now actually work for Virgin Atlantic engineering!).
Finally, you were 'almost' right with the height - the planes actually cruise at about 36,000 feet, not 36,000 miles - that might require a little more fuel!
And if you ever get the chance to travel premium economy, or even upper class, go for it! The new Upper Class seat/beds we're getting will blow the socks off of the other airlines!
coolaskaha 02.02.2003 15:42
Thanks for a great op! I've recently flown with virgin and couldn't fault them at all! SARAH!!
zoe_page 27.09.2002 12:40
I can't wait for the day when I get to try Virgin. Crossing the pond with Aer Lingus is not to be recommended, and American Airlines aren't that much better.
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Advantages: British. Quality. An established name and company. Disadvantages: They can't fly you everywhere you want. They can only fly from a few airports.
Advantages: None. Just a standard airline service. Disadvantages: Lose your valuables. Unfriendly, unhelpful staff. Arrogant and dismissive customer service.
Aug 31st, 2002
very helpful by (97%):
helpful by (3%):
