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Virgin not-so Express

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4 Feb 10th, 2001 

16 Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful

Advantages:
cheap, flexible flying times

Disadvantages:
might not be the fastest way to travel !

Recommendable Yes:

Detailed rating:

Food Quality

Customer Service

Punctuality

Space

Value for Money

womble

womble

About me:

Londoner with wanderlust.

Member since:10.08.2000

Reviews:42

Members who trust:19

The first thing to note is the Virgin Express is completely different from Virgin Atlantic, if you mix them up, you might be in for a nasty shock!

Virgin Express is the 'budget' or no-frills airline from Virgin and the reason that it isn't, perhaps, as well-known as some of the others (Go, Ryanair, Easyjet) is that it is based out of Brussels rather than the UK.

There are direct flights to Shannon from London, but other than that, all flights are routed via Brussels where you change planes, which isn't a problem in itself, especially as the flights are cheap.

They do code-share with Sabena, and considering Sabena fares are more expensive, you might feel that you are getting a bargain by travelling with Virgin and they certainly offer a wide range of destinations.

They fly from Gatwick, Heathrow or Stansted, to Brussels, and from Brussels you are offered a wide range of destinations, including Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Milan, Berlin and many more that I can't remember!

The pricing policy is remarkably transparent (for an airline). If you book a little in advance, most flights are £99 if you chose the earliest or latest flights. This can lead to 'how do I get to Gatwick for 5am' type difficulties if you are determined to get the cheapest flights, but you do get what you pay for, and they are certainly cheaper over peak periods, than most other airlines, because they don't penalise for weekend or summertime travel, only for time of day!

As for complaints, well, I had to come to it. I've travelled with Virgin Express many times, and will continue to do so, and it is good, as long as you don't mind spending a while in transit. Twice, my luggage has been left in Brussels because the plane from London was either cancelled or delayed and the luggage didn't have enough time to make the connecting flight. Once, having missed the connection, I was waiting in Brussels for four hours, but they got me the luggage eventually and they'll get you there in the end!

I'd say, use them, but allow a lot of time for transfers. They possibly wouldn't be my first choice for a flying visit, but if I was going away for a week I would use them again!!

The website to book from is wwww.virgin-express.com and is easy to use. This is a ticketless airline, so you collect your code from an email which you pass onto the relevant parties, but it is all very simple!  

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