Welcome to my flight reviews! I try and keep these short but useful.
Airline: Virgin Atlantic
Flight Number: VS19
Class of Travel: Economy
Month-Year: June 2023
Route: LHR-SFO
My Score: 5/5
Purpose: Leisure trip
Check-In
As Air NZ Gold, I am seen as VS Flying Club Gold on their systems due to their partnership, and this was reflected on my mobile app, which meant I was re-directed by ground staff to the Upper Class check in counters. Check-In is done manually here vs kiosks for economy passengers and the lines were long across all the queues - there were four flights departing all at the same time across Virgin and Delta. It did take about 15 minutes to get served for check-in and once at the counter it was seamless. Was given a priority tag, and asked the use the elevator to go to the dedicated upper class Virgin Atlantic security line.
 |
| Busy day at the upper class check in counters |
 |
| The special elevator |
Going up the elevator, there was another long queue to clear priority security, and there was a shift change occurring which didn't help. This is outside of Virgin's control, so can't really blame them for this.
 |
| Long lines for premium security |
Lounge
Virgin Atlantic has an agreement with Air NZ where NZ Gold members can access the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at LHR when travelling on Virgin Atlantic to San Francisco. Apparently this arrangement ends on 12/06/23, so I was one of the last to access the lounge, and the lounge agent had to seek approval before letting me in. But once in - boy was this lounge special. Everyone arriving was greeted, and asked whether they wanted to relax or have breakfast. Look at the photos - this is definitely a premium lounge fighting for the crown as one of the best lounges in the world.
 |
| Lounge entrance |
 |
| Relax area |
 |
| Lounge |
 |
| Even busier across the Virgin check in - Heathrow rush-hour |
The Food
Usually the lounge food is just a passing mention, if not something to be skipped over. But Virgin Atlantic has truly outdone themselves with their Upper Class lounge. They have both a serviced buffet, and restaurant style dining service for all guests of the lounge. As I walked past the buffet, I was greeted by several staff at the counter asking if I wanted to try something or give anything a go. They had freshly baked bread, yoghurts, cheeses, fruits, and much more ready to be assembled to your requests.
 |
| Serviced Buffet |
Opting for table service, I was promptly seated by an energetic lounge assistant, and they quickly took and prepared my drinks order - consisting of a smoothie, hot chocolate, and orange juice.
Following drinks, I ordered two mains - the acai bowl and scrambled eggs on toast, both of which were cooked in the kitchen and delivered within minutes. They tasted delicious. Having tasty, cooked food before a flight is always wonderful.
The facilities
The lounge is a very large space, and also has showers, pool tables, swing chairs, a semi outdoor patio, plenty of magazines, quiet spaces, and concierges to help with anything. Truly exceptional in every way.
Virgin Atlantic also does something quite thoughtful - they split up their boarding calls, so the first one says the flight is now ready for pre-boarding guests of the lounge, and the second one says the flight is now mostly boarded, and to board now without any queues. This is a really great way to cater to people's preferences - boarding first or last.
In-Flight
Once again, Virgin Atlantic had the thoughtfulness to block out the middle seats wherever possible so that everyone got a bit of space on the flight. The gate agent was saying how the flight was a little light on the loading so they were moving high value customers around to give them an empty seat next to them, followed by everyone else as well.
Seat
The economy seat is nothing to write home about, standard seat and entertainment options, but relatively comfortable for the 11 hour flight.
Food
The food onboard was plentiful, it was like being part of a 5 course meal flight. Shortly after takeoff, lunch was served. I had ordered a special meal to eat first and fall asleep (though didn't quite work out), and had a delicious spiced cauliflower dish with couscous salad, and some yoghurt style desert. Something missing in the photo is their heated bread roll in a plastic packet, which was a nice touch as airlines like Air NZ give you a cold bread roll these days.
Quarter of the way in, I went back to the galley to see what snacks they had - they pulled out an entire trolley and told me to take whatever I wanted, with plenty of savoury and sweet options. Again a lovely gesture.
Soon after, flight attendants came around to all the passengers and offered a drinks and light snack service, consisting of corn chips.
But wait! There's more. 2/3 of the way in, they came around again to offer everyone ice-cream and more drinks!
Service
The team onboard were wonderful and very thoughtful. Going to the back galley, one of them asked if I was stretching and offered their tips, another asked if they could make me a cup of tea, while a third asked if they could get me anything. Every interaction with the cabin crew quickly became a how may I help? During the flight they also worked very efficiently to keep the cabin hydrated, clear of rubbish, etc.
Overall Conclusion
Virgin Atlantic has given me hope that the golden days of flying in economy can be revived. This was one of the best economy class experiences I've had in many years, and the entire team at Virgin Atlantic should be proud of themselves for their hard work.