Upper Class Virgin - Worth it?

Moto2

To justify it .......

Think of something else you could buy - to keep and own - whilst in Tokyo for the £2K
Now, if the UC flight compares well when you weigh the two up, go for it.
If it doesn't, just make sure you buy that £2K item.

Win, win

Caz3121

A couple of people have mentioned that the big difference is between business and First but it is worth pointing out that Virgin do not operate a First Class - they have economy, premium economy and upper, with upper being the equivalent of business class on other airlines...there is nothing to be upgraded to from there

£1.7k is a good fare for upper on that route - I can only see fares on the Virgin site of £3.2k+ with the regular fare appearing to be £5.3k (with no chauffeur service)

InsideInsurance

Being Virgin UC is a little different and I would argue somewhere between BA's Club World (Business) and First.

The LHR VS UC lounge is by far the best I have been in and is certainly better than the BA First lounges - I do caveat that with the fact I've never been into the Concord room at LHR which could possibly equal it.

The seat layout in UC is much close to the BA First than CW which is much better if you are wanting sleep as there is no chances of neighbours having to disturb you to get out or people banging your seat. The downside is that you are very much in your own pod so not so easy to interact with those your travelling with (at least BA's CW you have a small portion of the divide you can lower)

The drive through checkin is also fairly good fun the first time you do it but you can do this with a taxi as well as a chauffeur. Also be aware that not all UC include the chauffeur.

Of cause BA isnt considered the best so it may be harsh to compare VS to them. In Etithad First class you have a door to your own cabin on the plane and can have a table for 2 set in it, 23" screen etc. Ultimately though, it still gets you from A to B in 9 hours.

That all said, I would struggle a little to justify an extra £1,000 PP for it. Each time I've flown UC its because I've upgraded using airmiles.

w211

Just do one leg of the journey (possibly the return - have something to look forward to on the way back) in Upper Class - if it's possible.

annie123

When ever I've flown with Virgin they've always offered me half price upgrade to the next class at check in at the airport.
I took it once as it was an overnight flight and I had a reasonably well paid job back then.
The trouble with doing that even once is getting very depressed when you find yourself in cattle class (or posh cattle class, AKA premium economy) on the next flight and wishing you didn't know what it was like in the posh bits as you try to avoid the knee in the back from the person behind you trying to cross their legs.

It's very very nice in UC, too nice if you can't always afford it

aileth

I blame Emirates really for getting me checking. I saw a video on Youtube of the A380 first class and oh my days... Unfortunately £4k a ticket is slightly out of my range (off-peak!)

InsideInsurance

Emirates came second to Etihad in First Class travel awards last year - I am sure there is probably many of them so wouldnt put that much weight on it but I know as I had an email about some promo to celebrate it. Unfortunately I didnt get to make use of it

You can see theirs http://www.etihad.com/en-gb/experience-etihad/on-board/diamond-first-class/

malkie76

aileth wrote: »

Hi all, looking at flying Virgin Atlantic to Tokyo for a big birthday. I've flown there premium economy before and always enjoyed it, but as this'll be a big one have been looking at upper class. On the dates I'm looking, it'll be a grand extra per person, £1.7k per person return, whereas premium economy is £700-odd return per person. Is it really worth the extra grand per person?

£1.7k pp return for a business ticket on that route is an absolute steal. Buy it straight away. Flight to Toyko is 12 hour, so if you want to arrive refreshed in both directions then it is definitely worth the extra cost in my opinion.

As others suggest you might want to have a quick look around to see if other carriers are price matching that fare for other products. However be aware that those flights might be indirect whereas the VS ones are direct.

marsman802

Check this slideshow out and you will see why some other airlines have a very expensive first class service.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/travel/12554/life-in-fabulous-first-class.html

zagfles

Alternatively - spend £2k on a fancy hotels, restaurants etc when you arrive, rather than paying £2k to mostly sleep in what is effectively a dorm, flat bed or no flat bed

TBH I just don't get the point of spending a fortune to do something in the sky which you could do on the ground for a fraction of the cost.