Upper Class Virgin - Worth it?

phatbear

i flew to jfk in upper in nov and flew back pe.

upper is meh! the lounge was nice but i probably shot myself in the foot a bit as i refused to dress up for the occasion and trying to get some attention for drinks etc was a tad difficult.

The onboard service was more personal/attentive as you would expect, and the food was lovelly. I never used the bed as i thought it would be a waste sleeping on the flight. Inflight entertainment was no better, screen was the same size etc etc. Also i was really disappointed with the "comfort" pack you get it was no different to the economy or premium pack, apart from the colour of the contents (black upper, purple pe, red economy)

PE on the way back wasnt much different to upper, apart from not getting fed on the flight back as i had dozed off and i woke up just as they had finished serving.

I should say that thanks to my virgin miles I only paid for economy on both legs and upgraded free of charge but after booking it i priced up my upper flight and it was thousands and after that one experience I def wouldnt pay for it in the future.

aileth

Thanks for the info-

Does anyone have any experience of Thai Airways and their Silk Class (I think that's what it's called? Business Class I guess)? Silk is working out about £2kpp return to Koh Samui.

InsideInsurance

Thai were a fair way behind the pack on their seats - vast majority werent lie flat, narrower than most etc but looking at their site they seem to be in the process of upgrading them. Even with the upgrade the window seat gets blocked in by their neighbour but the same happens with BA business (its a particular bugbear of mine which is why I like VS's UC)

Most reviews put them as middle of the road, better than some but not close to being leaders in the field

aileth

Hmm thank you, certainly not worth the £300pp extra than Virgin UC then!!

InsideInsurance

aileth wrote: »

Hmm thank you, certainly not worth the £300pp extra than Virgin UC then!!

Wouldnt be to me, I'd rate VS above them but ultimately each to their own and every airline drops the ball occasionally.

shoppaholic_returns

I genuinely think you will be disappointed, I think virgin UC is barely as good as most business class offerings out there. I would sooner do ba club or think it is a more comparable option.

Virgin upper can't be compared to first in any of the major airlines, ba, etihad, Emirates, Cathay, Thai etc first class product is in a different league to what Virgin offer.

However, the clubhouse is good, sorry was very good before they started letting everybody in.

claret_mike

Having flown twice with Virgin on UC from Heathrow, I would highly recommend.

1st flight was to JFK and 2nd to Chicago.

From the moment you walk in to Heathrow and get separate check in, private security and getting from check in to lounge took approx 5-10mins. Which when I have flown through Heathrow and gone through the normal security, it has taken well over an hour..

The lounge was excellent too. Fresh cooked food, pool tables, cocktail bar, there is also a place you can get massages and jacuzzi if you want. You can go and relax in quiet area or even go and sit in the outside garden there.

Being able to leave from the lounge and just walk pretty much straight onto the plane - none of this sitting outside the gate, being on your tiptoes waiting to be called.

On board, the seats were comfy, the beds good and you being in control when you want to eat. I was chatting with people at the bar when serving food, they said just to let them know when i wanted it..

The service was excellent.

The lounges on the US side were nothing in comparison to heathrow but jfk better than the shared lounge at o hare.

Upon my return into the UK, I planned my breakfast in the revivals lounge so I got an extra hours sleep. I all got a free shower and a nice fresh shave (by the same people who do the treatments in the lounge).

Whilst having my shower they ironed my shirt so was refreshed for my onwards journey...

I have been spoilt with these flights and now am hoping to save for another trip but want to do Oz this way....

pleasedelete

The saying is once you turn left on a plane you will never turn right again.

We fly Virgin UC 3-4 times a year and BA 1st a couple of times a year. Virgin have a very good ground offer at LHR- drive through check in- great lounge (allow 4 hours) but a weaker plane offer. BA 1st is Concorde room -great champagne but weaker overall offer than Virgin but once on board BA 1st or club world beat Virgin.

I like virgin Uc- I would pay.

zagfles

claret_mike wrote: »

Having flown twice with Virgin on UC from Heathrow, I would highly recommend.

1st flight was to JFK and 2nd to Chicago.

From the moment you walk in to Heathrow and get separate check in, private security and getting from check in to lounge took approx 5-10mins. Which when I have flown through Heathrow and gone through the normal security, it has taken well over an hour..

The lounge was excellent too. Fresh cooked food, pool tables, cocktail bar, there is also a place you can get massages and jacuzzi if you want. You can go and relax in quiet area or even go and sit in the outside garden there.

Being able to leave from the lounge and just walk pretty much straight onto the plane - none of this sitting outside the gate, being on your tiptoes waiting to be called.

On board, the seats were comfy, the beds good and you being in control when you want to eat. I was chatting with people at the bar when serving food, they said just to let them know when i wanted it..

The service was excellent.

The lounges on the US side were nothing in comparison to heathrow but jfk better than the shared lounge at o hare.

Upon my return into the UK, I planned my breakfast in the revivals lounge so I got an extra hours sleep. I all got a free shower and a nice fresh shave (by the same people who do the treatments in the lounge).

Whilst having my shower they ironed my shirt so was refreshed for my onwards journey...

I have been spoilt with these flights and now am hoping to save for another trip but want to do Oz this way....

TBH I just don't get it. All the above is basically superficial fluff - all very nice, but worth a thousand pounds or more? Seriously?

OK, if you're on expenses, or you get a free upgrade with airmiles, or you're so filthy rich that £1k is loose change. But cocktails, pool tables, having your shirt ironed, a shower, a massage...I've had nearly all those things this weekend (the massage to come I hope ) and it cost a few quid, not a grand! Surely you could get so much more spending that grand on the ground?

pleasedelete

V flyer has a lot of virgin UC reviews- you can find out everything virgin there.