Review: Virgin Atlantic Upper Class 747 London To San Francisco

I absolutely hate the seats. Their is nothing private about them. HORRIBLE.

i flew Upper Class from LHR to MIA in July. I was amazed at how dated the product is. I prefer American's Business Class on the 777-300ER any day. I'd agree with pretty much everything written above. I have also flown the coach product and I simply don't understand why people think so highly of Virgin Atlantic. I find nothing special about flying with them.

Worst kind of business class seats. No window views, no privacy. I almost prefer economy seats than herringbone!

In the picture the seats look several inches wider than the USAir Envoy seats. I assume that's not the case?

Your experience *exactly* mirrors mine. Flew UC to New York a few months ago and found the ground service (especially the Clubhouse) to be outstanding, whereas the onboard experience (both hard and soft product) was distinctly average. Certainly nowhere near as good as business class on Emirates or Cathay. I got a seat in the nose, but found the herringbone suites antiquated, uncomfortable and lacking in privacy. The service and food were functional but underwhelming. Friends had raved about Virgin UC, but my lasting impression was 'meh'.

Agreed. It is not an airline I would chose to fly in J. The seats don't work for me. There is no privacy. If your neighbor is having a conversation with someone in his buddy seat, you are part of the conversation, like it or not (happened to me on a PVG-LHR flight several years ago). I am surprised that they did not fix this issue with the A330 or 787. They seem not to want to admit that their product is not best in class. As for Economy, no way. I did it once in college and it was way too tight for me. I would do PE on a day flight to LHR from BOS or JFK (and back), but that is it.

Good review, seems that Virgin Upper Class is best described as mildly average, I agree that their herringbone seating layout is past their sell-by-date.
I don't think however Virgin are in a hurry to retrofit their 747's with power ports considering all of their Heathrow based 747's are to be withdrawn by next year, they have already withdrawn Lady Penelope. In the meantime, their leisure configured 747's based from Gatwick and Manchester etc. do have power ports however.

"I then browsed the entertainment selection, which was fine. It wasn’t as good as what you’d find on Emirates or Etihad, but was still solid."

Doesn't the entertainment system on Etihad have few Western options? What does that say about Virgin Atlantic then?

Thanks for your excellent and honest trip review. It reminded me of the same complaints I had flying Virgin Business a dozen years ago. Most annoying was the complete lack of PRIVACY! No matter how good the service is, having fellow passengers facing each other across the isle for hours on end feels very uncomfortable. I can't fly with them again.

flew this same flight the next day (how excited would i have been to fly with Lucky - then i DEFINITELY would have gotten no sleep!) - as it was, i completely agree that the seat is pretty bad - too narrow even for me (i'm 5'2 and weigh 125 lbs, or as the Brits say, almost 9 stone, so i'm not especially wide), although i did sleep pretty well on the night flight SFO/LHR a few weeks before
re: the noise from the bar - it's a daytime flight the whole way, and people are simply more active (and loud), no matter where you are in the cabin (i was in 16A, far away from the bar) - i tend to have a hard time getting any sleep on these flights unless i have the cabin almost to myself (i.e. in F)
i kind of hate getting potato chips with my drink but maybe that's just me
i flew Virgin this time because i had DL miles i wanted to use up, and because i LOVE the Clubhouses (both in SFO, where it is surprisingly good, although they have maximum 2 flights/day, and of course at Heathrow, where i sprang for the 30 minute facial for 35 pounds - AWESOME as it included foot soak and foot massage plus scalp massage) - it's also nice to get a baggage allowance of 3 pieces (i bought a duvet in London, hence had the extra piece)
i used the Wing this time since i was curious about it - it is pretty cool to get through the magic gates (OK, they are really just like the gates at a parking garage, but you have to give them the car's registration number pre-arrival to get through...) once you find the darn turnoff - nobody rushed to open my door, and they hadn't noted my request en route to bump up my bag count, but otherwise the service there was friendly and helpful, and it seemed that the queue for security was less than when i checked in at the regular Upper Class counter a few years ago - security is definitely not quite as private as their video, since they do get a LOT of UC pax at Heathrow!
your review as usual was spot on, although i feel the service on my flight was more proactively fun and cheerful than yours (maybe not quite as fun and cheerful, strangely enough, as it had been on my night
flight SFO/LHR)
big drawback is the awful seat turned away from the window and facing other pax, plus being too narrow - but it seems that Sir Richard has no intention of changing that....

@Miles Down Under -Etihad's is fine in my experience, but then it has been a while since I last flew them, and it wasn't a particularly long flight. However though, let's all agree Emirates's is without a doubt, the best system anyone has.

I still pack an Empower adapter in my carry-on. It's tiny and connects to my travel inverter. Not many airlines still use them but UA still had them in 777 J a couple of years ago.

We flew Virgin Upper Class LAX-LHR only once...and then never again. We far prefer UA GF and even BF to the dated and unimpressive seats on Virgin. The IFE is woefully inadequate compared to the other major TATL airlines like UA (which is the best IMO), BA, LH, AF, and even AA, and DL. Service was fine, but nothing special.

I think Virgin gets so much press about its impressive Clubhouse lounges that people forget that the premium cabin experience when flying Virgin is completely unimpressive. It's kind of like how Emirates gets such press about its amazing A380 F while a bulk of its fleet's business class seats are still angle flat.

Virgin is a pass for us.

Wonderful TR - a bit short 😉

(okay, realizing that many commenters here just like to chime in how horrible things are or that they're never reading again, I should clarify that the wink is to denote sarcasm and that I truly am happy that I read this in depth post, and despite whatever slight I might feel from the free content side of the internet has put upon me, I will come again).

Ah, the Point Reyes approach. Great pictures.

I think you mean most non-US airlines lack air vents, not most US airlines? In my experience US airlines are usually pretty good about having them.

And at least the Virgin 747s (from LHR, anyway) are retiring within the next 6 months. The real travesty is that their A340s, which will be around a while longer, also lack regular power plugs. And their A330s and 787s have regular plugs in Upper Class, but no plug at all other than USB in premium economy or coach.

The cabin looks rather filthy to me on your close-up photos. Am I the only one bothering about dirty compartments and buttons on a premium class?

I don't know why, but I always seem to get those surveys and I never see anyone else filling them out. I got them on both CX F flights, a JL F (we were the only ones in the cabin) and also on a CX J longhaul flight. The only flight I didn't get a survey on for last trip was a regional CX J flight. And that was the only flight I actually wanted to ream them on the terrible seat that killed my neck for the next few days. They really need to retire that old seat.

I flew VA to LHR last month- and never again. The service was good, but not great and perhaps the greatest drawback was the seats. The placement makes it almost impossible to speak with a travel companion- in this case, my wife- who was seated immediately behind me. One would have to get up and sit in a small chair - that closely resembles a child's seat -facing the other passenger. Totally ridiculouse. Worse yet is the attempt to sleep. First, the seat's are not nearly as wide as other BC seats on other carriers. Next, to get to the prone position, you need to call an attendant who then has to go through a series of machinations far beyond the working knowledge of even the most experienced traveller. One is then stuck in that position, for to return to the seated position - even for a short while - you need to again call the flight attendant. Totally ridiculous in the extreme.

Finally, usually on long distance flights, the FAs turn on the cabin lights to alert the passengers that they will be soon arriving at their destination and to receive the breakfast which they ordered earlier in flight. The FAs did neither. The result was that I was awakened 45 minutes before landing and was told that my ordered breakfast would be "tight" to be served. I settled for two pastries and a cup of coffee. Why take a breakfast order and then not take measures to insure it is served? Absolutely absurd.

Truthfully, I don't know what all the buzz is about VA. My wife is even more negative than I am as she thought the food was, at best, of coach quality. We will never travel VA again

Flown virgin Atlantic 3 time and will not be flying them again. Twice i have had the 747 swapped out for the a340. Last time i flew them was on 15 sept mia-lhr and it took more then 2 hours for the cabin to cool down it never got cold and the flight leaves at 2200hours

VA - The only airline where I want to fly later in the day so I can spend as much of the day in the lounge as possible.

The LHR clubhouse is plain awesome and worth flying UC alone IMO!

Hey Lucky!
In your opinion, which British airline (BA or VS) has a better afternoon tea? I think BA has a pretty good afternoon tea service, however, I haven't flown VS J yet. Thanks!

Gotta love how you'll say crisps instead of chips, but won't call dessert pudding 😉

The first meal seems fine but not anything impressive as you say, but their mid-flight snack options and their afternoon tea runs rings about BA's in Club World for sure! BA's "Club Kitchen" is a joke compared to being offered 3 or 4 options, some warmed up for you on a flight of that stage length! And the options do sound appetizing. Also VS's options offered and presentation of afternoon tea is a hell of a lot better than what BA offers, a couple of sandwiches still in plastic wrapping plopped on a plate with the sweets on the other side of the tray.

Hard product for me especially on the 744 is a miss for sure, and their crew are some of the most inconsistent - you can get an absolutely amazing set or a very ambivalent one. To be fair I've never gotten a downright rude crew.

Years ago I flew Virgin Atlantic Upper Class three times between San Francisco and London. All three flights were so disappointing that I've never flown Virgin since. The female cabin crew seemed put-out to have discovered that rather than just model their skin-tight red uniforms, they were actually expected to WORK during the flight. The meals, indifferently served, were never more than just okay, and the noise from the masters-of-the-world braying at the belly-up bar continued unabated throughout the flights.

Actually, the only Virgin Atlantic flight I DID enjoy - back in the 90's - was from Athens to Gatwick aboard an A-320 operated by South East European Airways, and painted in Virgin's colors. The cabin crew upfront was funny and charming and the enormous meal served was delicious!

Hi Ben,

Quick question- I'm flying Upper Class SFO-LHR next week on what's supposed to be the 747. If I want to charge my phone will I need an adapter or is there USB outlet that I can plug the USB cable for iPhone in that will work? It's my first time flying Atlantic and Googling hasn't helped me so far.

I flew the reverse route in early October. The 744 is easily my favourite airliner but the one I was on was clearly due for the scrap-heap. I sat in the upstairs UC cabin, which is my preference on any 744, received reasonably good service, noted the fact the seat had little padding left in it and the entertainment system was from a pre-Ark era. Early the next morning I walked back to the galley to get a drink (the crew call button wasn't working) and had a chat with our cabin steward. He said the plane we were on was due to be retired from regular service in January 2016. But Mr Branson wants to keep it in the fleet so that it can be used as a, quote, "party plane"! I suspect that means it'll be flying between Manchester and Riga or Ibiza. No need to upgrade the cabin for that crowd, although replacing the worn carpet with lino and adding a few garden hoses might be judicious. God help the crews rostered onto those flights.

I flew the SFR-LHR route on 4 October, in UC upstairs and probably on the same 744 (Tubular Belle). The UC cabin on the top deck was a disaster zone. For example, gaps in the cabin wall lining had been filled with plastic foam to stop them grating and squeaking! This fix hadn't worked. The seats would not be acceptable on most airlines and the IFE worked intermittently. But there was a good reason for the dilapidated state of the cabin (although I shouldn't have had to go looking for one). On the way to the bar I asked a crew member if this was the oldest 744 still in flight. He said that it probably was and proudly added that it was due to be retired from regular service in January 2016 (about now). The caveat was that the aircraft was being retained in the Virgin fleet, as Sir Richard intended to initiate his "party plane" concept (Virgin Vomit Comet?)! I presume he intends to replace the frayed carpet with lino so the fuselage can be hosed out after each flight. The Virgin 787-9 on which I flew to Shanghai two weeks later now sets the comfort standard for that airline. Apart from the Scottish flight service manager constantly reminding us that we'd never find a virgin on BA, there was nothing startlingly annoying about the crew service.

I flew VA UC from IAD to LHR and back in 2013. The UC space certainly is better than the coach
or premium coach classes, but the UC seats are rather packed together, so privacy is limited and
the noise from surrounding passengers can be considerable, preventing sleep.
As far as the food goes, skip the beef for dinner going EB. The bacon butty for breakfast also was
forgettable. The sandwiches for tea going back WB were outstanding.
I didn't care much for the clubhouse at LHR...too crowded and noisy and the staff were marginal. I
preferred the smaller clubhouse at IAD. Would I fly VA UC again? Maybe. I can't give it a ringing
endorsement.

I took VA Upper Class JFK-LHR-JFK last week after quite a few years of not traveling on VA. What a disappointment. Old and cramped for width seats, couldn't-care-less, disinterested cabin crew, an unattended, dirty bar, little space to store personal items, old aircrcaft, small screen. I never liked the seats as when you want to lie flat just as you are nodding off you have to get up and make your bed. Try watching the TV which does not tilt on old aircraft with the bed in a flat position. Bottom line is: Virgin lives on it's sexy hype and image but it does not really deliver a solid product compared to modern carriers, except for the excellent Clubhouse in Heathrow T3.

I have flown twice first class with Virgin and have been looked after very well. I have made a short video on youtube of my recent first class trip.

Either search James Henwood Virgin first class flight or copy and paste the link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz6KPdEpmFM

Hope you all like. Thanks