It’s a staggering amount to pay on top of a mileage redemption, but when you consider that round-trip  business-class tickets between the two cities regularly sell for anywhere from $2,700 to over $8,000, it doesn’t seem so bad. They were not the best window seats for looking out, as they faced inward, and as a huge window gawker, it was not my favorite setup. I managed to fall asleep pretty quickly, and woke up about 90 minutes before landing in London. As we pulled round the roundabout at the top of the driveway, the wonderful Charlene, dressed in glorious Virgin red, was waiting at the door. Flight Review: Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class In 360° Virtual Reality… by Gilbert Ott September 8, 2016 September 8, 2020. Every time I sat down in a different area, the staff were with me to take an order in seconds. The Upper Class cabin looks super swanky in the dark, but much less so during the day. About BenBen Schlappig (aka Lucky) is a travel consultant, blogger, and avid points collector. Starting January 1, 2021, earn 5X points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. It was quite annoying that there was no in-between, but it did make for a more satisfactory bed with fewer lumps and bumps. Pass. So I took the easy option and asked for everything. If you’ve flown Virgin Atlantic’s 787 business class, what was your experience like? They should really keep a low load to themselves. He travels about 400,000 miles a year, primarily using miles and points to enhance his first class experiences. However, it was grounded by various engine problems, but, in 2019 it’s back from LHR to LAS daily! While I wasn’t really hungry, I figured I had to order something for review purposes. Virgin Atlantic 787-9 Upper Class Bar One of the onboard amenities that is a staple of every Virgin Atlantic Upper Class cabin is a bar. That’s all I can say. The “on behalf of Richard Branson” comment was odd. OMG! I booked the following one-way ticket for just 47,500 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles plus $674 in taxes, fees, and carrier imposed surcharges: 01/24 VS12 Boston to London departing 9:50PM arriving 9:30AM (+1 day) [Business]. If you are going to lie it should be more plausible. There was not a moment of hesitation from the crew. When I asked the crew if there were any chance of a change, they took away the beef right away and offered me the hot chicken or salmon. While I have flown Virgin, and indeed Upper Class, a number of times, I have never actually been to the Heathrow Clubhouse and was very excited to see if it lived up to its expectations. Our takeoff roll must have been the fastest I’ve ever experienced on a transatlantic flight, which I guess isn’t surprising given the light load and short flight time. There was a lovely sunrise as we approached London. a small cocktail table and larger table for eating and working. Just as in Qantas' Airbus A380 first c… One other interesting thing about Virgin Atlantic is that they announce how many passengers are onboard — on this flight there were only 118 customers, with 19 of the 31 business class seats being occupied. Thanks for the picture of the hot towel, most instructive. It will be interesting to see if it gets added at any other London airports. and I’m a man who doesn’t wear a bra! Upper Class passengers can enjoy a new iteration of Virgin Atlantic’s iconic ‘Upper Class Suite’ which incorporates all of the popular features of this along with some new design elements. I’m not sure how the police could imply that another passenger or crewmember with that much money didn’t bring it on board. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances. I was wanted to be a little more propped up, but otherwise think I could have slept well here. Five minutes after takeoff the seatbelt sign was turned off. The entire process felt special and exclusive, and was incredibly efficient. The staff greeted me and asked if I had been there before. Personally I transferred points from Amex to Virgin Atlantic when there was a 30% transfer bonus, so really the ticket only cost me 37,000 Amex points plus the taxes and surcharges. Looks like a great flight with Virgin. A real win on this Monday morning, when the main lines for security looked long and were not moving fast. Virgin Atlantic’s 787 It’s expected that 787s and A330s will be getting new Upper Class seats, though that’s likely to happen in “the early 2020s,” and will be a different product. That read as follows: I find Virgin Atlantic’s menu design to be thoughtful. There’s no curtain between the bar and the cabin, and the below picture was literally taken from my seat. @Frederik @Lucky The wording of that sentence is odd. Depart: 9:50PM I bought 150 MB. Virgin Atlantic charges extra for bulkhead and other seats which have more legroom. The bad part of sitting in 11A is that you might as well be sitting at the bar, because it’s that close. While the screen itself was small, its contents were not. Phenomenal ground experience at LHR, fun and attentive crew and plentiful redemption options. Luckily, too, Virgin is pretty generous when it comes to offering award flights on its own metal. You mention only 10A and 11A were free, but you don’t mention the availability on the K side. That aside, I enjoyed the review, thanks! He chronicles his adventures, along with industry news, here at One Mile at a Time. There was a bar, a deli counter with salads and smoked salmon, frozen yogurt and at-seat dining. Earn 10x points on eligible purchases on your new Card at U.S. Gas Stations and U.S. Supermarkets, on up to $15,000 in combined purchases, during your first 6 months of Card Membership. I’m usually someone who finds pillows to not be substantial enough, though Virgin Atlantic’s was almost too thick for me. I would have put that in my bra …. This was really good, much better than I was expecting. Compounding this issue was the fact that 7A was actually missing a window directly behind it, so there was one less place to look out, and a little less light. I asked the crew if they could flip the bed for me. Enrollment required. Then, the drinks cart was pushed down the cabin, and the lack of menu meant I took a stab at the wine based on their basic explanations. There is simply nothing better for me than being outside, right in the heart of one of the busiest airfields in the worlds. All in all a great flight. About an hour before landing I was brought my breakfast, based on the card that I had filled out before departure. At this point the bar was set up with some snacks as well, though it was otherwise quiet. I was on a short 4.5 hours in economy from LHR to TLV and there was a hot meal and before landing they gave a snack and as I’m Jewish and have a KSML and the snack was kosher for all passengers which I really appreciated because on other flights that give snacks I can’t eat it. Then, a 15-minute, incredibly relaxing scalp-and-shoulder massage, complete with deep breathing and lavender oil, to set the preflight mood. Apparently no Virgin aircraft had been delivered their menus that day. The amenity kit had socks, eyeshades, earplugs, a pen, a dental kit, and some lotions. It was difficult — and required clearing the whole tray table — to push the screen out midmeal. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. Also at 9:30PM the main cabin door closed, at which point the flight manager made his welcome aboard announcement. I decided to order some fresh fruit and yogurt, some bircher muesli, and a “cookie bake.”. It’s once again showing the different terms in the transatlantic English languages. These herringbone seats are definitely on the narrow side, and lack storage. Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 Upper Class Cabin I was seated very close to the bar and worried that passengers would congregate there and be loud during the flight. Whenever I fly VA, and they announce the number of passengers onboard, it’s never that many. Passengers were offered predeparture Champagne and orange juice. Then there are 21 seats facing the right aisle — this includes 10 seats in the center section, and 11 seats on the very right of the plane. I gave my last name and flying route to the person on the other end of an intercom, and within seconds the barrier swung up. 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Now that is the kind of service an AvGeek needs! And no other airline that I was on this route gives snacks. If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Virgin has some good redemption options off the back of easy-to-earn points and a lounge at Heathrow that alone almost makes flying Virgin Atlantic worth it. Virgin Atlantic also has Wi-Fi on the 787-9. I also checked out the airshow for our flight to London. Earn 60,000 bonus points | 2X points on travel and dining. Having recently reviewed Virgin Atlantic’s A350 business class, I figured it made sense to also review their 787 business class. What did your insurance company say when you claimed off the ? At around 8:15AM London time the captain announced that we’d be landing at 9AM, and about 15 minutes after that we began our descent. Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Lastly, I should mention that I could have avoided the carrier surcharges by booking through Delta, as they don’t impose surcharges for Virgin Atlantic awards originating in the US. For instance, 2A is a window seat and 7G is in the middle. Trendy looks, completely nonfunctional design and lukewarm service. Used to fly VS once or twice a week between NYC-LON. It was all good, And I particularly liked the roast beef-and-horseradish sandwich (just on the right side of dry) and the warm and fluffy scone. Virgin Atlantic Upper Class seat controls. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member and Additional Centurion Cards only. Initially, the crew seemed to be having a whale of a time between themselves, but without much of the fun coming my way, I think I was just having a FOMO moment. My wife and I flew out of JFK Terminal 4 back in September 2017 to LHR with Delta, and while at JFK, we were able to spend sometime in the Virgin lounge and really enjoyed our time. 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