Firstly, sorry for being so slow to finish my Thailand series, but I've decided to interrupt that to review my recent trip with VS… in upper class!! I found a very good $2000 RT SFO-MAN fare, which is a great excuse for a trip to Europe! I won't waste time reviewing my internal flights (mostly easyJet and Ryanair), but I wanted to review this very special (and not often reviewed) product! Here is my routing that I will be FRing:
PART I: SFO-MAN in J on VS (HERE)
PART II: ATH-AMS in Y on KL (COMING SOON)
PART III: MAN-JFK in J on VS JFK-SFO in Delta ONE
Lets get down to business (class)!
Arriving at SFO was easy by car – 30 mins from city centre:
Check-in hall (with a cameo of my finger, oops!)
Check in was a breeze (boarding too) with VS's Upper Class priorities! Great job.
Now we head to the amazing "clubhouse" on the upper level before security:
Views of tarmac:
There was a great restaurant with amazing small plates and drinks:
Tea:
Fish and Chips:
Chicken Korma:
Everything was great, but the lack of a buffet was noted (hence 9/10 for lounge food)
Boarding area:
Boarding was breeze:
My ride today: "Uptown Girl" V-NYC, 5 years old:
and…upper class!
My seat, a little tight (only 2 ft wide), and you cant really easily see out the window…never mind :)
Sheets, mattress, and pillow are stored behind the seat, and pajamas were offered (stylish too!)
The bar:
Water, comfort kit and menu on the ottoman:
Pre departure drink: orange juice:
Menu:
And a breakfast card to fill out, great idea!!
Amenities:
And said PJs:
and.. takeoff!!
Hot towel!
Service started with drinks and crisps. An elderflower and apple drink for me!
My only complaint is that the service was a little slow, taking a few hours.
Table setting:
I skipped the starter and had the chicken for the main:
The haricot vests were perfect, the chicken was tender with a nice creamy – yet flavorful – sauce. The potato was okay too! Great job!
The dessert hit the spot too and went great with a cup of tea:
Our location at end of dinner, Wyoming.
Watching the movie, "The Founder":
Movie snack from the bar:
The flight attendants were very proactive about offering to make up my bed, kudos! (Great bedding too, however the seat is a little too firm for my sleeping tastes)
Night shots of the cabin:
Towards the end of the flight, the FA came to me with my choice of breakfast:
The food was just okay, but I found the ordering system to be great, allowing a lot of flexibility so kudos!
Location at breakfast:
Almost there:
Cabin shot:
Service ended with a hot towel:
and sour candy:
Conclusion
VS "upper class" is a great product… especially considering what a bargain this flight was!
The hard product is a little cramped and sometimes has accumulated dirt and defects. Also, it is a little difficult to see out of the window. Also, something that annoyed me was that you couldn't move the seat forward towards the ottoman. Otherwise, the lie-flat seat and aisle access are big perks!
The crew were proactive and excellent, even if meal service was a bit slow.
The entertainment has a good variety but can be difficult to navigate. Overall, it's satisfactory.
The catering was a really good concept. However, to speed up the main meal service, might they want to consider serving the appetizer and main together followed by a dessert? I really loved the breakfast concept even if the food tasted like it had been sitting around on a plane for 10 hours (which it had). Never mind.
The lounge at SFO was great, but a little more seating and a buffet for light bites would be welcome additions. I understand that it was a little full because 2 flights were departing at that time and that MAN flight is very new.
SFO overall is a decent airport but not remarkable.
MAN was a little dilapidated and the arrivals hall has really low ceilings that bother me. Also, the line at customs was really long.
Overall, a good product for a great price. Where VS falls a little short (in hard product), it makes up in GREAT service!!
See more
Verdict
Virgin Atlantic
8.1/10
Cabin6.0
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering8.5
Virgin Atlantic Airways The Clubhouse
8.4/10
Comfort8.0
Meal/catering9.0
Entertainment/wifi8.5
Services8.0
San Francisco - SFO
8.0/10
Efficiency10.0
Access8.0
Services6.0
Cleanliness8.0
Manchester - MAN
4.0/10
Efficiency4.5
Access3.5
Services3.0
Cleanliness5.0
Conclusion
VS "upper class" is a great product... especially considering what a bargain this flight was!
The hard product is a little cramped and sometimes has accumulated dirt and defects. Also, it is a little difficult to see out of the window. Also, something that annoyed me was that you couldn't move the seat forward towards the ottoman. Otherwise, the lie-flat seat and aisle access are big perks!
The crew were proactive and excellent, even if meal service was a bit slow.
The entertainment has a good variety but can be difficult to navigate. Overall, it's satisfactory.
The catering was a really good concept. However, to speed up the main meal service, might they want to consider serving the appetizer and main together followed by a dessert? I really loved the breakfast concept even if the food tasted like it had been sitting around on a plane for 10 hours (which it had). Never mind.
The lounge at SFO was great, but a little more seating and a buffet for light bites would be welcome additions. I understand that it was a little full because 2 flights were departing at that time and that MAN flight is very new.
SFO overall is a decent airport but not remarkable.
MAN was a little dilapidated and the arrivals hall has really low ceilings that bother me. Also, the line at customs was really long.
Overall, a good product for a great price. Where VS falls a little short (in hard product), it makes up in GREAT service!!
6 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Hi Socalnow! I agree that while there are some hard product kinks, it's an overall great product. I had a better experience than Rewardflying though. Plus: c'mon you cant complain that much about business class! Thanks for reading!
Good report - It looks like you had a good flight with Virgin Atlantic. The configuration definitely looks very cramped. Was the food plentiful? I like the idea of their menu, but just wondering if you'd recommend their product over Delta, or British Airways, etc.
I haven't flown BA in J, and I've only flown Delta ONE on a JFK-SFO flight a few days ago (FR later in their series). However, I found this product to be much better than transcon Delta ONE, and taking into consideration what I've heard about the BA hard product... this comes out on top!) The quantity of the food was plentiful to answer your question. The dinner was very filling, and you could order as much as you liked for breakfast... essentially a buffet!
Thanks for posting this review, and the opposing views MrMax. I'm certainly glad you enjoyed your flight, and the price was certainly right. Virgin Atlantic remains a very popular premium class carrier. And many people like the original business class pod that Virgin invented long ago.
I think however when you get the chance to ride business class on say Qatar in their Super Diamond seat, or the many carriers like EVA Air and Cathay Pacific who fly the Cirrus reverse herringbone seat, you'll agree that in comparison the VS seat is way behind the curve.
"Plus: c'mon you cant complain that much about business class!" -I can!
Hi RewardFlying, I do agree that VS's technology in the hard product department is a little outdated, and perhaps they should update their seat. However, it is the original herringbone design and certainly was a game-changer when it came out. I agree that other herringbone products on Qatar, Eva, etc look a little less cramped though. Thanks for reading and for your opinion on the 789 product!
I remember flying Virgin business in the late 90's and it was cool then with the bar etc, but does not really seem to have moved on. The coffin seats look really cramped and NZ premium economy look better. I even prefer BA seats in club to these.
The food looks poor too, compared to other airlines. BA have this problem to . Why are two of Britain's premier long distance so bad?
I agree with you that its a shame that VS has stopped innovating with its hard product and has fallen behind other airlines. However, I disagree with you about the food, and I think that they have a great all-around soft product.
Thanks for a great report on a carrier I don't see too often.
I know VS were pioneers of this kind of pod, but I think they hold up better aesthetically speaking, than other carriers with similar configs (AC's 763s and 333s at this point, 77W/L in the past, and DL 77L). But yeah, at this point, a little behind the curve.
Still appreciate any carrier that gives out PJs in J. And proper turndown service with decent bedding in J is great as well. I thought the food looked a little mixed bag -- while the main meal didn't grab me all that much, I thought the breakfast looked good (thought sadly lacking in bacon). I also like the TATL approach of the "order card" for pre-arrival breakfast. AC does this, and it works nicely.... VS' menu looks even more extensive, and I love that it includes interesting options for both a fairly substantial pre-arrival meal (especially given the West Coast to UK flight time) and a lighter option for those who might still be a little full.
Lounge food looks very good for a business product... I wouldn't miss the buffet at all. ;-)
I agree with you that VS still has a great soft product even if the seat is a little outdated. The PJs and turndown service were a big plus on a long redeye.
I disagree with you about the food. I actually enjoyed the dinner as well as the breakfast (where the order card is a huge plus). In response to your bacon comment, I actually don't eat pork so I simply didn't order it.
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15 Comments
The VS Clubhouse looks great and the snacks you ordered looked really appetizing as well.
You bring up a lot of the same concerns that Rewardflying had on his DEL-LHR flight. The window and the "cramped" nature of the configuration.
I'm glad you enjoyed the overall experience and that you found good value in the fare. Thanks again and happy flying.
Thank you for sharing.
I think however when you get the chance to ride business class on say Qatar in their Super Diamond seat, or the many carriers like EVA Air and Cathay Pacific who fly the Cirrus reverse herringbone seat, you'll agree that in comparison the VS seat is way behind the curve.
"Plus: c'mon you cant complain that much about business class!"
-I can!
Looking forward to the return trip.
I do agree that VS's technology in the hard product department is a little outdated, and perhaps they should update their seat. However, it is the original herringbone design and certainly was a game-changer when it came out. I agree that other herringbone products on Qatar, Eva, etc look a little less cramped though. Thanks for reading and for your opinion on the 789 product!
The food looks poor too, compared to other airlines. BA have this problem to . Why are two of Britain's premier long distance so bad?
I know VS were pioneers of this kind of pod, but I think they hold up better aesthetically speaking, than other carriers with similar configs (AC's 763s and 333s at this point, 77W/L in the past, and DL 77L). But yeah, at this point, a little behind the curve.
Still appreciate any carrier that gives out PJs in J. And proper turndown service with decent bedding in J is great as well. I thought the food looked a little mixed bag -- while the main meal didn't grab me all that much, I thought the breakfast looked good (thought sadly lacking in bacon). I also like the TATL approach of the "order card" for pre-arrival breakfast. AC does this, and it works nicely.... VS' menu looks even more extensive, and I love that it includes interesting options for both a fairly substantial pre-arrival meal (especially given the West Coast to UK flight time) and a lighter option for those who might still be a little full.
Lounge food looks very good for a business product... I wouldn't miss the buffet at all. ;-)
Thanks again!
I disagree with you about the food. I actually enjoyed the dinner as well as the breakfast (where the order card is a huge plus). In response to your bacon comment, I actually don't eat pork so I simply didn't order it.
Thanks for reading,
Max
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