Review of Virgin Atlantic flight London New York in Economy

Airline Virgin Atlantic
Flight VS9
Class Economy
Seat 36A
Aircraft Airbus A340-600
Flight time 06:55
Take-off 22 Mar 16, 16:05
Arrival at 22 Mar 16, 19:00
VS   #11 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 61 reviews
Danny R
By 2740
Published on 2nd May 2020

Virgin atlantic : a340-600 - London heathrow to new york jfk - economy class


Hello!
Welcome to this very special flight report, which I didn't plan to ever release.

This FR will take you back on my first ever A340 flight back in 2016. Sadly now 2020 onwards Virgin Atlantic have retired this air frame and others from the airline. Covid-19 was the main cause for the early retirement.

I have also posted my return flight back home from this trip. It was on board Delta's B767-300ER from JFK to Heathrow in Economy.
Link is below this message if you are interested.

So now sit back relax, grab a drink/ snack and let me take you along my journey to New York!

We start off air side after passing through security at Heathrow's Terminal 3 where all Virgin Atlantic flights go from. 
Its around 2PM so I decided to kick start my American adventure by getting burger and fries (chips) 



photo dscn9917

After eating up my delicious meal I made my way down to the gate.

From a distance I spotted my aircraft.

Virgin Atlantic A340-600 "Varga Girl"
Registered G-VGAS aged 11 and half years old as off this flying date in 2016.

Sadly she was retired from the airline and broken up in 2018 at San Bernadino International Airport.


photo dscn2169photo dscn2170

Didn't have to wait long at the gate.

Boarded smoothly and found my seat in 36A.
While taking my seat the air con came on, which didn't really do much but warm air!
Soon enough the engines powered up and cold air started flowing. 

With all the excitement I forgot to film or photograph the take off!

After waiting for the remaining passengers to board we got given an early push back time.
Passing past other aircraft's we headed straight down the runway and up into the sky.  


photo dscn9918

I managed to get a photo off the safety card and inside the cabin. 

Virgin Atlantic are famous for the soft purple mood lighting through the aircraft's.
But during the safety demonstration the lighting is put onto standard setting so passengers can see easily.  

Soon after the demo, the crew passed through checked all seat belts and sat down for take off.  


photo a3photo a4-69375

Not long after take off and leveling out over the start off the Atlantic Ocean, crew began the early evening meal service.

My meal consisted of Chicken/bacon in a sauce with mash potato and broccoli.
It also had a random piece of  Pineapple? No idea why.

The meal presentation looked terrible, which surprised me as Virgin Atlantic normally offer great looking food. 
But the taste was great! especially the mash potato…. very creamy. 


photo dscn9921photo dscn9923

Just over an hour into the almost 7 hour flight it was time to recline back into the seat and watch the clouds pass by. 

I decided not to watch much on the IFE, being mostly a day flight I gazed out the window looking down onto the snowy mountains as we entered the Canadian border. 



With just under around an hour before landing it was time for the pre landing snack.

I was given a pack with two chicken and bacon sweet chili tortilla wrap. 
Also a little box filled with Tyrrells hand made salted crisps, chocolate caramel bar and a little packet with peppermint flavoured mints. Complimented with a smooth orange juice.

Standard meal but it did the job nicely. 


photo dscn9934

Not long after the sun began to set and the moon began to rise.

I did attempt to get a photo off the moon but sadly came out blurry….. oops! 


photo dscn9936photo dscn9939

Now in complete dark sky the aircraft circled around over Brooklyn, then down onto one off JFK's runways.

With a bumpy landing and a quick taxi to the terminal it was soon enough time to depart this wonderful machine.
Whilst on my way out I was given the chance to visit the cockpit.

I even got permission to shut the whole systems down, FANTASTIC! 


photo dscn9945photo dscn9949

The next few days I travelled around New York city and down the eastern coastal roads in New Jersey visiting many airports, including Philly.
Some photos I took from plane spotting are shown below.
   
All in all the flight was decent enough considering the catering wasn't the best.
But from what I can remember was the crew onboard did an exception service, made me feel welcomed and excited.

The A340 itself was a beauty! 
My first ever quad powered flight, one I will never forget (just wish I took more photos)   

Such a shame to see them go from the fleet, when editing this FR Iberia still operated the A340-600 especially on the Madrid to London Heathrow route. So for anyone who wants to fly the A340 still have a good chance!
Have you flown onboard an A340? Leave a comment telling me your experience I love to read them.
 
When this report was posted Virgin Atlantic wasn't in the best financial state.
Fingers crossed it pulls through and flies for many decades to come.    

Thank you all so much for reading this throwback report, please do take care during this challenging time we are all facing across the world.

I have plenty more flight reports to come.

Stay safe, don't stop dreaming about future flights you want to do.

But most off all, Keep smiling!  :D



See more

Verdict

Virgin Atlantic

7.6/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew9.5
Entertainment/wifi6.0
Meal/catering7.0

London - LHR

8.4/10
Efficiency8.5
Access9.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness7.5

New York - JFK

7.1/10
Efficiency8.0
Access7.0
Services7.5
Cleanliness6.0

Conclusion

.

Information on the route London (LHR) New York (JFK)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 51 avis concernant 4 compagnies sur la ligne London (LHR) → New York (JFK).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Virgin Atlantic avec 8.2/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 7 heures et 34 minutes.

  More information

6 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 553141 by
    KL651 TEAM 4534 Comments
    Thanks fpr this FR.
    Such a shame to see all these gorgeous A346 retired at the same time.
    I'll have to get on the MAD-LHR flight a third time to enjoy it a mast time.
    Cataering is okay but I agree you'd expect more from VS.
  • Comment 553270 by
    Aigle_voyageur 838 Comments
    Thank you for sharing this FR :)

    A very good flight with a good catering as I can see.

    Funny, the aircraft's registration. I almost thought it come from (Las) V(e)GAS. :D

    It's really painful to hear that four-engine aircrafts like the 346 or 388 are now disappearing. Especially when the aircraft you flew with is now scrapped. :(

    I'm feeling very lucky I could fly on an A340-600, even if that was a Lufthansa's one. Right now, it's stored. The review is online if you're interested in. :)
    • Comment 554262 by
      Danny R AUTHOR 31 Comments
      Thank you!

      It is such a shame to know that this aircraft has been scrapped.
      But it there are still slight possible chances in the hopefully not distant future we can fly the A340 again.

      Take care :)
  • Comment 554082 by
    LostLuggage 69 Comments
    Great report, well done. And possibly the last we'll see on the VS A340, which is sad. They sure looked outdated on the inside but as I understand it they were meant to leave service earlier than this, only coming back to pick up slack left by 787 issues.
    I was lucky enough to catch the IB 340 to LHR 3 times as well as a proper long-haul experience with LH. We all have to cherish those experiences given the circumstances now. Thanks for taking us back to a simpler time!
    • Comment 554261 by
      Danny R AUTHOR 31 Comments
      You are very welcome! I am glad you enjoyed this report.

      Times back then was very simple, hopfully Iberia still have the A340 after the Coronavirus ends and I can book a flight on one.
      Stay safe my friend :)

Login to post a comment.