Keep your digital life secure and never forget a password again. Get yourself a sweet discount equal to TWO MONTHS FREE of Dashlane Premium by heading to www.dashlane.com/paul and use the code PAUL at checkout. Read my exclusive written review on Simple Flying: simpleflying.com/virgin-atlantic-a350-upper-class-review/
Paul, what are your thoughts on the feel of the A350 cabin? It is maintained at a higher pressure, equal to a 787 dreamliner. I wondered if you could feel it as you went through the flight and afterwards as well.
Paul - as for your question at 15:07 - my dad works with the customer experience department at Virgin Atlantic as a consultant, and it transpires that they test run menus on the Manchester/Gatwick to America flights before they send them to Heathrow to iron out any issues - these are leisure routes so if they mess up an item they can fix it before rotating the menu onto Heathrow - they want the best food possible for their high paying business customers and would rather have a menu-related issue on a leisure route where people are less likely to complain. Futhermore, the menus change once every 2 months, with LHR getting the MAN/LGW menu once customer feedback is ascertained from Manchester and Gatwick.
For what it's worth, American do the opposite - they test run menus on the flights to Heathrow, and then rotate them to other destinations - generally the rest of the UK and Ireland that they fly to which is not LHR (i.e. MAN/EDI/GLA/SNN/DUB) - and then onto the rest of Europe. I don't know why they do this, however.
+Alex Conway : just like the old immigrant ships. must have THE BEST of everything for 1st class...nevermind about what the rabble in steerage (ie: coach) get. they'll eat what they're given. nevermind that it's the bulk passengers packed into coach that actually keep the airlines afloat. screw them....they're poor.
+Alex Conway : a youtuber, SANspotter, recently reviewed coach on Virgin's A350 from JFK to LHR, and said the food was "abysmal", and from the images i can believe it. other than the food, he loved the flight. but seriously, the limited food on offer did, indeed, look "abysmal".
@@SkinheadBrian That's just the airlines policy though - don't shoot the messenger! Though saying that, those in First Class are paying substantially more than those in Economy, so surely the food (and the choice of what they want to eat) and service should be better, no? You fly Economy if your aim is to just cross the Atlantic, you fly First Class if your aim is to just cross the Atlantic and you want to be comfortable while you're doing it.
get that term paper ready, so you can soon travel like Paul does. Continue to watch his inflight-meal videos and you'll just go as far as that: watching videos.
Re: afternoon tea: I flew From London Gatwick to Calgary on Westjet’s Dreamliner on October 15th. I was in Premium Economy. We had afternoon tea also, complete with scones and clotted cream, and cucumber sandwiches.
I'm a Brit living in Austria and I got bored flying back to (A lot) London to see family and friends. It became a bit like getting on a bus to go to work. Then I saw you doing a train journey. Bing! A new outlook Train Travel. And not just from Austria to the UK. But........ So many thanks for the new outlook. 😎
I flew with VA from London to Sydney about 10 years ago, my dad worked for the company for years and as we were moving to Australia it was a special flight so he decided to sweet talk the girl at the check in desk and we got upgraded to 2 1st class seats and 2 business, my fondest memory is the cabin crew and how friendly they are, also the way they kept asking me if i wanted more food (wish was genuinely tasty) they are also so down to earth and feel like they are having a chat because they want to and enjoy it, not because they are getting paid to and feel obliged to listen to you ramble
You were absolutely correct about your comment on the seats fixtures. The seats aren’t aging well. We just flew on Flight 10 to LHR and they are quickly showing their age. The service was great, but we weren’t sold on the seats.
Paul, i do watch all of your vid's, as after having a couple of strokes i find it very hard to travel any more, and i do love to travel via my computer and vlogs like yours thesedays!!..................................So keep 'em coming, thanks and cheers!!
Fact: BA were SO worried the Virgin might be able to restore a mothballed Concorde that they deliberately destroyed anything that was proprietary such as the electrical equipment and parts that could make other parts move. This would make it too expensive to fabricate new ones. I simply don't get why someone else doesn't make a subsonic airliner instead of trying to get a mach 1 design. It wouldn't make a lot of difference if the plane can only fly mach 0.9 and not 1.0. Probably would save fuel too.
Loving Dashlane - thanks Paul! This is such an interesting and thoroughly comprehensive video, really pleased you've shared it. Travel well, looking forward to your next journey : - )
Thanks very much for your review. Very nicely narrated. Very entertaining. Good to see Virgin's got a new biz product, as the current one leaves a lot to be desired.
Great video, thank you. I was glad to see that there is alcohol free (non alcoholic) beer served on board, and Beck's as well! I hope more airlines will start to offer alcohol free beers and wines.
I've been saving virgin air miles for a couple of years, currently have around 260k really wanted to use them on upper flights (but our usually destination orlando) still used the old planes so we've decided to do new York next Christmas if we manage to get flights so this video was a big help for us. keep up the great work.
When ur careers advisor at school said "so Paul, wot do u want to do when u grow up??"... Ur vids are superb, thx very much, you show me and loads others another side of life. Once again, thank you.
About the menu..."if it ain't broke, don't fix it".....they must have kept the menu, as it had been working in the past, and what patrons wanted & enjoyed. Nice plane! I love the design....elegant, but not over-stated. Thanks Paul! Oh btw.....the loudness of the outside speakers, I can understand, as too many fools miss their flights because they didn't hear the announcement. And considering there are plane engines running.....a person might not be able to hear over all those engines in idle...lol. Watched this again....loved it! Thanks Paul!
I have been flying Virgin for the last 14 years and love the product. The seat configuration and lay out are the best, everyone has an aisle access, food is great, lots of personal touch and consistent with the brand. Still waiting to board the A350
Ha Paul! Just spotted you at AMS airport! I wanted to say hi but you were filming so I stopped last minute! It was after security! Have a good one today!
Wonderful review. By far my favourite reviewer. Keeps it simple and easy to understand for the non-British English speaker. Always positive and no whining. I don’t want to hear whining from somebody who has such an amazing job. Constructive criticism is fine.
What a cool flight experience. I have flown virgin a few times to Manchester via Atlanta and loved it. In September I flew on their 747 upper deck which was amazing.
I would love to fly for a living. I don't fly often but when I do, I've thoroughly enjoyed it - even through the turbulence. My only problem with flying is that it's very difficult to sleep on a plane, at least for me it is. Delightful video as always Paul.
Another relevant and helpful review. So many air reviews - we have to hunt and gather and search for things like SEAT images - while 80% of it is the sky and the engine. This video was the opposite. I found it very helpful - lounge, distances, seat, food - that's what interests me if I'm spending for Upper Class - -- the sky? Yeah, I've seen it before.
Another fun video Paul. When it was in business, Virgin America had the service where you could order from your seat. My colleagues and I liked this as we could get work finished first, then have a beverage and or a snack. One thought, have you stayed at the hotel in JFK that used to be the TWA terminal? I am old enough to remember flying from SFO to JFK on either Pan Am or TWA.
Hey Paul, as usual a good trip report. I like your style of reporting with a voice over rather than us reading from the bottom of the screen whilst trying to simultaneously enjoy the video. Hence a long time subscriber. A few suggestions: please include the full take off & landing in normal speed, rather then a few clips of 'em in fast fwd. A little more detail on the seat features & the IFE.
Yet another great video for @wingin' It! Am loving that great check in service at Heathrow. I also real like the mood lighting onboard the plane. It really does set the mood.
Couple of years ago, I did two NY's return in two weeks so the same menu on both trips. Both returns were daytime flights from NY - leaves at 7am and gets back to LHR at 7pm. I didn't really like the offering the first time, and mentioned it to the crew on the 2nd trip, and they managed to rustle up some bacon sarnies. Yum.
I am such a huge fan of Virgin (I mean look at my channel name), I was lucky enough to try this on its inagural service in economy. A week before it I stepped off one of their 747s and what a total difference it was. The seat, the ambiance, the general feel of this product is totally beyond what I had had the week prior. I returned from New York on an a330, and uhh, they need updating quite badly already! and p.s, I miss the flag on the wingtips too!
I haven't flown on this seat before, but I feel the privacy screen is meant to more provide privacy from people sitting behind you. As you had no one behind you, it didn't provide you with much extra privacy. But if you were sitting further forward, it could easily prevent people from seeing your IFE / laptop on your table if they were sat in seats behind you across the isle.
Never flown with Virgin before but me and my son are going to Orlando in march next year and I've paid to sit in the bubble. Last time we went to Orlando in 2018 was with Thomas Cook which I couldn't find fault with x
I always fly Virgin to the USA, I try and always fly them, but their limited Eastern destinations limit me. I have to say even the economy food is awesome! I can’t recall having the same menus,how ever I only fly once, maybe twice a year. I will be flying Upper Class soon when I go to Australia. I’ll let you know my thoughts.
This started happening some time ago and many people mention it, but I so far haven't seen Paul react to it, which is really weird as it's a major issue.
We find that the virgin menus are the same for a set period of time (at least on the same Orlando route) We flew three times in 2 months and the menu was the same
I do the VA Miami to Heathrow RT at least once every few years in either First (if I have points) or Premium Economy. I’ve rarely had anything other than an enjoyable experience. I typically use SeatGuru to figure out the best seat and keep my fingers crossed.
I flew this exact aircraft in August, LHR-LAX. I was in seat 1A. As you can imagine, a pretty empty flight due to COVID. I absolutely LOVE Virgin Atlantic but I wasn't too impressed with the new Upper Class Suite. I know many pax complain about Virgin's Upper Class seats facing away from the window on other aircraft, but I actually prefer it. The seats in Upper & Premium are 2" wider on their other aircraft. I watched your video on BA's business class on their A350 & although I prefer VS, I may check out BA. OH! I've taken 7 flights on Virgin and the menu has been different each time. However, the IFE options have been the same at times.
When I flew MAN-JFK on the 747 last year, on the menu in Economy, they have the same menu for several different flights. It has listed at the bottom something like 'Menu is valid for flights VS127, VSxx and VSxx etc.
In my experience only the Singapore Airlines check in facility at Changi Airport is better. From the kerb to inside the terminal must have taken 2 minutes. The Private Room is much more exclusive, but I do prefer the Virgin Clubhouse in Heathrow (had a haircut last time - how many lounges can you do that (other than some in the middle east)). Glad to see the coffin style seats of Upper finally being replaced. They were nice when the first came out, but now very dated and not overly private if you are taller. Thank you for your review Paul....
I'm new to your channel (love it) and was wondering why you travel so much? Is it for business or do you just love traveling and shooting UA-cam videos? Stumbled across one of your vid's in my recommendations and now this is the third in a row, so yeah I'm hooked. I've never been to Europe (I live in the Pacific NW of the USA) and I'm hoping to make my first trip to London in the fall of 2020 to catch some Premier League football. My son and I plan on making a two week trip out of it and go to Germany and France as well, any tips for a first time flyer to London?
Hey Paul, another great video where the production values and analysis keep getting better. I've gotta say though that it would be great to see more continuity with your flying and even the in between cheaper flights you do. Your round the world flights you did a year or so back is so interesting because it felt like we knew how you got from A to B to Z. The current crop of reviews are starting to just be a bit same-same, and there's a bit too much business class. Loyal viewer, hope you take my feedback :)
Was really looking forward to this review especially as the previous upper class is looking tired, worn out and out of date. I've travelled Upper class from Heathrow on the old 747 and yes, the Virgin Clubhouse from Heathrow is just stunning, worth getting there early just to enjoy it properly. Also the new upper class looks like a huge improvement (looks quite similar to Air Canada's business class) on the older wishbone design which I quite frankly hated and the afternoon tea looks like it's been improved as well. Looking forward to trying this out
Every year we went from florida economy from glasgow from 2012 to 2015 they had the same menu, with maybe a few different main courses, and the sandwhich you get in the afternoon was also always the same. We started going thomas cook, and then in 2018 the menu was also the same as the years before. You always get a GU pot which I don't like, and the sandwhich is always cheese and pickle. And the breakfast crossiant on the way back is absolutley revolting, the smell of it, it has cheese and something else stuffed in it. I wish they would just do plain xd
Love that take off growl!! Great flight review as always Paul and hope you went straight to the Gym on landing ? ( Perhaps at the TWA Hotel ??) Excellent flight in Upper Class and I have been a big fan of Virgin here in Australia for many years and they start flying from Brisbane to Tokyo ( Haneda) early next year so will try and get a Business Class ticket on their A 330 which has an award winning business class lay out. Always look forward to your flights mate and well done again !! Look out BA Mr Lucas is on his way!!
I flew this VS138, 2 weeks ago, seat 6K. What an amazing flight it was. Beautiful plane, spectacular service and the food for top notch 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻. Best thing was that all it cost me was 25k skymiles upgrade on my PE ticket. No extra taxes...best skymiles value in the sky imo
My menu in Premium going to Miami was exactly the same as in reviews for other trips there in the last few months and the TPG review of the A350 to JFK. Very tasty, although the dessert was disappointing so I'm not really looking forward to having that again next month going to NYC. Will be begging crew for an economy Gu pot. Won't complain about getting the afternoon tea again though. SO GOOD.
Hi Paul, my wife and my goto airline is Virgin Atlantic and we usually fly every 10 to 12 months with them...we normally fly return upper class funds allowing or premium Outbound and upper class back and i have to say that in either class ive not come across the same menu
Enjoyed that review 👏 that seat looks so much better than that horrible herringbone configuration , that lounge looked a bit special too , is it only open to business class ?
Paul, excellently done...as always. Like your trip reports. As a Star Alliance guy I like to see other birds as I almost always fly on their vessels to keep me golden...the 1:2:1 config is good, but the seats look overdesigned and over engineered. Flew Austrian last summer in C to Chicago. Their planes are old, but C is a real treat especially exVienna with their Do&Co Catering. Go for Austrian long-haul one day!
The Princess Flying Boats in the 30s and 40s were equally as comfortable as present day aircraft.Slower perhaps ,but spacious and luxurious.Such a pity that these aircraft can't be replicated.But the I guess only the very wealthy with time and cash to spare would be able to afford such luxury However Paul you do a great service to the world of flight and I think your video presentation is excellent
Qatar Q suite beats just about any business class product and in many cases 1st class. Used to fly virgin upper a lot but there product and customer service simply isn’t up to scratch. Very good lounges though and fairly good food. The A350 is the best plane I have ever flown own hands down.
Keep your digital life secure and never forget a password again. Get yourself a sweet discount equal to TWO MONTHS FREE of Dashlane Premium by heading to www.dashlane.com/paul and use the code PAUL at checkout.
Read my exclusive written review on Simple Flying: simpleflying.com/virgin-atlantic-a350-upper-class-review/
Wingin’ It! Paul Lucas another great video Paul keep it up
Wingin’ It! Paul Lucas I saw this plane land at jfk and it’s such a nice place
fly to omaha nebraska sometime please
Paul, what are your thoughts on the feel of the A350 cabin? It is maintained at a higher pressure, equal to a 787 dreamliner. I wondered if you could feel it as you went through the flight and afterwards as well.
As of today flybe has gone into administration
Paul - as for your question at 15:07 - my dad works with the customer experience department at Virgin Atlantic as a consultant, and it transpires that they test run menus on the Manchester/Gatwick to America flights before they send them to Heathrow to iron out any issues - these are leisure routes so if they mess up an item they can fix it before rotating the menu onto Heathrow - they want the best food possible for their high paying business customers and would rather have a menu-related issue on a leisure route where people are less likely to complain. Futhermore, the menus change once every 2 months, with LHR getting the MAN/LGW menu once customer feedback is ascertained from Manchester and Gatwick.
For what it's worth, American do the opposite - they test run menus on the flights to Heathrow, and then rotate them to other destinations - generally the rest of the UK and Ireland that they fly to which is not LHR
(i.e. MAN/EDI/GLA/SNN/DUB) - and then onto the rest of Europe. I don't know why they do this, however.
That’s interesting, thanks for letting us know!
+Alex Conway : just like the old immigrant ships. must have THE BEST of everything for 1st class...nevermind about what the rabble in steerage (ie: coach) get. they'll eat what they're given. nevermind that it's the bulk passengers packed into coach that actually keep the airlines afloat. screw them....they're poor.
+Alex Conway : a youtuber, SANspotter, recently reviewed coach on Virgin's A350 from JFK to LHR, and said the food was "abysmal", and from the images i can believe it. other than the food, he loved the flight. but seriously, the limited food on offer did, indeed, look "abysmal".
@@SkinheadBrian That's just the airlines policy though - don't shoot the messenger! Though saying that, those in First Class are paying substantially more than those in Economy, so surely the food (and the choice of what they want to eat) and service should be better, no? You fly Economy if your aim is to just cross the Atlantic, you fly First Class if your aim is to just cross the Atlantic and you want to be comfortable while you're doing it.
Study for term paper or watch Paul fly on another plane? The paper can wait 😂
Same here. Bachelor thesis due in 3 weeks. :D
get that term paper ready, so you can soon travel like Paul does. Continue to watch his inflight-meal videos and you'll just go as far as that: watching videos.
Re: afternoon tea: I flew From London Gatwick to Calgary on Westjet’s Dreamliner on October 15th. I was in Premium Economy. We had afternoon tea also, complete with scones and clotted cream, and cucumber sandwiches.
Good video as always mate keep up the good honest videos
BAs offering was very poor in comparison. Along with the crew, in Club, just going through the motions.
Gerarda Cronin I heard so many fantastic things about Westjet’s Dreamliner! Especially the business class, flight attendants were so nice!
Aviation_Toronto Yes! They have new uniforms too. More formal, with hats (?!) for the ladies and waistcoats for the gentlemen.
I believe Air India also offers afternoon tea.
I'm very proud of how far virgin have come, they have really stepped up their game and having now travelled multiple times on their A350 its fantastic
The Virgin Atlantic A35K is on of my favorites. Two of them fly over my house everyday and I love it!
I'm a Brit living in Austria and I got bored flying back to (A lot) London to see family and friends. It became a bit like getting on a bus to go to work. Then I saw you doing a train journey. Bing! A new outlook Train Travel. And not just from Austria to the UK. But........ So many thanks for the new outlook. 😎
The Austrian alps are stunning
I flew with VA from London to Sydney about 10 years ago, my dad worked for the company for years and as we were moving to Australia it was a special flight so he decided to sweet talk the girl at the check in desk and we got upgraded to 2 1st class seats and 2 business, my fondest memory is the cabin crew and how friendly they are, also the way they kept asking me if i wanted more food (wish was genuinely tasty) they are also so down to earth and feel like they are having a chat because they want to and enjoy it, not because they are getting paid to and feel obliged to listen to you ramble
Hi mate, flying this in October couldn't be more excited.
You were absolutely correct about your comment on the seats fixtures. The seats aren’t aging well. We just flew on Flight 10 to LHR and they are quickly showing their age. The service was great, but we weren’t sold on the seats.
Ooh, the covered drive-up check-in! Wowza! And the afternoon tea, big thumbs up. Thanks for another excellent review.
I'm, gobsmacked by the luxury of all this. How I wish I was there with you!! Thanks Paul.
My family used the Virgin Upper Class Entrance last Christmas. It was a very nice experience!
Paul, i do watch all of your vid's, as after having a couple of strokes i find it very hard to travel any more, and i do love to travel via my computer and vlogs like yours thesedays!!..................................So keep 'em coming, thanks and cheers!!
Beautiful Concorde at 9:13!!!!
i miss this plane
Always on the look out for that Concorde when Heathrow features on Paul’s videos - excellent 👌👍
Fact: BA were SO worried the Virgin might be able to restore a mothballed Concorde that they deliberately destroyed anything that was proprietary such as the electrical equipment and parts that could make other parts move. This would make it too expensive to fabricate new ones. I simply don't get why someone else doesn't make a subsonic airliner instead of trying to get a mach 1 design. It wouldn't make a lot of difference if the plane can only fly mach 0.9 and not 1.0. Probably would save fuel too.
It's a shame 😔
@@largol33t1 Most Planes do fly around mach 0.88
I think the best part was watching them blow your mind with the tea service 😂 you were shook by that macaroon
Loving Dashlane - thanks Paul! This is such an interesting and thoroughly comprehensive video, really pleased you've shared it. Travel well, looking forward to your next journey : - )
Thanks very much for your review. Very nicely narrated. Very entertaining. Good to see Virgin's got a new biz product, as the current one leaves a lot to be desired.
Great video, thank you. I was glad to see that there is alcohol free (non alcoholic) beer served on board, and Beck's as well! I hope more airlines will start to offer alcohol free beers and wines.
alcohol free beer is disgusting. For me as an bavarian, alcohol free beer shoud banned 😂
I've been saving virgin air miles for a couple of years, currently have around 260k really wanted to use them on upper flights (but our usually destination orlando) still used the old planes so we've decided to do new York next Christmas if we manage to get flights so this video was a big help for us. keep up the great work.
Did you end up going to New York?
When ur careers advisor at school said "so Paul, wot do u want to do when u grow up??"... Ur vids are superb, thx very much, you show me and loads others another side of life. Once again, thank you.
About the menu..."if it ain't broke, don't fix it".....they must have kept the menu, as it had been working in the past, and what patrons wanted & enjoyed. Nice plane! I love the design....elegant, but not over-stated. Thanks Paul!
Oh btw.....the loudness of the outside speakers, I can understand, as too many fools miss their flights because they didn't hear the announcement. And considering there are plane engines running.....a person might not be able to hear over all those engines in idle...lol. Watched this again....loved it! Thanks Paul!
great review! Love the pink and orange ambient lighting and dam that Raspberry Sponge Pudding looks tasty!
I have been flying Virgin for the last 14 years and love the product. The seat configuration and lay out are the best, everyone has an aisle access, food is great, lots of personal touch and consistent with the brand. Still waiting to board the A350
Ha Paul! Just spotted you at AMS airport! I wanted to say hi but you were filming so I stopped last minute! It was after security! Have a good one today!
Wonderful review. By far my favourite reviewer. Keeps it simple and easy to understand for the non-British English speaker. Always positive and no whining. I don’t want to hear whining from somebody who has such an amazing job. Constructive criticism is fine.
Nice Paul! That view of the Trent XWB and wing at 17:17 = perfect!!!
That engine sound! EPIC!
I’ve been looking forward to this one! Another great video Paul, I’m living vicariously through you! x
What a cool flight experience. I have flown virgin a few times to Manchester via Atlanta and loved it. In September I flew on their 747 upper deck which was amazing.
Just came across your channel, it's a great channel, love how you present it. Keep up the good work 👍🛫
*Paul:* upper class review!
*Me:* looks for hidden stairs
Awesome report! LOVE the A350.
You’ll be pleased to know that they’ve now changed the tray tables! 🏆
I would love to fly for a living. I don't fly often but when I do, I've thoroughly enjoyed it - even through the turbulence. My only problem with flying is that it's very difficult to sleep on a plane, at least for me it is. Delightful video as always Paul.
Finally a decent business class seat for Virgin Atlantic
It’s a shame it won’t feature any 747 model
glad to see your channel growing lad, good work, safe travels
Another relevant and helpful review. So many air reviews - we have to hunt and gather and search for things like SEAT images - while 80% of it is the sky and the engine. This video was the opposite. I found it very helpful - lounge, distances, seat, food - that's what interests me if I'm spending for Upper Class - -- the sky? Yeah, I've seen it before.
Thank you for the Concorde photo @ 9:13!! Cheers!
Well Paul, clouds can be perverts sometimes.
i bet it's the same reason i do it..because of my anxiety when flying i hate to see out the window day or night i'll keep it closed.
Idk why but this made me laugh so hard!
I flew out of Heathrow to Miami with VA in Upper Class back at the start of September and the menu is the same as you had Paul!
Another fun video Paul. When it was in business, Virgin America had the service where you could order from your seat. My colleagues and I liked this as we could get work finished first, then have a beverage and or a snack.
One thought, have you stayed at the hotel in JFK that used to be the TWA terminal? I am old enough to remember flying from SFO to JFK on either Pan Am or TWA.
It is an amazing way of flying in this brand new and fresh plane Paul.Great review mate
Hey Paul, as usual a good trip report. I like your style of reporting with a voice over rather than us reading from the bottom of the screen whilst trying to simultaneously enjoy the video. Hence a long time subscriber. A few suggestions: please include the full take off & landing in normal speed, rather then a few clips of 'em in fast fwd. A little more detail on the seat features & the IFE.
I flew Heathrow to Miami in August 2018 and again in January 2019. The same menu was in use on both outbound flights.
Any Abroad in Japan fans here? The Journey Across Japan song is in this video!
Thank you, Paul, for sharing another awesome video with us.
Good report as always. Think you liked this trip!!
love the window in the toilet...but you never know who may be looking in!
😂😂
Remember the classic Twilight Zone with William Shatner? Ya never know!!
@@upperleftcoastchelseafan7718
Ah, you beat me to it!😉
Yet another great video for @wingin' It! Am loving that great check in service at Heathrow. I also real like the mood lighting onboard the plane. It really does set the mood.
Couple of years ago, I did two NY's return in two weeks so the same menu on both trips. Both returns were daytime flights from NY - leaves at 7am and gets back to LHR at 7pm. I didn't really like the offering the first time, and mentioned it to the crew on the 2nd trip, and they managed to rustle up some bacon sarnies. Yum.
I am such a huge fan of Virgin (I mean look at my channel name), I was lucky enough to try this on its inagural service in economy. A week before it I stepped off one of their 747s and what a total difference it was. The seat, the ambiance, the general feel of this product is totally beyond what I had had the week prior. I returned from New York on an a330, and uhh, they need updating quite badly already! and p.s, I miss the flag on the wingtips too!
Oh how I miss slumming it in J on my longhaul flights to/from the far east. At least I now save a ton of money flying RYR 🤣
I've only come across the same Virgin Atlantic menu x2, in upper.
Im cool with it though.
I haven't flown on this seat before, but I feel the privacy screen is meant to more provide privacy from people sitting behind you. As you had no one behind you, it didn't provide you with much extra privacy. But if you were sitting further forward, it could easily prevent people from seeing your IFE / laptop on your table if they were sat in seats behind you across the isle.
Great vlogs as always.!!! Happy New Year wishing you a year full of health and success.!! 🤗💕
Excellent video as always Paul - looking forward to the reviews coming up 👍
THIS WAS BRILLIANT!
Never flown with Virgin before but me and my son are going to Orlando in march next year and I've paid to sit in the bubble. Last time we went to Orlando in 2018 was with Thomas Cook which I couldn't find fault with x
I always fly Virgin to the USA, I try and always fly them, but their limited Eastern destinations limit me. I have to say even the economy food is awesome! I can’t recall having the same menus,how ever I only fly once, maybe twice a year. I will be flying Upper Class soon when I go to Australia. I’ll let you know my thoughts.
Used the Clubhouse last year fantastic experience. Can't wait to see the A350 1000 at LAX as well
Hey Paul, try a compressor or limiter on voiceovers, prevents clipping and distortion. Maybe mic gain set too high too. Nice vid...
This started happening some time ago and many people mention it, but I so far haven't seen Paul react to it, which is really weird as it's a major issue.
Was that a BEA livery seen on the Garden? Brings back pleasant memories of a much quieter time!
Excited for those BA 747 economy reviews, I want to fly a 747 before they retire them and those are the most affordable from where I am!
Same but I’m only 13
Great report as always Paul
Anyone else notice Paul's new lovely iPhone 11 Pro! Infact, imagine if Paul tried to record a whole trip report on his phone!
We find that the virgin menus are the same for a set period of time (at least on the same Orlando route) We flew three times in 2 months and the menu was the same
A great, comprehensive review, thank you, Paul!
Glad to see you enjoyed flying over Nantucket on this flight.
I do the VA Miami to Heathrow RT at least once every few years in either First (if I have points) or Premium Economy. I’ve rarely had anything other than an enjoyable experience. I typically use SeatGuru to figure out the best seat and keep my fingers crossed.
I flew this exact aircraft in August, LHR-LAX. I was in seat 1A. As you can imagine, a pretty empty flight due to COVID. I absolutely LOVE Virgin Atlantic but I wasn't too impressed with the new Upper Class Suite. I know many pax complain about Virgin's Upper Class seats facing away from the window on other aircraft, but I actually prefer it. The seats in Upper & Premium are 2" wider on their other aircraft. I watched your video on BA's business class on their A350 & although I prefer VS, I may check out BA.
OH! I've taken 7 flights on Virgin and the menu has been different each time. However, the IFE options have been the same at times.
Was that a peek of the Concorde?? How cool!
Great video. I really liked your tribute to the old Jackie Chan movies with the lip-(ou-of)sync. Nice. ;)
When I flew MAN-JFK on the 747 last year, on the menu in Economy, they have the same menu for several different flights. It has listed at the bottom something like 'Menu is valid for flights VS127, VSxx and VSxx etc.
When will upper class in manchester have all the same perks as London.....the price is the same
Great shot of Cape Cod!
In my experience only the Singapore Airlines check in facility at Changi Airport is better. From the kerb to inside the terminal must have taken 2 minutes. The Private Room is much more exclusive, but I do prefer the Virgin Clubhouse in Heathrow (had a haircut last time - how many lounges can you do that (other than some in the middle east)). Glad to see the coffin style seats of Upper finally being replaced. They were nice when the first came out, but now very dated and not overly private if you are taller. Thank you for your review Paul....
That engine sound immediately removed all of my stress.
Garrett same, best part of the flight when you arrive at the runway and they punch the throttle
Woah that is a beautiful plane! They should hire you as a consultant next time, makes more sense than rolling out a product and having to change it
I'm new to your channel (love it) and was wondering why you travel so much? Is it for business or do you just love traveling and shooting UA-cam videos? Stumbled across one of your vid's in my recommendations and now this is the third in a row, so yeah I'm hooked. I've never been to Europe (I live in the Pacific NW of the USA) and I'm hoping to make my first trip to London in the fall of 2020 to catch some Premier League football. My son and I plan on making a two week trip out of it and go to Germany and France as well, any tips for a first time flyer to London?
Hey Paul, another great video where the production values and analysis keep getting better. I've gotta say though that it would be great to see more continuity with your flying and even the in between cheaper flights you do. Your round the world flights you did a year or so back is so interesting because it felt like we knew how you got from A to B to Z. The current crop of reviews are starting to just be a bit same-same, and there's a bit too much business class. Loyal viewer, hope you take my feedback :)
5:55 when people travel and take photos of the wing others will see they flew with Virgin. Basically it's a way of bringing in more customers.
Was really looking forward to this review especially as the previous upper class is looking tired, worn out and out of date. I've travelled Upper class from Heathrow on the old 747 and yes, the Virgin Clubhouse from Heathrow is just stunning, worth getting there early just to enjoy it properly. Also the new upper class looks like a huge improvement (looks quite similar to Air Canada's business class) on the older wishbone design which I quite frankly hated and the afternoon tea looks like it's been improved as well. Looking forward to trying this out
What a great check in experience. It's a little bit different in Terminal 2!!
Every year we went from florida economy from glasgow from 2012 to 2015 they had the same menu, with maybe a few different main courses, and the sandwhich you get in the afternoon was also always the same. We started going thomas cook, and then in 2018 the menu was also the same as the years before. You always get a GU pot which I don't like, and the sandwhich is always cheese and pickle.
And the breakfast crossiant on the way back is absolutley revolting, the smell of it, it has cheese and something else stuffed in it. I wish they would just do plain xd
Love that take off growl!! Great flight review as always Paul and hope you went straight to the Gym on landing ? ( Perhaps at the TWA Hotel ??) Excellent flight in Upper Class and I have been a big fan of Virgin here in Australia for many years and they start flying from Brisbane to Tokyo ( Haneda) early next year so will try and get a Business Class ticket on their A 330 which has an award winning business class lay out. Always look forward to your flights mate and well done again !! Look out BA Mr Lucas is on his way!!
Great video Paul! What did you think of the seat when reclined? They seem to lift up a bit which reduces privacy I found. Cheers, Immanuel.
Great vlog Paul !
I flew this VS138, 2 weeks ago, seat 6K. What an amazing flight it was. Beautiful plane, spectacular service and the food for top notch 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻. Best thing was that all it cost me was 25k skymiles upgrade on my PE ticket. No extra taxes...best skymiles value in the sky imo
Is it just me or are the external cams much more high-definition than on some other carriers’ A350s?
It's called NO!vember for a reason. I stand with you, Paul.
My menu in Premium going to Miami was exactly the same as in reviews for other trips there in the last few months and the TPG review of the A350 to JFK. Very tasty, although the dessert was disappointing so I'm not really looking forward to having that again next month going to NYC. Will be begging crew for an economy Gu pot. Won't complain about getting the afternoon tea again though. SO GOOD.
Hi Paul, my wife and my goto airline is Virgin Atlantic and we usually fly every 10 to 12 months with them...we normally fly return upper class funds allowing or premium
Outbound and upper class back and i have to say that in either class ive not come across the same menu
Great review mate! Flew from Heathrow terminal 2 yesterday (SAS) and didn't see any christmas stuff out :P
Enjoyed that review 👏 that seat looks so much better than that horrible herringbone configuration , that lounge looked a bit special too , is it only open to business class ?
Paul, excellently done...as always. Like your trip reports. As a Star Alliance guy I like to see other birds as I almost always fly on their vessels to keep me golden...the 1:2:1 config is good, but the seats look overdesigned and over engineered. Flew Austrian last summer in C to Chicago. Their planes are old, but C is a real treat especially exVienna with their Do&Co Catering. Go for Austrian long-haul one day!
The Princess Flying Boats in the 30s and 40s were equally as comfortable as present day aircraft.Slower perhaps ,but spacious and luxurious.Such a pity that these aircraft can't be replicated.But the I guess only the very wealthy with time and cash to spare would be able to afford such luxury However Paul you do a great service to the world of flight and I think your video presentation is excellent
I literally just came off that very plane from jfk to hearthrow
Great video, Paul!
Do you know if they ever fixed the 'privacy' screen?
Awesome video man
Qatar Q suite beats just about any business class product and in many cases 1st class. Used to fly virgin upper a lot but there product and customer service simply isn’t up to scratch. Very good lounges though and fairly good food.
The A350 is the best plane I have ever flown own hands down.
Virgin America used to have in-seat ordering from the IFE screen, it worked pretty good. Hopefully they can fix this feature.