Virgin Atlantic UPPER CLASS: Expectation vs Reality

Virgin Atlantic UPPER CLASS: Expectation vs Reality

is Virgin Atlantic’s upper class the swankiest way to cross the pond with a legendary Clubhouse Lounge onboard suits elevated dining and even lounges on their planes expectations are Skyhigh let’s find out whether it’s truly upper class or down Market hello jet Setters I’m Jeb Brooks from Greener grass.com is Virgin Atlantic upper class the best way across the Atlantic well you’re coming along to find out here’s the plan we’ll leave London Heath Ro just before 11: in the morning along the way we’ll spend 8 hours is exploring everything upper class has to offer before touching down in Atlanta a little after 2: in the afternoon departing from Heathrow with a Virgin Atlantic upper class ticket includes access to the upper class Wing this private check-in and dedicated security line is located in a quiet corner of terminal 3 it’s removed from the hustle and bustle of the UK’s busiest airport all that means a huge Time Savings all right we got dropped off at 812 we were checked in and through security by 816 from drop off to checkin and through security 4 minutes unbelievable this is my first time flying virin Atlantic and I’m so excited it seems such a cool sexy fun Airline and that starts in the clubhouse it’s an epic space so let’s go check it out she’s right about that there’s so much to take in here hey if you’ve been on a virgin Cruise let us know in the comments below we’re thinking about giving it a try if it’s half as cool as this Lounge it must be pretty amazing but we’d love your insights before we do it but our first stop today is the dining room where you’ll have your choice of plenty of items from a robust menu it’s 8:30 so that means breakfast Suzanne had the crushed avocado toasted bagel with vegetarian chizo and I went for the classic eggs benedict we shared the fruit salad a restaurant experience in Barista made coffee and a business class Lounge it’s a total upgrade love it here despite the early hour the champagne and other drinks were flowing we stuck to caffeine though one of the most important things in the lounge is plenty of seating not enough lounges have swings though how good is this in addition to lots of seating you’ll also find a bar plenty of nice views and one of my favorite features I definitely wish more Airline lounges had outdoor spaces as cool as this Virgin Atlantic calls it the garden which I guess is because of the AstroTurf but there are some plants here but these views of the action out there at Heathrow they’re just Bar None it’s it feels like you’re right in the action out here on the uh on the ramp I’m a little disappointed though there aren’t more virgin planes parked nearby so that’s a little a little awkward but still beautiful space it is a little chilly though so I think I’m going to head back inside and check out the rest of the lounge there is so much to see in there the design of this Lounge just exudes the cool factor that virgin is so well known for I love the indoor plants the ceiling even the Wide Plank Floors details like these just make a big difference at least to my eyes if you want to pass the time with a game you can do that there are also some nice reminders of Virgin Atlantic’s past if you need some yoga there’s a place for that too too but sadly the lounge isn’t quite what it once was this area in here used to be the barber shop the salon unfortunately like a lot of really U cool elements of Airline offerings it’s gotten cut back I can remember just a few years ago sitting right here and getting a haircut those hairs were a lot less gray times change speaking of of times changing I really miss those kinds of extravagances in airport lounges what do you think is the best extravagance in a business class Lounge anywhere in the world let me know in the comments that’s enough time in the lounge because it’s time to board this bird what did you think of the lounge Suzanne it lives up to the hype it’s super cool super fun wish we had more time what are you most excited about on board ooh ah I love the a350 so super excited it’s an a350 today how you I think I’m most excited about the seat I think it’s a super comfortable seat I’ve been fortunate enough to be on board virgin before so I’m excited also to see your reaction to everything cuz it’s it is so cool okay I can just barely make it out it’s the 4 and 1/2-year-old Airbus a350 1000 that will take us back home to the USA Today next stop Atlanta on board the lighting adds to that chill virgin Vibe and the seats looked incredibly inviting I’m booked into seat 6K and Suzanne will be right behind me in 7K seats in the middle face away from each other but all the window seats face toward the windows and printed menus give passengers a sense of what’s to [Music] come cheers nothing quite like starting a transatlantic Journey with a glass of champagne [Music] [Applause] right at each upper class seat you’ll find an amenity kit headphones a pillow and bedding because of the way these seats are staggered there’s a good degree of privacy here and naturally plenty of room to spread out too although the pilots chose not to make any announcements we did hear from our flight service manager with the flight time 8 hours and 6 minutes today despite a pretty full cabin there was still plenty of room in the overhead bins as push back approaches our excitement is building with the lounge being one of the coolest we’ve ever seen and the cabin looking as amazing as it does we’ve got high hopes for what we’ll experience in the air but expectations can be funny things can’t [Music] they now that we’re in the sky I open the entertainment screen there are plenty of movies on offer and of course there’s always something to see out the window at least for now Wi-Fi was available for around $26 it’s nothing to write home about in terms of speed but if you need to send some light emails it’ll do the trick Suzanne paid $4 for the messaging package time to get comfortable sounds like we’re going to get in more than an hour early to Atlanta so the winds are our favor that’s a good thing these tray tables are probably the sturdiest in the business and when I opened mine up I discovered a can of water hidden back here a nice touch a flight attendant delivered a hot towel about 15 minutes after we took off the amenity kit which prioritizes recycling over reuse includes an eye shade toothbrush toothpaste hand cream lip balm socks earplugs and something called day cream we were invited to pre-order about a week before our flight and there were a lot of really good options now I pre-ordered duck uh to try something different unfortunately it didn’t process so I wasn’t able to get the duck instead uh I ordered from menu I’m having the Cod which looks tasty U and Suzanne’s having the meat pie so uh nice to have the menu sorry not to try the dock but you know they’re worse things surface kicked off in Earnest about 30 minutes after departure with some snacks and a gin and tonic they had me in potato chip Suzanne chose to start with a low Bros kombucha raspberry and lemon I fasten my taste buds just in time for this warm Olive roll to touch down on my tray one of the coolest things at Virgin Atlantic is that not only do they get creative with their salt and pepper shakers but they also encourage you to pinch them or steal them as a souvenir I started off with the curried cauliflower soup that cauliflower soup was spicy it had some heat to it I’m not I’m grateful to have the Still Water because uh man it was really it’s got some heat suzan on the other hand opted for the lemon and chili marinated bronze with baby Jem lettuce and avocado puree I chose a glass of the South African 7on Blanc to accompany the Cod this might be one of the best presented business class meals I’ve seen in a long time it’s such a nice touch that everything is individually played and this really feels elevated you know almost on the on the level of first Plass the fish itself is thick filet and there’s a lot of fish on this plate the sauce is pretty spicy kind of like that soup make sure you have plenty of water if you order this sort of A Step Above typical business class food at least in my opinion I can’t wait to hear Suzanne’s impressions of her hering pie she said the chicken and mushroom pie with its mashed potatoes and roasted carrots was both hearty and comforting but the hint of truffle elevated it for dessert she had a cup of tea along with a dark chocolate and Mell Cherry deliss lunch was a strong start to the onboard experience unfortunately the rest of the flight didn’t quite meet expectations after lunch I closed my partition no doors here and settled in with a movie and enjoyed looking out the window but not for long that’s a first the flight attendant just closed my window shade without even asking I was just sitting here with it open and she just shut it so that’s the end of daylight on this daytime flight to be fair lots of people want to sleep on flights and others like me enjoy looking out the window particularly during the day that’s why I thought they provided ey Shades in the amenity kits but oh well when a crew member asks you to do something it’s always best practice to follow their instructions one of the coolest features of Virgin at ATC or their onboard lounges outside of a380s it’s really unusual for Airlines to dedicate space like this so we were excited to check it out it’s reserved for upper class passengers and is marketed as a social space to hang out have meetings play cards or even do a cocktail tasting but sadly it wasn’t quite as advertised one of the benches was being used for empty bottles and we didn’t see any flight attendants during our 30 minutes here so we were thirsty but there was a basket of snacks the lofs on virgins A3 30 NEOS have a self-service refrigerator that would have been helpful Suzanne decided it was time for a nap the seat offers plenty of space at the shoulders especially if you lower the armrest in addition to that nice pillow you’ll get a blanket and a mattress cover and the foot well is not as confining as some designs she was surprised to find out that the partition didn’t close the space off completely about halfway through the trip the crew offered ice cream this was the only time we saw them in the aisles between meal services I usually find business- class flight attendants passing through the aisles every now and then just to see if anybody needs anything but not this time as we made our way over Canada Suzanne woke up and we went back to the loft which was still a bit of a mess and since drinks are Bob B Suzanne brought the can of water from her seat mine was long gone thanks to that spicy lunch the 32-in TV is a nice touch in here and apparently it’s even possible to link blueto headphones in case they’re playing something you’d like to listen to there are also power sockets here too if you want something other than the snacks laid out in the lounge the menu says it’s possible to order any of the items on the pre-landing menu at any time up to about 40 minutes before landing however I heard someone try to do that but she was instructed to wait until they offered this service about 90 minutes before landing I guess maybe that explains the mess in the lounge too that the crew just must have been unusually busy on this flight anyway that time came soon enough and we were given a choice of four options for a pre-landing meal I’m having the chicken bow buns uh Suzanne is having the halumi Burger so we’re almost on the ground and enjoying this uh final meal on board you know it’s really hard to get something like this right in the air and they really have this is almost as good as the fried crispy chicken I had on quantis a few years ago this is really good and Suzanne said the togarashi spiced smoked halumi Burger was really good too the food was great but there were other aspects of this experience that didn’t meet our expectations don’t get me wrong we’re so grateful to get to have these experiences and share them with you and please never mistake our criticism for a lack of gratitude well as we begin our descent down into Atlanta this is a great time to think about the flight let’s turn to the Jeb score they’ll rate the lounge the seat the food the entertainment and the service the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse has to be one of the best business class lounges out there sure it no longer has the spa and salon but it still offers an alart restaurant and that Indescribable feeling that virgin embodies five stars here the is welld designed and comfortable I don’t need a door and think those are largely gimmicks anyway five stars here the inflight entertainment was robust and I didn’t have any trouble finding plenty to watch but the Wi-Fi was overpriced and slow four stars here the food was phenomenal it was a little too spicy for me but that’s a matter of personal preference it’s really too bad my pre-order didn’t process but that technological snag cost them a star the food earns four stars the service was great during meal times the crew were friendly and efficient but we didn’t see much of them outside the galley except when my window shade got shut something was just off on this flight three stars here before we total that up a one-way upper class ticket from London to Atlanta costs as much as $10,000 but we didn’t pay that instead we each transferred $68,500 American Express membership rewards points to Virgin Flying Club and then paid $800 in taxes two quick notes first premium cabins are heavily taxed in the UK and second our tickets also included a connection to our home in Greensboro North Carolina on virgin’s partner Delta Airlines in any event that leaves Virgin Atlantic with 21 out of a possible 25 Stars between now and the next time seea in the sky we’ll take the next flight to Atlanta how about that okay update and I don’t want to say update I think I could stay here for a while let’s let’s just wait for the next flight to Atlanta there’ll be another one well we’re beginning our descent no it’s it’s fine we can we can stay here

Watch this video to see how to travel in BUSINESS CLASS across the Atlantic Ocean in the “coolest” airline in the sky! We flew with Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow Airport to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for more than eight hours and now we’ll share it with you!

Our flight was onboard a Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 in Upper Class!

This may just be the chicest way to cross the pond. With the legendary Virgin Clubhouse Lounge, onboard suites, elevated dining, and even lounges on their planes, our expectations are sky high for this flight. But will Virgin Atlantic meet, miss, or exceed those expectations?

There’s a ton of services and features onboard, and we’ll explore them all.

We’ll even give the experience a JebScore! We’ll rate the Lounge, the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Suite, the (impressive) Virgin Atlantic Food, the Virgin Atlantic Inflight Entertainment, and their Service.

0:00 Introduction
1:02 Virgin Clubhouse Lounge Heathrow
4:09 Boarding Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
6:46 Virgin Atlantic Lunch
9:27 Virgin Atlantic A350 Loft
11:26 Pre-Landing Meal
12:09 JebScore
13:12 Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Pricing
13:48 Bloopers

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Music:
Sunset Soul – Phello
Understandings – FLYIN
Eyes on Me – Andre Aguado
Atoms – Phello
Papa – Jones Meadow
West Village – Jones Meadow