By Carl Dombek
Several years ago, Virgin America used the marketing slogan, “A breath of fresh airline.” Based on our recent experience, that could also be applied to Virgin Atlantic, which we thought offered a very pleasant experience and one which is increasingly rare in today’s aviation travel space.
We should not have been surprised. The 2025 SKYTRAX World Airline Awards, which surveyed airline passengers between September 2024 and May 2025, ranked Virgin Atlantic No. 16 of the world’s Top 100 Airlines.
While Virgin Atlantic has adopted many of the practices that have, sadly, become industry standard – such as offering multiple fares within the same cabin category with differing levels of benefits/services – the rest of the experience was decidedly better than Brand X.
Staff seems generally younger (and more hip) than at most other airlines, and they seem to genuinely enjoy what they’re doing. In some cases, they even seem like they’re (gasp!) having FUN!
The experiences at the airport and on board the plane are more light-hearted than most other carriers. The music at the check-in area is more current: upbeat and cheerful (the occasional Adele whine not withstanding). Brighter colors and colored lights aboard the aircraft set a more whimsical tone than in most other planes.
Our cabin crew welcomed us warmly, as they did the other passengers, but when we mentioned that it was our grandson’s first trip abroad and that he was keen to dive into the World War II history the area had to offer, they made time to chat with us during what otherwise would certainly have been their rest time.
While most long-haul carriers offer two tiers within the Economy cabin – Economy and Premium Economy -- Virgin Atlantic offers a middle tier: Economy Delight. For fares that are modestly higher than Economy, Economy Delight brings about three inches of additional legroom and an extra inch of seat width, both of which helped make the long flight more bearable.
When we purchased tickets more than three months before our departure date, fares were almost identical to code-share partner Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL). We’ve have good experiences on Delta in the past and might have chosen them except for one thing: when traveling internationally, I prefer to fly a carrier based in my destination country. Doing so gets me to feeling that culture a few hours sooner than if I flew a U.S. carrier.
As I said earlier, I'm one who likes to “get the party started.” Thanks to Virgin Atlantic and your great in-flight crew for helping make that happen.
Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.
Photos by Carl Dombek unless otherwise noted
Click on photos to view larger images
Several years ago, Virgin America used the marketing slogan, “A breath of fresh airline.” Based on our recent experience, that could also be applied to Virgin Atlantic, which we thought offered a very pleasant experience and one which is increasingly rare in today’s aviation travel space.
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| Photo provided by Virgin America |
We should not have been surprised. The 2025 SKYTRAX World Airline Awards, which surveyed airline passengers between September 2024 and May 2025, ranked Virgin Atlantic No. 16 of the world’s Top 100 Airlines.
While Virgin Atlantic has adopted many of the practices that have, sadly, become industry standard – such as offering multiple fares within the same cabin category with differing levels of benefits/services – the rest of the experience was decidedly better than Brand X.
Staff seems generally younger (and more hip) than at most other airlines, and they seem to genuinely enjoy what they’re doing. In some cases, they even seem like they’re (gasp!) having FUN!
The experiences at the airport and on board the plane are more light-hearted than most other carriers. The music at the check-in area is more current: upbeat and cheerful (the occasional Adele whine not withstanding). Brighter colors and colored lights aboard the aircraft set a more whimsical tone than in most other planes.
Our cabin crew welcomed us warmly, as they did the other passengers, but when we mentioned that it was our grandson’s first trip abroad and that he was keen to dive into the World War II history the area had to offer, they made time to chat with us during what otherwise would certainly have been their rest time.
While most long-haul carriers offer two tiers within the Economy cabin – Economy and Premium Economy -- Virgin Atlantic offers a middle tier: Economy Delight. For fares that are modestly higher than Economy, Economy Delight brings about three inches of additional legroom and an extra inch of seat width, both of which helped make the long flight more bearable.
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| Comparing the fares and what's included. Source: VirginAtlantic.com |
In addition, Economy Delight fares also give access to the Premium check-in queue and Premium boarding, meaning shorter waits to check in and to climb aboard. Many people with reserved seats prefer to wait until the last to board, especially when they’ll be sitting for hours on a long flight, but I’m one who wants to “get the party started,” and love getting to my seat sooner.
The flights themselves – aboard Airbus A330-900-neos – were unremarkable except that the cabin interior seemed quieter than many flights I’ve taken recently.
Food offerings were only OK. Economy passengers were given a choice of two entrees on board though Virgin’s website indicates that we should have been able to choose in advance. It says “Customers travelling in … Economy [will] need to make sure you're a Flying Club member to be able to pre order.” Although we joined Virgin’s Flying Club when I purchased our tickets, we were not able to preorder which wasn’t the end of the world but was nonetheless a miss.
Passengers with special dietary needs or preferences such as vegetarian, vegan or other “specific dietary needs” (presumably such as Kosher or Halal) can preorder special meals regardless of their Flying Club status. Passengers in higher cabin classes are offered “meals designed for flavour and served on china” as opposed to the plastic trays and cutlery in the main cabin and they do have the opportunity to pre-order.
A pleasant surprise came toward the end of our flight home: “Mile High Tea.” The red boxes we were served included two different kinds of finger sandwiches, patisseries, a container of clotted cream, a choice of teas and Cherry Pie in the Sky, a playful twist on a British classic, mixing cherry pie ice cream with a ribbon-swirl of sauce and crunchy crust.
The flights themselves – aboard Airbus A330-900-neos – were unremarkable except that the cabin interior seemed quieter than many flights I’ve taken recently.
Food offerings were only OK. Economy passengers were given a choice of two entrees on board though Virgin’s website indicates that we should have been able to choose in advance. It says “Customers travelling in … Economy [will] need to make sure you're a Flying Club member to be able to pre order.” Although we joined Virgin’s Flying Club when I purchased our tickets, we were not able to preorder which wasn’t the end of the world but was nonetheless a miss.
Passengers with special dietary needs or preferences such as vegetarian, vegan or other “specific dietary needs” (presumably such as Kosher or Halal) can preorder special meals regardless of their Flying Club status. Passengers in higher cabin classes are offered “meals designed for flavour and served on china” as opposed to the plastic trays and cutlery in the main cabin and they do have the opportunity to pre-order.
A pleasant surprise came toward the end of our flight home: “Mile High Tea.” The red boxes we were served included two different kinds of finger sandwiches, patisseries, a container of clotted cream, a choice of teas and Cherry Pie in the Sky, a playful twist on a British classic, mixing cherry pie ice cream with a ribbon-swirl of sauce and crunchy crust.
When we purchased tickets more than three months before our departure date, fares were almost identical to code-share partner Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL). We’ve have good experiences on Delta in the past and might have chosen them except for one thing: when traveling internationally, I prefer to fly a carrier based in my destination country. Doing so gets me to feeling that culture a few hours sooner than if I flew a U.S. carrier.
As I said earlier, I'm one who likes to “get the party started.” Thanks to Virgin Atlantic and your great in-flight crew for helping make that happen.
Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.
Photos by Carl Dombek unless otherwise noted
Click on photos to view larger images
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