First time flying this airline my daughter purchased the tickets and paid extra to get a bit of an upgrade
in economy ,(premium was totally booked on this flight)..The seats are so tightly packed you can not move ONE INCH! and I am not exagetating!!..being strapped to a board would have been more comfortable! Im 5'8 female not ovetweight and with no problems and had to squirm around in my seat for 8 hours trying to eleveate the pain of being forced into this tiny space! I have no idea how a full grown man managed to tolerate this flight! Only suitable for small children or if you have taken enough sleep aids to be rendered unconcious thru the whole ordeal! At the end of the flight we discovered the baggage handlers had litetally crushed my daughters case..it had been slammed so hard one of the wheels had been shoved up inside rendetng it unmoveable. This was a brand new name brand case fyi! She had to open it up and force/punch the wheel out so we could at least roll it. We are frequent long distance travelers and we both agree WORST FLIGHT In the history of forever!!
On our way back we were able to upgrade to premium, it was like night and day it was one of the best flights we have ever had..plenty of room no complaints on this flight not one.
SO DO BETTER VIRGIN ATLANTIC for your economy customers buying a cheaper seat dhould NOT mean you should have to suffer the horrible "cabin torture" we endured!!
So if you can not upgrade to premium my advise is DO NOT fly this airline!!

I had never flown with virgin before until my 1st trip to NY & can honestly say, it's the worst Airline I have ever travelled with.
1. The terminal number is not shown on the booking until 24 hours before take off, which is not useful when you need to organise parking or journey there in advance.

2.The food there and back was not edible, it was all rank the worst plane meals ever. The macaroni & cheese was just a white stoge. Over cooked pasta and no cheese in it.

3. The seat were very uncomfortable. Becausethe padding has been used for so long, that it has lost its integrity. I could feel the metal frame underneath my bottom. Which made extremely uncomfortable sit down. I had to put a couple or their pillows and blankets to finally some relief.

4. Referring back to point 1, in JFK upon our return, Virgin staff pointed us to queue at the counter of the designated flight. That was impossible as on the virgin App, had a totally different flight number is showing on our booking. I asked for a manager and she kept saying that it is not possible. 5 times I had to explain to her, that those information should be made available way before the actual flight day. And that I had to produce that flight number, which was asked by the taxi driver. But her answer to that "you don't need to get that detail to the taxi" she asked patronisingly. "I have never heard of that she continued" the encounter was very unpleasant and disrespectful. On that note, bad food, unprofessional ground staff - I can honestly say it was my first and last time flying with Virgin. However, I must say that the cabin crew were excellent. They worked really hard. During the 7hour flight, they were constantly on the go

There was a huge delay and the staff were not honest about when we were actually going to leave. Also the seats we ended up with were much worse than the original ones we were allocated and there was absolutely no apology or concern from the staff. I couldn’t be more disappointed with the experience. And the compensation was £15!! Unbelievable

As a frequent flyer with Virgin Atlantic (average 5 times per year) it is very rare I can critique their service, sadly on this occasion I feel I must, myself and my son travelled on the VS073 on 24.05.2024 from MAN to MCO we were sat in the Premium cabin onboard the A350-1000 aircraft (G-VLIB) the check in process and journey through security was seamless without any issues whatsoever, the gate boarding process was efficient and very professionally orchestrated to the letter.

Once onboard we made our way to our seats, and was offered a glass of Orange Juice and a glass of Prosecco as we sat down and got comfy.
Once airborne the crew came around and did a drinks service, which shortly after was followed by the meal service? I understand that airlines want to try and provide Michellin Star menu's onboard their aircraft, but I really think that clientele and destination should play a role in what is served on the menu's! This flight is primarily families all heading to Disney or Universal, thay aren't looking for Moroccan Hummus or Truffle Macaroni Cheese, they'd rather burger sliders, Pizza slices or chips simple foods that relate, the kids meals are always the same cheese/tomato pasta come on Virgin?

As I was served my meal I was asked if I wanted a drink by the crew attendant if I wanted a drink? my son had a Coke Zero, I asked for a Prosecco, the crew member said I couldn't have Prosecco as she would have to get it so can I have something else? Instead I opted for Red Wine now I'm no connoisseur of wine but I now red wine should be room temperature, I was given a can of red wine, which was almost frozen it was that cold! I mean if your trying to serve decadent meals get your drinks right!

Now bearing in mind this was a 8h 35m flight once the meal service was cleared we never saw another drinks service until 75 minutes before landing when afternoon tea was served a total of 5h 55m of nothing, if you wanted a drink you had to go and get your own! Obviousley this caused congestion in the galley area, which I thought was a little dangerous given people queing for the bathroom also, I went up and asked for a Coke Zero for my son and was told they'd ran out? I asked for a Proscecco they told me they had none open? so I asked for a couple of beers save me coming backwards and forwards was told I can only have one as they have virtually ran out also? I mean what is going on Virgin?

Sadly we paid a lot more for our Premium seat apart from the seat itself the service was naff to be honest, as we are both Silver Card holders soon to be Gold Card holders as we fly so much, really disappointed with this flight worst one we have had, I fully understand that the crew work hard but to offer nothing in terms of service for over 5hrs I'd like a job like that.

We are due to fly back on the VS074 MCO-MAN on Thursday 30th May (10pm) Premium again, I really hope the flight back is better than what we experienced going, I feel sorry for people who this is their first time flying or their very first time in Premium as this example was terrible and not at all resembling the qualities that Virgin normally offer their customers

So to start this review the customer service person we booked out flight with (James) was brilliant. Really listened to how special we wanted our 10th wedding anniversary trip to be and even suggested we went on the later afternoon flight as it was the new model plane with all new seating layout etc . We booked it and waited for the day to come around.
Before the day of the flight we got an email that our flight had changed, upon investigation the plane had been switched to the older model.
We called Virgin but there we no alternatives to choose from.
So we went ahead anyway knowing it's going to be good regardless, our first experience of virgin upper class couldn't be bad right?
The check in (3rd of May) was superb. Quick, seamless with happy people enquiring about your plans. Top marks there. (Security was under construction but we got fast tracked and were literally in the club house 20 mins after checking in...rapid!!)
The clubhouse..... Wow!!!
The service, the food, the place, the relaxation is all top drawer...superb and the best lounge we have been in. Could not fault it.
Then came the plane and flight.
Firstly the stewardess we had was brilliant. She knew it was our wedding anniversary and made sure my wife was comfortable, happy and a lovely bottle of gifted bubbly was presented to her...again top marks.
The plane. Wow did I expect better.
I'm 6'4" (nothing these days!) and my seat was cramped and almost claustrophobic, I couldn't stretch my legs , but I thought no worries I always curl my knees up when I sleep so won't be an issue. Not much space to keep things by you but I made do.
When it came to sleeping the onboard team have to convert your seat to a bed (it doesn't just slide downwards like other aircraft, no this gets flipped over) and it was here the problems began.
The "bed" now in front of me was like sleeping on a piece of wood, which you basically are. It was solid and the little sheet they gave you to go on it made no difference at all to the comfort.
The duvet was nice, the free pyjamas were a great touch , but we didn't get anymore than 2 hours sleep on the flight and woke numerous times with dead arms or legs and forget about sleeping on your back, sheer agony. Terrible!
This didn't spoil our holiday, of course it didn't, but it did make us apprehensive about the flight home the closer it got to leaving and the lack of sleep followed by a 4 hour drive home.
We decided to not flip the beds and recline them as far as we could which appeared a better option and we got some sleep, not much but more than the wooden plank option.
To summarise, Virgins service is very good in flight. Clubhouse is another level and the customer service team (for upper class) is spot on, but the onboard comfort, food standards and price for these, leave a bad taste on the whole experience and do make you look around at other airline options for future flights.
They need to resign these old planes asap, or charge a reasonable/ equivalent / reduced price for the comfort level you receive.
I like you Virgin, but you need to up your game in upper class before we consider spending that amount again on a flight.