After my recent experience on Virgin Atlantic’s Premium Economy product to and from Seattle, I was excited to try them again on a different aircraft. As my biggest gripe with their Boeing 787 Dreamliner was an overly thin and uncomfortable seat cushion, I was looking forward to checking out the newer Airbus 350-1000. Because the flight was about an hour longer than usual due to the winds across the Atlantic this time of year, I had plenty of time to develop an opinion on my experience. I got a lot of work done thanks to the adjustable table even though the seat in front of me was reclined. I had some pretty tasty (and familiar) food, and most importantly, showed up to Atlanta in one piece. While I may have been chasing the dragon after such a wonderful experience to and from Seattle, Virgin Atlantic still has a great Premium Economy product that I will take whenever given the opportunity.
Ground experience with Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy at LHR
Virgin Atlantic uses Terminal 2 at London Heathrow and flyers in premium economy can use a dedicated check-in lane as well as a dedicated security line. I had already checked in on my phone but I did enjoy breezing through security with only about a half-dozen people ahead of me. Another thing I love about traveling through British airports is that there is no passport control on your way out!
While part of the terminal is still under construction, it doesn’t seem to have much of an impact on the traveler experience. There is, however, an extremely long walk from the main area of the terminal to the Virgin gates, which seems to be par for the course at Heathrow, so make sure to build that in. After a quick visit to the American Express Centurion Lounge, I left for the gate with plenty of time to spare and they were already on group six even though it was five minutes before the announced boarding time! This meant that we sat around on the plane fully boarded for about a half hour before we were allowed to push back, but I suppose some customers might have appreciated the additional time to settle in.
Premium Economy Seats on the Virgin Atlantic A350-1000
As I expected, the seat was more comfortable than the Dreamliner premium economy seat, likely because all the foam in the cushion hasn’t been compressed by thousands of peoples’ butts. The seat had a footrest as well, but I preferred to stretch my legs out under the seat instead of using it.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the fact that I was unable to connect my own Bluetooth headphones with the inflight entertainment which I thought would be possible because I misread a page on Virgin’s website. Apparently, while up to eight passengers can connect their Bluetooth headphones to a 32-inch TV screen in the Loft sitting area of the A350, I can’t really picture anyone doing that and during my return flight in Business when I sat there, it was just the moving map playing.
I even asked a flight attendant what the story was with the Bluetooth headphone connectivity, and she informed me that while this feature is available on the airline’s Airbus 330-900 NEO aircraft, it does not work on the Airbus 350. Oddly enough, it is possible to pair your cell phone with the screen to use as a remote, which requires Bluetooth connectivity, so I’m not sure why they were unable to include headphones as well. At least the screen has every aviation nerd’s favorite – the tail camera!
Unfortunately, although the definition of the screen was indeed incredible and it was a solid 13 inches (the same size as my Macbook), it was full of deep scratches which were quite distracting when I tried to watch something. It must have been the zipper or something on someone’s bag when they were getting up but on such a new plane, it was a real bummer to have to deal with this.
Food and service in Virgin Atlantic’s Premium Economy A350-1000 cabin
As I’ve said before, airlines’ food is so much better when leaving from their hub. Surprisingly, Virgin Atlantic hasn’t shuffled up the menu since last time I flew them from London but I wasn’t complaining as I was able to enjoy their awesome pork thyme stew again which was better than the pub food I’d had the night prior. Even the dessert and salad were exactly the same almost six months later. Haters would tell them to switch it already up but I will keep on eating that pork stew as long as they serve it to me.
After lunch was served, a nasty natural juice rainbow popsicle was handed out a few hours later, and then tea time a few hours before landing. The clotted cream with scones and jam might be one of my favorite rituals on a plane (three cheers for full-sized mugs of tea!), and this is coming from someone who has the luck of eating caviar service on a number of first-class routes.
The flight attendants were perfectly pleasant and while they were going the extra mile for some (cracking jokes and rushing glasses of champagne back to economy for people celebrating birthdays) I didn’t really hit it off with any of them. Oh well! Can’t win over everyone.
The Bottom Line
While the hard product on the A350 was superior to the Dreamliner, the crew was considerably more fun, cheery and Virgin-esque on the trip to Seattle last year. Premium economy is all I need for a daytime flight and Virgin’s A350 cabin is perfectly acceptable even for a flight verging on the double-digit hours. It was a game changer that I didn’t have anyone next to me and was on an aisle, as I think it could’ve gotten crowded with a neighbor as the seats are not particularly wide.
Stay tuned for the review of their business class product on the way back next week!