Virgin Atlantic Boeing B787 900 seat review by LondonBound #36904

2019-10-17
5 of 5
Seat25C
FromIAD
ToLHR
Detailed ratings
Legroom5 of 5
Seat width5 of 5
Seat recline4 of 5
Entertainment5 of 5
Food & drink5 of 5
Service5 of 5
First trip on Virgin Atlantic. Very impressed overall. This will cover my overall experience to/from London. Service was exceptional. All of these folks truly seem to love their jobs were a true delight to interact with. What a change from several attendants who seemed truly miserable on my last transatlantic flight via United.

The dinner and "high tea" were excellent. Enjoyed the WonderWall on the way back, it was quite popular. A simple touch that gives you a little treat and sense of control over your food/drink options.

As for the seat itself- I'm female of average build . Chose seat 25C (Premium Economy) because it would allow me to recline without bothering others behind me. Was a bit nervous whether it would really recline fully. Can happily report it does and it was great to stay fully reclined entire flight without worrying about how it was for a seat mate in back. I was so happy with it, I tried to switch my seat on the way back to the same one, but it was filled. There is plenty of leg room at the bottom at all times, but with the passenger in front of me reclined, my knees were nearly hit. (I'm just 5'4"). This was a surprise. When the window seat person next to me had to get out to go use the toilet, it was VERY difficult - way too tight a squeeze between reclined seat in front of me and my seat for her to squeeze past. (She wasn't very large either, just not tiny.) It's a tough situation. If you pay so much extra you clearly want to enjoy the comfort, but to provide enough space for someone to pass by a reclined seat, you would need to add several more inches, which I'm guessing would end up boosting up the price significantly. I would definitely fly VA again and choose Premium Economy. However, if I was a lot taller, I'd want to check with others first how it is to have the seat in front of me reclined.

Checking in at Heathrow was a breeze. No one in front of me to check bags, they offer a separate line for Premium Economy. (This was deciding factor for me between VA and Brit. Air). Security was much more thorough at LHR than IAD , but went fairly fast, about 8 mins. (I'm Global Pass, but that's not recognized at LHR.)
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