Virgin Atlantic Airways has spent billions of dollars to completely transform its fleet.
This includes acquiring a dozen next-generation Airbus A350-1000s since 2019. They are Virgin’s largest planes, and the airline has introduced them with upgraded business and economy-class cabins.
I recently ditched my go-to airline, Delta, to experience the new A350 economy class on a July flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport.
This was my first time flying Virgin, and I had high expectations for what Skytrax considers one of the world’s top 20 best airlines.
I was impressed with the small comfort touches that made for an easy ride to London.
I arrived at New York-JFK Terminal 4 at 5 a.m. for my flight to London.
I took my first daytime transatlantic flight in March, and I’m never going back to red-eyes unless I have no choice. Both of my daytime flights have been around the same price as the overnight options.
My Virgin flight took off at 8:20 a.m. ET and landed in London around 8 p.m. local time, providing the easiest way to avoid jetlag because I could go straight to the hotel and sleep.
The check-in was surprisingly efficient.
The CrowdStrike IT outage was in full swing on the day I departed, but my Virgin flight was luckily not impacted and there weren’t any crowds or queues backing up check-in.
I had to check a bag and was surprised by how easy it was. I typically avoid checking bags to negate the inconvenience of dropoff and pickup.
But Virgin’s check-in was self-service — including the bag drop. I got my boarding pass and bag tags from the kiosk, scanned the tag, and placed my bag onto the conveyor belt. It was easy peasy, though agents were available for assistance if needed.
Economy passengers with Priority Pass can access Virgin’s Terminal 4 lounge.
I have a Priority Pass membership through my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, which costs $550 a year but gives me free access to hundreds of lounges worldwide. Since I travel half the year, it’s easily worth it.
There are several options at Terminal 4, including Virgin’s lounge. Eligible business class ticket holders and those with loyalty status can also enter, but my priority pass allows me to enter with an economy ticket.
I was among the last to board and headed to aisle seat 52G.
I paid about $555 for my one-way flight to London, including $430 for the lowest-tier base fare, which put me at the back of the boarding line. I didn’t mind since I could just sit, relax, and avoid the pesky “gate lice.”
I also spent $50 for a preferred seat and $75 for a checked bag. I always pay for an aisle seat on a long-haul flight, and, this time, I snagged one in the last row of the first economy section.
At 5 feet 3 inches tall, I had plenty of space.
Virgin’s regular economy A350 seats are in a 3 × 3 × 3 layout and offer 31 inches of pitch and 17.4 inches of width. I had plenty of wiggle room.
Taller travelers may consider upgrading to an extra legroom economy seat, which offers up to 34 inches of pitch but the same width.
The padding was plush, and I appreciated the adjustable headrest and recline.
I’ve flown across the Atlantic at least 20 times on different airlines, and Virgin’s seat is among the best I’ve experienced. The A350’s wide cabin design makes it feel particularly sleek and spacious, and I loved the pink and purple mood lighting.
The seats have USB ports, a 5-inch recline, and a headrest (airlines without a headrest immediately lose points in my book).
The seatback pocket was large, and I liked the two smaller pockets that help with organization.
The blanket was surprisingly effective.
Virgin provided a pillow and blanket for the long-haul flight. I was surprised to see the blanket featured little wings to drape over my shoulders to keep it in place.
It’s a small but smart detail.
The seatback had an 11.5-inch screen loaded with good in-flight entertainment.
There were plenty of movies and television shows, like Kung Fu Panda 4 and Harry Potter, though I spent most of my time watching pre-downloaded content on my tablet.
However, I found the provided headphones for the seatback screen scratchy and uncomfortable. If you plan to rely on Virgin’s in-flight entertainment, I recommend bringing your own wired headphones.
The aviation enthusiast in me loved the outside camera.
A flight-following app on the seatback screen included an outside camera, allowing passengers to see the plane’s surroundings in real time.
I didn’t realize the feature existed until we were descending into London, but I watched during the landing and taxi to the gate.
The food was better than most competitors, and I was happy the breakfast was simple.
The first meal was a breakfast box with a sandwich, a granola bar, and yogurt. I thought the sandwich was good, and was happy we were served a simple meal for the morning flight.
The lunch was a chicken dish served with cheese, salad, and pudding. I thought it was flavorful and filling, and comparable to Delta’s offerings.
There wasn’t any free WiFi.
Virgin charges passengers for internet access and messaging. And, according to the airline, its A350-1000 WiFi can’t support streaming, so it’s only good for emails, messaging, and browsing.
Competitor JetBlue has free WiFi, while Delta recently rolled out complimentary internet on select international flights and intends to make it fleet-wide in 2025.
I paid the $3.95 for messaging, which worked fine.
The plane landed in London on time, and I waited only 10 minutes for my luggage.
After I deplaned, cleared immigration, and made my way to baggage claim, I waited only about 10 minutes for my luggage to drop onto the baggage claim carousel.
I was at my hotel around 10 p.m. local time — perfect timing to start getting over the jet lag.
I’d easily book Virgin again for the comfort and service.
In addition to Delta and Virgin, I’ve flown across the Atlantic on American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Germany’s Condor, Iberia, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, and no-frills carriers Level, French bee, and Norse Atlantic Airways.
Virgin lands near the top of that list regarding overall experience. However, it falls short of JetBlue and Delta, which both have better food than Virgin and offer better in-flight connectivity options. Norse is the closest in overall experience if you consider its low-cost competition.
Still, Virgin is a reliable option on the ever-popular New York-London corridor, and I’d highly recommend the A350 specifically for noise. It’s the quietest plane you can fly, and combined with Virgin’s headrest, linens, and padding, I’d easily sleep if I’d flown the red-eye.
The post I flew on Virgin Atlantic from New York to London in economy for the first time. It’s now one of my favorite long-haul rides. appeared first on Business Insider.
