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Home  >  Virgin Atlantic  >  First Impressions: Virgin Atlantic A350 Business Class
Virgin Atlantic

First Impressions: Virgin Atlantic A350 Business Class

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 22, 2021July 21, 2021 24 Comments

Dear Virgin Atlantic, You’ve really impressed me with your A350 in business class. Not only was the service lovely, but the new business class seat is a substantial improvement over the prior herringbone seat.

Virgin Atlantic A350 Business Class: A Huge Upgrade

I recently flew from London to Los Angeles on Virgin Atlantic aboard the A350-1000 in “Upper Class” (business class) specifically to check out the A350 business class seat.

My expectations were high, but they were quite honestly exceeded in almost every way onboard. The new business class seats feel much more spacious and comfortable than the coffin-like herringbone seat and it is lovely to be able to glance out the window without having to turn your head 180º.

Plush bedding and pillows helped me enjoy a decadent nap during the majority of the flight.

While pandemic-related precautions were in effect, both meals onboard were still delicious, including salmon with asparagus and couscous for lunch and afternoon tea service with hot scones and clotted cream prior to landing. The on-demand menu is gone and both the quantity of food has also been reduced, but I did not go hungry and self-serve snacks were available throughout the flight. 

Service was simply phenomenal. The crew was charming and an absolute delight to interact with while being professional at the same time. I think this picture says it all:

I love when flight attendants are actually aware of the wine onboard and the flight attendant serving me lunch went into great detail about the two white wine selections available.

As for the new lounge, I think it is still probably wasted real estate, but more practical than the bar.

A PPE kit is presented to each passenger which includes wipes, gel, masks, and a bag to dispose them in.

Lastly, I want to give Virgin Atlantic a shoutout for a great in-flight-entertainment library. I really appreciated the deep selection of movie and watched both Mr. Jones and Escape From Pretoria during the flight, both movies I highly recommend.

CONCLUSION

With this flight, Virgin Atlantic has gone from being my least favorite option to cross the pond to possibly my favorite. The new seat is a tremendous improvement (but note – it is only available on the A350). Combine that with great service and tasty food and you have a near-perfect flight.

My full review will include additional info on the seat, amenities onboard, and more instances of great service. Stay tuned!

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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24 Comments

  1. PDS Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 12:55 pm

    Have they adjusted the tray positioning? Initial reports suggested it was quite tight to the body and difficult to maneuver..

  2. Greg Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 12:57 pm

    Needless cuts to the meal service – one tray affair for a transatlantic premium cabin flight is unacceptable – not just on VS

    The skies of Lufthansa have avoided this nonsense

    • Pete Reply
      July 22, 2021 at 1:04 pm

      LH F yes but also J as well?

      • Greg Reply
        July 22, 2021 at 1:46 pm

        Still a choice of 3 appetizers, full sized main course, cheese, and dessert, albeit the ice cream option is packaged

        https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33358874-post2257.html

        Short haul J also ‘business as usual’ as they say

        • Aaron Reply
          July 24, 2021 at 4:03 am

          If you want to see what various airlines are offering these days as far as onboard catering, check out http://www.flight-report.com. Lots of reports of various flights around the world, in all cabin classes.

          Here is a recent report of a Lufthansa flight from Munich to Madrid in business class:

          https://flight-report.com/en/report/52852/lufthansa-lh1806-munich-muc-madrid-mad#OnBoard

  3. Darin Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 1:13 pm

    While an upgrade to the J cabin, a significant downgrade for PE. The 787 PE on VS was my favorite way to come home (LHR-LAX), but the PE seat is much more cramped on the A350.

  4. Jimmy Gottfredson Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 1:17 pm

    Love the bar on the 787, although I do seem to be the minority on overnight US to London flights. I’ve meet some charters over the years.

  5. Jerry Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    “While pandemic-related precautions were in effect”

    At this point, if it’s food related, nobody can really say in good conscience that it’s a precaution any more than bringing a raincoat to the Atacama is a precaution. I think your sentence should read “While pandemic-related theatre was in effect…”

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 22, 2021 at 5:46 pm

      Agreed.

  6. Gene Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 1:58 pm

    @ Matthew — What was your final destination? I assume you were connecting.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 22, 2021 at 5:46 pm

      This was LHR-LAX.

  7. Bro Mancer Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    Personally I hate the A350 seat on Virgin. It’s too hard, too narrow, and it’s difficult to move whilst sleeping without whacking your legs on the overhanging bit of the seat in front. I sleep on my side which is virtually impossible in the A350 seat (unlike the 787).

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 22, 2021 at 3:51 pm

      Interesting experience. I am exclusively a side sleeper and found the A350 much better for sleeping.

  8. Luis R Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 2:43 pm

    What nonsense is this, Virgin Atlantic does not have business class! Has this person actually travelled on this flight, if he had he wouldn’t be able to miss the fact that he travelled in Upper class!!!!

  9. Adil Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    Each seat has 2 windows. One is blocked by the side of the seat. The other appears to be far away. How easy was it to look out of the window?

    A window seat that isn’t really a window seat is my thought.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      July 22, 2021 at 5:46 pm

      Indeed, windows are not ideal.

  10. Mike Saint Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 2:56 pm

    Thanks for the great review. Can you tell us how many points you used to book it and what that process was like? How easy/hard to find availability, etc?

  11. Jason Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    This looks great, thanks for the preview.

    I will say that I flew Virgin Atlantic Upper Class from DC to Johannesburg via London two years ago roundtrip. Even though the seats on the A330 and 787 were the herringbone/ aisle facing seat, I still loved my experience – everything about it was great – the lounges at DC, Heathrow and JNB, the food on board, the great service, the fantastic entertainment selection. Even with crappy seats it was by far my favorite flights I’ve been on, and I’ve been on a lot.

    Looking forward to the full report.

  12. Slappy Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 4:56 pm

    Flew this during the pandemic where that business class cabin had only 6 total passengers! Great crew, great seats and overall pleasant journey across the pond. That award was quite possibly my last good use of Delta SkyMiles I will ever have.

  13. Aaron Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 5:49 pm

    Good to see that both VS and British Airways now offer overall competitive products. Not on every plane, but still.

  14. Josh Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    I actually prefer the old seats. True there is little privacy, but there is also unlimited leg room, which I did not find on the 350. I also found the service underwhelming. Lunch service took three hours and FA’s, while polite, were inefficient. For one example – several FA’s passed by a half full pre-departure glass of champagne on the arm rest of the passenger across from me before take off, but none noticed it. The passenger ultimately held onto it, otherwise it would have gone flying.

  15. Echo Reply
    July 22, 2021 at 6:54 pm

    But the fuel surcharges….ouch! ‘

    Best value for TATL travel continues to be ANA awards on UA Metal. Or Virgin awards on DL Metal. But as you not recently, good luck on finding the latter.

  16. Adam Reply
    July 23, 2021 at 5:54 am

    Flying this same flight very soon and curious on seat selection.. Is the substantial diff. in footwell size in Row 1 Vs. the possible noise from the lav & galley. Lav being more of an issue for me personally. Great review, cant wait to experience it soon.

  17. emercycrite Reply
    July 24, 2021 at 12:08 am

    Terrible seat for storage.

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