I’m live-blogging my SAS EuroBonus SkyTeam Million Mile challenge this week. Click here for background and route information.
I cannot help but marvel at buying a $242 ticket to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 2024 and I am grateful for a very pleasant flight and the chance to spread out on Virgin Atlantic.
Solid Flight On Virgin Atlantic
We boarded on-time—early actually—so I did not even have a chance to check if my “plan” worked beforehand. What was that plan?
The A330-900neo is laid out 2-4-2 in economy class (great, family-friendly configuration, by the way) and I had reserved a center section aisle and middle seat, with an open middle seat between us. I would have put us both in center section aisles, but Virgin does not allow children to be seated more than one open seat away from adults.
I deliberately chose a seat near the rear of the economy class cabin, figuring it would be among the last to fill up.
Thankfully, the flight was not booked full and we ended up having the row to ourselves!
Folks, that’s huge. I stretched out from one aisle, Augustine stretched out on the other, and I took a very solid four-hour nap (of course made easier after a transcontinental redeye the night before).
I loved the mood lighting the cabin and the staff was great…all cheeky in that British way. Nice IFE selection as well and an easy-to-use touchscreen interface.
There was even a ful dinner served after takeoff, a choice between vegetarian pasta or “fajita chicken” (same chicken dish I had from LA to London when I flew to pay my respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II). It had been a few hours since I had eaten, so I ate the chicken and salad and skipped the bread and dessert.
There may (I think there must have been) a pre-arrival meal, typically yogurt and a croissant, but I slept through it.
We landed to a cold dreary morning in London and followed the purple flight connections sign to make our way to Terminal 2 for our next flight on SAS.
A great flight on Virgin Atlantic: with thanks to Norse Atlantic for forcing Virgin to offer cheap one-way fares and to Upper Class (business class) passengers for “subsidizing” my fare.
I may do a full review at some point, but I’m going to move on now so as not to fall behind on the live blogging.
This would probably not apply to you since you were not leaving the secured area but one of my favorite things about Virgin in London (which applies to Delta as well) is that if you flew to London on a business class ticket you get access to the Virgin Arrivals Lounge. The lounge is just after you clear customs and you need to go upstairs in the arrivals hall at LHR. It is very small but if you land in the morning it is just perfect to get you going for the work day in London. You can get a shower while they press your clothes and then you can get a great breakfast before heading into the city. That’s one of my favorite things when landing in the morning at LHR.
Similar to the BA arrival’s lounge in T5
I am debating on taking on these 15 Sky Team flights as well. Thanks for keeping us updated.
A mystery solved. Virgin is serving the Patio brand meals.
Am I missing something? I can’t see what flight this was on? Personally I would avoid a seat at the back because they fill it from the back first (to balance the aircraft when the flight isn’t full) with people who haven’t paid for their seat allocation. Seems like you got unusually lucky in this case. Oh and breakfast is currently a muffin with fruit and yoghurt.
And I thought the back of the bus might be a little more susceptible/reacetive to turbulence, thean more forward, say, over the wing… With climate change these days, I’ve seen articles about predicting more atmospheric disturbances and inflight turbulence …
I switched from United to Virgin last year and haven’t looked back.
1. Much better service.
2. Friendlier & helpful staff, especially in economy.
3. Easier to qualify for top status.
4. Easier to earn & redeem miles (though with surcharges).
5. LHR Club house.
The first picture with your son shows he has your vintage Matt scowl face! Lol!
As for the live blogging trip, congrats, good luck, and hope you have no delays or any problems….. and have lots of fun with your son, it seems like a great bonding experience!