Virgin Atlantic 747-400 Upper Class: LGW-LAS
- CP
- Jul 18, 2019
- 6 min read
There is no shortage of options in carriers when it comes to crossing the Atlantic; even more so when flying between London and the U.S. Perhaps one of the more underrated but still well-known carriers is Virgin Atlantic especially when redeeming miles from their Flying Club program. I was able to book a reward ticket between London Gatwick and Las Vegas using 67,500 (!) miles 20 hours before departure. There was availability between London and cities toward the east such as Boston or Atlanta which would have saved me 20,000 (!) miles, but with the Vegas flight I was able to snag a seat in the tip of the nose of the queen of the skies – priorities, right?
London (LGW) – Las Vegas (LAS)
VS43 | 747-400
April 7th | 10:10 – 13:00
Seat 6A (Upper Class)
Unfortunately, my overall experience on this flight was pretty poor, although some reasons were self-inflicted (again, doing this route for the queen and availability). I have flown with Virgin twice before and both flights were great experiences, so overall I’m quite fond of the airline as a whole.
My trip began with a journey from Central London to Gatwick Airport. Upper class passengers are offered a chauffeur service from their hotel to the airport, and after a few failed attempts at tube stations I wished I had opted for the service, even though it would have cost me ~90 pounds. An hour and a half after leaving my hotel (and my endearment of Heathrow and the Heathrow Express enhanced) I arrived at Gatwick, and my ignorance continued with an accidental stop at the south terminal. I was fairly warn out and had just over an hour until departure, but I had finally arrived at the check in area for Virgin Atlantic in the north terminal.
I was traveling lightly with only a carry-on, so I went for the self-service kiosks to print my boarding pass and headed toward security. Although there was no dedicated security lane I was through in a breeze. Disappointingly, I had no time to experience VA’s clubhouse lounge. Again, I completely realize this isn’t a direct reflection of Virgin Atlantic, but you’ll find me flying out of Heathrow if I have the option from now on (which I’ve heard has a superior clubhouse).
I made my way toward my gate which had just begun boarding upper class passengers feeling a little defeated. As I walked down the glass jet bridge that feeling disappeared; there awaited the queen! We boarded via a single boarding door with the option of right, left, or up the stairs (where a small section of premium economy and economy are located).
I headed left for the small section in the nose of the 747 which contained 7 rows of upper class seats in a 1-1 configuration. I was seated in 6A which was the first row and in the tip of the nose with nothing but the nose radome in front of you – though not as appealing as 1A. The moment I sat down the purser introduced herself and was on the ball from there on out. Attentive crews who are genuinely passionate about what they do was one thing that stuck with me most from my previous VA flights and it was no different here as I was served orange juice and a warm towel.
As I sorted through my Herschel brand amenity kit which had the typical offerings (dental kit, eye shade, lotions, etc.) I began to notice the long life lived by this 747-400. At 18 years old the entire cabin showed its age, more so highlighted by how tattered and stained my seat was. To top it off an outdated IFE system, a bulky tray table, and an odd functioning lie flat seat really portray how far behind this product is, even to some of Virgins own refurbishments on their newer fleet types like the Dreamliner and soon to be A350.
After an approximately 45 minute delay at the gate (which always seems manageable in a comfortable seat) we were up and out of London and our 10 hour 15 minute journey to Las Vegas was underway. As a day flight, Virgin offered a “lunch” soon after departure and had a few “snacks” that could be ordered anytime upon completion of the meal service up until shortly before landing.
For lunch, I selected the cauliflower soup to start and the coffee rubbed fillet steak as my main course. The cauliflower soup was flavorful, while the steak on the other hand, well, was not. I honestly don’t have much else to say about it other than it was super dry and really didn’t have any flavor.
I took my time with my meal as I wasn’t planning on sleeping much if any at all during the flight and wanted to kill as much time as I could. I spent a few hours working and a few hours getting what I could out of the IFE. There was a good selection of both movies and TV episodes but the screen itself followed suit of the rest of the cabin – very outdated. I did spend some time with the seat in the lie flat configuration (you’re only options are partial recline or you can fold it forward to a lie flat). I personally found it reasonably comfortable the brief moment I did lay down, especially with the mattress pad, duvet, and pillow offered. A passenger across the aisle did manage to sleep from shortly after takeoff until he was awoken for landing, so it’s passable for some!
The further we got into the flight the more I disliked certain features of this particular cabin. As neat as it was being at the very front of the plane, my ottoman was connected to the seat across from me. It almost felt like having a seat mate but you both happen to have direct isle access. No real problem here, until my “seatmate” decided to take his shoes off – maybe he had to do as much walking as I did trying to get to Gatwick?
Almost exactly an hour and a half before landing, I asked the purser if I could order something from the “snack” menu. I selected the classic gourmet beef burger, which was certainly more than just a snack. The burger definitely made up for the disappointing lunch; the flavor was great and was beyond filling for an “extra bite” as Virgin called it.
We ended up making up some time in the air as we ended up arriving only 20 minutes behind schedule. Once we got to the gate, it took me a total of 30 minutes to get through Vegas Immigration, TSA, and arrive at my gate for my flight home to DFW. I enjoyed my flight in Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class, however there were certainly aspects that were below par.
CONCLUSION:
First and foremost, this has to be one of the oldest hard products out there. The cabin obviously could use some TLC or some refurbishment, although I would imagine Virgin will retire their 747’s before this happens. Topped off with an out of date seat all around you’re much better off redeeming your points on their Dreamliner product (where it makes sense) or on their upcoming A350 with the brand new upper class suites.
Additionally, east coast (JFK, ATL, MIA for example) mileage redemptions are of much better value starting at 47,500 points; 20,000 points less than a redemption to a west coast destination (SEA, LAX, LAS), which is equivalent to a roundtrip between the US and London in economy or one-way in premium economy with 2,500 miles to spare. I was traveling onward to Dallas, so I really had no business redeeming the extra points except to fly the queen of the skies.
Lastly, and I completely acknowledge this is subjective, I am not a fan of Gatwick. This might be partially to my familiarity and admiration with Heathrow, but my experience at Gatwick left a really foul taste in my mouth.
I’m a fan of Virgin Atlantic, especially their flying club program, and have enjoyed the positive experiences I’ve had with them. That being said, their London Gatwick to Las Vegas route on an iconic but outdated 747 has to be one of the lowest, if not the lowest, experiences on their totem pole.
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