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Virgin Atlantic
- Thread starter Dylszero
- Start date
In a word....
Awesome :sohappy: !!
We have always flown with Virgin Atlantic to Florida (7 times) and have never had any complaints.
We fly from Manchester, and the flights have always been on time, or 5 or 10 minutes behind schedule.
We never drive, and rely on Virgin's hotel transfer coaches - they have always been super reliable.
We always fly eonomy, the legroom is ok - you can always move around the cabin, once in the air..
Some flights have Super Nintendo games built into every seat, so you have a choice of several games to keep you entertained via the headrest screen, although it is 50/50 if you get one of those planes.
One thing to mention, although the service is great, it is not as good as it was a few years ago. On our first flight with Virgin in '96, the cabin crew were always coming around asking if we wanted a drink or snack. However, recently we have found that you have to ask for drinks etc (unless they are bringing the trolley around). Still a great company to fly with, we would not use any other carrier. Period.
Have a great time (that is a certainty!)
:wave:
Awesome :sohappy: !!
We have always flown with Virgin Atlantic to Florida (7 times) and have never had any complaints.
We fly from Manchester, and the flights have always been on time, or 5 or 10 minutes behind schedule.
We never drive, and rely on Virgin's hotel transfer coaches - they have always been super reliable.
We always fly eonomy, the legroom is ok - you can always move around the cabin, once in the air..
Some flights have Super Nintendo games built into every seat, so you have a choice of several games to keep you entertained via the headrest screen, although it is 50/50 if you get one of those planes.
One thing to mention, although the service is great, it is not as good as it was a few years ago. On our first flight with Virgin in '96, the cabin crew were always coming around asking if we wanted a drink or snack. However, recently we have found that you have to ask for drinks etc (unless they are bringing the trolley around). Still a great company to fly with, we would not use any other carrier. Period.
Have a great time (that is a certainty!)
:wave:
Are you choosing, or have you already booked? Which airport are you wanting to travel from?
minnie2000
Well-Known Member
Yes - we've flown with them quite a few times, and they are fine.
You get a few les, we went to Orlando from Gatwick in Oct this year, and due to problems with the brakes, we sat on the tarmac for an hour before we took off, but this could happen with anyone.
The planes themselves are quite comfortable, leg room is not too bad, (and DH is 6'4"!), they give you pillows, blankets and a little welcome pack with earplugs, toothbrush etc. They also give the kids bags with puzzle books and things.
There is a good choice of films and tv shows, and going out this year we had the game system as well - although the one in my seat didn't work.
Food is Ok - normal plane food - not brilliant but adequate, but we didn't think much of the kids' meals, basically just junk food, so we would not order those again.
If you are on your honeymoon or anything, it might be worth mentionning to the cabin staff. 11 years ago, we flew back from Miami on our honeymoon, and our lights and TVs did not work. The steward asked if we were on our honeymoon, and after checking with his supervisor, moved us to premium economy. Wow - that was great!
The only downside really is the flight back. Although the seats are comfortable if you are awake, I cannot get comfy enough to sleep in them. And, the flights are at night, so after flying home with no sleep, I am like a bear with a sore head the next day. I am trying to persuad DH to upgrade coming back next time, but I don't think its going to happen!
Have a great time anyway - don't forget you can book your seats in advance, and check in either online 24 hours before you fly(although this too was not working the day we flew), or drop your cases off the night before (twilight check-in). We have always done this, and other passengers have said it is like a madhouse if you check in on the morning you fly.
Also you can check in early on your return at Downtown Disney the morning of your flight. By doing this, you drop your cases off for the day, but more importantly, you miss the queues at the airport, which another passenger told me were terrible.
Hope this helps!
You get a few les, we went to Orlando from Gatwick in Oct this year, and due to problems with the brakes, we sat on the tarmac for an hour before we took off, but this could happen with anyone.
The planes themselves are quite comfortable, leg room is not too bad, (and DH is 6'4"!), they give you pillows, blankets and a little welcome pack with earplugs, toothbrush etc. They also give the kids bags with puzzle books and things.
There is a good choice of films and tv shows, and going out this year we had the game system as well - although the one in my seat didn't work.
Food is Ok - normal plane food - not brilliant but adequate, but we didn't think much of the kids' meals, basically just junk food, so we would not order those again.
If you are on your honeymoon or anything, it might be worth mentionning to the cabin staff. 11 years ago, we flew back from Miami on our honeymoon, and our lights and TVs did not work. The steward asked if we were on our honeymoon, and after checking with his supervisor, moved us to premium economy. Wow - that was great!
The only downside really is the flight back. Although the seats are comfortable if you are awake, I cannot get comfy enough to sleep in them. And, the flights are at night, so after flying home with no sleep, I am like a bear with a sore head the next day. I am trying to persuad DH to upgrade coming back next time, but I don't think its going to happen!
Have a great time anyway - don't forget you can book your seats in advance, and check in either online 24 hours before you fly(although this too was not working the day we flew), or drop your cases off the night before (twilight check-in). We have always done this, and other passengers have said it is like a madhouse if you check in on the morning you fly.
Also you can check in early on your return at Downtown Disney the morning of your flight. By doing this, you drop your cases off for the day, but more importantly, you miss the queues at the airport, which another passenger told me were terrible.
Hope this helps!
CAPTAIN HOOK
Well-Known Member
As an airline VA are very good.
The food is good (as far as airline offerings go).
Economy leg room is the same wherever you go - cramped (but then I am 6'6") - last time we paid for exit row seats = :sohappy:
Our only complaint with VA has been over the exit row seats - when we flew out there was no problem with our 14yr old sitting in an exit row seat (with two adults) - yet on the way back this was against CAA regulations :hammer:
Verdict - I would fly with them again despite the problems the above caused
The food is good (as far as airline offerings go).
Economy leg room is the same wherever you go - cramped (but then I am 6'6") - last time we paid for exit row seats = :sohappy:
Our only complaint with VA has been over the exit row seats - when we flew out there was no problem with our 14yr old sitting in an exit row seat (with two adults) - yet on the way back this was against CAA regulations :hammer:
Verdict - I would fly with them again despite the problems the above caused
We have flown with Virgin from Manchester to Orlando and back again twice and from Heathrow to LA once and all times the service has been excellent and I would not hesitate to recommend.
The economy legroom is ok (I really don't enjoy being cooped up for all those hours). A tip on that is try and book the seats at the back which are in two's (only five or so rows on each side of the planes) - it is nice because it's just you and your flying companion and you do get a bit more room between the seat and the 'wall'. Another tip is try and get seats one in front of the exit row - this means you can stand up, stretch etc and not miss any film as you can keep your headphones plugged in!!!!
The films shown on board are always bang up to date (I watched one going out in October that was still on in the pictures when we arrived back mid November) and there is certainly plenty of choice. On the return flight this time we didn't have any games to play but didn't bother us that much. When we flew to LA (Apr 05) we went on a new plane that had the on demand entertainment system (you play, pause, rewind etc your own entertainment as you want it so no more queuing at the loo at the end of the films!) I suspect maybe these planes are not used on the Manchester-Orlando route though.
This year we checked in on line for the first time at exactly 24hr before - it was so easy and convenient. At bag drop of the morning of the flight there were more people in the bag drop queue than the regular check-in queue though! Will definately use that service again.
Also join the flying club and claim your airmiles - we have just joined after not previously bothering and for the return flight we have just done we have enough miles to be able to fly premium economy on the return flight next time and it is only costing £456.00 - an economy both way flight to buy for the dates we go on is £468.00!!!! Work that one out if you can.
We did have a problem the first time we flew VA - on the return flight there was a problem with the navigation system and after sitting on the tarmac for a couple of hours (with no air-con) we were told that would be a 24 hour delay while a part was flown in. However, we were put up overnight in the hotel at the airport, given food vouchers and plenty of phone cards to call home. The only thing was that we couldn't have our luggage back but this was only a minor (if a little whiffy!) inconvenience. Some people were really kicking off at the ground staff but we really didn't see the point in that - I'd have rather been on the ground when there was a problem and not in the air! When we boarded the flight the next day we were given vouchers for 50% off our next flight as compensation and we were able to claim a 'delay payment' from our holiday insurance (only £30 each but we were happy with that). Although it was not a great experience and we had to miss our first day back at work (we didn't then land until the Monday morning) we feel that Virgin handled the situation very well and their customer service in that instance, for us, was excellent.
VA will always be our first choice to fly to Orlando with.
The economy legroom is ok (I really don't enjoy being cooped up for all those hours). A tip on that is try and book the seats at the back which are in two's (only five or so rows on each side of the planes) - it is nice because it's just you and your flying companion and you do get a bit more room between the seat and the 'wall'. Another tip is try and get seats one in front of the exit row - this means you can stand up, stretch etc and not miss any film as you can keep your headphones plugged in!!!!
The films shown on board are always bang up to date (I watched one going out in October that was still on in the pictures when we arrived back mid November) and there is certainly plenty of choice. On the return flight this time we didn't have any games to play but didn't bother us that much. When we flew to LA (Apr 05) we went on a new plane that had the on demand entertainment system (you play, pause, rewind etc your own entertainment as you want it so no more queuing at the loo at the end of the films!) I suspect maybe these planes are not used on the Manchester-Orlando route though.
This year we checked in on line for the first time at exactly 24hr before - it was so easy and convenient. At bag drop of the morning of the flight there were more people in the bag drop queue than the regular check-in queue though! Will definately use that service again.
Also join the flying club and claim your airmiles - we have just joined after not previously bothering and for the return flight we have just done we have enough miles to be able to fly premium economy on the return flight next time and it is only costing £456.00 - an economy both way flight to buy for the dates we go on is £468.00!!!! Work that one out if you can.
We did have a problem the first time we flew VA - on the return flight there was a problem with the navigation system and after sitting on the tarmac for a couple of hours (with no air-con) we were told that would be a 24 hour delay while a part was flown in. However, we were put up overnight in the hotel at the airport, given food vouchers and plenty of phone cards to call home. The only thing was that we couldn't have our luggage back but this was only a minor (if a little whiffy!) inconvenience. Some people were really kicking off at the ground staff but we really didn't see the point in that - I'd have rather been on the ground when there was a problem and not in the air! When we boarded the flight the next day we were given vouchers for 50% off our next flight as compensation and we were able to claim a 'delay payment' from our holiday insurance (only £30 each but we were happy with that). Although it was not a great experience and we had to miss our first day back at work (we didn't then land until the Monday morning) we feel that Virgin handled the situation very well and their customer service in that instance, for us, was excellent.
VA will always be our first choice to fly to Orlando with.
Welsh Tink
New Member
We have flown VA many times over the last 10 years, and to different locations. The only time we experienced any problems was due to our flight being delayed for 24 hours. The situation was very similar to that described by UKHelen, only differences being we were met at Downtown Disney at the early check-in, informed that we were booked into the Hyatt at MCO where a buffet would be available for us at a certain time.We also had a hot buffet laid on for breakfast the next morning, and were given food vouchers for lunch. Unlike UKHelen, we still had our luggage , so people could use the hotel pool. We were also given 50% off our next VA flight.
Amazingly, after all this treatment, people were still complaining about not being able to get home, and tried to get a petition signed in order to complain to VA.Some people were so rude to the hotel desk staff, police were called , and remained there while we checked in the next morning. Unbelievable. We felt that VA had done all they could great job of dealing with a huge group of people, but there were still some that thought they should have been entitled to even more.It made us feel embarrassed to be on the same plane as them.
Amazingly, after all this treatment, people were still complaining about not being able to get home, and tried to get a petition signed in order to complain to VA.Some people were so rude to the hotel desk staff, police were called , and remained there while we checked in the next morning. Unbelievable. We felt that VA had done all they could great job of dealing with a huge group of people, but there were still some that thought they should have been entitled to even more.It made us feel embarrassed to be on the same plane as them.
Sorry Dylszero can't help you with that one! www.virgin-atlantic.com is a good website but I've never really looked for that information.
I suspect they are not on the shorter (!!!) UK to Florida flights though - if I remember correctly the UK to LA flight is around 11 hours.
Welsh Tink - there's just no pleasing some people is there!
I suspect they are not on the shorter (!!!) UK to Florida flights though - if I remember correctly the UK to LA flight is around 11 hours.
Welsh Tink - there's just no pleasing some people is there!