Virgin Atlantic has been busy bringing its range of newer and more modern Aircraft online and steadily replacing its older aircraft in the fleet. These new Panes all come with the new-style upper-class cabin and are replacing the older herringbone design. This design was never much loved by Virgin’s Upper-Class Travellers, and in the face of the more modern designs from Virign’s competitors and even its own aircraft the layout on the 787 has never looked more outdated than it does now.
While Virgin has retired its 747s, and the A330-200s and is in the process of replacing the A330-300 there are definitely no plans to replace the 787 Dreamliners of the fleet, and no public plans to retrof0t them to the new Upper-Class layout, so while the old-style herringbone is less common, you still may well end up with this layout when purchasing Upper-Class Seats. So we thought it prudent to take a look at the old-style layout for you as it’s likely to be around for some time. So we decided to use up some of our Flying Club Points to upgrade to Upper-Class so we could bring you our Virgin Atlantic 787 Dreamliner Upper-Class Review!
London Heathrow – San Francisco – B787-9 Penny Lane
For this test, we were flying From London Heathrow to San Francisco as part of an EPIC road trip across California. You can read all about that here. We Booked a return flight in Premium but then used Piunts to upgrade to Upper-Class.
Virgin Upper-Class
The Upper-Class Product is about WAY more than just the Cabin, the journey starts as you arrive at Heathrow via the Upper-Class Wing, a private entrance JUST for Upper Class. There is a separate Upperclass Chack-in for you and up to 3 32kg Suitcases, and then you waltz directly through Security with your own Upper-Class Lane. Then it’s straight to the Virgin Clubhouse (Or alternative Lounge if the Departure Airport lacks a Lounge) before fast-track boarding and sublime service aboard the aircraft including endless high-end drinks, 3-course meals, and on-demand snacks.
Combine this with a fantastic Layfalt seat, social spaces, and some of the most modern aircraft in the skies. It’s an amazing product. You can read our Full in-depth Review of the entire experience here when we flew on the A350 to LAX and Back.
But the problem is the 787 Dreamliner and its upper-class cabin are not quite as fancy and modern as the Newer cabin but there is no difference in price or marketing between the newer product and the Aging 787 Dreamliner.
Aging???
Seriously, it pains us to write this. We remember fondly the fanfare and prestige when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner first took to the skies. It was only in 2014 when Virgin first took delivery of their Dreamliners and we all dreamed of the future of air travel with Composite Hulls, giant windows, and lower altitude compression (a BIG deal if you are prone to feeling tired on Airplanes). The Dreamliner was the future…and now we are calling it Aging!!! Where does the time go?
Let’s be clear here the 787 Drealiner is NOT aging, not yet, it’s no longer the most modern Aircraft, being superseded by the A350 and an A330 Neo, but it’s still cutting-edge tech and the most modern Long-range Jet that Boing makes (the B777x is imminent). It’s still our favorite plane to fly and still feels modern and futuristic. What is Aging is the Upper-Class Cabin.
These are our favorite reviews to write, mainly as it means we have just experienced the Cabin in question and when you get to fly first/upper/business class on any airline it’s always an amazing treat. So we were really excited to once again get aboard a Virgin Aircraft in their Upper-Class cabin, however…we were a little apprehensive about the Cabin Layout after experiencing the New Virgin Upper-Class Cabin aboard the A350.
Nevermore is there a First World Problem than worrying about the layout and design of an Upper-Class Cabin, Reallt we are insanely fortunate to get to experience any form of flying let alone upper-class, but when you have spent a large sum of money you do want the best, and we had some serious concerns about how the Cabin Stacks up against the Newer designs.
When the Cabin was first introduced, we were pretty impressed with it. It was a novel attempt to squeeze quite a few people into a small space while still giving them the kind of space and experience you would expect in a cabin of this class. But as time has passed, the cabin has quickly dated and now feels like a much inferior product compared to the newer Cabins
A350 Upper-Class Cabin
The A350-1000 was the first Plane to get the new-style upper-class cabin, and it’s a pretty awesome thing to behold. A fully Layflat seat in your own little “pod” with a ton of privacy and really nice social spaces, it’s a really exciting way to travel.
A330-Neo Upper-Class Cabin.
The Absolute latest aircraft and most up-to-date flight Cabin. From Economy right through to Upper this plane looks amazing. We need to wait to get a full look at it as we are not due to fly on one until October, but we will be sure to bring you a full review. However, Privacy goes up even more with fully closable doors and your own private little space.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner Cabin
The Dreamliner is very different. The Herringbone design offers very little privacy. Each pod is separated from each other by a thin partition and the center row and right-hand row face each other. There is very little space inside your cubicle and the whole experience feels pretty basic. and there is an awful lot of other people’s feet going on!
A330 Upper-Class Cabin
The A330 is very similar to the 787 with the only exceptions being worse than the Dreamliner. Overall you are very unlucky if you are flying this aircraft as they are being phased out and should soon be relegated to history.
Comparison
As you can see the experience varies quite drastically, and this is compounded by Virgin’s marketing of the Upper Class experience. There is no CLEAR distinction of what Cabin you are purchasing. You could quite easily think you are paying for the new style but actually end up with the old style which feels far inferior. The only way to tell is to notice which plane you are actually booking and know what that means. If you pay attention, you will notice you are on a 787, but you would not automatically know that means you are getting the older cabin. It should become clear when choosing your seats, but even then you may be completely unaware of the different Cabin styles.
What is more, even if you are on top of all this, you know what Plane has what layout, you are careful in your selection and you pick out the perfect seats in the perfect new-style Cabin, there is NO guarantee Virgin will not switch out the plane on you! This does happen…A lot. It happened to us just last month when they swapped out the A330 Neo for the A350, meaning we had to re-organize our entire trip as the whole point was to fly on the Neo.
Essentially Virgin considers ALL cabins to be the same Upper-Class product, and if you book Upper-Class you get whatever Plane Virgin provides. It’s a bit naughty, And we hope there are some near-future plans to retrofit the 787 Dreamliner to the New Style Cabin, nothing has been announced but it would make sense and streamline the whole Product.
However, the main purpose of this review is to let you know what the experience is REALLY like if for one reason or another you find yourself on the 787 (and for the time being the A330-300) and are worried about how the experience will actually be. We know after paying so much cash, people get really anxious and worried that their experience will not be everything they dreamed of. First World Problem maybe, but a problem nonetheless.
Virgin Atlantic Upper-Class Experience
The first thing to remember is the only difference between the Cabins is the Cabin itself. So much of the upper-class experience comes from the overall product, not the seat you are sitting in. From the moment you enter the Airport, the Upper-Class Lounges, The amazing food, drinks, and service, and all the extra little perks. It’s an amazing experience and one we absolutely adore.
if you want to understand the FULL Virgin experience we have a detailed review from Airport to Destination here. This is aboard the A350, but as we said, the only difference will be the physical cabin, everything else is the same, before finally getting into what the 787 Cabin is like to fly in, let us just say, our concerns were largely unjustified and we had an AMAZING flight.
Is it as good as the newer styles Cabins, no, But it’s still a fantastic experience.
Boarding
After experiencing the delights of the Virgin Clubhouse and the Upper-Class Terminal we made our way to the Aircraft and walked straight on via the Priority boarding. The first impression of the Cabin is a good one as you pass the Upper-Class Bar. We can’t tell you the number of times we passed that bar when going the other way back to Economy or Premium and wished we were heading into Upper, so it’s nice to be going in the correct direction this time.
The Upper-Class Cabin
The Cabin is laid out in Three-Rows. Rows G (Center) and K (right-hand side of the Aircraft) face each other. Row A (Left-hand Side of the Aircraft) Faces the Back of Row G and offers the most privacy as you are looking at the back of the middle row rather than staring dreamily into a stranger’s eyes!
The Angle of the seat means when you are seated, you can’t actually see anyone’s face directly, assuming they are seated too but you can always see parts of other people, most notably their feet, and they can see you too. It’s a clever layout in so far as it packs a large number of passengers into a pretty small space, but that helps more with Airline Profit rather than Pasnager comfort.
Bar
At the very back of the Cabin there is the Social Space. On the 787 this is in the form of a Bar. We really love the idea of a in-flight bar, but the reality is, the bar is a bar in appearance only. There is no Bar Staff or drinks selection, just a bar Table and Seating. There was always an open bottle of Champagne to help yourself along with snacks and some soft drinks, and of course, you could just ask any passing Cabin Crew t get you a drink. But it’s more of a quirky space that acts as a change of scene from your seat.
We still think this is our favorite out of Virgin’s Social spaces, but not quite as far ahead as we thought. It’s really cool, but just not quite as cool as the phrase “there is a bar on the Plane” initially sounds.
And let’s be honest, you don’t really need a Bar when you have a Cabin Crew waiting on you hand and foot!
The Upper-Class Seat
The Seat is our least favorite Upper-Class seat we have flown on. But that is like choosing your least favorite Ice Cream, a bad one is still good!
The seat itself is ok. It’s a large leather seat that moves around electronically. There are only limited adjustments and some of our buttons did nothing, which leads us to believe there was a fault and the chairs should adjust more. Upright was nice and comfy and relaxed for eating, and then at the push of a button, you slide down into the reclined position. There is a neat little footstool to rest your feet on, which doubles as a chair so you can sit down with your travel companions for a chat.
For couples and those traveling together, the layout is not ideal. The Seat separators are quite low, so when your seat is upright, you can lean over and chat. But it’s not so effortless you can have a relaxed conversation. It’s more passing comments rather than conversing. This limited intimacy also means when upright, you can see random strangers too and the whole cabin lacks privacy really. Even those on the left side, can still see and be seen by the other passengers. It’s better than being in economy, but we have become accustomed to a little more privacy in Upper-Class.
The recline solves most of these privacy issues and when in the fully reclined position you are sunken down and largely away from the gaze of your fellow passengers. You will still likely have some feet in view, especially if your neighbor is tall, but that’s better than the loving gaze of a total stranger.
There is only limited space in the Pod. There is a small flat space near the window handy for storage of small items and a large magazine rack space to your side, but that is about it. There is a little drinks table that flips down, under the reading light and the main table flips out and folds out in front of you. The IFE Screen folds away into the side and can be used with both the table folded away and with it in place, handy if you want to carry on watching your film while dining.
For those with window seats there is quite a good view out of your window. The 787 has the largest windows of any airliner. Due to the direction the seat faces you have to turn quite a lot to look out but the seat allows for this quite well and you could get a full view of the take-off and landing while still belted in, and when in cruise you could easily rotate and get a good view out the window. The windows are also electrostatically controlled, meaning there is a button to adjust the transparency of the window. This is great for those of us who like to keep an eye on where we are, but also want to reduce the glare an open window produces, as you can have a partial tint that lets you see anything interesting outside but helps dim the light.
Sleeping – Lay Flat Bed
Finally, the seat does not Automatically convert into a Lie-Flat bed, like the never seats, instead, you need to get up and flip the Seat over. Relax though, this is not Manually achieved, it’s still an electronically driven procedure, you just have to actually get up to do it.
This has some good and bad points. First the bad, it’s really nice to watch the end of a film, sipping the last of your after-dinner drink, slowly nodding off, then hit the full recline button and slip into a deep sleep…
Sorry, Nodded off there…anyway, This is not possible on the 787 and you have to make a pre-determined decision to switch into sleep mode. It’s not the end of the world but it’s not as perfect as the newer seats.
However, on the flip side, seats that are designed for sitting are not inherently as comfortable as a bed. Just lying a seat down flat is not as comfortable as a properly flat surface. The lumps and bumps that support you when seated do not work so well when lying down. We actually find the Newer seats not that well designed for sleeping. They are fine for a quick nap, but longer snoozes are less ideal. There were limited positions that felt comfortable and overall we had a pretty restless sleep.
By flipping over and creating a real bed, the 787 seats are better for longer sleep. Sure the space is pretty narrow, but for sleeping on your side, either way, they work great. Once fully flat, and with added mattress topper they were really comfy for a long sloop and offered lots of legroom for taller travelers.
We hear a lot of negativity about this design, but it is nowhere near as bad as people make out. We found a really comfy and secluded space to draft away for however long you wanted. We actually find the space larger somehow than the new designs as your lower legs and feet are not crammed into a foot box, something that can be quite uncomfortable, especially for taller people.
Overall the Cabin, Seat, and Pod lack the kind of sparkle the newer seat designs provide. In the newer layouts of the A350 and A330Neo, you really feel you are getting something very special. The 787 has some real drawbacks and you just feel these stand out more now the newer cabins are in operation…It didn’t feel so bad when ALL virgin flights were like this.
The Upper-Class Service
That is the end of any negativity, as we said before the OVerall Vrigin experience is far more than just your seat, and from here on we take a quick look at the wonderful service we received. The Upper-Class Crew are amazing and they really took care of us on this flight.
Drinks
Moments after arriving in our seat we received our Welcome drink. Champagne, Juice or a Coctial. As we settled in waiting for the Push-Back the Crew, after taking care of the technical jobs they needed to complete, came and took Lunch Orders and In-Cruise Drinks.
Once in the air our first drink arrived in moments and from then on nothing was too much trouble. Wine came with lunch and it was a great selection with some nice varied options of each colour. We loved the California Pinot Noir as we were actually heading to California and Napa Valley, and we were offered at least 3 top-ups during the 3-course meal.
After Lunch, we were offered drinks at regular intervals and every time we went near the bar A cabin crew member would enquire about our drink needs, and as we mentioned there was always Fizz available.
The Drinks Menu was pretty much as we have come to expect from an Upper-Class Service and offered a great selection of beers, including Brewdog, my current favorite brand, and Mid-Upper Range branded spirits such as Grey Goose, Bombay Saohaiere, Woodford Reserve, Bicardi Premium and a really good Single Malt from Aberfeldy.
There are also a few cocktails on offer, but these were not the best as the Crew are pretty limited in their ingredients, so we find it best to stick to a Spirit and Mixer. And of course, there is the free-flowing wine list that includes the very popular Whispering Angel Rose, for a limited time at least.
It’s fair to say those of us that like to pass our time aboard a flight with a few drinks will be very pleased with the offering. We certainly were!
Dining
Food is also a real cut above the usual Airline fair. The menu depends slightly on the timing of the flight, but the main meal is usually a 3-course affair with Afternoon Tea and snack options later, or breakfast if you are flying overnight.
The main meal, be it dinner or lunch, is served on real plates with silver cutlery and is always individually plated.
For Starter we had a fantastic Salmon Gravalax Dish, We try to order differently to get the best spread of opinion but we both just fancied the Salmon. This came with a warm bread roll and butter, which is served to all, and tasty pumpernickel bread to go with the hearty portion of beautiful Salmon. The other option was a Goats cheese Salad.
For Main, there was three option, Chicken, Fish, or Veggie.
The chicken was a Whole Breast served with Mustard Sauce, Rice, and Grains. While the Fish was a fancy deconstructed Fish and Chips. The Chicken breast was really plump and juicy while the Cod was pretty spectacular, and flaked off into huge chunks with a really mild curry sauce with hints of the chip shop. We didn’t risk the Halumi Poke Bowl as we kind of consider Poke that is not Ahi to be a crime!
For Dessert, there was the safe option of the Apricot and Almond Cake and the More Risque Pimms-OClock Pudding. Honestly, I wish I had gone safe like Kate as the Pimms Pudding was pretty horrid, tasting overly of Cucumber it was not a pleasant taste at all. But this was concept not execution, it looked great and was technically fine, just not to my taste…and I am not sure whose taste it would be, it was better in theory than reality.
Overall it was a really good meal. You are never getting Michelin Star food on a plane, but the Upper-Class Dining on Virgin is always a treat. It was quite a foody menu though and we do worry what less adventurous diners would make of it. Of course, they can get you anything you like off the Snack menu instead and we have even heard of people asking if they could have a premium meal instead.
We also requested a Cheese Board. The menu suggests this is served as well as dessert, but when it comes to it they seem to say it’s either or, but they are always accommodating, and as there were Cheese Plates left they were happy to let s have one, along with a nice glass of port.
After dinner, there was quite a long pause until more food arrived. The flight was a whopping 11 hours and we had finished lunch around 3 hours in, so they needed to leave a decent time between services or there would be too large a gap before landing.
The second meal was Afternoon Teas and we had a choice of the Snack Menu, Chicken Slider, Cheese Sandwich, Indian Platter, or Mile-High Cream Tea. The Slider was pretty huge and the cream tea was fantastic. Again, they suggest the snack menu is anytime, but it’s preferred if you order around the same time as they do the service.
On top of all this there was a Sanck Selection available at the Bar, and remember we had already had food in the Clubhouse so there was certainly no shortage of food, and at no point did we approach a state close to hungry!
In-Flight Entertainment
The IFE is a bit of a letdown. The 787 system felt so new only a few years back but now feels clunky and old. The screens in the Newer cabins are so clear, responsive to touch, and nearly twice the size of the 787 Upper-Class Cabins. They are not bad screens, but they feel like they have dated really quickly.
We are also experiencing a real roller coaster with the Vera Content. Vera is Virgin’s IFE System and it used to be one of our favourites. We would get back from our trips a little annoyed that we had not had time to watch enough of the content, and now were are struggling to find things to watch! This seems to Ebb and Flow slightly as new movies come and go, but it is the limited back catalog that feels pretty small with around 110-120, which is obviously a lot, but not that much compared to the huge on-demand libraries we are used too nowadays and still feels small compared to the Pre-Pandemic days.
The Route Map has also dated badly, only a few years back this was one of our favorite parts of the IFE, but now it feels clunky and limited, the A350 and A330Neo maps just have so many more functions including Cameras and Picture in Picture, it just feels slicker and more modern. Amazing how fast tech ages!
Arrival
The worst part of Virgin’s Upper-Class experience is arrival. Upper-Class passengers are first off the plane, which is great but then you are instantly transported from the world of zero Queues and Sublime Service into being treated like cattle in a cramped and chaotic Arrivals hall when people in uniforms bark orders at you.
Our arrival at San Francisco was particularly bad, as while we were in front of the Queue off our plane, we landed directly behind a huge and very full A380, meaning the arrival hall was packed. This plane was also from a country with very low levels of English speakers and no ESTA program, meaning every traveler required complex interactions with the Immigration officers and the queue moved Glacialally!
Honestly, this is just one of the “joys” of travel, but it always feels odd to be treated so luxuriously the entire flight and then just to be flung back into the mix with the rabble. There really should be some kind of VIP lane in airports to help the lucky few navigate this part of the journey easier.
This is of course not a Virgin issue and All Airlines no matter their origin and status dump their First, Upper, and Business Class passengers out into the Mayhem. We are just unsure why, as there are VIP lanes all over Airports, why immigration is the exception. That’s life, but we just wanted to mention the jarringness of this transition.
Overall impressions
Overall, the experience with Virgin was as good as ever. These are one of our favorite airlines and the Upper-Class product is one of the best. It’s not as fancy as some of the legacy airlines, but it’s quite relaxed and un-stuffy, more fun.
The food was excellent, and the service is second to none as we were plied with drinks and anything our hearts desired for the whole flight.
There is no doubt the Seat and Cabin layout is far inferior to the Newer-Style cabin. There is no real price difference between the products and it can be disappointing to learn you are in one of the older style cabins if you didn’t realise when booking.
But do not fret too much. Most of the elements that make Virgin Atlantic Upper-Class experience so special are in place. If you didn’t know the other Cabins existed you would not care in the slightest. The lack of privacy is not so intrusive you really notice most of the time (we are looking for these things) and the seat is really comfy and roomy despite not really looking so. On an 11-hour flight, our bums and backs were absolutely fine, whereas some seats can leave us in crippling pain! And getting an In-Flight Selfie at the Mile High Bar is always going to make those back at home jealous!
The good part of the flight is what really shines through, every time you start to notice the seat next doos feet, hit the call button, and order another drink, you will soon forget. If you start to feel cramped, pop your head behind the curtain and remind yourself just how good you have got it! And if it’s all too much, ask a Crew member to convert your seat into a bed and drift off until you get there.
Believe us, once in the Immigration queue you will wish you were back on the Plane!
Have Your Say
Have you traveled on Virgin Atlantics 787 in Upper Class? What did you make of the service, the Cabin, and the Seat? Let us know your experience. And if you are planning to or are booked to travel in the 787 Upper-Class cabin for the first time and have any questions let us know in the comments and we will do our best to answer them