Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Review: A Fun and Honest Look at Flying in Style on the A350
- Helena
- May 24
- 13 min read
Updated: Oct 14
Because apparently I haven’t already travelled enough this year, I decided to treat myself to a solo trip to the Big Apple - New York City!
My last visit was back in 2018 on a whirlwind 24-hour work trip, so this time, I’m doing things differently, and not rushing it with two and a half days to explore and eat my way around Manhattan.
This journey begins with Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class on the Airbus A350-1000, flying from London Heathrow. Even better? It was a points redemption flight - booked using 35,000 points and £497.52 for a one-way ticket in Upper. A true treat.
The £497.52 is purely taxes and fees, the breakdown of which I have screenshot and popped below. A rather depressing fun fact, the UK has the highest Air Passenger Duty in the world.
The Journey Begins – Getting to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class at Heathrow
The trip kicked off glamorously - train to Woking, followed by an Uber to the exclusive Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing at Heathrow. British Airways and Uber have partnered up so that you can earn 1 Avios per £1 spent when you link your accounts. So my Uber earned me 40 Avios points (not a lot but every little helps, that's the points game), and thanks to a cooperative M25, the ride was smooth and easy.
At the Upper Class Wing entrance, there's a call system requesting your name, flight number, and booking reference. But in reality, my lovely driver Luigi was simply asked if I was flying Upper Class or American Airlines. That was it - easy!
Up the ramp and into the turning circle we went. I was greeted by two Virgin Atlantic staff members who whisked me inside before I could even snap a photo. Check-in was seamless-
within two minutes, I was through and being escorted to the private security gate. A quick scan of my boarding pass and off I went to security.
Security Experience – Just Like the First Wing at BA
Virgin Atlantic’s private Upper Class security at Heathrow was a breeze. No need to empty bags- just remove your jacket and belt. I kept my watch on, and everything else zipped through.
There was a quick shoe check (thanks, Alexander McQueen trainers), but otherwise, my suitcase and bags were cleared quickly. An absolute delight!
Finding the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse
One big difference compared to British Airways First Wing is that after security you are reintegrated back into the main terminal, meaning you have to navigate the maze that is duty-free, I followed the clearly labelled signs to Lounge H - home of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. For reference, find the Chanel store and turn left. There are stairs or two plush, leather-seated lifts (very on brand for Upper Class).
There was a short queue at the entrance, but I was in within five minutes. I’ve be done a separate Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse review - you can find that here! And below is the only sneak peak of the experience I will give you!
I spent a pleasant hour and a half relaxing in the lounge before heading to the gate via Boots (pro tip: click and collect to avoid the carry-on liquid hassle - and airport pricing!).
Boarding Virgin Atlantic Upper Class on the A350
Boarding began exactly one hour before departure from Gate 32, which meant a decent walk through the terminal. Upon arrival, the crew were incredibly welcoming. I hold Silver status with Virgin Atlantic; one of the oddities of having status means the purser often greets you personally - something I’m still getting used to. This flight was no exception, and I responded with my usual awkward “thank you” and a blushing smile.
I found my seat and began the usual unpacking ritual, managing to lift my suitcase into the overhead bin all by myself (go gym progress!).
Welcome drinks were brought round of water, apple juice, orange juice or Champagne... I wonder which one I went for...
On Board Delay and Crew Excellence
We were scheduled to push back at 16:50, but congestion delayed things. At 16:57, an unexpected announcement informed us the jet bridge was being reattached due to a medical issue in Premium Economy. The captain later explained that a passenger was unwell and needed assistance.
Then we didn’t hear anything until 17:21 when we were told that they needed cleaners onboard and asked Premium Economy to stay seated so the crew could help out the unwell passenger and get it all cleaned up, whatever that means.
17:27 rolls around and it’s confirmed the passenger is leaving the aircraft. But also that there are two unclaimed bags in Economy and to ask whoever owns them to make themselves known to crew or they will be offloaded. They then re-secured the cabin at 17:33 and we were pushing back at 17:45. 18:09 saw us at the end of the runway and 18:10 we were finally, taking off.
I have to say the crew and the Captain were amazing throughout all of this, keeping us informed on what was going on and always confirming when they would next do an announcement with more information. I cannot fault the stellar crew on the handling of the situation
Side note: I found out once landed and queuing for Homeland Security from two lovely guys that a lady in Premium Economy had not been feeling well and then projectile vomited on to the seats in front of her. The crew and cleaning staff had to do a thorough clean of the seats, and she was escorted off the plane to receive medical care in the UK as it would have been too risky to have flown with her.
There was also an announcement prior to the incident asking us to "kindly refrain from taking photos or videos during this flight." This does happen occasionally on flights, and all photos taken by myself include no fellow passengers, which was quite challenging and even I will admit that the photos taken are not my best. We are always conscious of other passengers privacy when documenting our flights, especially children, and try to make sure we don't photo fellow flyers. On this flight I had a lovely little gentleman under the age of four close to my seat so cabin photos were not possible on this flight, and the Virgin Atlantic press images don't include full cabin photos, so I have popped a seat map down below instead!
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Seat Review (Seat 9A)
Let’s talk about the seat - a critical part of any Virgin Atlantic Upper Class review. I was in 9A, near the communal seating area (though unused).
Here’s a Pros and Cons breakdown:
Pros:
The new Virgin Atlantic Upper Class cabin, featured on their A350 aircraft, is a significant upgrade from the older layout - most notably, there are no more “toast rack” seats. Instead, passengers are treated to a sleek and modern design that offers more privacy, space, and comfort.
One of the standout features of the seat is the excellent legroom. There’s ample space to stretch out, even for taller passengers, making it a genuinely comfortable experience whether you're sitting upright or fully reclined.
And yes, the seat does go completely flat, transforming into a bed that’s well-padded and supportive enough for proper rest.
The adjustable armrest by the door is a thoughtful touch as well, providing extra flexibility in how you relax or sleep.
At the seat, there are two windows, which is ideal for anyone who enjoys those iconic take-off shots or watching the world go by, especially during descent—we had a particularly nice view flying over Long Island on arrival.
For added privacy, each seat comes with a door … well a privacy panel. It doesn’t fully close across the aisle access but slides to the end of the armrest to create a semi-enclosed pod.
The tray table design deserves a mention, too. It’s not immediately intuitive—it took me a good two hours to figure it out - but once unlocked, it folds down, slides, and even rotates to allow for flexible dining or working arrangements. It's a clever design that maximises space and functionality.
Lastly, in-seat power is solid, with a USB port and a universal port available. I plugged in my phone at 21% battery shortly after boarding and it charged to 100% in under an hour. For anyone who relies on devices mid-flight - whether for work, entertainment, or just keeping in touch - that kind of power speed is a real win.
Cons:
Despite the many perks of Virgin Atlantic’s newer Upper Class cabin, there are some frustrating flaws that slightly take the shine off the experience.
Storage is pretty poor. There’s a single “literature only” pocket which, let’s be honest, immediately became home to my laptop and iPad because there was nowhere else to put them. Everything else I needed had to be awkwardly wedged behind pillows in the footwell.
Two small shelves to the left of the seat seem promising—until you remember nothing can be stored there during taxi, take-off, landing, or any turbulence, unless you fancy your stuff flying across the cabin. And yes, I totally know I could utilise less "stuff" in a flight but I hate having to get my case down during a flight. It's hard enough to get the thing up and down when I get on and off, let along mid flight.
For a new aircraft, the seat controls were surprisingly worn and the seat itself was already showing signs of age. It was still firm and comfortable, but the appearance didn’t exactly scream “fresh out the factory.” Also, some of the seat’s nooks and crannies were noticeably dirty, like they’d been missed in more than a few cleanings, which isn’t great for a premium cabin.
Then there’s the seatbelt situation. Virgin uses a car-style three-point belt, which can be detached at the shoulder for comfort. Sounds smart in theory, but when you lie flat, your head ends up resting right where the bulky buckle sits. Not ideal when you're trying to sleep.
Oh, and if you’re trying to plug in your headphones, bring a torch—or a child. The port is tucked under those aforementioned shelves, nearly invisible unless you’re at knee height or possess X-ray vision. It took me ten minutes to find it, and I’m still not convinced I wasn’t being a total idiot on this matter.
These details may seem minor on their own, but they add up and can definitely impact an otherwise premium experience.
In-Flight Entertainment (IFE): Vera
The screen is impressive. It’s large, sharp, and highly responsive with excellent brightness and contrast. Whether you're binging a series or just flicking through the map view, it’s a pleasure to use and adds to the overall premium feel of the cabin.
Despite the screen working fine for the safety video, Vera (the name of their IFE) just went blank. Somewhere over Wales I realised the screen really wasn’t working.
Three conversations with crew and 20 minutes later, Vera was finally back on. I wasn’t the only one with an issue, seat 5D also had the same issue. The crew were good around this, however it did take a while and being told “oh it’s a new aircraft so it’s definitely fine and will turn back on” did a feel a tad patronising.
The onboard entertainment is somewhat limited compared to the likes of Qatar and Emirates. However I am not sure if this is necessarily fair to compare. Virgin Atlantic is what I would describe as bijou. Smaller, classy and special. What content was on there was good, and their TV line up I always find stellar. Yellowstone Season 5 was on there but as I am making my way through Season 3 at the moment, I didn’t watch any of this.
Food and Drink in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
I had pre-ordered vegan meals due to lactose intolerance (find out how to do this with our article here), and while I had high hopes (past experiences were great), this flight didn’t deliver. Although the standard menu looked rather good.
First up, my drink selection once we were in the air was the Hambledon Classic Cuvee, an English Sparkling Wine I love. However, when it was brought to me and I sipped it I knew immediately I had been given Champagne and not my drink of choice. When I asked later for a top up they confirmed they didn’t have any and so I was poured Laurent Perrier. Not a bad alternative, but not what I wanted. This came out at 18:37, so 25ish minutes in, with some crisps which tasted like a spicy Prawn Cocktail which was quite nice.
One slightly bemusing occurrence was a crew member opening a bottle of Champagne right next to my seat rather than in the galley. Not quite sure what their thought process for this was … you know where this is going right? Despite a soft sigh of an opening, it squirted everywhere, all over my tray table and the back of the seat in front of me. The cabin crew was mortified (especially as we had been joking around the challenges of opening Champagne at altitude), and quickly started clearing up the mess. I also felt mortified for him so grabbed napkins and dug in to wipe up the mess. I don’t like anyone to feel embarrassed so I wanted to help to make them feel a little less mortified.
So, the food...
Oh Virgin Atlantic. Hear me when I say that no one, I repeat, no one, wants double tofu for their dinner. And if they do, then they at least want two amazing tofu dishes.
Dinner:
Starter (19:20): A tofu salad with radish, carrots, rice and pea shoots. The tofu was bland, the rice was also bland and the salad was …. Fresh but, bland. A little disappointing. But surely it can only go up from here.
Main (19:42): More tofu. This time there were two slices, and noodles, in a soy sauce sauce. Literally just soy sauce. The tofu had more flavour, thanks to soaking up the soy sauce. The noodles were somehow both cooked and raw at the same time. Some were fine, some were so hard that they tasted straight out of the packet. This was really quite a disappointing dish.
Dessert (20:12): A passion fruit sort of thing, where thee passion fruit top had slid off. It came with a lovely vegan cream too. Finally, FINALLY, a vegan dessert on a plane that was delicious. The consistency was beautiful and the flavours were divine. Honestly, well done Virgin Atlantic. But maybe have a look and focus on starters and mains next.
I also stole the little salt and pepper mills as they have "stolen from Virgin Atlantic" printed on the bottom.
Afternoon Tea:
Before landing we were served Afternoon Tea. Well, everyone else in the cabin was served afternoon tea. I was served a monstrosity of a Mediterranean wrap which was dry and stale, and literally like swallowing cardboard. It sucked all of the moisture out of your already dry mouth because you’re on a plane. I was also given a Trek Protein Bar which was vegan. The crew were really good and had checked the bar which stated it may contain milk, they then checked with me that was ok which was extremely thoughtful.
To compare, this is the standard menu that was on offer:
I’m not going to edit this next paragraph and I am just going to type out what I wrote on my phone the plane as I think it perfectly conveys my feelings.
To say I was disappointed with the food on this flight is an understatement. It isn’t hard to do good vegan food. Emirates and Qatar have taught me that, and whilst I appreciate they have a much bigger operation going on, it doesn’t excuse Virgin’s failure here. This was genuinely the most disappointing in-flight food I've had in a long time, and if Virgin thinks it’s ok to serve their paying customers this, regardless of if it’s points or pounds, then Virgin Atlantic needs to have a serious food review because what I was served was dreadful. In the unlikely event that someone at Virgin read's this, please don’t make those with dietary requirements feel lesser with shoddy food that feels like an after thought by serving us something I would be embarrassed to serve to guests in my own home.
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Amenities
Toilets: These were standard size toilets for an A350 but were clean, tidy and stocked with REN soap and hand cream which were very nice.
Amenity Kit:
Virgin Atlantic gives out amenity kits, which they refer to as Goodie Bags, and are made of "responsibly sourced, FSC certified recyclable kraft paper and filled with sustainable treats".
Included within the "Goodie Bag" are:
An eye mask
A pair of socks
A Bamboo toothbrush
Ear plugs
Whitening tooth paste
REN Ever Calm Global Protection Day Cream
REN Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Energising Hand Cream
REN Vita Mineral Lip Balm
It's a nice standard, amenity kit, and the sustainability piece around it is great to read also: "Comparing the old amenity kits the airline offered, to the new Goodie Bags, there is a saving of 945 tonnes of plastic per year, equal to the weight of more than 6 Airbus A350-1000 aircrafts." Taken from Virgin Atlantic's website.
Wi-Fi: Three packages available:
£2.99 for messaging only
£6.99 for 1-hour browsing
£20.99 for full-flight browsing
I checked it out early in the flight but decided I would get an hour later on so I could say goodnight to Sam. Only, when I tried to rejoin it wouldn’t let me join the network no matter what I tried. I forgot the network multiple times, I turned my phone off and on, nothing worked and the crew didn't know why either.
Final Verdict – Would I Recommend Virgin Atlantic Upper Class?
This Virgin Atlantic Upper Class review is a mix of highs and lows.
Would I recommend the product? Absolutely. The seat is lovely, the cabin crew are consistently fantastic, and the check-in/security experience is an added bonus to the whole experience.
But when Virgin Atlantic get it wrong, they get it really wrong. In this case the catering was absolutely not up to scratch, paired with the slightly grubby seat and the delayed fixing of my screen due to be forgotten. These small things hold them back from being a five-star experience, and there are consistently too many stories I've heard from friends and family of poorly maintained seats and other catering mishaps that have made me go into these flights with lower than normal expectations.
Still, the overall journey felt special and the standout element as always with Virgin Atlantic are their people who I can never praise highly enough. Warm, personable, and charming; Virgin through and through.
Helena
Points Well Made is a passion project of Sam and Helena with a loyal following. If you like what we do, and wish to help us continue to create the content you love, please consider buying us a Kofi, or subscribing monthly. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Sounds like there is nothing wrong here. You fall short by not eating the actual menu of real food. So for 98% of people it sounds like the perfect experience