New Virgin flyer

Hi all, have just booked my first flight on Virgin and am seeking advice. I normally fly BA, EasyJet or EVA Air although I don't often fly BA due to the cost (although they have upgraded me twice from PE to Business).

Am flying LGW to Havana in December in Premium Economy (coming back in Jan - Christmas and NYE in Cuba!!). I have booked and paid for the PE seat (cash) and chosen where I will be sitting - this is all confirmed and I have printed off the tickets, booking conf. etc. I'm going flight only as I couldn't get an affordable solution with Virgin Holidays despite the best efforts of the guy at my local Virgin Holiday Shop. I try to fly PE when travelling long haul (when I can afford it) and my preferred airline to Asia (where I normally travel) is EVA Air. I'm 6ft 6ins tall and weight 18 stone, hence why I like PE. So.....

1. Are the PE Seats on Virgin as good as EVA Air or BA PE?

2. How much legroom is there? The website says 38" seat pitch but is it that in reality? Is the seat width any good?

3. Food - is there much of it and is it any good? I have a huge appetite (and I mean huge) and usually carry additional food on board with me as I get hungry. Will I need to on Virgin? Is there any mid flight snacks available from the galley for PE passengers? If so, do these snacks run out or 'forget' to get loaded?

4. Does my PE ticket get me into the Clubhouse? I suspect not so can I buy entry for the return trip from Havana? With my flight leaving LGW at 11.30 I don't think I would get much out of it on the outward leg whereas my return flight leaves at 7.30pm (I think) so as with my normal policy of getting to the airport in good time, I could potentially spend some time in there.....

5. Is the service on board any good? EVA Air isn't up to much, BA is very hit and miss in my book.

6. Is there anyway I can check if the extended legroom seats in economy are available before I actually book a flight?

7. What facilities are available in the Clubhouse in Havana? Has anyone actually been in it?

Thanks for your patience with this Virgin virgin!

Andrew.

Hello! Welcome to V-Flyer.

To answer your questions...

1) I have not personally flown BA or EVA air so I can't offer my personal view. As for BA vs. Virgin PE seats, whenever I've read a discussion about them people tend to learn more towards Virgin. As far as actual numbers go, BA PE seats are 18.5" wide, whereas Virgin PE seats are 21" wide.

2) Yep, 38" is the advertised pitch. I don't know if anyone has actually got a tape measure out and checked it, but there is a considerable amount more than regular Economy. As a fellow tall man (6'4", so not far off yourself) it provides far more comfort. As for seat width, see above

3) I've not had a bad meal in Premium and the portion sizes are usually pretty good. As far as mid-flight snacks go, there is usually some available in the PE Galley, chocolates, little packets of crisps, the like. If there aren't the crew will happily bring you some around!

4) It will not get you complimentary access, no. That's for Upper Class passengers and Gold card holders. That being said - depending on busyness on the day, there have been plenty of reports of people being able to buy access to the LHR and LGW clubhouses on the day. I can't remember to cost off the top of my head (I'm sure I've heard somewhere in the region of £45? Don't quote me on that though). Let's say for instance that you are able to get in - for an 11:30 flight you could quite easily kill a few hours in there as I believe it opens at 6:30am.

5) This very much depends on your expectations and perception of what good and bad service is. From my personal experience I've had amazing flights in PE and some fairly average ones. Some of the Trip Reports here have unfortunately been not-so-good experiences, but the vast majority are glowing. Ultimately how attentive the crew are can depend on the load of the flight, how busy they are, how good the Flight Service Manager is and so on. Overall, Virgin tend to be well known for excellent crew, so I'd say you're in very safe hands!

6) I don't believe so, I'm not even sure expertflyer.com shows the ELR seats. If you call the contact centre I imagine they'd be able to tell you.

7) Alas, there is no Clubhouse in Havana. Only certain destinations have them. Where there is no Clubhouse there is usually a shared lounge and for Havana it is the 'Elegante Salon'. I have never been there though so cannot comment. It's worth pointing out though as a PE passenger you wouldn't get complimentary access. That being said you may be able to pay to access that lounge or another at HAV. Someone else will likely have more knowledge than me on this though

Hope this helps

Hi Tallguy and welcome to the site.

My hubby is a big lad like yourself well 6ft 3in and about 19 stone, we have not flown Virgin PE for a number of years so not the refurbished seats. The older style were the cloth ones and ok for us, we have been with BA for the past two years and much prefer their offering in PE we had enough width and length. The food is far better than Virgins unless they have improved it over the last couple of years. I could never eat anything off the Virgin menu but as you get the upgraded Business meal in WT+ it wins hands down.

If you are a big eater than I would personally suggest you bring extra just in case.The snacks are really small little packets just nibbles.Cannot comment on any of the other questions as have never been to Havana . Linda

I like the new PE seats, but I did find that when the person in front reclined fully it was a bit tight on knee room. Having said that the recline is good, so you win some/lose some with that. Both times we've flown in the new PE cabin we've been in the back row so able to recline without impacting anyone else, which was very lucky on the last flight as the guy in front of me reclined as soon as he possibly could and stayed there the whole flight, including through meal service.

and chosen where I will be sitting -
Andrew.

Just a note - There is a chance you may get given a different seat. Especially if the aircraft changes. So keep an eye on your booking.

As for the lounge.
Don't be afraid to use other lounges. I had a good experience at No1 Lounge in Heathrow, which cost me £17.50.
no1traveller.com - sign up to their emails as they always send out offers. Free food & drink (inc alcohol) - Bargain!

I would also guess there is a lounge you can your way into in Cuba as well.

Hi Tallguy and welcome to the site.

My hubby is a big lad like yourself well 6ft 3in and about 19 stone, we have not flown Virgin PE for a number of years so not the refurbished seats. The older style were the cloth ones and ok for us, we have been with BA for the past two years and much prefer their offering in PE we had enough width and length. The food is far better than Virgins unless they have improved it over the last couple of years. I could never eat anything off the Virgin menu but as you get the upgraded Business meal in WT+ it wins hands down.

I wouldn't normally disagree but on my small sample of one (paid for upgrade with my own cold hard cash) the BA WT+ offering was....indifferent. Granted it was a rickety old 747 with old style WT+ which explained the state of the seat, but I found the food inedible (as I do some of the VS UC meals...) and the service was lacklustre. To be fair it is a few years since I flew PE with VS, so can't do a timely comparison but memory (always rose tinted) has it that the VS PE offering was better.

Whilst the lounge at Havana is better than the main area it's not great

Until recently I would have said that the food on Virgin flights was dire (economy). However, on my last two flights I was pleasantly surprised that the quality/quantity of food seemed to have really improved. Having said that, it wouldn't hurt to take some snacks on board with you.

I can confirm the lounge in Havana is certainly not one of the "top tier" lounges; it did have comfy seats and a small drink and smaller snack selection, but I wouldn't pay money to get into it....

Many thanks to everyone for their comments. I like this board and have already contributed to another thread. Think I'll stick around....