Is VA really that bad?

Hi

I am new to this site, it is excellent and really informative.

I am a very nervous flyer but recently took the plunge and booked myself on a Virgin Atlantic flight in November 2006 from London to New York.
I have been doing some research on VA and practically every review i read is awful. Are they really that bad?, do economy passengers get treated like second class citizens?, is it true you get the maximum of two alcoholic drinks on a flight to New York? Is there enough leg room?
Also, is it possible to fly to New York without experiencing some turbulance? Everyone i have spoken to says there is always turbulance on trans atlantic flights...i am awfully nervous!!

Thanks for any help or advice you can give to me.

Hi and welcome

Wow where to start.....

In general most reports you read are bad, mostly because people will always find the time to write when something is not to their liking, when all goes well most people don't take the time to put pen to paper or write an e.mail.

Do a search on the trip reports area on here and you will find quite a few economy reports.

From personal experience,
Do we get treated like second class citizens in economy?.......
I've had 6 very good economy flights in the last two years with VS. The fact I keep choosing to go back shows it's actually quite good.

2 drinks maximum?.......
I've never had a problem getting another drink during the flight, just ask nicely

Leg room.......
Although not the best in the industry, its not awful. From my experience last year, the Airbus seems to have a little more legroom than the 747's in economy.

Turbulence......
Unfortunately no one can guarantee a turbulence free flight. Usually it is nothing to get over concerned about but it does happen. Just reassure yourself that millions of people fly each day and it really is safer than your journey down to the airport by car will be. As for it happening everytime, well I don't remember it happening on my last trip, but that's just luck of the draw.

Overall, just enjoy the experience, have fun in NYC and be sure to tell us all about it on a trip report.

Jon B

Originally posted by Lainy
Hi

I am new to this site, it is excellent and really informative.

Hello ! I also joined it recently and it's a mine of information..

I have been doing some research on VA and practically every review i read is awful. Are they really that bad?

No they're not. There are issues about changes to some of the service offerings (Upper Class) but they remain my first choice of carrier for Economy.

do economy passengers get treated like second class citizens?

Not in my experience. True, you don't get overly fussed over, and maybe on some of the holiday based services there is an emphasis more on getting people to their destination than on the in flight experience, but you're flying on a route that must have many business travellers in the Economy Class so IMO the service standards will tend to be more consistent (whether they *should* is a matter of debate, of course)

And, of course, you shall probably get the truly wonderful V:Port entertainment system.

is it true you get the maximum of two alcoholic drinks on a flight to New York?

There are two drinks services - one pre dinner and one at dinner - but you are free to request more.

Is there enough leg room?

There is never enough leg room on aeroplanes (except possibly in Upper Class) but I've always found it sufficient.

Also, is it possible to fly to New York without experiencing some turbulance? Everyone i have spoken to says there is always turbulance on trans atlantic flights...i am awfully nervous!!

I'd have to defer to some of the more frequent flyers to answer that question, but I I've never experienced more than an occasional slight shake, akin to driving down an unmade road. And you do have v:Port to take your mind off things.

Enjoy the flight and post a Trip Report.

Paul

I am just off a flight from DXB with Virgin and they were great. I too am a nervous passenger, but I made the crew aware of this and they kept coming by and smiling, I even got invited to sit in an UCS for 10 mins to see what it was like - A nice gesture!

We did have a huge ammount of turbulence, and I agree with the fact it is un-nerving but I kept looking at the cabin crew and they were not even bothered so that kept me calm too.

We got the G-VEIL with an updated PE cabin, and it was excellent also. V:port is the best thing, since Hovis Best of Both

John

[ChuckC]

Lainy,
Glad you found our site and welcome aboard. Already you've received good, thoughtful replies to your questions and I trust you are feeling less concerned as a result.

The whole of V-Flyer is entirely independent of Virgin Atlantic. While generally the members here are pro-VS we are also unabashed in our criticism if we feel any aspect of the VS experience hasn't earned top marks. That is what makes V-Flyer a good gauge of what you should expect when you fly Virgin Atlantic: we are a balanced source of information.

I'd hasten to agree with what's been posted already concerning people's odd fascination with screaming aloud when they have a poor experience with a flight. It's a fact of life, I'm afraid, that too often overshadows the many, many perfectly acceptable, even excellent experiences that go unreported. Please do keep that in mind when you fly.

If you like what you see here, we'd appreciate your support. Click below for membership information.

Best regards,
Chuck-

>Is it true you get the maximum of two alcoholic drinks on a flight to New York?

No, just ask for more.

>Is there enough leg room?
I am 6ft 1, and I find if I need to I can rest my feet on the bar of the seat in front and straighten my legs to stretch. Its important to move position often during the flight and stretch like this. - Its not quite as roomy as united Economy Plus but its OK!. Try to get one of the window seats of the pairs of rear seats on a 747 at the back for the best legroom.

Someones been on the Skytrax website again,
Economy on VS is great, (well to me anyway)...
Some recommended reading for you...
http://www.v-flyer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11163
http://www.v-flyer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13836
and
http://www.v-flyer.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12740

Its not the best airline, its not the worst... but its one of the most unique airlines going, and thats why I love VS.

Kev.

Welcome to this fab site!
I too am a nervous flyer but, I keep going back for more so don't worry.Inform a cabin crew member that you are a nervous passenger & they will assist you all they can.
Try & pre-book your seat nearer the front of the aircraft or over the wings, depending on which aircraft you are flying on because then the turbulance (if any) is less.
Get a book from the library, there are various books on the subject of nervous passengers. These are useful for all sorts of things including the various noises that you hear e.g the wheels coming up/down etc.
Learn some breathing techniques, these are useful to concentrate your mind on if you feel stresed at any time. Make yourself write a log on all aspects of the journey, the bits that you enjoy & the bits that you feel a bit het up about. Read it a few days later & you'll be surprised as to why you worried over some bits.
I guess you are nervous of the unknown, we all are at times. Keep asking questions on this sight, before long you'll be really looking forward to your flight. We all want to know how you get along. keep us posted!

Great advice RP

The Global Airline Perfomace GAP seems to think VAA is very good, especially across the atlantic and performs very well.

Hello and welcome Lainy,

I'm a regular flyer out to the far east, and more often than not I'm paying, so it has to be economy. Virgin are my first choice for economy simply becuase the inflight entertainment helps while a way the hours. The service is as good as any other airline, and at 6'5 I'm not comfortable in any airlines economy seat.

As for turbulance, it happens, planes are designed for it, i enjoy it with the kind of fear I enjoy a roller coaster... Just remember to keep your seat belt on, wave your hands in the air, and scream!... oh maybe not the last part![:o)]

Welcome to V-Flyer.

My first suggestion would be to take a look at the number of members here. You'll find that the majority of us fly VS the majority of time we travel. As frequent travelers, we tend to notice things which the general public might not- but with the number of us here who fly them all the time, they can't be that bad. The proof is in the numbers- passenger numbers are climbing and recenue is climbing.

Hopefully with the record revenue they'll bring back some of the service that was cut as a cost savings measure- some of those were what made VS a real pleasure to fly.

Statistically, if you have a bad experience with something, you tell about 8 people, who tell their friends, who tell their friends. However, if you have an excellent experience, you statistically only tell about 3 people. Hense why bad reviews are much easier to find than good ones. I forget where I read that, but it was in a recent issue of a business magazine.

Anyway- I wouldn't worry about your travel plans- you made the right decision- have a good trip

Oh- a quick followup to MysteryFlyer's suggestion on seating- the last couple rows on the 744 are excellent, as there is only 2 seats on each side. My only suggestion is to check the v-flyer seat maps prior to seat selection to locate which ones have the IFE box under them. I was in one of those seats last year, and the IFE box did hamper the legroom a bit. It was still passable, just not as comfortable as the row infront of it could be.

Although VS has has its faults, it's still better than the rest!:D

VS.

Good point webdes03, the nice thing for me (6ft 1) is that you can poke your feet outside into the gap on these seats window side and fully stretch. when I checked in last time at SFO and had the window seat the check in agent said to me 'you know thats the best Y seat on the plane dont you'. "absolutely" I said, then headed to the CH for the worlds best G&T

I think the very last row is best because theres nobody behind to complain about reclined seats.

Lainy, Glad you found the site, and are finding it usefull.

As its been mentioned people are quick to complain but not so quick to compliment.. Though I can honestly say that Virgin is "The only way to fly NY"

1) the chances are high that you will be on an aircraft with one of the best entertainment systems in the industry,

2)The Aircraft are very modern the average age less than 5 Years,

3) the crew are probably the best of any uk Airline (according to the lastest industry survey GAP)

Lainy, tell the crew you are nervous, we will do all we can to help you enjoy the flight. as for drinks where did you read you only get two? as long as you dont get Pis**d there is no set limit, just ask nicely... Id never refuse a drink to a nice looking female who smiles (hey what man would?)

As for turbulance... hey it happens but you should know in the industry there are 3 levels

Light, Moderate and servere..... though most customers will blow things out of perspective and brand light as servere... in all my years flying I have only had servere twice and they only lasted a short time... the Aircraft is at 30 000ft + so is not going to hit anything!! keep your seat belt on loose to protect yourself and youll be safe! If the crew look calm then youll have nothing to worry about.

One last comment about Economy being second class? well sure there is not as much pampering as in Upper class or premium economy ...so to some may feel like that. but every customer is unique and as I like to say to crew.... every customer is a friend youve not yet met.... And we do travel in economy on company travel (both on Virgin and other carriers) so know what it feels like.

Have a great time in new york, If you want any tips on the city feel free to PM.

and if You find v-flyer helpfull please remeber its not funded by Virgin so remains completely impartial and would love you to consider supporting it by being a member.