I really enjoy VS (and think the on-board service is unbeatable) - but I am beginning to come to the conclusion that their lounge product - which is incredibly hyped - is actually quite weak.
Maybe I am biased by my most recent journey, but my thoughts go as follows:
To be fair, their outstation clubhouses are exceptional - although you have to be flying from the correct airports!
Don't get me wrong, I still love the airline and will continue to fly with them, and I know complaining about the above is very much a first-world problem; however I certainly no longer buy in to the lounge hype.
I wondered if anyone else has come to the same conclusion on Virgin's lounge facilities? And my main takeaway is that I really hope VS moves back to LGW at some point
Maybe I am biased by my most recent journey, but my thoughts go as follows:
- The Heathrow clubhouse is genuinely amazing, probably one of the best lounges in the world - however, with flights moved from LGW to LHR, Partner flights moved to Terminal 3, and access granted to Delta elite cardholders, it is at certain times of the day too busy to be truly enjoyable
- The Gatwick North clubhouse was one of the very best lounges in the network and I had the privilege of using it several times as a Virgin Lounge, so it's a huge shame it has effectively been dropped. (It is incredible to have it as a generic lounge for easyJet flights, though!)
- In many US airports, there is an over-reliance on Delta's fairly-mediocre SkyClub lounges. I travelled from Atlanta the other day (early December), and the lounge had a queue of 20 people to get in. To be fair, Virgin passengers could skip the queue - but you wouldn't have wanted to, it was absolutely packed inside and the terminal was nicer.
To be fair, their outstation clubhouses are exceptional - although you have to be flying from the correct airports!
Don't get me wrong, I still love the airline and will continue to fly with them, and I know complaining about the above is very much a first-world problem; however I certainly no longer buy in to the lounge hype.
I wondered if anyone else has come to the same conclusion on Virgin's lounge facilities? And my main takeaway is that I really hope VS moves back to LGW at some point