Trip Report: Virgin Atlantic, London Heathrow to Atlanta
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I was traveling from London Heathrow back to Atlanta. I had booked the ticked through Delta with the outbound sector being operated by Delta (check out that review here) while the return was being operated by Virgin Atlantic. Once the ticket was booked, I was able to go onto Virgin's website and/or app and manage my booking which included preselecting my seat, adding special meal requests as well as adding other special requests. Delta and Virgin Atlantic have a joint venture in which they share and market flights between the U.S. and Europe. This joint venture was indicative throughout our return as the flight was marketed as a Delta flight number that was being operated by Virgin Atlantic (even the Virgin Atlantic boarding pass indicated this). 24-hours prior to my flight I was able to check-in and receive my boarding passes (mobile boarding passes only though, I was never able to receive an electronic copy of my boarding pass - neither through the website nor the app). As part of the joint venture, they have a separate Sky Priority lane at the Virgin check-in desks in London so that is where we went to drop off our luggage. Check-in process was fairly quick and we then proceeded to to the gate for our flight. In the check-in area, Virgin was offering complimentary ice cream for its passengers, which a nice gesture as it was hot outside but generally it was a bit extra customer service.
When we went to the gate, the plane was there and the screen had the Virgin Atlantic sign but the flight number was the Delta flight number (I still found this odd, that I had to search for the Virgin flight number). The operating aircraft was an Airbus A330 in a 2-4-2 configuration. The red distinct color of Virgin was prevalent throughout the cabin, but the plane did look a bit dated. The seat also looked a bit dated, especially with the red fabric. The seat itself was decent, not too narrow but not too wide either and the seat pitch was decent enough for the flight time. The seatback contained a small PTV with a remote next to it, a USB port, a tray table, and a pocket which contained the safety card and airline magazine. Each seat also contained a wrapped blanket, a pillow as well as complimentary headset. Once boarding was completed and the doors closed, a safety video was shown and we took off for Atlanta with a scheduled flight time of 9hr 15min. Even though Delta provided an amenity kit, no amenity kit was provided on Virgin's flight.
Once we reached cruising altitude, the attendants came back to hand out menu cards. There were many announcements throughout the flight of Virgin trying to go green, so instead of passing out menu cards why not just put the menu on the PTV as other airlines do? While the menu cards were a nice gesture, they seemed to be a waste of paper (in my opinion). The first service was drinks only and a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were served along with pretzels, in Virgin's distinct color glasses. The second service was the main meal service, with special meals served alongside regular meals. Virgin's claims its meals to be healthier and incorporate better ingredients than its competitors, but the portion was small. I ordered a vegetarian meal and that came with a small main dish, a salad, and dressing (the main meals did not come with much more). While it was nice and healthy, it was neither flavorful nor substantial at all. Water and drinks were available in the back cabin throughout the flight, but there were not as many snacks available on Virgin as were available on Delta. About 2 hours prior to landing, an English Tea Service was provided which was a small sandwich, a dessert, as well as coffee or tea. The Tea Service was definitely tastier than the meal service, but again it was small in portion size.
In between the meal service, passengers could do what they wanted to occupy the time. As it was a day time flight - the flight departed London at 10:10am and arrive into Atlanta at 2:40pm - most passengers were up and occupied their time with the entertainment system. There was a nice variety of movies and TV shows and it was enough to cover the 9hr flight time. The flight attendants were also always present throughout the flight, either walking down the aisles, talking to passengers, or relaxing in the back.
Overall, it was an average flight with Virgin Atlantic. Based on their reputation and branding, I expected to be wowed but I was not. Positives were good customer service, friendly FA's and decent entertainment system. Average were seat pitch and seat comfort, while negatives included small food portions and no amenity kit. The ultimate decision maker is whether I would fly them again - and the answer while I would not avoid Virgin, they wouldn't be my first choice either. Both them and Delta were nice, but it was an expensive ticket so what was paid for and the reputation I expected something great and what I received was a bit above average.
When we went to the gate, the plane was there and the screen had the Virgin Atlantic sign but the flight number was the Delta flight number (I still found this odd, that I had to search for the Virgin flight number). The operating aircraft was an Airbus A330 in a 2-4-2 configuration. The red distinct color of Virgin was prevalent throughout the cabin, but the plane did look a bit dated. The seat also looked a bit dated, especially with the red fabric. The seat itself was decent, not too narrow but not too wide either and the seat pitch was decent enough for the flight time. The seatback contained a small PTV with a remote next to it, a USB port, a tray table, and a pocket which contained the safety card and airline magazine. Each seat also contained a wrapped blanket, a pillow as well as complimentary headset. Once boarding was completed and the doors closed, a safety video was shown and we took off for Atlanta with a scheduled flight time of 9hr 15min. Even though Delta provided an amenity kit, no amenity kit was provided on Virgin's flight.
In between the meal service, passengers could do what they wanted to occupy the time. As it was a day time flight - the flight departed London at 10:10am and arrive into Atlanta at 2:40pm - most passengers were up and occupied their time with the entertainment system. There was a nice variety of movies and TV shows and it was enough to cover the 9hr flight time. The flight attendants were also always present throughout the flight, either walking down the aisles, talking to passengers, or relaxing in the back. 
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