TRAVEL TEST
BY
WHAT: Virgin Atlantic Upper Class (business) cabin on the Airbus A350.
WHERE: Flight VS 117 from Heathrow to Miami; from £2,264 return. virginatlantic.com
EXPERIENCE: Richard Branson’s brand reimagined the fabled, but now a little dated, Upper cabin for its new(ish) A350s – the European equivalent of Boeing’s Dreamliner – and I was lucky to be upgraded at the gate to the ‘turn left’ seat 11C, with a welcome glass of bubbly and sparkling water as we prepared to push back.
Considering this was my first long-haul trip for 28 months, it was like Christmas and birthday rolled into one!
This new Upper seat is more booth-like than its predecessor, with a privacy panel to close off some of the aisle.
The tech side offers plugs and USB points and the excellent VERA entertainment system. I could have watched the sci-fi hit movie Dune, for example, but saved that for the return flight.
I caught up with some work on my laptop on the fold-down sliding table. Wi-fi is available to purchase should you need it.
The leather seat itself is, as you’d expect, very comfortable for sitting, reclining and sleeping as a flat bed, plus you get socks, an eye mask, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste.
As for lunch, I enjoyed a smoked duck breast starter, a breaded chicken breast with wilted greens and potato terrine main, and finished with a terrific cheese board, all accompanied by an excellent choice of wines.
Ninety minutes before landing, there is the offer of an Eric Lanlard afternoon tea (with ‘proper’ tea) or some light bites such as crab cakes. A nice treat.
Throughout the journey, Flight Service Manager Carly and her team were attentive and friendly.
Although taking off slightly late, we landed 15 minutes early thanks to light headwinds and a shorter than usual flightpath. QUIBBLES: Super picky but the seat controls are quite fiddly for adjustments, the angled table is a little strange for using a laptop and the chicken dish cried out for some kind of sauce.
VERDICT: A fabulously reimagined cabin, with a touch of Virgin pizzazz. What a glorious way to return to long-haul flying after all that Covid misery.