Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy: Our Honest Review

We recently flew Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy from London to Boston. We got a great redemption value and we wanted to see if Premium Economy would be all it is cracked up to be. Read on to see how it went and if we would fly it again.

Take Away

Overall, I think Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy is a great option for travelers who want more comfort and service than economy, but do not want to pay for business or first class. It is not perfect, but it offers some nice perks and benefits that make the flight more enjoyable. I also think it is the perfect option for a long-haul flight that is not overnight. If this had been an overnight flight, I would've struggled to sleep and likely would have opted to find a business class redemption. But for a nearly 8-hour evening flight that I specifically did not want to sleep on to help my body adjust to the time zone, premium economy was the perfect choice. We got an incredible point redemption and were able to travel very comfortably for the 8-hour flight. The service with Virgin Atlantic was impeccable. We would definitely choose a Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy flight again for a similar situation and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a balance between price and quality.

Food and Service

The food and drinks were tasty and plentiful, with a choice of three main courses and a snack bar available throughout the flight. Juices, wine, and soft drinks were also offered before and during the meal. There was also a snack basket and drinks available in the galley for premium economy passengers to choose from at your leisure. Flight attendants also regularly came around with water and/or juice.

The service was friendly and attentive, with the crew checking on us regularly. They also responded quickly to any requests we had and were very kind and attentive with our children. Not to mention, two of our suitcases were damaged during the flight and we submitted a claim with the agent at the desk before we left the airport, sent in the necessary documentation (receipts and a form) the next day, and were reimbursed within 10 days of flying for the full cost of what we paid for both suitcases! We appreciated that their customer service was efficient, hassle free, and it actually solved our problem.

The Seats

The seat was spacious and comfortable, with a generous recline and legroom. I also liked the adjustable leg rest and footrest, which made it easier to relax. Even ND at nearly 6 feet tall had ample leg room and was comfortable. Instead of fold down tray tables, they had tray tables that unfolded from the arm rests instead of from the seat in front of you. This made the tray table feel more stable and it was larger than the normal economy tray table. The entertainment system was good, with a large touchscreen and a wide selection of movies, TV shows, music, games and podcasts. You were able to connect Bluetooth headphones directly to the in-flight entertainment center, but both ND and I experienced issues with our Air pods and the Bluetooth connectivity at some point during the flight and we ended up using the provided headphones. The headphones were average, no noise cancellation and they didn't really feel premium, but they did the job. We were provided with an average blanket and pillow that weren't anything special but were instead comparable to economy.

Overall, the seats were very comfortable for a seven hour evening flight. The leg room is great, the recline is sufficient, and the extra width makes it more roomy and cozy. The flight went by quick and there was plenty of entertainment to help pass the time in comfort.

Check In and Boarding

We had a great check in and boarding experience with Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy. Due to transportation from the cruise ship, we got to the airport 8 hours before our flight. We were allowed to check in and check our bags. This saved us about $200 we were planning to pay to store our luggage so we could go into London for a few hours. There was a separate check in line for Premium Economy with Virgin Atlantic at the London Heathrow Airport and we didn't have to wait at all. The agent checked us in quickly and was friendly. We were allowed two checked bags each and each bag could weigh 23kg each vs only one checked bag in regular economy. This saved us another $100 USD as we had 5 checked bags and would've been one bag over our allowance in regular economy. Bags are also checked with a priority luggage tag so our bags came out slightly ahead of regular economy.

Boarding was smooth and efficient. There was a separate line for Premium Economy and we were able to board with the second group with plenty of overhead bin space available in the premium economy cabin and a welcome drink offering after we were seated. The welcome drink consisted of a choice of water, orange juice, or a mimosa. The kids were also given a special welcome bag on boarding with a pop it, sunglasses, and activity books. This was a nice touch, that made them feel special and put a smile on their faces.

The Flights

Our flight left London around 5pm local time in the evening and arrived in Boston around 8pm local time. The total flight time was around 7 hours and 45 minutes. We spent 110,000 points (27,500 points per person) and $1984 in taxes and fees for 4 people in Premium Economy. The cash cost of the premium Economy flight on that day was $2659/person and would've cost us $10,636 total if we'd paid cash. Due to the end date and location of our cruise, we had to fly from London to Boston with no wiggle room to position elsewhere or wait until the next day. Even when looking for just an economy flight from London to Boston on the day we had to fly home, the cheapest flight was around $800 per person with 3 stops and the cheapest nonstop economy flight was $1400 per person. With this information we calculated our "realistic" value off of the cheapest nonstop flight of $1400 per person with an added value to us of $1000 for the premium benefits of premium economy. This comes out to a $6,600 value for our flight and a point redemption of 2.67 cents per mile purely based on value. BUT as an added bonus, there was a Chase transfer bonus of 30% when we purchased the flights and instead of using 110,000 points, we only used 77,000 Chase points. So our actual point redemption value was 5 cents per mile.

If you are confused about this math, I took our realistic value ($6600), subtracted the taxes and fees we paid ($2659), and then divided that number by the points we used (77,000). *6600 - 2659 = 3941 / 77,000 = 0.05* Comes out to a 5 cents per mile value for our points!