American Airlines AAdvantage
Aeromexico Rewards
Air Canada Aeroplan
Alaska MileagePlan
Azul Fidelidade
Delta SkyMiles
Etihad Guest
Air France / KLM Flying Blue
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Jetblue TrueBlue
SAS EuroBonus
GOL Smiles
Turkish Miles&Smiles
United MileagePlus
Virgin Australia Velocity
For the second leg of my EuroBonus Millionaire challenge, I had to fly with Virgin Atlantic. I saw some extremely low fares (that counted towards the promotion) from New York to London, with a quick stop at Washington Dulles (IAD).
| Route | IAD-LHR |
| Flight | VS22 |
| Cabin | Economy Class |
| Equipment | Airbus A330-300 |
| Aircraft | G-VSXY (14 years old) |
| Flight Time | 6h 50m |
How I Booked This Flight
In total, I paid $169 USD for this segment in Economy Class, which was a bargain. The fare didn’t include seat selection until check-in, but the plane looked quited empty when I checked the seat map with AwardFares. On their A330s, the configuration is also 2-4-2, so if I could snag a window seat, the flight would be more comfortable. The fare family was O, which would count for the EuroBonus challenge.
Check-In & Transit to Washington
I arrived early at JFK from Buenos Aires with Delta. As the short leg between JFK and IAD was operated by Delta, I had to check-in with them. After clearing immigration, I went up to Terminal 4 Departures and used the SkyPriority dedicated areas to print my boarding passes.
After security, I spent the day at the Delta One Lounge and boarded my Delta Connection flight to Washington which departed and arrived on time.
Lounge
After landing in Washington Dulles (IAD), I still had about 2 hours to wait before boarding my Virgin flight. I was refreshed from the Delta One lounge, but my phone and laptop batteries were dying. As my ticket was in Economy Class, it didn’t had lounge access included. Then, I logged into my Visa Airport Companion app (which sucks), and saw that I could use Dragonpass to enter either the Air France-KLM lounge or the Turkish Airlines lounge in the same terminal.
I went to the Air France lounge first, but the staff refused me saying that the lounge was full and they would only take new people after 6pm (post boarding time). Then I headed to the Turkish Lounge and could get in, although they warned me that the bathrooms, showers and bar were closed.
The lounge was packed, but at least I could refill my water and charge my batteries before the flight.
Boarding
I went to the gate at boarding time. The plane was already parked and being prepared. Boarding started on time and was quiet and straightforward. I could use the Upper Class/SkyPriority lane though, as I’m SkyTeam Elite.
Seat
As you enter the plane, the crew welcomes you with a wide smile and in a extremely polite way. Their outfits are spotless and elegant, on a shart red. We boarded through the second door, so the Upper Class cabin was to the left. I passed through the Premium Economy cabin which had many seats, and kept walking towards the end of the plane (as I had seat 60A).
Once you arrive at the seat, you can tell the plan is getting a bit dated. At first it looks cushined and comfortable, but it’s not. Luckily the window seat has more legroom than the aisle seats, which has the entertainment system in the middle. There is no footrest.
At the seat, there is a bag with a blanket and headphones, and a pillow. The blanket felt old and dusty even though I want to believe they wash them.
You also get an over-ear headphone which is actually much better than I was expecting. A plus compared to other airlines that still hand out cheap in-ear headphones.
There are no power outlets at the seat, just a USB port. Each seat has an individual IFE screen, which is quite old, and a remote controller.
Cabin
The cabin did look cozy, tho. Maybe because it was a night flight, the dark tones of the seats and mood lighting did create a tranquil atmosphere. I also liked that people were quiet and slow-paced while boarding.
I was close to the back galley and also close to a mid-cabin lavatory right in front. I was a great spot. The seat, however, already started feeling uncomfortable right after taking off.
IFE
The IFE screen was old and unresponsive. The system was slow and draggy, and forget about jumping parts of a movie or going back to a certain scene: it takes forever and it’s very inaccurate. The movie selection was good, though. I could finish watching the move I started on my previous flight, and there was a decent language selection as well.
Lavatories
I always used the lavatories in the back, which were closer to me. Nothing out of the ordinary here, but the crew did a great job at keeping those clean and in shape.
Dinner
About 40 minutes after taking off, the crew started serving dinner. As a started, there was a corn snack and drinks. I asked for a Coca-Cola Zero and they gave me two at a time.
The main dish had two options: Mexican-style chicken with rice or pasta. I went for the Chicken which was very tasty and the portion was more than decent. On the side you get a small salad and crackers. The dessert was a chocolate mousse.
I topped it off with a cup of tea right before trying to get some sleep. It was interesting that there was no bottle of water at the seat, nor handed out by the crew when the lights were dimmed for sleep.
Breakfast
Even though I felt tired, I did not manage to get any sleep at all: the seat was just too uncomfortable for me. I tried hard but there was no way I could find a comfortable angle that could let me rest for more than 15 minutes, it was annoying. The seat cushiones were very hard, legroom was tight, and the recline was poor. Instead, I opted for watching a couple of movies and working for a while.
Luckily, the flight wasn’t long, and it was easy to kill those five hours. About an hour and a half before landing, they started serving breakfast. The concept was very simple, a box with a yogurt, fruit, and a chocolate muffing. You also get tea or coffee.
There has been a trend for the past 5 years of airlines cutting off hot meals for breakfast in Economy, and leaving those only for premium cabins (including Premium Economy). From all the breakfasts on long-haul Economy Class I’ve had, this one was one of the worst, almost as bad as my half-wrap with Lufthansa from San Francisco to Frankfurt. I still believe even KLM does a better job on short-haul Economy compared to some airlines (e.g. Sandwich + Carrot Cake + 2 Drinks!).
Arrival at London Heathrow
We landed at Heathrow 15 minutes ahead of schedule and were ready to start the day. I was destroyed, but I had two more flights to take as part of my EuroBonus Millionaire challenge (SAS and Air France), before I could get some rest in Paris.
Fortunately, it was early enough for Heathrow to be quiet, so security controls and airport terminal transfers were a breeze.
Video Review
Summary
The flight did the job. At the rate I paid, this flight can only be compared to ultra low cost airlines operating long-haul flights (e.g. Level, Air Europa), where you get nothing: no seat assignment, no blanket, not even a meal. Considering that, Virgin is a clear winner. However, the same flight is operated at much higher price points. Standard Economy is ~$350 USD, and can easily go up. As an example, the non-stop service from New York to London was roughly $700 USD, on an A350.
I wouldn’t fly this cabin again, at least not on the A330. It was just way too uncomfortable for me and my height, and was barely tolerable for a 7h flight. I would definitely escape longer flights on this plane. I’m curious about trying and comparing with it Virgin’s A350. Other than that, the crew was very attentive and caring, and the main meal was decent. Breakfast was bad, and no water bottle was handed out for sleeping.
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