Virgin Atlantic - is it worth upgrading?

[anniedream]

My partner and I are going to Orlando in September. It is our second time going but first time flying with Virgin Atlantic. Is it worth upgrading to Premium Economy? We heard that if they haven't sold out of seats in PE or UC, on the day of your flight, you may get offered to upgrade at a discount price. Has anyone else experienced this? Thanks, Annie x

 

[florida sun]

Hi Annie
I'm just going to pop this over to UK Trip Planning where I'm sure they will give you some great advice. Happy planning.

 

[queendisney]

you will get Yes and No from this question.

IMO no its not. Its £395 each way per person (the last time I looked) and I think this is way too much for what you get. Yes you get wider seats and a few more inches leg room and real plates but I think thats still too much money for that. On the day you may be able to get some seats but the are still going to be around the £280 each mark! Have you maybe thought of paying for the extra leg room seats in economy or the emergancy exit seat.

I suppose it all depends on how you view your flight..we view it as a big flying bus and a means to an end and are used to the flight now and that 9+ hours just goes by quite quickly.

We have PE on our way out this year because we had enough airmiles so are looking forward to it but wouldn't pay to do it.

 

[StarWarsJez]

Agree with above, whenever I've looked at it I just didn't think it was worth it. Business class is one thing, Prem Economy is just Economy with a couple of bells and whistles IMO

 

[baylie666]

I am going to go against the above comments

We have booked for Premium Economy on our October flight with Virgin, and I would not have it any other way. It is more then just some proper plates, and a bit more legroom. You get more baggage allowane, Preferred check in, Priority baggage and priority boarding plus a ton of other small extras.
I class leaving the front door of my house as the beginning of my holiday and would hate to be squashed on a plane for 9 hours and be uncomfortable.

Just MHO

Plus we didn't pay nearly as much as stated above to upgrade.

 

[queendisney]

I am going to go against the above comments

Plus we didn't pay nearly as much as stated above to upgrade.

Its been the going rate whenever we have asked..how much did you pay for you tickets (if you don't mind me asking that is?)

 

[dc1964]

Save your money. Economy is fine. The leg room was perfectly ok and the on demand entertainment was brilliant. I guess the food is the same wherever u sit. Think what you could spend the extra money on.

 

[OhanaSam]

I've never flown with virgin but there's no way I would pay £395 for a few extras. That's more than half the cost of my flight!

I never got the point of priority boarding, especially when you have specific seats picked

 

[luke]

We are looking forward to our first PE flight next month. Then again when we booked it, Premium Economy was cheaper than regular Economy...

 

[baylie666]

We didn't upgrade our tickets as we booked them as Premium Economy. And at the time they were only £180 more than economy ones.

For us it was all about being comfortable on the longish flight. And I don't want to feel hemmed in by other passengers being so close.

Also wanted to add that the food is a different menu from economy.

 

[ukstitch]

My fiancee and I have flown premium economy from London to Los Angeles for the past couple of years and I definitely don't regret paying the extra.

I'm 6'2", so the extra leg room is a huge thing for me and it's lovely not having to compete with a few hundred other people for the handful of legroom seats (that you have to pay extra for) in economy.

The smaller cabin means that the service is much better as you're not left waiting and hoping they have your food choice because you're near the back and they're generally a bit more attentive.

Priority baggage, checkin and boarding are all nice to have things that just make your life that little bit easier at the airport.

I wouldn't bother doing premium on a short flight when economy is perfectly adequate as you don't really have time to start feeling uncomfortable, but for long haul, I'd definitely upgrade whenever I can afford it

 

[Sarah84]

I think it depends on the price, we flew PE on the way home last year and loved it. We didn't pay for it though as we used miles, I'm only 5ft so the space thing isn't too much of an issue for me in economy but even I loved the extra space of the PE seats and DH certainly did as he even managed to sleep on the flight which he doesn't normally.
Would we book it again? Yes, if the price was right but we're also happy enough in Economy if it isn't.

 

[Laurafoster]

It definitely depends on the price. I've flown PE before and loved it. We are flying PE this time too as when we booked our seats it was around £160pp more than economy. (During a sale) So only about £80 extra each way.

I personally find on the day upgrades don't tend to be that good a deal. They always say they are 'discounted' but in my experience I have found better prices upgrading a few weeks before we go. I guess it probably depends how many they have left to sell. It also depends on your fare type I believe.

 

[anniedream]

Thanks for all the advice. Really helpful. We flew with Thomas Cook last year (never again), so flying with Virgin will seem like we are in Business Class compared to that. I am only 5ft 3 so extra leg room isn't a big issue for me. My partner however just wants the best of everything, as I'm sure a lot of us do for a little as possible.
X

 

[queendisney]

It definitely depends on the price. I've flown PE before and loved it. We are flying PE this time too as when we booked our seats it was around £160pp more than economy. (During a sale) So only about £80 extra each way.

I personally find on the day upgrades don't tend to be that good a deal. They always say they are 'discounted' but in my experience I have found better prices upgrading a few weeks before we go. I guess it probably depends how many they have left to sell. It also depends on your fare type I believe.

I think that price is rare and you were just lucky..we never have found it at anything like that price with VA..

I suppose it also depends on how much you paid for your original ticket before upgrading. Ie...if you've already paid £700+ for your ticket then paid an extra £160 to upgrade then you're already paying a lot...where as if you've only paid £400 then they want the £395 then its swings and roundabouts..
Either way the food in PE isn't great, its ok, but not worth paying that much for, and depending where you sit on the plane you can get off within 5 mins of PE leaving. Not worried about boarding first, the plane will still take off at the same time for everybody, extra luggage is only £30 per case, the figs just don't add up in my eyes. Totally understand if you are tall, have a medical condition, but still think at that price its a rip off!

 

[scoobydooby]

I agree. Have flown PE and also think its a rip off. Yeah it's definitely better. Just not better enough for me for the price, but then we fly at really expensive times to start with so already spending a fortune. I did pay for extra legroom seats on the way home last year and they were worth it. Me and DH had no one sat in front of us! The kids hated it as they were behind us an got trapped in my a guy in the third seat next to the isle.

 

[Penderbelle]

We booked PE seats on the way home this year as they were only £50 extra pp ( flights were £659). I would never have booked them otherwise but what a bargain. Means I can do extra shopping and not have to worry about my allowance on the way home as I get 2 bags instead of 1.

 

[Trevski220]

Only you can decide if its worth the extra, it's definitely a better product but whether it offers you "value" is something only you will know!

I've been lucky and flown Upper my last 2 trips, but for my 2p I'd say I wouldn't pay the extra for economy to PE unless it was under £100 each way, Instead I'd book the extra leg room economy seats

 

[Laurafoster]

I think that price is rare and you were just lucky..we never have found it at anything like that price with VA..

I suppose it also depends on how much you paid for your original ticket before upgrading. Ie...if you've already paid £700+ for your ticket then paid an extra £160 to upgrade then you're already paying a lot...where as if you've only paid £400 then they want the £395 then its swings and roundabouts..
Either way the food in PE isn't great, its ok, but not worth paying that much for, and depending where you sit on the plane you can get off within 5 mins of PE leaving. Not worried about boarding first, the plane will still take off at the same time for everybody, extra luggage is only £30 per case, the figs just don't add up in my eyes. Totally understand if you are tall, have a medical condition, but still think at that price its a rip off!

It's not that rare as we have had deals similar to this on several occasions. (And others above have mentioned similar deals) Deals are there but far less frequent than before and will of course depend on the season. At the moment we are lucky and go off season and can go any date for any duration really (within reason lol) that helps us get cheap prices. That will all change when DD starts school next year

Without using miles I'd say that a £400 seat even in economy is rare these days. Currently economy for our dates in September is £580.

 

[MrRomance]

I've flown Virgin economy a number of times but for medical reasons we now have to fly P.E (regardless of the airline). I would start by saying it's a matter of opinion, but my personal opinion, having flown in economy and P.E with Virgin in the last few years would be the upgrade is worth it and here are my reasons why.

Significant difference in leg room and seat width.
2 checked cases each instead of 1
Priority Check In, Boarding & Gatwick Express Security
Smaller, quieter cabin with it's own cabin crew

Many will argue that the price difference isn't worth it, but for me, it's worth every cent.