Virgin new Premium Economy cabins....

[Debs Hill]

Hi guys......can anyone tell me whether they have experienced the new cabins on flights to Orlando or whether they are planned for this route?!! On the website it says that they are fitted on all flights out of Heathrow but no mention of Gatwick or Manchester!!! Help! Want to know what we're getting before we pay!
Debsxx

 

[Red-Snapper]

The new A330's are operating on the Gatwick/Manchester routes - but only for certain flights.

They will have brand new cabins, IFE etc.

Unfortunatley the other planes currently on that route are the old 747's with teh very old economy cabin and the basic IFE - although these are to be refitted towards the end of this year/early next.

 

[Debs Hill]

Thank you!
So, if I book a flight and its a A330 then it will be the new PE cabin? Will check carefully before I book!
Has anyone flown in the new cabin yet? What did you think? Is the food the same?!
Debx

 

[Red-Snapper]

Sorry - yes read your post wrong - the A330 has the new PE cabin.

havent been in it yet but several reviews suggest it is more cramped than the 747 but IFE etc is better.

 

[wayneg]

Thread here with some pics in that Kevin started. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2690212

We fly out on 5th August on the older 747 in economy but return home in PE on the new A330 on the 28th August. Will be posting about it when I return if you can wait til then.

 

[Monorail UK]

Will be flying out on the A330 in PE next week. Will post what it is like

 

[Debs Hill]

Thank you so much to those who are going to post their experiences soon.....will watch this space!!
Debx

 

[alibeau]

Hi,

We flew PE on the new A330 in April. Overall very pleased with the experience but the PE cabin looked and felt a bit cramped with very narrow aisles but once in our seats we were more than happy. We have also flown in UC and the bubble and so we just missed the spaciousness!

DH who is 6ft 2" was pleased with legroom and comfort. The IFE was fabulous as was the service. Nothing was too much trouble. Food was ok but I don't expect too much tbh. Plenty of drinks served as well as sandwiches and ice cream. It was DH's birthday and I had pre ordered champagne. The CC and pilot came and sang happy birthday to him!!! Brill!

We are flying PE again in August

Any questions, fire away

HTH.

Ali

 

[catrinuk]

hi ali, we are also flying PE in august, also from north wales, are you going from manchester?
going back for a month this time!!! fifth trip, cane wait counting the days, the countdown calendar is stuck to the fridge already.
We were a bit worried about the new cabin the pictures of it lok really cramped, so thanks for the info
Catrin

 

[MrsJobba1]

Might sound daft but how do you know if you are flying on an old or new plane?

 

[wayneg]

Might sound daft but how do you know if you are flying on an old or new plane?

For an existing booking? if it is then goto VA website, log in via My Booking click on view or change seats, it will then give you a seat config of your plane.
Outbound we have the Boeing 747-400 (Seating configuration 1)
Inbound Airbus A330-300

 

[MrsJobba1]

For an existing booking? if it is then goto VA website, log in via My Booking click on view or change seats, it will then give you a seat config of your plane.
Outbound we have the Boeing 747-400 (Seating configuration 1)
Inbound Airbus A330-300

Thanks Wayne

I just checked and we are flying on the new planes both ways.

That explains why I couldn't book the bubble PE seats

 

[Monorail UK]

Hi as promised here is the update on the PE cabin on Virgin's new A330-300 planes. Flew out of Gatwick on 16th June on VS27 on Beauty Queen. PE Cabin is larger in a 2-3-2 format. New seats and the new technology are great. There are no overhead lockers down the middle above the 3 seats, only on each side above the 2 seats. The only real complaint I had was that they quickly ran out of one of the food options before they were half way down the cabin.

Flew back to the UK on Sunday on VS16, on Virginia Plain a Boeing 747-400. It was nice to be back in the bubble as it felt more spacious. However the 747s need updating fast, our seats were falling apart and the technology is well outdated.

 

[XAVIER]

How soon can you log in to check which plane you have? Is it the 11 months that I read somewhere?
We are not going until next July (2012) but the virgin (rep) told us it would be a 747.

 

[kazdav]

Hi as promised here is the update on the PE cabin on Virgin's new A330-300 planes. Flew out of Gatwick on 16th June on VS27 on Beauty Queen. PE Cabin is larger in a 2-3-2 format. New seats and the new technology are great. There are no overhead lockers down the middle above the 3 seats, only on each side above the 2 seats. The only real complaint I had was that they quickly ran out of one of the food options before they were half way down the cabin.

Flew back to the UK on Sunday on VS16, on Virginia Plain a Boeing 747-400. It was nice to be back in the bubble as it felt more spacious. However the 747s need updating fast, our seats were falling apart and the technology is well outdated.

So where do the people in the middle seats put their hand luggage.

 

[Red-Snapper]

In the bins on the side if they are quick enough - losers in the space race then get to use the large cupboards.

 

[Hoberts]

In the bins on the side if they are quick enough - losers in the space race then get to use the large cupboards.

This is good to know, thanks for sharing.

Myself and fiancé are flying on the new style PE from Manchester in September.

Mind if ask a few more questions? We'd love to grab the front row seats near the exit, but was wondering how the TVs/entertainment units worked in those seats?

How secluded is the PE area from normal economy? We flew in the bubble in 08 and loved the peace and quiet! Is this still an advantage with it just being split (I presume by a curtain!!)

Many thanks in advance,

Matt

 

[Monorail UK]

You enter the plane at the 2nd doors from the front, so you turn left for Premium Economy and right for Economy. Once taken off a curtain is pulled across to separate the cabins. We sat on the last row (row 25) but there is a bit of space then to the curtain. Cannot say I particular heard people in Economy from where I was sat.

 

[Hoberts]

You enter the plane at the 2nd doors from the front, so you turn left for Premium Economy and right for Economy. Once taken off a curtain is pulled across to separate the cabins. We sat on the last row (row 25) but there is a bit of space then to the curtain. Cannot say I particular heard people in Economy from where I was sat.

Hey monorail - good to know and thanks for replying

We've got seats about mid way through the cabin pre selected but will shift these towards the front once check in opens more seats.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply!