Virgin Atlantic 787 Upper Class seat – is there anything good about it?
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I know it’s a hot topic that seems to get so many people very hot under the collar about so when I booked our first Virgin Upper class flight I chose LAX to LHR on VS24 as this would be using the A350. Or so I thought…
I received an email this morning informing me of the aircraft change to a B787, slight time change too but that’s no big deal and our seats are still both row A. When I Google the seat it’s just endless pages of angry moaning so I’m asking is there anyone out there who has a good word to say about it?i mean, it was great in 2005… 🙂
There’s quite a lot of folk who agree that, because it flips over to a matress side in bed mode, the sleeping surface is a comfortable matress compared to many seats.
I’ve certainly had some of my better overnight sleeps on the 787, compared to other seats – and I am 6’2, so it can’t be too terrible.
If you can keep your feet away from being knocked at the end, and you are just there to sleep – it isn’t that bad.
… Don’t have anything positive to say about seat storage, IFE, privacy, etc!
It’s flat.
I mean – I agree there are many business class seats that are a decent bit better than it but it is all fairly marginal.
If you were to rate comfort out of 10 it would be something like:
1-2 – economy
3-4 – premium economy
5 – old style cradle business class
6-8 – lie flat business class
9 – proper suite
10 – residenceYou can argue about the exact ratings but there is not a premium economy product I would prefer to fly overnight rather than a Virgin coffin seat – rating 6. And indeed if you offered me a choice of the best business class product (rated 8) but a too hot cabin vs a coffin seat and an appropriate temperature to sleep I would choose the coffin seat.
So yeah it’s not great but it is so much better than not flying in business class, I can’t get too worked up about it.
I would also choose it vs an aisle seat in old club world but would choose a window in old club world over a coffin seat. I am 6’1” and always get bashed in an aisle seat in old club world but am capable of keeping my feet out of harm’s way in the coffin seat.
But as Mrs Froggee keeps telling me – everyone is different. You may hate it more than flying in economy with a screaming baby next to you and a toddler playing the drums behind you!
It’s flat.
I mean – I agree there are many business class seats that are a decent bit better than it but it is all fairly marginal.
If you were to rate comfort out of 10 it would be something like:
1-2 – economy
3-4 – premium economy
5 – old style cradle business class
6-8 – lie flat business class
9 – proper suite
10 – residenceYou can argue about the exact ratings but there is not a premium economy product I would prefer to fly overnight rather than a Virgin coffin seat – rating 6. And indeed if you offered me a choice of the best business class product (rated 8) but a too hot cabin vs a coffin seat and an appropriate temperature to sleep I would choose the coffin seat.
So yeah it’s not great but it is so much better than not flying in business class, I can’t get too worked up about it.
I would also choose it vs an aisle seat in old club world but would choose a window in old club world over a coffin seat. I am 6’1” and always get bashed in an aisle seat in old club world but am capable of keeping my feet out of harm’s way in the coffin seat.But as Mrs Froggee keeps telling me – everyone is different. You may hate it more than flying in economy with a screaming baby next to you and a toddler playing the drums behind you!
Thank you Froggee, that’s a more level headed opinion. My sister who is a regular cross Atlantic traveller suggested I chose row A and near the front as there are no toilets up there so really there should be few passers by excepting the crew who usually sound excellent. Thank you.
Row A is the top tip here.
Personally I prefer midway down the aisle rather than nearer the front. One of the great things about Virgin’s cabin crew is how gregarious they can be. This can also be a drawback if you are wanting sleep and they are all recounting tales of their partying while on the last lay-over!
Another benefit of the seats not mentioned yet is they enable buddy dining, which can be a novel and pleasant way to enjoy a meal with a travel partner.
Finally, I really think that the excessive hate for these seats at least partially stems from them having acquired this particularly emotive moniker of ‘coffin’ seats. That or from people who didn’t read the row A memo and so ended up spending a 10 hour flight gazing into the eyes of a stranger across the way! As @Froggee says, they’re totally better than all other economy or PE options.
Coffin always seemed odd to me since a coffin has a lid. Thus the Swiss throne seats are far more deserving of the coffin title. Virgin is more an Irish wake seat than a coffin seat. You’re lying there on your back, in the wide open, whilst people you barely know give you the once over to judge whether the belly on you was what did you in. I remain available to Virgin’s marketing team if they want to build out this concept.
VS24 is a well timed flight, definitely a sleeper flight, enjoy the lounge then after take off sort the bed out and zzz off looking forward to the poached eggs before landing.
Coffin always seemed odd to me since a coffin has a lid. Thus the Swiss throne seats are far more deserving of the coffin title. Virgin is more an Irish wake seat than a coffin seat. You’re lying there on your back, in the wide open, whilst people you barely know give you the once over to judge whether the belly on you was what did you in. I remain available to Virgin’s marketing team if they want to build out this concept.
Brilliant! I expect Beardy’s promo people will be in touch soon 🤣🤣
On my only UC flight to date, we were changed at the last minute from coffin to brand new/neo (?) seats, a bit like Club Suite but looked nicer, IMO. Obviously that was fabulous for us and really seemed to buck recent trends in terms of equipment swaps.
While hanging out briefly in the loft/lounge bit, I got chatting to a man from Leeds on a golfing trip who was clearly a high-status, frequent VS flyer. He (somewhat enviously, given the circs) told me he’d deliberately booked PE rather than UC for this trip as he found the coffins so underwhelming for the price (and MAN-MCO in UC can easily hit £3k). He was very tall and broad, however, which would have had a bearing on his comfort levels.
Have flown on all of the Virgin Upper Class seats and although the others offer something different, I have no issues with the 787. For working during a day flight, I find the cabin much brighter and more airy, and enjoy the view out of multiple windows. The sleeping mattress is comfy and making up the bed isn’t a hassle for me. If I can lie down and sleep on a night flight, everything is fine and that’s why I choose Upper Class etc over Premium Economy or Economy.
Row A certainty preferred but ended up on the other side last time and it really wasn’t the end of the world.
On my only UC flight to date, we were changed at the last minute from coffin to brand new/neo (?) seats, a bit like Club Suite but looked nicer, IMO. Obviously that was fabulous for us and really seemed to buck recent trends in terms of equipment swaps.
While hanging out briefly in the loft/lounge bit, I got chatting to a man from Leeds on a golfing trip who was clearly a high-status, frequent VS flyer. He (somewhat enviously, given the circs) told me he’d deliberately booked PE rather than UC for this trip as he found the coffins so underwhelming for the price (and MAN-MCO in UC can easily hit £3k). He was very tall and broad, however, which would have had a bearing on his comfort levels.
How did the PE fella access the onboard lounge? I thought it was only for Upper?
Have flown on all of the Virgin Upper Class seats and although the others offer something different, I have no issues with the 787. For working during a day flight, I find the cabin much brighter and more airy, and enjoy the view out of multiple windows. The sleeping mattress is comfy and making up the bed isn’t a hassle for me. If I can lie down and sleep on a night flight, everything is fine and that’s why I choose Upper Class etc over Premium Economy or Economy.
Row A certainty preferred but ended up on the other side last time and it really wasn’t the end of the world.
Interesting, I’m coming round to the idea nicely now… Our flight is with points/reward voucher and forms the last leg of our round-the-world trip starting at the end of next January through to March. We’ve deliberately chosen different airlines for each leg and without a bottomless pot of money, with different cabins too – sometimes it seems as if the stops in between are just a bonus!
On my only UC flight to date, we were changed at the last minute from coffin to brand new/neo (?) seats, a bit like Club Suite but looked nicer, IMO. Obviously that was fabulous for us and really seemed to buck recent trends in terms of equipment swaps.
While hanging out briefly in the loft/lounge bit, I got chatting to a man from Leeds on a golfing trip who was clearly a high-status, frequent VS flyer. He (somewhat enviously, given the circs) told me he’d deliberately booked PE rather than UC for this trip as he found the coffins so underwhelming for the price (and MAN-MCO in UC can easily hit £3k). He was very tall and broad, however, which would have had a bearing on his comfort levels.
How did the PE fella access the onboard lounge? I thought it was only for Upper?
Probably because he was very tall, broad and Northern, an easy way-in on any Virgin flight 😉
This is really making me look forward to our 0530 departure from Bengaluru next April!
On my only UC flight to date, we were changed at the last minute from coffin to brand new/neo (?) seats, a bit like Club Suite but looked nicer, IMO. Obviously that was fabulous for us and really seemed to buck recent trends in terms of equipment swaps.
While hanging out briefly in the loft/lounge bit, I got chatting to a man from Leeds on a golfing trip who was clearly a high-status, frequent VS flyer. He (somewhat enviously, given the circs) told me he’d deliberately booked PE rather than UC for this trip as he found the coffins so underwhelming for the price (and MAN-MCO in UC can easily hit £3k). He was very tall and broad, however, which would have had a bearing on his comfort levels.
How did the PE fella access the onboard lounge? I thought it was only for Upper?
This is a known issue arising from Virgin’s cabin layout and the lack of interest by the crew in policing it. Same goes for the business class toilets.
This is a known issue arising from Virgin’s cabin layout and the lack of interest by the crew in policing it. Same goes for the business class toilets.
There’s often no VS crew at the bar, so it’s help yourself. Also If he’s a regular and if you are it’s easy to get to know the crews, especially out of MAN they’ll be used to seeing him sitting in UC.
It turned into a general waiting area for the loos, there’s not really an entrance or exit to it! No-one was really using it for its original purpose, I didn’t see a crew member in there once. It wasn’t even that comfortable, I just went there for a leg stretch and to snaffle some extra snacks (the fridge is stocked much better than the Club Kitchen). We northerners are also very friendly, lol.
I am probably ruined for life after getting those seats for 10.5k points each …
I’m an infrequent long haul business traveller, and I don’t mind it at all. On my last trip I was with a first time long haul J traveller and she thought it (along with the much maligned bar) was fantastic. With the superior ground handling, onboard crew, and customer service, I’d take Virgin business on any aircraft over BA in a heartbeat, and that’s before factoring in the drastically easier route to meaningful status.
I would choose row A half way down the cabin as its a bit more private with one aisle just for row A. However if you end up in the other rows you get a nice view of people’s sock choices. Not the end of the world, and I wouldn’t spend hours cancelling and rebooking because of the seat.
Avoid row 7 though because 7A doesn’t have a window. I love the Dreamliner, think it’s perfect for a day flight with the bar and wonderwall. The bed isn’t bad, but I’m not a fan of flip mode and you have little privacy. Always seems very hot on night flights as well though you do have air vent controls.
Give me United’s bed, Delta’s food and Virgin crew and I’d be very happy both ways across the AtlanticThere is one redeeming feature of the old ‘coffin’ seat, it’s still way better than E or PE!
Hey, would 11A still be better than 1k or 3g?
Hey, would 11A still be better than 1k or 3g?
Absolutely, any A side are better than G or K. It is the last row though so near to the bar and toilets
Thanks will go for that one and hope not too noisy. It’s a overnight flight so will hopefully be sleeping.
Hey, would 11A still be better than 1k or 3g?
Absolutely, any A side are better than G or K. It is the last row though so near to the bar and toilets
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