London to JFK, June 22, 2007

My first trip on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class was relatively recently: July 7, 2005. If the date sticks in the mind, you will remember it was that morning London was hit by three bombs. Leaving for a three-week holiday in China in the immediate aftermath of this terrible event was one of the most unsettling experiences of my life. We almost didn't make it because west London was almost completely shut off. It was only thanks to the swift attention of the VA staff that we made it on board for the 12-hour journey to Shanghai. Even though we were in deep shock, I enjoyed the journey as much as I possibly could. We got the best of the VA experience: a brand new A340 fitted with the new flatbeds and cool bar area, great service from the mainly Asian crew, and the superb entertainment system.

Two years later, and I wonder if the service is in need of something of a refresh. I flew Upper Class to San Francisco earlier this year on a 747 400, and it was OK. My only complaint was that the menu was in serious need of an upgrade. But this trip to JFK wasn't much fun. One issue beyond the airline's control is that this flight was on one of the busiest weekends of the year, the start of the English school holidays, and the plane was full, not a single seat to be had. This puts pressure on everyone and everything, and little cracks start to appear in the standards of service. Again, the food was very disappointing. My choice was unavailable, and I didn't fancy either of the other two choices, so I ended up having a crew meal. The choice of films was very good, but the headphones were of such poor quality that you could barely hear the dialogue. What would it cost to put high-end noise reduction headsets in each Upper Class seat, I wonder? With so many customers, the cabin crew seemed to be too stretched and offered little to Upper Class customers beyond the basics.

I really want to love Virgin Atlantic. If every flight were as good as our trip to Shanghai on that awful day, I would always use them whenever possible.  But Sir Richard and the gang, in my opinion, need to ask themselves a key question: are we making Upper Class as good as it could be?