Jack's Honest Airline Review: Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy
Katy Maclure
In January 2026, I had quite a busy schedule. I managed to commit myself to working at three travel expos, three weekends in a row, in three different cities. No big deal - if they had all been in the same country or even on the same continent.
Between shows in Manchester and London, England, I had to be in New York. With only a couple of days' respite available to me before the London event, it was essential to pick the right flight from the Big Apple to the Big Smoke. One that would allow me to spend another 4 days on my feet talking about all things travel.
That’s where Virgin Atlantic’s Premium cabin came in. Having read that they offered the best premium economy product out there, I figured this was surely the best way to ensure that I arrived back in the UK as well-rested as possible. And so I booked, ready to find out whether premium economy was really so different from standard economy - and whether it was worth the extra cash. Here’s the result: my honest Virgin Atlantic premium economy review.
Flight & Aircraft Details
- VS26 - New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR) on a Boeing 787-9
I opted for a daytime flight back to the UK from New York. That’s somewhat atypical for a transatlantic flight travelling west to east, but I knew I had to get back on schedule and work later in the week, so a restless night at 36,000 ft was not part of my plan. And honestly, pairing that with premium economy seating for only £200 more than economy was a great call.
After turning right as I boarded (boo!), I entered the Premium cabin - on this plane, that’s rows 21-25. Where the Economy cabin (rows 26+) has a 3–3–3 configuration, Premium is 2–3–2.
I selected an aisle seat in one of those window pairs to ensure an easy escape route to the facilities (I know my bladder’s capabilities), at the same time giving up all control of the electric window shades. Seat selection is included with the Premium ticket, so be prepared to lock it in at the time of booking.
Boarding was smooth, and the futuristic purple lighting felt like entering into some kind of virtual reality simulator. It definitely set the tone for something more special than the average clinical, white-lit in-flight experience.
Arriving at my seat certainly did feel a little more luxurious than in economy, too. To the uninitiated (me), it almost looked like a business class seat with a proper shell, wide armrests, and a footrest.
One specific bonus of the Premium cabin on the 787-9 vs. Virgin’s other aircraft is the 21” seat width for added bum-wiggling space. Their Airbuses generally only offer 18.5”, and those extra 2.5” can really make a difference when you’re trying to find a comfy position to spend 7 hours in.
The footrest is meant to help you stretch out, but I really couldn’t find a position in which it felt more comfortable than with no footrest. Once I reclined my chair all the way back, the angle just didn’t quite match up, and I felt like I had to fold my legs up just to use it.
And on the topic of reclining, I swear that my seatmate managed to get her chair a good couple of inches further back than I did. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t match her leisurely angles, and the seat envy was real.
General Facilities
When I arrived at my seat, I was greeted by a neat pile of handy items: a fluffy neck pillow, a fresh blanket, a menu detailing what was to come (see below), headphones, and a cute little amenity kit in a sort of red paper-textured bag with a zip.
The contents of the amenity kit were definitely more suited to a night flight - socks, an eye mask, earplugs, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a pen. But time zones are only theoretical in the air, so I’m sure other folks will have been looking to catch a few Zzzs while I was perusing movies and eating snacks.
Each seat also came with a USB charging port and a socket for both US and UK plugs.
Another bonus of premium economy was sharing toilets with the business class cabin as opposed to the economy cabin - fewer people means fewer opportunities for an unpleasant surprise.
I also want to shout out the fun animated safety video Virgin plays over the seatback screens before departure. As someone who flies a lot, it’s easy to drift off during the safety demo, but they’ve made it engaging, cute and actually pretty entertaining.
Food and Drink
The main event.
Before taking off, we were treated to a pour of bubbly (in a proper glass) while we settled in and read through the treats to come.
First up was brunch, around an hour after taking off. The menu listed three options: a yoghurt and granola bowl, a bagel with cream cheese, egg and tomato filling, or an English muffin stuffed with turkey, egg and cheese. What it didn’t tell me was that I was getting the yoghurt and granola as well as one of the other options.
Having already set my mind on the everything bagel, I wasn’t too bothered about the rest, but I ended up being really glad to get it. The yoghurt came in a nice porcelain bowl with a good blob of fruit compote on top, while the granola was served in a separate packet to keep it fresh and crunchy. On the side, a bagel stuffed with a satisfying amount of cream cheese, tomato compote, and an egg, plus a glass of OJ.
Much like the real glass for my fizz and the porcelain bowl, serving up coffee in a real mug (with a very cool custom design) really elevated the experience beyond standard economy.
Towards the end of the flight came “A bite later on.” Sounds snacky, but was in fact a proper delicious meal. I went for the Japanese-style Kakuni chicken with edamame rice, which came with a Caprese salad (my fave), a berry crumble and cheese and crackers.
But the highlight of this meal was the tiny salt and pepper shakers in the shape of propeller planes. I must admit that mine were rehomed following that meal - a choice that I originally felt guilty about, but when I read the inscription on the underside that says “pinched from Virgin Atlantic”, I realised that rehoming was indeed expected.
Between meals, I felt very suitably served in terms of the odd snack, wine and soft drinks, but still took a peek at the “Wander Wall” towards the end of my flight. This is Virgin’s self-service galley area for premium cabins. It had been well raided by the time I stopped by, however drinks, salty snacks and sweet treats were all available.
Entertainment
The in-flight entertainment was fairly standard for what you’d expect from a transatlantic airline: a good selection of new movies, older classics, bingeable TV shows like The Big Bang Theory, podcasts, music and games. Plenty to keep you going on a 6-7 hour trip, basically, but nothing groundbreaking.
Seatback screens in the Premium cabin are the same size as in economy, and you get the same old-fashioned controller that sits in the seat back (despite the very responsive touchscreens). For me, the major benefit of the Premium seating in terms of entertainment was actually having plenty of space to set up my tablet on the table, watch my downloaded Netflix shows, and recline comfortably.
It’s also worth mentioning that free Starlink Wi-Fi is rolling out across the Virgin fleet in 2027, which will likely add a little extra value.
Staff and Service
The Virgin staff were all very welcoming and friendly throughout the flight. And they were certainly keen to ensure Premium passengers didn’t go hungry or thirsty at any point.
During the flight, a passenger across the aisle from me spilled a freshly poured coffee on her hands and lap. Although the passenger tried to put on a brave face and brush it off, the cabin crew jumped into action immediately, getting her cleaned up and dried off ASAP, and making sure she didn’t sustain any lasting burns.
They then came back to check on her periodically until we landed, offering her painkillers and cool packs if necessary. Thankfully the passenger was fine, but it was really reassuring to see how seriously the staff took care of something that they must see fairly regularly.
Gold star for the cabin crew 
In the Airport
New York's JFK Airport is undeniably a little intimidating. There are 8 different terminals (though only 5 currently operate as passenger terminals), so it's definitely worth making sure you know where you're going before you set off!
I was flying out of T4, the busiest terminal. It hosts a mix of international and domestic flights, but the major player there was Delta and its SkyTeam pals, including Virgin Atlantic (side note: Air France seems to be the only major SkyTeam airline with a separate base in T1).
My Uber attempted to drop me at the closest door to the Virgin check-in desks, however the drop-off situation at JFK can only be described as chaotic. Were it not for the incessant honking of horns, flashing lights, and screaming, you'd be forgiven for thinking that half the vehicles there had been abandoned. After repeatedly getting boxed in between cars stopped at various angles across multiple lanes, I eventually told my driver just to let me out when there was a space, and I'd happily walk the extra 50 feet.
Thankfully, the Virgin Atlantic check-in and bag-drop zone was much more relaxed. Lots of self-check-in machines complemented the staffed desks, including dedicated Premium desks. The whole process was smooth enough to lull me into a false sense of easy breezing ahead of the TSA security line.
To be honest, this is not the worst TSA line I've endured at a US airport - shout-out to post-Mardi-Gras New Orleans for that honour.
I'm well used to airport security, but even I find the number of options signposted at the entry to a US airport security check wholly confusing. And then there was the parade of people being walked back out of the security area by one of the agents, who was holding a sign saying, "Follow me." It remains a mystery as to where they were going, but like sheep they went.
My top tip for JFK is, unless you've paid extra for Global Entry, Clear, or some other security sorcery, just join the longest line. That's likely where you belong. It'll split along the way, and if you're lucky, you'll get to walk past a very happy K9 doing its job before you pass through the scanners.
That part of my 5:30 am airport experience took the longest, but at only 30-ish minutes in total, it could certainly have been worse. And once you're through security, it's all fairly well signposted and logically laid out. The food options past security vary by terminal and area, but you can pretty much guarantee it'll all be fairly pricey. That said, if you've actually spent any time in NYC before your flight, you probably won't notice much difference.
I grabbed a coffee and perched by one of the power outlets at my gate for a quick top-up before my flight. There are also lots of water fountains around, so you'll have no problem finding a spot to fill your bottle.
Overall Rating - 4.5/5
Having never had a proper premium economy experience before, I don’t have much to compare my Virgin Atlantic experience to. However, I really felt like there was enough of an elevation in service, amenities and seating to warrant the extra cash spent on the flight.
My aims were comfort, convenience, and rest, and Virgin Atlantic managed to tick those boxes with the extra space, included bags and seamless check-in alone. Adding in great meals, free access to snacks and drinks, and some cute salt and pepper shakers as souvenirs were the icing on the cake.
The only things that docked any points for me were the awkwardly-positioned footrest and the lack of an upgraded entertainment screen.
TLDR
Service: Attentive and friendly, and really jumped into action at the first sign of concern.
Facilities: Pretty decent - the entertainment screens and selection could have been more exciting, but the seating, Wander Wall, loos, and overall vibes were great.
Food: Decent variety of meal choices, and the food was tasty. Plus, plenty of snacks and drinks available at any time.
Timing: Efficient boarding, and we departed and arrived on time, despite travel disruption in the days leading up to my flight.
Quality vs. price: Definitely worth paying extra for the added comfort, bags and service. Just keep an eye on which aircraft you’re flying, as the 787-9 offers the roomiest seats.