Hot Take: Virgin Premium Almost As Good As Upper Class

Updated on October 4th, 2026 at 04:00 pm

Short answer: on a daytime flight, Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy is good enough that I wouldn’t pay for Upper Class. It’s the best Premium Economy I’ve flown, ahead of British Airways and, on service, even ahead of the award-winning Emirates Premium Economy. I’ve put that to the ultimate test on a 14-hour daytime flight from Seoul, and stepped off without any of the usual long-haul fatigue from Economy. Only on an overnight flight does the flat bed really earn Upper its money.

So how does Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy compare to its biggest UK rival? And is Virgin Premium Economy worth it?

Virgin Atlantic, like British Airways, offers a dedicated Premium Economy cabin across all long-haul routes. Over the past three years, I’ve flown Virgin’s Premium product multiple times, and before 2019, I genuinely preferred it to their Upper Class cabin.

This review is based on a recent overnight flight from India, where I had the rare opportunity to experience Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy and Upper Class on the same route across two trips, just two months apart.

It turned out to be the perfect moment to reassess both products and it gave me plenty of food for thought.

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Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy: What You Get

• Extra-wide leather seats (18.5 to 21 inches, genuinely generous on the 787)
• Up to 38 inches of seat pitch with excellent legroom
• 2 × 23kg checked bags, plus a 10kg cabin bag
• A glass of bubbly on boarding
• A multi-course meal with a choice of three mains, served on china with metal cutlery and a linen napkin
• Pre-order dining via the Premium menu, from seven days up to 24 hours before departure
• Signature Mile High Tea on most flights from the UK to the US and Caribbean
• Self-service snacks and drinks from the “Wander Wall”
• Up to 13.3-inch touchscreen entertainment
• Dedicated Premium check-in and bag drop
• Priority boarding and priority baggage delivery on arrival
• Free Starlink Wi-Fi for Flying Club members, rolling out across the fleet through 2027

Check-In & Lounge Experience

Virgin has dedicated Premium desks in most airports.

Check-in for Delhi flight was efficient and smooth, just as it has been on previous Virgin departures from Heathrow. The experience is noticeably better than economy: calmer, quicker, and more personal.

I hold SkyTeam Elite Plus status via KLM, which would usually grant lounge access.

However, as this booking was made using my Virgin Flying Club account with upgrade vouchers, that benefit didn’t apply on this occasion. No issue, I used Priority Pass instead and enjoyed a solid Indian dinner before boarding.

Does Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy Include Lounge Access?

No. A Premium ticket on its own doesn’t get you into the Virgin Clubhouse, which is reserved for Upper Class passengers and Flying Club Gold members, whatever cabin they’re flying in.

Departing Heathrow Terminal 3, Priority Pass is the easiest workaround. The No1 Lounge and My Lounge are both included, and Clubrooms, the quieter table-service option next door to No1, is available for a £15 supplement on top of a Priority Pass visit.

On a short day flight, I’d honestly not lose sleep over skipping the lounge altogether. Premium check-in means you’re not wasting much time landside anyway.

Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy Seating

Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy is a dedicated cabin located directly behind Upper Class.

On the Boeing 787-9, the cabin features 35 seats in a 2-3-2 configuration.

The A330-900neo features 46 Premium seats (56 on Virgin’s newest configuration), while the A350 flagship has a much larger 56-seat cabin in a 2-4-2 layout.

Some cabin shots from this flight:

Due to the late-night departure, the cabin lighting was heavily dimmed, but there’s no mistaking you’re onboard a Virgin aircraft.

Virgin describes these as large, deeply padded leather seats, and that description is spot on, as you can see.

Each seat is dressed with a contoured pillow, wrapped blanket, wireless headphones, and an amenity kit on overnight flights.

Best Seats in Virgin Premium Economy

For couples, the window pairs are ideal, no third passenger and maximum privacy. Families will appreciate the middle block.

Solo travellers should avoid the middle seats if possible.

Seat-wise, the first row offers extra legroom, while the last row has the advantage of unrestricted recline. Personally, I’m happy with either.

Prior to 2023, preferred seat selection in Premium was complimentary. Virgin now monetises this, with selected “preferential seats” requiring a fee for advance selection.

Virgin Premium on the 787 vs A350 vs A330neo

For reference, here’s how the A350 Premium cabin looks fully reclined in daylight:

And a full cabin shot of the A330-900neo:

Compared to the 787, both the A350 and A330neo feel noticeably less Premium. The 787 remains my favourite: seats up to 21 inches wide against 18.5 inches on the Airbuses, and an 8″ recline versus 7″ on the A350. That inch matters. You feel it.

The newer aircraft do benefit from larger 13.3″ IFE screens, but I’m still puzzled by Virgin’s decision to prioritise density over comfort on the A350. For day flights, any Virgin Premium seat works beautifully. For night flights, I’d strongly prioritise the 787, or Upper Class.

On this nine-hour overnight flight, I still managed around four hours of solid sleep.

Virgin Premium Economy Menu & Service

Unlike British Airways, Virgin puts real effort into making Premium Economy feel genuinely premium.

The Premium Economy Difference

Boarding includes a welcome drink, and meals can be pre-selected via Virgin’s Premium menu from seven days up to 24 hours before departure. The standard service is a proper multi-course affair, with three mains to choose from, then dessert and cheese, and on most UK to US and Caribbean flights you also get Virgin’s signature Mile High Tea of finger sandwiches and sweet treats. Very British. Very Virgin.

You do feel a difference from Economy from the outset, with a much more cosy and dare I say “Premium” feel to the real estate as well as crew warmth.

The onboard menu for this flight:

And the drinks list:

For late-night departures, Virgin serves a lighter snack service.

This was a hot chicken tikka wrap, genuinely excellent, accompanied by apple crumble and drinks.

Around two hours before landing, breakfast service began, and the aromas alone were enough to wake me.

Choices included:

Cheese & pepper omelette with potato wedges
or
Paneer bhurji with palak tikka and paratha

The crew insisted I try both, and I’m glad they did.

The omelette was good, but the paneer bhurji was outstanding: beautifully spiced and paired with the best paratha I’ve ever had in the air.

On my 14-hour Premium flight from Seoul, the longest in Virgin’s history, I was served a Korean spicy chicken with kimchi fried rice for lunch.

Followed by a grilled chicken with asparagus & mash.

Both dishes were outstanding in quality and presentation.

Virgin also offers a generous selection of snacks and drinks on demand, including self-service from the “Wander Wall“.

Drinks were always served in proper crockery, often with snacks, matching Upper Class standards.

Virgin Premium vs Upper Class: Good Enough for a Day Flight?

This is the question in the title, so here’s my honest answer: on a day flight, yes.

The gap between Premium and Upper Class is real, but most of it only shows up when you want to sleep. Upper gets you a fully flat bed, the Clubhouse, and private check-in at Heathrow’s Upper Class Wing. On a night flight, that bed is worth serious money. On a day flight, you’re paying a hefty premium for a bed you’ll mostly use as a very expensive sofa.

Here’s the thing a lot of people miss: much of Virgin’s network runs in daylight. Flights from Heathrow to the US leave during the day or early evening and land the same day. VS3, for example, leaves Heathrow at 10:50 and lands at JFK at 13:45 local time.

Heading home, VS26 leaves JFK in the morning and gets you into Heathrow in the evening. On flights like these you’re awake anyway: eating, watching films, maybe catching up on work. That’s exactly what the Premium seat does well.

The 14-Hour Test: Seoul to London in Premium

If any flight was going to expose Premium’s limits, it was this one. In July 2026 I flew VS209 from Seoul to Heathrow, a 12:20 departure blocked at 14 hours on the 787-9, and the longest flight in Virgin’s history. I had enough Virgin Points to fly Upper Class for only 26,000 more, and deliberately chose Premium anyway, because I wanted to know if it could survive a properly long day flight.

It did, and then some. Across 14 hours I simply didn’t feel it: no stiff back, no aching knees, no dragging final hours, none of the general aches and pains that normally come with long haul in anything short of a flat bed. Honestly, I’ve stepped off seven-hour flights in lesser Premium Economy seats feeling worse.

You can see full trip report on my Virgin Premium Economy Seoul to London review.

My Delhi flight was the opposite test: a 2am departure, the worst case for any recliner.

I still managed four hours of solid sleep in 24A.

So between 14 hours by day from Seoul and 2am out of Delhi, I’ve thrown about the toughest conditions I can at this seat. A seven-hour daytime hop to New York is no contest.

When Upper Class Is Still Worth Paying For

• Overnight eastbound flights where you need to function the next morning. A flat bed is the one thing Premium can’t fake.
• When the lounge matters to you. The Clubhouse is one of the best airline lounges in the world, and if you don’t hold Gold, Upper is the only way in.
• Overnight on the A350. The denser 2-4-2 Premium cabin is fine by day, but at night I’d rather be in the 787 or up front.

How Virgin Premium Compares to Other Premium Economy Cabins

I’ve now flown Premium Economy on Virgin, British Airways and Emirates, and Virgin is the one I’d book again first. The industry agrees: at the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards, Virgin Atlantic was named the World’s Best Premium Economy Class Airline, ahead of Japan Airlines and Emirates, and also took the top spot for Premium Economy catering. British Airways came seventh.

On paper, the seats are much of a muchness. Almost everyone offers around 38 inches of pitch. Where Virgin pulls ahead is the 787’s 21-inch seat, and everything that happens around the seat.

Virgin Premium vs Emirates Premium Economy

This is the comparison I get asked about most, so I’ll say it plainly: I think Virgin’s Premium service is even better than Emirates’, the airline that keeps collecting Premium Economy awards. I’ve reviewed Emirates Premium twice, including Emirates A380 Premium Economy from Dubai to London, so this isn’t a hunch.

Emirates wins on hardware, no argument. Its cream leather seat offers up to 40 inches of pitch, 19.5 inches of width, an 8-inch recline and a proper calf rest, and Skytrax named it the world’s best Premium Economy seat in 2025. It’s a lovely place to sit.

But a seat isn’t a service. Emirates’ crew were consistently good; Virgin’s feel like they actually want you there. A crew insisting you try both breakfasts because one simply isn’t enough is the kind of moment that sums up the difference. Add the Wander Wall, pre-ordering, and food that matches Upper on presentation, and that service gap matters more to me than an extra two inches of legroom. Emirates also charges a hefty premium for its Premium cabin, and neither airline gives you lounge access.

Virgin Premium vs BA World Traveller Plus

This is the head-to-head most UK travellers are weighing up. Both give you 38 inches of pitch, two 23kg bags and no lounge access. The difference is in the details: Virgin’s 787 seat is up to 21 inches wide against 18.5 inches in BA World Traveller Plus, and the catering isn’t close. On BA, the meal felt like a modest step up from Economy. On Virgin, the food was one of the highlights of the flight.

Virgin Premium vs Delta Premium Select and United Premium Plus

The big US carriers offer solid products on paper: 38 inches of pitch, seats around 19 inches wide, leg rests and porcelain dining, and Delta Premium Select is widely regarded as the best Premium Economy in North America. But neither matches the 787’s 21-inch seat, and neither has anything like the Wander Wall or a proper British afternoon tea at 35,000 feet.

Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy Pricing

Premium fares have risen sharply post-pandemic. Sale fares to the US once dipped below £600; today, £800 to £900 is more typical, with peak pricing exceeding £1,400.

That said, redemption value remains excellent. Off-peak awards start at 17,500 points + £360 to £400, with peak pricing at 27,500 points. West Coast routes range from 27,500 to 37,500 points.

2025 update: Since Virgin introduced dynamic pricing, Premium seats can now be booked for as little as 10,500 miles one-way in super off-peak periods. That’s exceptional value.

Is It Worth Upgrading From Economy to Premium?

If the gap is a few hundred pounds, yes. Economy Delight gets you 34 inches of pitch and a single 23kg bag, but you’re still in the main cabin with the main cabin service. Premium adds another four inches, a second checked bag, a separate cabin, priority check-in and boarding, and a completely different meal service. If you’d be paying for a second bag anyway, the maths gets very easy.

What You Don’t Get vs Upper Class

The obvious omission is the fully flat bed, and access to the excellent Virgin Clubhouse lounges.

However, Flying Club Gold members still enjoy Clubhouse access regardless of cabin.

Virgin has provided amenity kits in the past, but this appears to be gone or inconsistently done in Premium now.

If I could change two things, I’d ask Virgin to stop charging for preferential seats in a cabin people are already paying extra for, and to give the A350 the same generous seat as the 787. Neither is a deal-breaker, but both chip away at that famous Virgin generosity.

Where to Stay in London

Final Verdict: Is Virgin Premium Economy Worth It?

So how can Premium Economy come close to Business Class?

Simple: comfort, service, and consistency.

On the 787, these seats are as wide as many business class seats and remarkably comfortable. When a light sleeper like me consistently manages four hours of rest, that’s telling. And when I can sit through 14 hours from Seoul and get off without a single ache, it’s hard to argue Upper Class is a necessity by day.

Add Virgin’s attentive crew, excellent catering, and genuinely premium presentation, often rivalling Upper Class, and you have a product that punches well above its weight. It’s true that some of the classic Virgin magic has faded over the years, but that’s happened across the board, not just here.

For many travellers, Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy is the sweet spot: nearly business-class comfort at a fraction of the price. And on a day flight, I’d go further. It’s good enough that Upper Class becomes a luxury rather than a necessity.

For more, check out my reviews of Virgin Premium Economy Seoul, the Virgin A330neo Upper Class, Virgin A350 Upper Class and Emirates A380 Premium Economy.

Faze

Faze, founder of Wander Up Front and Elevate Your Stay, is a London-based travel specialist with a deep passion for aviation and unique destinations. With over 2 million miles flown, he has spent the last 8 years focusing on First and Business class experiences and travelled to 99 countries.

Faze provides straightforward, no-frills insights into premium airline products and services, sharing what matters to help travellers make informed choices.

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If you want to want to travel in style in more cost affective ways – check out his starter guide to utilizing Miles & Points