Virgin Atlantic any good?

[disneymom]

I've been reading virgin isnt as good as it used to be?

I always thought they were expensive but the best? has it changed and if it has, who else is best to get from Manchester or at a stretch, Gatwick

[BouncyTigger]

I've been reading virgin isnt as good as it used to be?

I always thought they were expensive but the best? has it changed and if it has, who else is best to get from Manchester or at a stretch, Gatwick

We have travelled to Florida by virgin on various occasions and been very happy. The flight is direct and orlando international is only 30 minutes away from disneyworld and you can get disney magical express to and from the airport free of charge. However our last trip on virgin wasnt great.
When we went to the gate in manchester we had to board a bus out to the plane, which may not seem a chore but if you have young children it can be a nightmare. When we reached the plane we had to climb quite a number of steps up to the plane door which for someone who suffers from vertigo it is not pleasant. Apparently this is a cost saving measure by virgin and on returning to manchester we had to do the same.
We also like to prebook our seats in economy before flying out and there seems to be restrictions on this as well.
There are a few alternatives which are chosing another airline or travelling by shuttle down to gatwick. American airlines fly out from manchester but you have to change in philadelphia or fly with first choice or travel city direct. Both first choice and travel city direct fly direct to florida but land in sanford which is an hour away from disneyworld. In flying to sanford you miss out on the free bus service of disney magical express to your resort.
We may even have to consider ba which has always been more expensive than virgin.

[AKLnut]

We flew first choice last time instead of virgin. It was much cheaper, they had more friendly staff, larger seats with more space and it was just better all round.

Since we hire a car, not having disney magical express didnt bother us and the drive from sanford is an easy one

I think virgin are going to lose out if they don't buck up their ideas

[wdwgirl]

Theyre not as good as they were but for us the direct flights, excellent kids packs, free drinks even alcoholic ones and disney magical express at the other end make them still the best for us :/

We're thinking about ba for next time though because virgin are so expensive now and there are hardly any miles for money flights for our holiday time even though we have over 100,000 virgin airmiles We only got the virgin credit card for the miles, so are really annoyed that now we cant even use them!

[Poly-Princess]

I'm not at all happy with virgin at the moment GRRRRRR

We paid extra for Premium Economy as a treat and received poor service, broken entertainment systems, they ran out of choices of meal, there was a stand not a gate We were late both ways and the staff seemed very offhand.

We've booked with British Airways for next time

[disneydiva]

I've been reading virgin isnt as good as it used to be?

I always thought they were expensive but the best? has it changed and if it has, who else is best to get from Manchester or at a stretch, Gatwick

Hi, we have travelled to florida, mainly flying virgin atlantic, but the last time we didnt enjoy it at all.
One of the main problems was not going straight on to the plane at the gate. You are tired and so are the children so the last thing you want to do is get on a bus from the gate to the plane. Then having reached the plane you then are faced with a steep flight of stairs to get on the plane.
In the past, our flights were relatively cheap, not any more. We are paying more but getting less in return. The meals havent improved, maybe even worse, and some of the flight attendants are rude and unhelpful.
We are considering changing to another airline for our next trip to florida.

[Keith]

I fly from Manchester and really not sure

We've mainly used Virgin although went a few times with US Airways. Virgin get in nice and early (relatively) but the US carriers all need a change in the states which adds loads of time.

I do agree though, Virgin are treating its flyers, especially those of us from Manchester really awfully.

[ukwdwnut]

ive used them twice now and have had excellent service BUT have not been away since 2004 so im not that happy with the reported service of VA going downhill, my uncle fly with them every year for the last 15yrs and said he has noticed a decline in their standards.....but i will go hoping i get the same service from LGW as before, fingers crossed and will report on it when i get back

[josh.p.]

I flew Virgin Economy to New York and I thought it was brilliant. I flew from Heathrowe, check in was fast, boarding the plane was fast, they really treated you well, always offering free snacks and drinks, the food (especially veggie option) was good too.

Maybe this is because I've never flown with them so can't compare to other times, but this was february 2008.

[Magical Moments.]

This will be our first flight with Virgin this year, we have upgraded to Premium Economy.
Having done some reading on other forums i am not to sure about them now.