Virgin Atlantic Reviews 

We booked delta again and the inbound flights was changed to virgin again. Delta are absolutely amazing economy seats are huge and comfortable and staff couldn’t do enough. Coming home with virgin on comfort delight priority the seats were actually worse than Ryanair which is hard really. I know my backside is a little larger than the average but I’m still a size 14 and I could hardly fit in the seat and the controls stuck in my leg. The crew were too occupied tending to people in premium and 1st class and I felt really belittled. Some of us can’t afford that luxury. Never ever again will I fly with virgin unless in the upper premium class. (If I win the lottery). Food was so so but terrible service. Take my advise and if economy is all you can afford then fly with delta or another airline.

Heathrow check in staff are disinterested and unhelpful. Despite having booked a through ticket (by my travel agent), and requesting that my luggage be checked through to my end destination- which is not a domestic destination at the point of arrival- but more so international transit through Johannesburg from London- they refused to assist me stating that they”are not prepared to pay for the luggage if it goes missing” as the reason. This is absolute stupidity!! Ironically, when travelling to the UK, there were no issues in ensuring luggage was booked to end destination and international transit was possible route. As a frequent traveller to many international destinations, this has never been an issue with any other airline. Virgin Atlantic clearly does not have co-operative agreements with other regional airlines, which create inconvenience for their customers, when travelling on international transit routes. This is the first time- and will probably be the last that I am able to use Virgin Atlantic as their inability to assist, their check in staff, including the supervisor, complete ignorance and arrogance has caused me major inconvenience. With a relatively short connection, and against my wishes, I had to go through the South African immigration process - to collect my one bag- check it in on the other side and then exit South Africa immigration procedures again to continue the journey. As a travel industry destination marketing professional I am unable to recommend Virgin Atlantic as a feasible airline to use when travelling to destinations outside of their direct departure and arrival hubs. This is a pity as we all want to see businesses flourish- especially those that are privately owned. Sadly, their check in staff at Heathrow are disinterested, unhelpful and as a result, have created consequences which are not conducive to easy and stress free travel. Do not use Virgin Atlantic if you are transiting through any of their destinations- they tell me that they only have an agreement with Delta and no other regional air supplier in the world.

Awful, flight out was diverted for lack of fuel & weather, i paid for an upgrade, didnt get my meal as they didnt plan on me being on the flight. (There words)
On my return journey delayed as well.
Heathrow to dulles on 10/06 & back on 20/06.

I received a voucher for compensation i can only spend with virgin on another booking. I tried to use it to get an upgrade on my return flight but was not allowed.

Its not compensation if i have to spend lots more with the company when i dont ever want to use the company again.

I would never recommend. Stick to actual flag carriers not this cheap run down airline, clearly they cut corners absolutely everywhere and are happy to screw over there paying customers.

1/10. NEVER USE THIS AIRLINE

Went to see my daughter off and as she checked in her bag at the SELF SERVICE Machines, she requested assistance. The overzealous gentlemen proceeded to ask her so many questions. He was so nosey, asking her who she was staying with, how long she was going for. She said two and a half month, and he asked her how many days that was! He even asked her step father and i if WE were happy she was going. His manner was so intrusive. This is not normal! He clearly hoped for a job in customs.

Absolutely awful company, I advise anyone to book with someone else, I wish I’d read the reviews before booking as it seems many people have had the same poor experience. No surprise they don’t have the reviews on their own site. Customer services are useless and show no compassion. I booked with virgin as opposed to cheaper airlines as I thought I’d get a better experience, how wrong I was.

I’ve just had enough of them ripping off valuable and loyal customers. My Flying Club account will be closed too, as will my VA Mastercard. It’s simply not worth the annual fee anymore.

Since 2024 when the rewards structure changed it’s an absolute scam. Just called to book an upper class return flight to USA west coast. First of all, the agent quoted me over £7k, then when I said I was looking at it on their app at under £4k it immediately came down. Clearly no mistake and trying to dishonestly get an extra 3 grand out of me. Then when I enquired about using two companion vouchers and 254000 points to book a second return in upper, the quote was over 700000. With the vouchers valued at 150000 I’d be way short. Given that it’s over £6000 to buy that amount of points, 2 grand more than the cash price for the ticket, what’s the incentive to be part of this flying club? Oh, then on top of the points is the £1400 tax, charges and surcharges. It’s now no longer worth it - terrible value.

On researching Avios and BA, it’s much better value for money/value for points, so the VA brand has lost another customer, and judging by these reviews, I won’t be the last.

Really disappointed I’ve had to make this decision as I like the brand and the old values that the company once had which now seem to be long gone.

I booked economy delight flight, want to know how much refund I can get , only option to know that is , fill a refund quote form but they will take 7 -14 working days to respond. How on earth anyone would like to make travel arrangement will wait for 14 working days, I have to book another flight based on refund quote. Customer service is useless.Terrible service. Sound like systematic cheating.

I called Virgin as i had £150 voucher (from a previous customer complaint) to use, otherwise i would never have considered Virgin Atlantic.
I made the booking, got the reference number, paid for my seats etc... all fine until i cant check in - knowing Virgin, i called immediately to which they told me the booking is not processed, as i need to send the scan of the voucher, when i told them that i wasn't told of this during the booking call, they didn't believe me and went to go and check the initial call (shocking customer service) when she called me back, no apologies nothing - asked me to send the voucher via email and i did, to which she replied that she cant do anything to issue the voucher and take it off the booking price, its another team and they will do it. I told her im flying the next day at 5:45pm, it was now 9:30pm the previous day - she gave no assurances that it would be resolved in time. Shocking and appalling customer service. I have sent a formal complaint, and request the recordings and transcript of all the calls in regards to this, and full refund. I was stuck as all other airline prices had since more than doubled so i couldn't book anywhere else.

I paid a significant premium for Virgin Atlantic’s business class expecting a standard of service commensurate with the ticket price. What I received was one of the most disappointing travel experiences I’ve had.

Service that felt deliberately dismissive. Despite being in queue, I was inexplicably the last passenger approached for meal selection — by which point multiple options had already run out. When I raised this, staff deflected with a vague “we ran out” response rather than any acknowledgment or remedy. Throughout the flight, I was consistently ignored when attempting to get attention. For a cabin that markets itself on attentive, personalised service, this was simply unacceptable.

A meal that didn’t reflect what I paid for. As a direct result of being served last, I was unable to order one full course. What was presented to me was noticeably smaller and less complete than what other passengers received. The baguettes — presumably meant to compensate — were so dry they were nearly inedible. No compensation, no effort to make it right.

The cabin itself was a letdown. The seats are cramped and lack meaningful privacy — not what you expect when paying business class fares. The cleanliness of the aircraft was also noticeably poor throughout the flight.

The finishing touches were equally underwhelming. The amenity kit provided to business class passengers was cheap in both quality and contents — a detail that speaks volumes about how Virgin Atlantic values this cabin.

Virgin Atlantic charges a premium and delivers something far below it. I would strongly recommend considering alternatives before booking.

Staff are extremely rude. Position themselves as a premium airline but just get attitude / passive aggressiveness from staff on the politest request.

Thought I would try after growing tired of BA attitude, but clearly they are all the same.

Stay clear

⭐ 1/5

Extremely disappointed with Virgin Atlantic.

My friend and I paid in advance to reserve seats together. We specifically chose and paid for our seats well before the flight, only to discover at check-in that our seats had been changed and we had been separated. The replacement seats were not even in the same row.

What made this even worse is that my friend suffers from flight anxiety and was extremely distressed about having to sit alone. I spoke to the check-in manager, the ticket desk at Heathrow, and the cabin crew, but nobody was able to help because the flight was fully booked.

The most frustrating part is that I paid for a service that Virgin Atlantic failed to provide. I have raised a formal complaint, multiple staff members added notes to my booking, and I am still waiting for a proper resolution, refund, or even a sincere apology.

Mistakes can happen, but the lack of customer care and accountability afterwards has been very disappointing. Based on this experience, I would think twice before paying for seat selection with Virgin Atlantic again.

Worst customer service - i was speaking to Noemie today to request my invocie receipt i paid for my flight to Virgin Atlantic and after she ask me all the details - she told to send an email to ticketting customer service which she said not her job to do so. The company did not give me any invoice receipt and it is so hard to get it from them.

I needed to update the passport number for flights I paid £3500 for. Cant do it via the app or website because this concept never occured to them

Rang customer service, and after 10 minutes of navigating their phone menu was told to use the website, explained website has no facility for this. Phoneline also has no facility to update passport, was told to turn up to airport on the day of flight & hope they can resolve this

there is no option to esclate, transfer or raise a complaint

utterly useless

Booked a flight to Dubai using Virgin flying club miles. All flights there this winter cancelled. No compensation or additional points offered and I’ve lost £300 hotel deposit. Been a flying club member for decades flying in premium cabins but if this is how they reward loyalty I’m off to BA.

Tried to change the flight to return earlier. Couldn’t do it online. Seven phone calls and two online chats. They quoted £663 per ticket despite the fare rate being the same. At the end they then said “oh we can’t do it you’ll have to go to airport check in, it’s locked out”. So I did and was first in the queue, just 20 minutes later. When the desk opened they had to call someone. It was then miraculously £1.350 per person to change. Meanwhile next to me, after being told this, a guy and his wife were able to upgrade from economy to premium for just £150.
Price gouging.
I made a complaint and you’ll be amazed to know they couldn’t locate the calls!! Yeah right.
When we eventually came back in premium economy they moved a man who was unbelievably sick in economy, into premium, next to us, and now we are sick. Premium economy below average in service anyway. When I said “don’t we get a glass of bubbles” before take off you’d have thought I asked if I could go the the bathroom in the aisle. Poor.
I’ll never fly with Virgin ever again.
Lying cheating bunch.

My daughter was called for a kidney transplant at a moment’s notice so my husband had to cancel his flight due to her being allowed no visitors for some weeks. A letter from her hospital confirmed this. Virgin refused to refund the full cost of the flight, clawing back £330 of it. Plus he lost the money paid for the reserved seats. Apparently their terms and conditions do not permit a full refund. I found their rigid adherence to the T & Cs appalling in the circumstances. As a family we have flown with Virgin many times over the years. Disgusted that they could not bring themselves to make an exception. How often does a kidney transplant from a deceased donor take place! I expected much more compassion from a company that supposedly prides its self on its customer service. No customer care at all. Profits are what matters to them. Definitely not people.

I just wanted to leave a review for two members of staff who helped me at the Virgin Atlantic check-in desk JFK: Mr. Salsabill and Braylin.

On 3 June, I was extremely worried that there was an issue with my booking because my online check-in kept being declined. I travelled all the way to the airport the day before my flight to get it checked.

Both gentlemen were incredibly helpful, professional, and friendly. They quickly looked into the issue and resolved everything within minutes, putting my mind at ease. Their excellent customer service turned what had been a very stressful situation into a positive experience.

Thank you both so much for your kindness, patience, and assistance. It was truly appreciated.

Trying to book disability assistance for three hours the website would not accept our address . Tried 4 times . Customer services said they could only deal with holidays not flights only , transfered me and cut me off . I tried to put a complaint in . It will only be dealt with in 28 days ...too late we will already be on holiday . Woeful disability support leaving me in pain , stressed and in tears with no support booked

I travelled for the first time on Virgin Atlantic airways on the long haul to Delhi using points. Flight was ok but for an enhanced experience, the premium economy meals were pretty dissapointing at best. Due to unforeseen family circumstances I had to return to the UK early to be with a relative. I looked to change the return leg to find out I would have to pay 4 times the amount of points I had already paid for the flight. This was outwith my points level and I was told I couldn't combine points and cash. I didn't have a leg to stand on as this unreasonable demand was "in the terms and conditions". At this stage the priority was getting home as quickly as possible and the call centre was rigid in their position. I paid for a single flight using another carrier which also included a connecting flight in the UK for less than half what Virgin demanded. I am now back in the UK and I contacted Virgin to cancel my unused return leg which is still another week away. Lucky me, I could choose pay £70 to cancel and perhaps I may get a few pounds back from the taxes and fees I had paid for the return flight and no doubt the seat would be resold for a profit on top or, don't cancel and don't turn up and lose everything. I couldn't believe the choice they gave given the nature of urgency to get back home but maybe I shouldn't be surprised as it seems Virgin Atlantic hiding behind terms and conditions rather than actually listening to the needs of the passenger is all too common in todays marketplace. Score card, Virgin Atlantic, compassion - zero, care - zero, future bookings from me - zero.

The issues started with the bag check-in where only two representatives were available for first class check in, half as many as Delta One, which I wish I'd flown. The next issue was at the security checkpoint, whereby your anti-American, anti-US veteran security team flagged my bag for swiping and emptied the bag all because they noticed my retired Army Military Police badge, even though I have TSA Pre Check.

Then proceeding to the lounge, I was greeted by two flights of stairs and a large number of stairs just to enter the plane.

Once aboard in first class, the only USB terminal was broken. A flight attendant acted like it was a great imposition to find one. There was also an issue with a broken tray table. My request for assistance was met by Simon, the anti-American, anti-veteran customer service manager with "Mr. McCune, several passengers are complaining that you're making too much noise."

Shortly thereafter, I saw the copilot going to the toilet and I expressed my displeasure. Shortly after that, Simon told me "the pilot is very unhappy with you." I would be unhappy too if I had his crew, but this is proof that Simon and the rest of the crew have zero customer service inclination. The pilot and crew should care if I'm unhappy, but clearly, they weren't.

We experienced numerous cases of turbulence, but nothing was said by the pilot or crew other than to switch on the seatbelt sign. Finally, after many of these occurrences I mentioned to a flight attendant that in every other airline I've flown, the pilot would apologize and state he was adjusting altitude to find calmer air. The flight attendant's response "that would cost more money." Even through these disruptions, I was able to sleep periodically.

When we landed, I was asked by Simon to accompany him to the jetway where I was met by 5 policemen. The policemen said I had disrupted the flight by banging my table loudly and refusing to fasten my seatbelt. Aside from being embarrassing, the crew or pilot had lied as I never refused any order, including to fasten my seatbelt. If I was sleeping when the fasten seat belt sign was energized, don't you think it's proper that I should have been awakened, instead of calling the Police, a gross and totally improper over-reaction and an obvious attempt to retaliate for my expressed concerns. Further, I asked all five policemen if they had ever in the past been called to escort a passenger off of any plane, from any airline and they all stated they had not!

Any one of these issues considered separately would have been atrocious enough, but taken in their totality, there is no other conclusion that can be drawn except I was targeted by Virgin Atlantic (VA) solely because I'm an American veteran and that VA hasn't a clue about proper human decency, let alone customer service and I paid over $8,000 for my ticket!

Accordingly, it will be a cold day in hell before I step foot in a VA plane, Heathrow, or Brittain, which has quite obviously not been "Great" for a long, long time!