Virgin Atlantic A330-900 Upper Class Review [JFK to LHR]

Key Takeaways

• Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A330-900 has great business class suites, far better than previous iterations of the airline’s Upper Class.
• Upper Class tickets include access to very good airport lounges in New York and London.
• Warm, efficient service, with Virgin’s trademark cheeky twist, helps make the experience a standout.

Airline: Virgin Atlantic (VS)
Aircraft: Airbus A330-900
Flight #: VS48
Route: New York (JFK) to London (LHR)
Date: October 26, 2024
Duration: 6 hours, 3 minutes
Cabin and Layout: Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, 1-2-1
Seat: 4A
Cost: $2,571 (round-trip from New York to Bengaluru, India, via London)

Virgin Atlantic operates 5 of the 20 flights a day between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and London Heathrow Airport, in close partnership with Delta Air Lines.

I’ve flown the route with Virgin several times, but this was my first time on the airline’s new Airbus A330-900. Did the enclosed suites in Virgin’s latest version of business class live up to their reputation?

Here’s what I found on a flight that marked my 111th crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

Booking

Seats on the many Virgin Atlantic flights between the U.S. and London can be snagged easily with points.

Virgin Points can be obtained from several sources since the Flying Club program is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, Marriott Bonvoy, and Wells Fargo Rewards.

A search for award seats in 2025 revealed that you could pay as few as 29,000 points plus $248 in taxes and fees for a seat from New York to London in Upper Class, which is what Virgin calls business. That would be a spectacular redemption for transatlantic business class. Prices could also reach an unreasonable 150,000 points plus $468.

For this flight, though, I paid cash since I was working to make Diamond Medallion status with Virgin partner Delta. Round-trip airfare from New York via London to Bengaluru (BLR) in India came to $2,571.

I booked on the Virgin Atlantic site using the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, which earns 3x points on travel. This netted me 7,713 Chase points worth $154 at our current valuation.

Hot Tip:

There are several ways to book a seat in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class using points and miles. Our step-by-step guide will show you how.

New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport

Checking In

I checked in on my phone using the Virgin Atlantic app, then took a ride-sharing service to the SkyPriority entrance at JFK‘s Terminal 4, where all Virgin and Delta flights operate from.

As a Virgin Atlantic business class passenger, I could use the new Delta One entrance, which fed into its own check-in area, security lane, and dedicated lounge. It’s reserved for flyers in Delta One business class and business class passengers with partner airlines.

While the rest of Terminal 4 was in the midst of the late afternoon rush to Europe, the Delta One area was empty, quiet, and spotless. Dropping off my checked luggage was a breeze. I asked for paper copies of my boarding passes to Heathrow and Bengaluru — you never know when you might need a backup of electronic passes — and I was done in minutes. What followed was even better.

Ever heard of having one’s own security lane? Me neither. Yet not only did Delta One check-in lead to a dedicated TSA area, but there were no other passengers when I used it. I went through security in seconds, as friendly TSA agents actually smiled at me. This kind of hyperinsulated, streamlined experience can be found in long-haul first class, but in business, it’s exceptional.

Delta One Lounge

After security, the Delta One Lounge was just steps away. I also had access to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, but I wanted to try the then brand-new space that Delta reserves for its business class flyers (and for those with partner carriers).

In my opinion, the Delta One Lounge has taken the top spot among lounges at Terminal 4. The Virgin Clubhouse, with its cool ambience and à la carte service, would not disappoint, but the Delta One lounge is a cut above.

Sprawling, well-lit, and with ample space to work or relax, plus quiet areas, the Delta One Lounge delivered, especially when it came to food and drink. A Bloody Mary at the bar and dinner at the lounge’s own restaurant put me in a great mood for the flight.

If you have the time, the new Delta space is very much worth spending a couple of hours.

Delta’s regular Sky Clubs — there are 2 at Terminal 4 — and the Virgin Clubhouse are also options for all Upper Class passengers on Virgin.

Bottom Line:

The Delta One Lounge at JFK is the place to be. Check out my in-depth review of the Delta One Lounge at JFK, which includes an overview of food and beverages, amenities, and more.

Boarding

JFK’s Terminal 4 is big, so factor in a potentially long walking time when leaving any of its lounges for your departure gate.

In this case, I arrived at gate A5 at 7:30 p.m., with boarding scheduled to begin in 15 minutes. Ground staff in red Virgin uniforms stood guard, ensuring that no one thronged the boarding area before their zone was called. Boarding even started early, and I was on the plane by 7:40 p.m.

The ground experience would prove to be similarly top-notch in London. Kudos to Virgin, and Delta, for getting it right.

On Board Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A330-900

The A330-900 is the latest version of the Airbus A330, the twin-aisle workhorse of the European planemaker. It’s the same size as the previous A330-300, but with a redesigned wing and 2 new, extremely quiet Rolls-Royce engines (you also see this plane mentioned as the A330-900neo, with the “neo” standing for “new engine option”). Virgin, Delta, and several European airlines have bought dozens, and there’s a good chance you’ll fly it across the Atlantic one day.

The A330-900 ferrying me across the ocean was just 5 months old and still gleaming inside and out. It wasn’t any unremarkable Airbus, either: Its British registration, G-VSRB, identified it as the Virgin jet named after Richard Branson. Virgin Atlantic gives each of its jets a name, and this was marked on the fuselage as Ruby Rebel — a reference to the airline’s institutional red color and its founder’s famously defiant attitude.

Business Class Cabin and Seat

I walked onto the brand-new jet to find Virgin Atlantic’s other signature color, the purple it uses for mood lighting while boarding.

Upper Class on the A330-900 was a single 32-seat cabin with 8 rows of 4 suites each, each with a sliding door.

The 2 central suites in row 1, seats 1D and 1G, were larger than the others.

Virgin calls them Retreat Suites, and they have bigger 27-inch screens and the ability to dine with a companion using the ottoman as a seat.

Retreat Suites are available to all Upper Class passengers and can be selected in the online seat map only beginning 14 days before departure, for a charge equivalent to roughly $250. They are not available based on elite status.

The seat map clearly showed that even-numbered suites on the window side were more private thanks to the armrest, while odd-numbered ones had the armrest next to the window.

I was in seat 4A.

It made for a very private miniroom for the next 7 hours.

The center suites are great for couples, and if you happen to be traveling alone in one of them, there’s a privacy divider that can be raised.

Center suites also have enclosed shoe storage.

Every suite had an enclosed cubby at shoulder level, with a mirror on the door. This was ideal for keeping passports, wallets, and small objects in one place.

The seats had over-the-shoulder seat belts, which are becoming increasingly common in business class. The top part can be unfastened during cruising altitude, leaving a normal lap belt.

Keeping devices powered was no problem with 2 USB-A ports, 1 USB-C port, and an international outlet. There was no wireless charging.

Seat controls were intuitive and clearly marked.

And there was more than 1.

The armrest lifted to reveal a wired remote for the entertainment system and another small mirror.

In bed mode, the seat turned into a fully flat bed.

The bedding set included a mattress pad, something not many airlines give passengers. It made a big difference in sleep quality.

The sliding door made sleeping even cozier. Virgin’s version, like in competing business classes, did not reach very high, so people standing in the aisle could still see inside.

The Loft

The coolest thing about Virgin’s A330-900, though, may be the Loft. That’s what Virgin calls the lounge area behind business class with 4 seats, a self-service fridge, and 2 TV screens with Bluetooth pairing.

During the flight, snacks were laid out for anybody in Upper Class feeling peckish. I didn’t see anyone using it to lounge with other passengers, but most people in Upper Class appeared to have spent most of the flight asleep.

Hot Tip:

If you are flying by yourself, check out our rundown of the world’s best business class seats for solo travelers.

Food and Beverages

That need to maximize sleep is why many in business class skip dinner on flights leaving the East Coast in the evening and landing in London in the early morning. After all, the flight time is rarely more than 7 hours, and you can dine in the lounge before departure. If you have morning meetings in London or just want to hit the ground running, Virgin also has an arrivals lounge at Heathrow (the Revivals Lounge), with ample choice for a hot breakfast.

In the interest of reviewing the experience, I had both dinner and breakfast on board. I could have preordered my dinner on the Virgin site or app, but I forgot to do it during the window of 7 days to 24 hours before departure, so I had to go with whatever was available on board.

Food and beverage service began during boarding, with flight attendants coming down the aisles to offer sparkling wine, a gin cocktail, orange juice, and water.

Menus and wine lists were waiting at each seat, and I perused them while having a mint tea and a predinner snack, served just as we hit cruising altitude.

Dinner, served an hour after takeoff, was the usual 4-course affair you find in most reputable business classes: starter, main, and dessert, with multiple choices for each course, followed by a cheese plate.

For the starter, I chose saffron arancini with spiced tomato sauce and microgreens. The other option was duck prosciutto with melon balls, goat cheese, and balsamic pearls.

For my main, I could choose among:

• Porcini mushroom ravioli with roasted cauliflower, sauteed spinach, and truffle cream
• Herb-crusted cod with roast potatoes, asparagus, grilled carrots, and lemon beurre blanc
• Roast chicken with mushroom barley, roast butternut squash, grilled sprouts, and rosemary lemon jus

By the time the flight attendant made it to my row to take dinner orders, the ravioli I wanted had run out, so I switched to cod. It was done right and presented simply.

For dessert, I had the choice between a chocolate and salted caramel tower and an apple tartlet with fresh cream. The cheese plate included several American cow and goat milk cheeses served with plum chutney, grapes, and candied pecan nuts. I skipped both but asked for a second cup of the mint tea I had been drinking with dinner.

There was also a speedy supper for passengers who wanted to have just a quick bite and then sleep. You could choose from any cold starter, dessert, or cheese plate, followed by a curried sweet potato soup with coconut shavings and a Gruyère cheese toastie.

For breakfast, there was a card where I could indicate my choices among several options:

• Seasonal fruit plate
• Pumpkin spiced granola
• Corn flakes
• Muesli
• Chocolate brioche

If that wasn’t enough, I could also add a choice of 1 among:

• Banana pancakes
• Root vegetables and kale hash
• English breakfast with sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, and baked beans

For those who might find such a bounty overkill for a flight of just 6 hours, or who might want to sleep more, there was an express breakfast served 40 minutes before landing. It was either a chocolate brioche or a warm bacon roll with ketchup or brown sauce.

Besides the usual coffee, tea, juices, and milks, breakfast drinks included an interesting “mighty ginger and chili shot.” I didn’t need that badly to be wide awake, so I passed over the chili shot and went for a simple but very good warm brioche and a cup of green tea.

What really deserved praise was the wine list. Virgin markets itself as a youthful, global-savvy brand, and the wines it offered on this flight spoke to that. They were what a smart British friend who’s been to Italy a lot might serve you at a dinner party in London.

The sparkling wine selection especially stood out. Most airlines serve just 1 sparkling wine in business class, but Virgin offered 3: a classic, an international darling of rising popularity, and an outlier. The classic was a Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée, a midrange Champagne; the rising star was a prosecco, the Italian bubbly made famous by the Aperol spritz craze; and the outlier, at least for my taste, was an English sparkling white from Hambledon that got a decent 89/100 from critics on Wine Searcher.

The 2 whites were an international staple — a South African sauvignon blanc — and a relative unknown: a blend of grillo and viognier grapes from the Santa Tresa winery in Sicily. The reds were, similarly, a well-known varietal and another up-and-coming Italian, the former a pinot noir from Oregon and the latter a primitivo di Manduria from the Apulia region.

France made an appearance with the lone rosé, a 2023 Palooza from Aubert & Mathieu. Rosés have changed from an easygoing summer tipple into a year-round drink with a massive marketing machine behind it, and Virgin is not the only airline following the trend.

Overall, this was a far more interesting wine list than the usual chardonnays and merlots served by many international airlines. Too bad that drinking on a late-night red-eye is a surefire recipe for a headache, or I would have really enjoyed it.

Inflight Entertainment

Easy to use and loaded with content for all tastes, the inflight entertainment system — which Virgin calls Vera — was accessed on a crisp 17-inch touchscreen or wired remote.

The film selection was outstanding, featuring categories not normally found on U.S. airlines and clearly influenced by Virgin’s cosmopolitan brand, such as Nigerian, Indian, and Chinese movies.

Virgin is also among the airlines that still carry an inflight magazine, also called Vera. With the magazine, the broad offerings on video and audio, a moving map plus flight-data screen that would tickle any aviation enthusiast, and the blazing fast Wi-Fi, I had plenty to keep myself occupied.

That Wi-Fi was not cheap, at the equivalent of $7 for 1 hour or $23.50 for the full flight, but I was able to have 20 minutes of free Internet by watching a video. I got a lot done in those 20 minutes, though, thanks to the fastest Internet speed I have ever seen on an airplane: 63 Mbps. It would have been a zippy Wi-Fi even on the ground, and videos streamed without a hiccup.

Vera also stood out for the variety and depth of the music selection, as usual on Virgin. The catalog could appeal to everyone, from classical buffs to Boomers raised on rock ‘n’ roll to Gen Z Swifties. As a member of Generation X with the musical taste to match, I was delighted as I scrolled alphabetically through the bands: Beastie Boys, the Black Crowes, the Clash, the Cure … it felt like a dance party from my high-school days, and I hadn’t even reached the letter D.

Too bad that the headphones — provided at each seat — were not of the same top quality as the music you could play through them.

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit at each seat had all the basics: hand cream, a “global protection day cream,” lip balm — all from skincare brand REN — a dental kit, extra socks to wear around the cabin, an adjustable mask, and earplugs.

Lavatory

With 4 lavatories — 1 just behind the flight deck and 3 between business class and the premium economy cabin — I never had to wait.

Cabin crew kept the lavatories clean throughout the flight. No-touch faucets and a trash can operated by a pedal ensured maximum hygiene.

Hot Tip:

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class isn’t the only business class with enclosed suites across the Atlantic. Besides Delta One, there is also the latest version of Air France’s business class, which is one of my favorites.

Service

Virgin Atlantic’s service shone on this flight. Even the skipper himself proved as affable as cabin crews have consistently been when I’ve flown Virgin.

As passengers got settled in the cabin, Capt. Simon Rankin came out to introduce himself and even talk up the brand-new, high-tech ship he was commanding (better for pilots than the previous A330-300, he told me). He reappeared later, during cruise, to check on his passengers while the first officer kept watch.

The cabin crew kept things tidy and running smoothly. At 6 a.m. London time, I woke to the smell of bacon wafting from the galley — a proper British way to greet the day.

Thanks to the mattress pad, pajamas, and cozy comforter, I had just slept very well, much better than I would have in my clothes on the naked seat. Between the great suite and the warm service, the experience was worthy of a longer flight.

Arrival

Dawn broke as we crossed the Irish Sea at 40,000 feet, and the cabin began to wake.

I was on the wrong side for a view of London on the approach — choose a starboard seat when flying into Heathrow for a spectacular look at the city! — but I got a good look at Liverpool, as Capt. Rankin came on the intercom: “It’s a fantastic morning. You can see coast to coast.”

After a butter-smooth landing at 7:08 a.m. local time, we parked next to an identical A330-900 and deplaned to another warm message from the captain.

As the plane docked, 2 black cars appeared next to it with the logo of the VIP Heathrow service, which is not affiliated with Virgin. Some of my fellow passengers were clearly going to get an ultraposh arrival experience, including access to an exclusive lounge for connecting flights, but they would not get it cheaply: Prices start at the equivalent of $3,800 plus tax.

I was headed instead to wait for my connection at the Virgin Clubhouse, which had the distinct advantage of being free with my business class ticket — and would prove, once again, to be one of the best airport lounges in Europe.

Final Thoughts

From the seat to the service and ground experience, this was a top-notch business class.

I would not recommend redeeming points to fly on Virgin’s business cabins aboard the Airbus A330-300 or Boeing 787, which have older seats. But on the A330-900 and larger A350-1000, Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class is one of the best ways to cross the Atlantic Ocean.