We flew in Virgin Atlantic’s 787-9 Upper Class on the LAX-LHR route and found it fairly basic, but ultimately that’s what we needed.

View other posts in this series:

• Trip Introduction: Springtime in the Land of Fire and Ice
• A Nice Time at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX
• Simple But Effective: Virgin Atlantic 787-9 Upper Class LAX-LHR (this post)
• The Steakhouse (Steikhúsið): A Great Spot in Reykjavik

Booking Virgin Atlantic 787-9 Upper Class

I wanted to get to Reykjavik, Iceland. But the requirement was to do so while having a lie-flat seat so we don’t arrive tired. That meant I needed to route through Europe to get there. While it would have been nice to route through Dublin, the options are limited flying in from Los Angeles.

I had a British Airways flight booked to get us to London but the timing of the flight didn’t work well for us on this trip. Rather than take that one, I alternatively had a late night flight on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class booked. The problem with the Virgin Atlantic flight was that it wasn’t at the saver rate. Instead, it cost 135,000 Virgin Atlantic points + $498 in fees per person. But with the better schedule, and the opportunity to quickly clear security with the Delta One Check-In facility, we went with Virgin Atlantic.

Remember that these days, you might need a UK ETA to visit or transit London, which is an added expense.

Of course, we were traveling in “peak season” according to Virgin Atlantic. So while 135,000 points is expensive, the saver rate would have been 77,500 points. It’s not great to overpay, but at least it wasn’t completely terrible. Just a little bit terrible. Sadly, the fees are what are ugly now, since as of April 2026, they’ve gone up above $700. Not like they were wonderful before, but the more the fees go up, the more painful it becomes with your wallet.

One note about the seat map. The seating in their 787-9 Upper Class is in a 1-1-1 format. The first seat in each row is numbered 1, but the center row starts one seat back. Thus, if you want a block of four seats, two across from two, you’re going to have to take something like 1G, 2K, 2G, 3K. It won’t look logical, but trust the system–it works.

Earning Virgin Atlantic / Red points

If you reside in the United States, you have plenty of ways to earn more Virgin Atlantic (or Virgin Red) points.

• Apply for the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard credit card (not sponsored) and earn 60,000 miles for $4,000 spend in the first 90 days.
• All banks except for Rove transfer points into the Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Red program.
• Points go on sale with some frequency.
• Virgin also operates an online shopping portal to earn a few extra points on the side when you make a purchase.

Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Red are interchangeable currencies. Think of it as Virgin Red will allow redemptions across all Virgin brands like Virgin Cruises and Virgin Hotels.

First impressions of Virgin Atlantic 787-9 Upper Class

Our Virgin Atlantic flight would depart from Gate 132 in Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). That’s the same terminal the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is in and an easy 5-10 minute walk from Terminal 2/3 where passengers dropped off their bags. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 11:30PM, but boarding was a little delayed. Thankfully, staff in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse upstairs let us know when to proceed downstairs.

After passing through the entry gates, we made our way to the plane. One last message on the monitor bid us farewell from the States.

Onboard the Virgin Atlantic 787-9

Word of warning: many of the photos in here are going to be very purple. It’s a byproduct of leaving so late at night. I tried to enhance some of the photos (the food and the seat), but I’ll apologize in advance.

As you might have been able to tell from the seat map above, the seats are in a regular herringbone design. You don’t see these seats all that often these days. Virgin Atlantic has more modern layouts on their A350-1000 and A330neo aircraft. But on these 787-9 aircraft? Privacy is going to be a bit low compared to what you might be used to elsewhere.

There isn’t much of a barrier between the passengers. If you’re seated in your chair and look forward, it’ll be hard to see anyone. But if you look aft, you’re going to see all other passengers behind you pretty clearly. Your best choice for the most privacy is choosing a seat in row 1. Whoever sits across from you is going to almost stare at your legs the whole journey if you’re in rows G or K. Stick to row A if you’re solo.

One of the flight attendants stopped by to hand out pajamas (more on that later) and a pre-departure beverage. We had a choice between champagne, orange juice, or water. I chose the champagne

The Virgin Atlantic 787-9 Upper Class seat

This Virgin Atlantic 787-9 Upper Class seat is fairly basic compared to modern business class seats. It will fold into a bed but the controls are pretty limited. You heard that right–the seat folds over so you sleep on the back of it. We’ll talk a little more about that below. With that in mind, the seat cushions are comfortable enough when in upright position. It’s just a bit unfortunate you can’t partially recline it to a bed if you like lounging like that.

Across from the chair is a little seat. Another passenger can sit here if you want to hang out (good for parents and children). This also forms the bottom of the bed. One good thing we’ll comment about the bed is that you’re not restrained by a small footwell. It could be better for both people who need the space and taller people.

Seat controls to flip the seat into a bed are almost hidden right about this extra seat.

Alex is demonstrating what it looks like to move the seat fully flat.

There is also a pair of noise-canceling headphones to listen to the entertainment system while inflight.

Almost right in front of your face is the seat monitor. It’s a touchscreen but there is a controller underneath that you could use instead. With how close up the monitor is to your face, I don’t think you need anything other than touching the screen.

Also at your seat is boxed water. Stay hydrated!

Underneath the seat in front of you is practically the only storage space you’ll find at your seat. It’s almost crazy how limited storage there is at this seat. Modern business class design spends a bit more energy on giving you a place to put things. I found this space sufficient enough to put shoes but not much else.

Above each seat are individual air nozzles, which are helpful if the cabin gets too warm. That wasn’t a problem on this flight.

Amenities in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class

Hidden behind your Upper Class seat is the bedding. You could theoretically use this as storage space when your seat is upright, but the seats in the center aisle make it real easy for someone to just take your belongings without you knowing. We wouldn’t recommend it.

The padding helps, but if you enjoy soft beds, you might not be a fan of the bed on this flight. We’re a family who typically prefers firmer beds and we were satisfied. It takes just a moment to fold the bed down and put on the mattress. Once you discover where the controls are, it’s quick. I didn’t take a picture of it, but you do get a pillow and blanket too.

Right at the start of the flight, flight attendants distributed pajamas (or pyjamas if you’re British) to all Upper Class customers. They seem to have a rather limited supply of sizes, so I ended up with a L/XL and Jenn got an M/L. The crew didn’t immediately hand one out to six-year-old Char given her size but her nine-year-old brother got one. The crew was nice enough to give one to her so that she could grow into it after seeing her concern.

The pajamas are a comfortable design. I think it’s creative that both the shirt and pants fold into the pants pocket. However, I can’t easily figure out how to fold them back into the pocket afterwards. Getting pajamas on a business class flight is a dying breed these days.

An amenity kit was already at our seats at our arrival. The material feels rather cheap but I guess you can also argue it’s environmentally-friendly.

Inside the kit is all the essentials: eyeshades, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, lip balm, lotion, and earplugs. One thing that would have been nice to have is a pen, but thankfully we didn’t need it on this journey.

The food in Virgin Atlantic business class

Pre-order menu

One week before departure, you can log into your reservation to choose a meal. Selections for our flight included:

• Tender chicken wrapped in bacon
• Thai-style coconut curry
• Carrot and ginger soup (an “express” meal)
• Garden vegetable ravioli (a pre-order exclusive)
• Buttered chicken (a pre-order exclusive)
• BBQ pulled pork burger (a pre-order exclusive)
• Grilled salmon (a pre-order exclusive)
• Quinoa salad (a pre-order exclusive)

As you can tell, there are quite a few dishes only available via the pre-order system. You’ll want to log in and make a choice just to see what other options there are for your trip. Given the timing of the flight, the carrot and ginger soup might have been the smart play to maximize sleep. But with this flight departing LAX, we had plenty of time onboard to both sleep and enjoy the flight.

You can also pre-select kids meals through the “dietary requirements” menu rather than the “pre-order” menu.

The menu

Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class menu is pretty simple. You’ll have two meals on this route (dinner and breakfast) with a few options for each. It’s nice to have a choice on that second meal since some business class flights give everyone the same thing. There are also quicker options for both meals in case you want to maximize sleep on the plane.

Dinner

Shortly after takeoff, the flight attendants handed out some hot towels to everyone planning on eating. While I had pre-booked food for the kids and Jenn, they all wanted to get some sleep for the night. I probably should have done that too but instead wanted to eat so that I had something I could write about for the food and drinks. Most certainly, I wasn’t hungry at this point of the night but sometimes you just take one for the team.

At about 20 minutes after takeoff, the flight attendants came by to provide a drink and some BBQ crisps. (Yes, I will call chips ‘crisps’ when on a British airline.)

At about 13 minutes later (33 minutes after takeoff), the flight attendants came by to place the very cute salt and pepper shakers at each seat. They’re shaped like fat little airplanes and I would love a set for the house someday.

Another 4 minutes later (37 minutes after takeoff), I got the choice of bread for the evening. The options were white, wheat, or beetroot. I went with the latter because how often do you get beetroot bread? The flight attendant remarked it’s a popular choice and offered two but I stuck with only one. It’s both warm and flavorful. I can see how it’s a popular selection.

Four minutes later (41 minutes after takeoff), I received the appetizer. Everyone gets the same appetizer for the dinner course: roasted baby beetroot. It’s very similar to a caprese, but with beetroot. It’s good and not too heavy as an appetizer. Personally, I liked the mozzarella cheese balls most of all.

The dish was cleared a mere 5 minutes later, and the flight attendant refreshed my drink. This time, I switched to a rosé and a glass of water. I probably drank more of the water than I did of the rosé though. It’s been a while since I drank past 1AM local time.

And then at 57 minutes after takeoff, I received the buttered chicken that I pre-ordered. And you know what? It smelled so good! One of the things I always find myself doing in London is stopping by a place to eat some buttered chicken and this is really what I’ve missed in the nearly 9 years since exploring the city. There isn’t that much rice in this version, but that’s good because I truly don’t want to fill up on carbs. The flavors just mesh so well that I wish I weren’t both so tired and so full to fully enjoy this one.

Desserts

Fourteen minutes later (1 hour, 11 minutes after takeoff), I received dessert, which was a choice of either:

• Pear and almond tarte tartin
• American cheese plate

I went with the tarte, which was perhaps a little too refrigerated, but not bad either. I was hoping for a little more fruit flavor but it was otherwise pleasant. The chocolate and pistachio pot that came with it wasn’t too heavy, which was welcome. The flight attendants were very attentive and removed the dish right after I finished eating it.

By 1:45AM, only 1 hour, 15 minutes after takeoff, the lights were dimmed in the cabin. That’s pretty impressive to be done with the meal service that quickly after takeoff. It wasn’t quite as critical as the flight is longer from the West Coast, but it’s most certainly welcome. That’s much faster than what business class carriers we’ve flown lately have done on redeyes out of the US.

Second meal service (breakfast)

At 1.5 hours before landing, the arrival meal service began. There are four options you can choose from for this quicker meal service:

• Cold plate (smoked salmon and a bagel)
• Cooked breakfast (think of it as an English breakfast)
• Hawaiian-style French toast
• Breakfast bowl (the ‘express’ option)

I went with the French toast, which wasn’t as warm as I would usually prefer it. The bread is thick and a bit heavy–not the best choice right after overeating all night. That said, the flavors were good but unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it. The flight attendant asked if I wanted something else instead but it’s most certainly not the food causing me to not eat. There’s just no way I could eat anything more.

Jenn ordered the cooked breakfast and ordered a cup of tea alongside it. This is a classic English breakfast and lives up to expectation. She enjoyed it.

The kids received the kids meal version of breakfast, which was a plate of waffles drenched in a cream and berry sauce. Char wasn’t too hungry at this point and didn’t eat, but Alex did some damage. They enjoyed breakfast, but it was a little tough for me to tell them that the local time in London was about 3PM at this point.

Onboard bar

As you might expect from Virgin Atlantic flights, there is an onboard bar in the Upper Class cabin. However, on this flight, it wasn’t in use. I suspect that’s because it’s a redeye flight from the US to Europe and most customers simply prefer to sleep. The last time we flew Virgin, which was from London to the US, it was open and a bit difficult for then-one-year-old Alex to get sleep.

Our recommendation is to sit near the front of the Upper Class cabin if you’ve got children sensitive to noise. That said, it might only be necessary to worry about this if you’re flying westbound.

That said, the onboard bar also hosted some midflight snacks. For all the noise that Delta wants to raise about finally having a self-serve area onboard planes, pretty much every other airline is doing this already. Choices of snacks included crisps, fruit, and other packaged items.

Wi-Fi and Entertainment

When I first tried to access the Wi-Fi system, I wasn’t able to. But later in the flight, the connection became available. If you’re just looking for some simple access to check your flight status, that’s available free of charge.

However, everything else will cost you in 2026:

• Messaging costs £2.49 for the flight
• Basic surfing, which excludes streaming, VPN, or VOIP, costs £12.99
• Premium surfing, which covers what basic doesn’t, costs £29.99 (ouch)

Given this was a redeye flight, I didn’t bother connecting to the internet. Starting 2027, Wi-Fi will be free once Virgin Atlantic switches over to Starlink.

The monitor at your seat does extend from the side and sit in front of you. However, it kind of awkwardly gets in the way of your tray table. You can try to push it behind your tray table, but it still felt like it interfered with the space on the table.

As for the entertainment itself, there was a decent selection to keep us entertained. That said, we didn’t need to rely on it much given the timing of the flight. The one complain I would have is the system doesn’t have a good way to rewind a few seconds if you miss something. Your only option is to drag the ball back in time, but who knows if you go back 10 seconds or several minutes.

There is quite a bit of children’s programming in the system. On top of the movies and TV shows, they even have music and audio books too. If you have a young reader entertained by books like Fox in Socks, it’s neat to keep them entertained while in the air without having the book in front of you.

Service

We found the service on this flight to be excellent. The flight attendants took great care of us all throughout the flight. Perhaps the standards are just lower for those with children, but the flight attendants serving our aisle remarked how wonderful the kids slept on the flight and how well-behaved they were. I’ll note that there were a few other families in Upper Class and all of the kids were well-behaved, so I’m inclined to think our children aren’t different from the norm.

At the end of the flight, the flight attendants handed out some parting gifts for all passengers: some Love Hearts candy. Everyone received one, but somehow Char ended up with two. Yes, our flight attendant remarked how cute she is and wanted her to have an extra candy (if it’s OK with us). We weren’t going to be the bad guy!

Timing of flight

This flight departs very late at night in Los Angeles and arrives mid-afternoon in London. It’s probably best for those who might need to connect to get to Los Angeles but ultimately are going to stay in London. We’d argue it’s also good for those who have work to do in Los Angeles before getting on your flight.

It’s a tougher flight for children than the earlier Virgin Atlantic flights that depart out of LAX. But that said, the kids slept perfectly on the flight. I didn’t want them to get more than 5 hours of sleep, which amounts to about half the total flight time. If they slept the entire time, there would be no chance of them sleeping once we land.

To beat jetlag, you need to adapt your body to the new time as quickly as possible, preferably through the timing of meals. An important consideration, though, is also to rob yourself of some sleep so that you go to bed naturally when landing.

Arrival to London LHR

Before we knew it, we were on our way into London-Heathrow Airport. It was overall a smooth landing into London, and we touched down without issue. The kids wanted to try out the option of both sitting in the same seat and did so while waiting to debark from the plane.

Once off the plane, we were directed to the family lane to clear immigration faster (though even the regular lane looked fine). Not long after we cleared immigration, we found ourselves waiting for our luggage at baggage claim.

Recommendation: Maybe, if the price is right

The Virgin Atlantic 787-9 Upper Class experience is rather bare bones compared to other business class cabins.

• It’s a herringbone design, which feels outdated at this point.
• Going towards London from the US, the onboard bar isn’t in service.
• Sleeping on the back of the seat (making it very firm and not good for lounging) isn’t for everyone.

But, with that said, we found the service to be excellent, the food is good, and it gave us plenty of sleep. In the end, isn’t that what you need from business class service? We wouldn’t go out of our way to fly Virgin Atlantic in their 787-9. If the price is right–and that might be tougher with the higher fuel surcharges on award redemptions going forward–it’s worth consideration.

Plus, where Virgin Atlantic might lack in the inflight experience, they make up for it with lounge treatment. That’s true on this route in particular with the Delta One Lounge at LAX, but it also applies for the excellent Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at LHR.

Would you like to fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class?

Suggested reading:

• What is SeatSpy and Why We Love It
• Seats.Aero Review: An Excellent Free Tool For All
• Is Business Class Actually Worth the Upgrade?