I knew that my first flight crossing the Atlantic needed to be memorable. So when my girlfriend and I started planning our trip to Europe in September 2017, I knew just where to start. I researched for a month before finally deciding to book our Flight from JFK to Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic's Dreamliner 787.
You can’t pick any flight, date, or time for an airline and think you will fly on the airplane you want. You must do your homework or you might end up getting less for your miles and points. Let me clarify. My goal was to try out Premium Economy on Virgin Atlantic’s Dreamliner because I didn’t want to be stuck in a cramped coach seat for 7 hours. If I booked just any flight, I might not get their new upgraded seats. I could be flying on an older plane with worn out seats and less amenities, and who wants that? I searched via Virgin Atlantic’s airline portal, narrowed down to the best price I could and checked the airplanes that were flying each time and date to make sure they were the 787.
The Step by Step Process for Booking the Flight
First, select your dates, then select to pay with card, miles, or miles plus money. Then choose your cabin class.
Next, click Find My Flights, then look through the flights and see what plane fits your needs. For example the screen capture below has an airbus A330-300.
Search for the plane you want to fly. Since I really wanted to try out Premium Economy on Virgin Atlantic AND a Dreamliner I chose to pay with my Capital One Venture card and at 2 points per dollar spent I earned 4600 points. I planned to use the cards Travel Eraser feature later. To use this, you first make a travel related purchase, such as a flight, cruise, hotel stay or car rental from your favorite travel provider using your Capital One Venture credit card. Then you have 90 days to erase the purchase cost with your miles for a statement credit. In my case I used 98k points! To be honest it didn't cover the whole cost but it sure helped.
When we arrived at JFK there were counters dedicated to Premium Economy. This was a plus because you could check in quickly and bag drop. We only brought carry-ons and backpacks, so we didn't check any bags. When it came time to go through security we both had Pre-Check so we got through security fairly fast even for JFK. I actually forgot that we could have waited in line with the first class passengers! But I didn't forget when we came back home through LHR. Those lines are atrocious and it helped out a lot. We didn't have a long wait before getting to our gate. When it came time to board we had priority so it was a breeze.
My Dreamliner Chariot Awaits!
Premium Economy has a dedicated section on the 787 in the middle of economy and upper class. There was a small amenities kit consisting of a pair of purple socks, a purple eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, earplugs, and a pen.
My seat was soft leather and was super comfortable. Now, just why did I want to try out Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy seat on their 787? Because the seats have a 38 inch pitch and 21 inch width. That is better than some U.S. domestic short haul First class seats!
Champagne starter? Why yes, thank you!
While the plane was boarding we got our choice of champagne or water. I had both.
In between Premium Economy and the Upper Class plane sections there is a snack area called the Wander Wall. You can grab various snacks, wine, soda or water. I used it as an excuse to stretch my legs. Also to the left and right sides of the Wander Wall are the lavatories. The first class bathroom on this plane is huge compared to a domestic short haul plane.
No sooner than I settled into my comfy seat, we were ready for takeoff! Shortly after one of the smoothest assents I've ever had, we leveled out and a flight attendant came by to ask what I wanted for dinner. I had to make my meal choices. Decisions, decisions.
This is the menu for my return flight.
I changed out of my fancy shirt in lieu of something more comfortable before my dinner arrived. After choosing my meal choices, I prepared to dig in to some really great food. Yes, I said great. I chose the Beef Bourguignon with the waldorf salad starter. The beef was surprisingly tender and the sauce was flavorful without being overpowering. I paired it with a the Malbec they were offering, that I thought was decent as well. The desert was delicious too. We were offered Cognac or A dessert Drink after dinner. I went with the Cognac.
A couple hours before landing we were given a choice of snacks. I chose the little sandwiches, a scone, with clotted cream and jam. My girlfriend kept raving about the clotted cream in England, so how could I not try it? The clotted cream was awesome.
After our snack I was full and really tired seeing as it was close to midnight eastern time.
I put in the ear plugs and purple virgin Atlantic eye mask and attempted to sleep. I'm a super light sleeper but I managed to get maybe an hour in before landing at LHR.
My overall impression is that Virgin Atlantic's premium economy was worth the cost. The flight crew was very attentive and the food and beverages were excellent. If you can upgrade using miles or points in my opinion it's worth it on a long flight, especially if you can't afford Business or First class. I would fly them again in a heartbeat!
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