Confession: I actually came up with the idea for the title to this review as I was standing in line to board the plane at LAX.
Was I wrong to assume that Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 premium economy was worthy of an Austin Powers-ish “yeah, baby!” right from the get-go?
This was an easy one to get excited about. The promise of psychedelic mood lighting, spacious seats, gourmet food, a hip cabin crew, and every little detail oozing with style and design kinda does that to a guy.
However, just as Mr. Powers eventually learned that mojo isn’t everything, I learned that Virgin Atlantic long-haul premium economy isn’t quite everything I hoped it would be. Some lessons you gotta learn the hard way.
VS008
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – London, UK (LHR)
Monday, April 20, 2026
Aircraft: A350-1042
Registration: G-VPRD
Duration: 10 hours 6 minutes
Seat: 25G (Premium Economy)
My full review of Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 premium economy from Los Angeles to London (LHR)
Those of you who have been reading my reviews for a while know that I often reference my Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 economy experience as being one of the most stylish / interesting long-haul economy experiences of my entire life.
To say that I had been looking forward to trying out premium economy on that same aircraft is an understatement.
Arrival at the Tom Bradley International Terminal (Terminal B) LAX
I arrived on a flight from San Diego just after 11 AM, which was perfect for this 3:50 PM departure to London. Not only did I have plenty of time to grab lunch, I also had plenty of time to loiter around one of my favorite airport terminals in the entire world.
Not that I was expecting it, but lounge access is not included for Virgin Atlantic premium economy passengers. Loitering around LAX was good enough for me.
The boarding process
They got the boarding process started close to on time at 3 PM. There was a bit of confusion and disorganization from the gate agents leading up to this, which caused for several minutes of confusion and disorganization amongst the passengers. It was awkward, kind of funny, but very short-lived.
Premium economy passengers board with group 2. It was almost like being one of the first on the plane considering how quickly they got group 1 boarded.
Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 premium economy seats
There are 56 premium economy seats on the A350-1000. It’s a standard 2-4-2 layout consisting of 7 rows of seats in its own dedicated cabin. There’s a bulkhead wall at both the front and the rear, which helps to make this feel like a very cozy and intimate ‘mini-cabin’ experience.
These seats feature large video screens with power outlets and USB ports. Interestingly enough, there are no extendable leg rests (like, for example, the ones in ANA 777-300ER premium economy).
Amenity kit
Amenity kits in long haul premium economy can be hit or miss. Thankfully the Virgin Atlantic ones are of the “hit” variety, offering everything you need and nothing you don’t. They’re basic but useful.
The departure from LAX
Although business class and premium economy was 100% full, the economy class cabin was maybe 50% occupied. This made for a very quick boarding process, which ultimately led to departing the gate 9 minutes early at 3:41 PM.
It was a 16 minute taxi over to the threshold of runway 24L, and we were in the air 3 minutes early at 3:57 PM.
The first meal service
The good news is that they initiated the initial cabin service within 15 minutes of departure. The bad news is that the flight attendant working my aisle was either very new or highly disorganized (maybe both). Service felt glacial.
First step was snacks and a drink. It wasn’t much, but it was a nice way to kick things off.
Thankfully I was able to get my camera sorted before taking pictures of the in flight menu. These are high resolution photos BTW, and clicking on them will open them full screen:
Next came the dinner service. I pre-ordered the salmon several weeks prior thinking that it was a special menu item which wouldn’t be offered in flight. I was wrong. It was right there on the menu, so there was no need to pre-order.
The meal wasn’t that great if I’m being honest. The salmon was dry, and not very flavorful. It was better than the salmon I had in British Airways 747-400 Club World once. But not quite as good as the salmon in Aer Lingus A330-200 economy. Go figure.
In-flight entertainment
The in-flight entertainment experience was pretty good overall. Except for the headphones (which were non-noise canceling). They are the same ones they provide back in regular economy class, and they don’t sound all that good if I’m being honest. I highly recommend bringing your own.
The selection of content is quite good. The user interface of the Vera in-flight entertainment system isn’t all that intuitive however. It took me a while to find the full collection of movies and TV show shows.
Complementary Wi-Fi was not available on my flight. Call me weird, but I didn’t mind being completely disconnected from the world for a few hours.
Seat recline and comfort
Seat recline is another thing that can be hit or miss in long haul premium economy. Here on the Virgin Atlantic A350-1000, it was just OK (but nothing like what I experienced in Air France A350-900 premium economy).
The lack of extendable leg rests is a pretty big deal in my opinion. That should be a standard feature in all premium economy seats nowadays, and I’m surprised that Virgin Atlantic didn’t include it here on the A350.
Premium economy lavatory
For those of you who care about the lavatory more than the seat (there’s gotta be at least one of you out there), you’ll be disappointed to know that it was small, very cramped, not fancy, and maybe a little stinky. Practical, but hardly premium.
The mid flight experience
The cabin crew did very well coming down the aisles once every 20 minutes or so with prefilled cups of water. Most everyone around me chose to sleep, which made for a very quiet experience overall.
The pre-landing breakfast service
They turned the cabin lights on for the second meal service approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes prior to landing. I chose the full English breakfast option (as one does when flying into the UK). It was OK. Totally edible, kinda bland, but sufficiently filling.
The descent and arrival into LHR
I managed to get several hours of sleep along the way, which made the announcement of the initial descent into LHR seem sooner than I expected. Also surprising was the announcement of beautiful springtime arrival weather with bright sunshine and few clouds. The hell?
We touched down on runway 09L at 10:03 AM, which was two minutes ahead of schedule. Can’t argue with that.
From there it was a scant 5-minute taxi over to Terminal 3, which had us docked at gate 133 at 10:08 AM. What are the odds of parking at the same gate number that we departed from over 10 hours ago? I lack the intelligence to calculate something like that, but I found it amusing nonetheless.
Pros and cons of Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 premium economy
Do I need to learn how to manage my expirations better? Absolutely. But was it wrong of me to assume that this was going to be one of the best long-haul premium economy experiences in the entire world? Maybe. I mean, every other Virgin Atlantic experience I’ve had so far has been pretty stinkin’ good. I just had higher hopes for this one, that’s all.
Pros
- It is indeed stylish. Lots of hot pink, purple, red everywhere you look.
- Totally 100% what one should expect in long-haul premium economy seat size and width.
- The blanket was everything I want a blanket to be (large, heavy, and warm).
Cons
- No extendable leg rests? Really?
- This is not the experience for you if what you want to experience is world class fine dining. It’s car factory cafeteria food at best.
- Noise canceling headphones would’ve been nice. At least something nicer than what they provided for passengers back in regular economy.
