Upgrade to no mediocrity.
Cape Town to London Heathrow
Upper Class seats 6G/7G
7th February 2026
We visited Cape Town in February 2026 and decided to return by Virgin Atlantic as we had read so much about the 'stellar service' we could expect, according to Virgins own publicity.
As we wanted the full 'stellar experience', we bid for two seats to upgrade from Premium economy to Upper Class. To our delight, we were informed that our bid had been successful and the upgrade was secured at a significant cost.
On arrival at Cape Town airport, we checked in and were issued with boarding and lounge passes. There is no fast track lane, so we joined the 50 minute queue to get through security and passport control.
We eagerly looked forward to the third party lounge, Virgin does not have its own dedicated lounge at the airport.
On entering the Bidved lounge, we stopped in our tracks as we surveyed a room with limited space, wo small counters with very unappealing food and a bar that any workman's club could outdo. The choice of drinks was limited to the obvious routine drinks , served by very uninterested staff. We found a seat after 10 minutes standing and sat down. The toilet facilities in this lounge were limited and a queue quickly formed for the two cubicles available. Without doubt, this is one of the worst lounges I have been into. I did not expect a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse ,but hoped for something of a better quality for Upper Class passengers.
On arrival at the gate, we were greeted by a cheerful but busy ground staff members. After a 15 minute wait, we boarded the flight to be welcomed by a tired looking cabin crew. Alarm bells started to ring!
The usual routine took place, pre take off drinks with 'sparkling' English wine etc. and a welcome, but no advice on how to use the controls for the seat/bed.
Kirsty,the Cabin/flight manager made a public announcement informing passengers that because of operational reasons, the cabin crew were down in numbers,but met the threshold to operate the flight. She stated that her crew would be busy and the usual Virgin service could not be provided, and asked us to be 'Kind' and 'patient' with her 'wonderful' crew.
By coincidence, we had stayed in the same Cape Town hotel used by Virgin for its staff, so knew the background story. This did not increase my sympathy for the crew!
The wine selection was 'New world', disappointing and going with the trend away from classical French wines. I do think at least one French white wine could have been offered. The usual range of spirits found on Easy Jet and Rynair were available. Getting service during the 11 hour flight was hit and miss.
The food choices for mains were limited to three dishes and contained spices, a growing trend, so I could not eat them. I do not have 'special' meal needs,but I do expect to have at least one choice I can rely on. Virgin seem transfixed on presenting 'new' experimental meals. The desert was very good.
The service throughout the flight was poor and attracted a number of adverse comments from passengers, I can only guess what Economy and Premium economy was like.
For the first three hours, no one offered to show me how to use the bed, so I sat upright. The herringbone seating does not afford privacy. Eventually, a member of crew noticed and offered to make my bed up, but by this time, I had got use to sitting up and was in the process of watching a film.
The audio visual entertainment choices were excellent and the sound quality could not be faulted. So, well done to Virgin for this.
Just before landing, we were offered breakfast that had to be selected in advance. Again, limited choices, so I settled for smoked salmon and I enjoyed the meal.
Better breakfast choices should be offered .
During the flight, the Cabin Manager was running up and down trying to help the crew provide a service, but she got in their way and generated a 'frantic' atmosphere. More apologies to passengers followed concerning the level of service, but 'praising' her wonderful crew.
The Cabin manager laid what I can only describe as looking like tea towels on passengers trays. For some reason, she missed me out. I politely appointed this out to her and she made a very sarcastic remark to me. After, she proceeded to ignore me.
On landing at Heathrow, the Captain made a public announcement apologising for the low level of service to all passengers because of the reduced crew numbers. Nice to have an apology, but when you pay extra to 'enjoy' and experience Upper Class, it does not cut the mustard.
I feel cheated and strongly suggest, I did not get the product I had paid for. If I bought a pair of shoes, I would be sending them back at this point, but with airline travel, you cannot do this.
I have complained twice to Virgin by e mail, but only received a mediocre response.
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