Virgin Atlantic is synonymous with a vibrant flair and style. Their iconic red branding is etched in our heads. As the airline has no direct flights from Ireland, the Irish may be less familiar with their offering. However, this airline is a serious contender, in particular, when considering not just St. Lucia but the entire of the Caribbean.
In fact, the Irish fam trip to St. Lucia was my first experience on a Virgin Atlantic flight and it is seriously impressive, not just in terms of style but for comfort, service, food offering and atmosphere. This year, the Airline ranked seventh Best Airline in the World
Flying to St. Lucia the Virgin Atlantic Way
Virgin Atlantic offers a direct service from LHR to St Lucia. It operates thrice weekly from the start of December and the journey time is 9 hours 30 minutes. St Lucia isn’t the airline’s only Caribbean service. Virgin Atlantic has always offered a strong selection of flights to the Caribbean islands:
- Antigua to London 4 times per week
- St Lucia to London 3 times per week
- Barbados to London Daily and 4 times per week to Manchester
- Grenada to London 3 times per week
- St Vincent and the Grenadines to London daily
- Jamaica to London daily
- Turks and Caicos to London twice per week
- Bahamas to London 3 times per week
It is worth remembering, as Celene Duffy explained, Virgin Atlantic also offer inter-island services between Barbados to Grenada and St. Vincent – ideal for a multi-stop vacation.
Virgin Atlantic is Britain’s second-largest carrier. They have transatlantic flights from LHR to the likes of New York, Orlando, Delhi and Johannesburg Furthermore, they have a joint venture with Delta, Air France and KLM so they can connect over 350 cities across North America, Europe and the UK.
So if you are looking for a great selection of options to the Caribbean (or a host of other destinations) Virgin Atlantic has you covered.
Economy Delight
The group travelled in Economy Delight, offering extra legroom (a delightful perk, especially for those of us over 6″) in a 2-4-2 configuration.
Flying from St. Lucia, we experienced the newest addition to the Virgin fleet, their Airbus 330neo. Space Oddity (the plane) has a 64 metre wingspan (4 meters more than the A330-300 making it one of the most efficient aircraft in the sky.
There are four classes on offer:
- Economy Light (1x10kg hand luggage) & Classic (1x10kg hand luggage & 1x23kg checked baggage)
- Economy Delight – offering 34 inches of legroom, priority boarding (1x10kg hand luggage & 1x23kg checked baggage)
- Premium – 38 inches of legroom (1x10kg hand luggage & 2x23kg checked baggage)
- Upper Class – fully flat bed with up to 6 feet 7 inches of space in length, 22 inches in width. Fast track security on departure and access to Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses (2x32kg checked baggage).
All Economy services include: complimentary drinks and snacks, 300+ hours of television and films, a choice meal options and in-seat power for your devices. In addition, there was wifi onboard and a usb port and a plug socket – ideal for those of us with many gadgets.
Brilliantly, the flight offers Bluetooth connectivity with the inflight entertainment meaning you can connect with your Bluetooth headphones/Apple AirPods. The in-flight entertainment is on very sizeable 13.3 inch touchscreen monitors (Economy classes and Premium) with 17.3 inch touchscreens in Upper Class.
Seriously Tasty
The food was seriously tasty. And, this was the Economy offering. On offer was a pasta dish or what I opted for, the sausage and mashed potato with greens, fresh and crunchy side salad and tasty nibbles. The drinks cart was generous, frequent and included.
Upper Class received a glass of bubbly when boarding plus luxury 4-course dining with pre-order options.
Mile High Tea
Just before landing, passengers were treated to Virgin Atlantic’s signature Mile High Tea, which includes tasty sandwiches, traditional scones with clotted cream and jam and a chocolate truffle. As with everything onboard, it just feels that little bit extra fancy.
Suite Dreams are Made of This
In Upper Class, guests get to avail of The Loft on the A330neo. This is a separate chill out area with beverages, lounge seating and large screens. Before boarding, Virgin Atlantic offer the Clubhouse lounge. There are also Clubhouse lounges at JFK in New. York, Johannesburg (JNB), San Francisco (SFO) and Washington DC (IAD).
There are also shared lounges at Belfast (The Causeway Lounge) and Saint Lucia (Iyanola Executive Lounge) along with many more – check out their full list here.
For More on St Lucia with Virgin Atlantic
For More on the Virgin Atlantic Irish Fam Trip, check out:Celene Duffy (Key Account Manager, APG Ireland) & the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority are hosting a fam trip of Irish travel trade and ITTN to the sandy shores of the Caribbean Island with Virgin Atlantic.
