Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340 600 seat review by Pat Ryan #33666

I'm 6'3" and I fly transatlantic approx three times a year, but I can't afford to pay for the extra legroom. Having read some other reviews, I wasn't looking forward to this trip with Virgin.

Luckily the flight wasn't that full. In my row of four, there was just me and one other passenger, each with an aisle seat, so we used the middle seats as extra storage. Otherwise it would have been VERY tight. Yes, there's a metal box under the seat in front but it's quite narrow and didn't bother me that much. Leg room was standard i.e. JUST ABOUT enough to squeeze in.

My main gripe is the quality of the padding on the seats. It's so thin! Following this flight I was on a little regional Bombardier jet to Portland and although it felt a little claustrophobic the seat padding was MUCH better. Virgin should up their game here. Sitting on this seat for 10 hours is no joke! My ass was numb for hours.

The food was pretty good, the service was prompt and friendly. No complaints there.

The entertainment was...atrocious. I was reminded of browsing the back corner of a Blockbuster video store from 20 years ago, because there was almost nothing I had heard of. Also, even with the volume turned up to the max, I could barely hear it over the engines. The headphones are good though, far more comfortable than the earbuds you get elsewhere.

Realistically, if Virgin come up cheapest next time I book this route, I'll probably fly with then again. But if competitors are within £100 or so, I'll try someone else.

Overall, not as good as my previous flight with United.