Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy Sweet-Spot & Review

Carrie and I recently flew Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy from London to New York. Overall, the experience was excellent. For a daytime flight, the experience was similar in many ways to a typical business-class flight, but the point price (starting at 10,500 points) was incredibly low. Below, you’ll find details about the deal, along with a mini-review of our flight.

Sweet-Spot: Premium Economy to England as low as 10,500 points

Virgin Atlantic has unusual award charts (found here), in which the prices, when saver seats are available, seem more like a guide than a rule. As a result, it may be better to look at real-world prices to find the best deals. Virgin’s Reward Seat Checker makes this very easy to do.

While Virgin Atlantic’s Premium Economy point prices are often very low, their accompanying fees are not. Fees for flying from North America to the United Kingdom are about $235 per passenger. In contrast, you’ll pay approximately $500 per passenger to fly Premium Economy in the other direction (I’ll discuss a way to lower this fee later in the post). Even with those fees, though, this can be a good deal for flying to/from the United Kingdom.

Routes where Premium Economy starts at 10,500 points

• Boston (BOS) <> London (LHR)
• New York (JFK) <> London (LHR) or Manchester (MAN)
• Orlando (MCO) <> London (LHR) or Manchester (MAN)
• Toronto (YYZ) <> London (LHR)
• Washington, DC (IAD) <> London (LHR)

Routes where Premium Economy starts at 13,500 points

• Atlanta (ATL) <> London (LHR) or Manchester (MAN)
• Miami (MIA) <> London (LHR)
• Orlando (MCO) <> Edinburgh (EDI)
• Tampa (TPA) <> London (LHR)

Routes where Premium Economy starts at 16,500 points

• Las Vegas (LAS) <> London (LHR) or Manchester (MAN)
  [Note: I couldn’t find availability at this rate on either route]
• Los Angeles (LAX) <> London (LHR)
• San Francisco (SFO) <> London (LHR)
• Seattle (SEA) <> London (LHR)

Expect higher prices during Peak Season Dates

Virgin Atlantic lists the following dates as Peak Season:

• 15 June 2025 – 02 September 2025
• 24 October 2025 – 04 November 2025
• 06 December 2025 – 04 January 2026
• 20 March 2026 – 12 April 2026
• 14 June 2026 – 01 September 2026
• 23 October 2026 – 03 November 2026
• 07 December 2026 – 05 January 2027

Reduce fees from the U.K. by starting elsewhere

It’s sometimes possible to reduce award fees by starting outside of the U.K. The trick is to find a one-way award where the first leg is on a partner airline and the second leg is on Virgin Atlantic. For example, on Nov 12, I found that flying Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy from London to New York costs 10,500 points plus £371 (~$500):

But then I ran a one-way search from Amsterdam to London:

Here I found that by flying KLM economy from Amsterdam to London, then Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy to New York costs 14,500 points plus £239 (~$320):

For my flight, I had booked the above route (AMS-LHR-JFK), but at the time, the fees dropped to only $270 per person.

Please note that Virgin Atlantic’s website often fails to display valid routes, such as the one shown above. It may be possible to book with lower fees, though, by calling Virgin Atlantic and feeding them the specific flights you want.

Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy Mini-Review

Carrie and I were impressed! The entire experience felt high-end, like business class, but without lie-flat seats. The seats were comfortable, with ample legroom and significant recline. And the service was outstanding. Our flight attendant was amazingly attentive and friendly. The food was good, but not particularly memorable. I would be very happy to fly this again, especially on a daytime flight. For overnight flights, I prefer lie-flat seats, but if the choice is between this and regular economy, there’s no question that I’d go for Premium Economy.

Virgin Atlantic Premium  Economy Pros and Cons

Pros

• Very good seats: wide, comfortable, with ample legroom and significant recline.
• Fantastic attentive service.
• Primary meal served with real plates, glasses, and a tablecloth (it seemed very much like a business class meal).
• “Wander wall” snack basket available for grazing between meals.

Cons

• As expected, this isn’t business class. Many seats don’t have direct aisle access. Seats do not lie flat.
• Very little near-seat storage.
• There is very little room under the seat in front of you for personal items (I was only able to squeeze my backpack about halfway under).
• On-ear headphones don’t block cabin sounds nearly as well as over-ear headphones that are commonly offered in business class.

Photos

Seats

Cabin

Dining

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