We had a great experience on Virgin Voyages and had heard good things about flying with Virgin Atlantic so for Andrew’s Scotland trip this summer, he decided to book with them. It also worked out they were the only airline with a direct flight from Orlando MCO to Edinburgh, Scotland. Read on to see how his experience was, and how he was able to fly in style!

Booking the Flight

Since Andrew booked a golf travel package, flights were one of the few things he had to book separately. Two years ago, there were fewer options going to Scotland from Orlando because COVID was just winding down and the world was starting to open back up. There were no direct flights at the time so the best options included connections through London or Dublin. This time around, there were more options from Orlando but only one if he wanted to go direct to Edinburgh. Virgin Atlantic offers two direct flights per week, and one of those days lined up with the preferred departure date. Their schedule did not align with the return flight and since Delta was a partner airline, that was the chosen return airline. Andrew was able to book both directions on the Virgin Atlantic website but had to go to Delta’s website to choose a seat and check-in for the return flight back to Orlando.

A few years ago returning from Hawaii, we paid for upgraded comfort on our overnight flight home. This was basically the equivalent of domestic first class but not the highest class on this particular long-haul flight. Julie also booked this class for her trip to Italy last year. After both flights, we felt well rested and ready for the day so Andrew decided to book Premium Class on his flight to Edinburgh.

Virgin Atlantic has Economy, Premium, and Upper Class. For his flight, Andrew purchased Premium, which is just as described above with wider seats, more legroom, and includes the below items:

Extra large seats
Extra legroom
2 x 23kg checked bags
A glass of bubbly when you board
Pre-order from our delicious premium menu
Premium check-in
Priority boarding

Upper Class on this flight gives passengers their own “pod” with a seat that lowers into a lay flat configuration. It also includes the following amenities:

Extra large seats
Fully flat bed
2 x 32kg checked bags
A glass of bubbly when you board
Luxury 4-course fine dining with pre-order options
Fast track security on departure
Access to Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses

Upgrade Option

Virgin Atlantic does something that we are seeing a lot in both the airline and cruise industry and that is bidding for upgrades shortly before the departure date. About 10 days before his departure, Andrew received an email from Virgin Atlantic offering him the ability to bid for an Upper Class seat. After clicking on the email, Andrew was met not with the option to place a bid but an offer to upgrade for a flat fee of $300, which he immediately took advantage of.

Airline Ambiance

Service & Comfort

Premium and Upper Class passengers are offered a separate check-in counter at Orlando. Upon Andrew’s arrival, which was around 2.5 hours before departure time, there was no line and he walked right up to the counter and checked in. He didn’t take advantage of the fast track security benefit since he already has TSA Pre-Check and there was no line.

Also, shout out to Julie since she had to drive Andrew to the airport through one of the worst storms we had all summer which caused a two hour ground stop at Orlando.

An Upper Class ticket includes access to the Virgin Atlantic Lounges. However, there isn’t one located at Orlando’s airport but since Delta is a partner airline, Andrew’s ticket gave him access to the Delta Sky Club, which he took advantage of. Unfortunately, he overhead the staff politely ask someone else not to take photos in the lounge so he is unable to provide pictures. The lounge included a lot of seating, a few TVs, restrooms, quiet work nooks, a bar, tables to eat at, and a buffet spread with options including snacks, basic desserts, and heavy hors d’oeuvres. There was also a large departure board and someone would announce to the lounge when flights were getting ready to begin boarding.

Plane Environment

The plane was a brand new A330-1000 and it felt new with nice LED lighting, good music playing, and even that newer airplane smell. Upon boarding, Andrew was offered a glass of champaign or water with the option to order anything from the menu.

Fun side note: just like their cruise ships, Virgin Atlantic names their aircraft. I was lucky enough to fly on “Wendy Darling,” which seems fitting for an Orlando to UK flight.

Virgin Atlantic Wendy Darling — “Wendy Darling” photo by Eurospot.

Andrew’s Seat

The Upper Class is luxury at its best and something Andrew never thought he would experience and only possible because of the last minute upgrade. Andrew opted not to have a meal since our departure time was close to 11:00 PM and his goal was to fall asleep as soon as possible. Everyone was handed a breakfast menu and asked to select what they wanted so that it would be ready when they woke up. Andrew made his selections and handed it back to the flight attendant.

As soon as we reached a suitable altitude, they came by again and asked if I would like to have my seat set up in the lay flat position and made up to sleep. Andrew went to the restroom to change into the provided PJs (this was a slightly hard task since the restroom was fairly tiny) and when he returned to his seat, it was ready for bed.

The Virgin Atlantic website says the bed length is 6’ 6” but Andrew is 6’ 2” and felt like he maxed out the space. It was still very comfortable and the sleep was much better than it would have been in the Premium section. They provided a thin blanket that was perfect and the temperature was never an issue. The pods on this plane had small divider panels that only pulled out a few inches but noise and light from others was never an issue.

Upon waking up, a flight attendant asked Andrew if he was ready for breakfast. He went to the restroom to change out of his pajamas and when he returned to his seat, it was upright and ready for breakfast. The flight attendants were very friendly and the service they provided was top notch.

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class — Upper Class seat on the way to Edinburgh, Scotland.

In-Flight Entertainment

Since Andrew was on an overnight flight that left late at night, he spent most of the time sleeping. After eating breakfast, there wasn’t much time left before landing so he only tuned into the journey progress channels.

Per Virgin Atlantic’s website regarding onboard entertainment: With over 1900 hours of hand-picked movies, music and TV shows - Vera (which is what Virgin Atlantic named their entertainment platform) offers a lovingly curated selection from a diverse range of the best available movies, TV and music.

In-Flight Meals

Drinks

While Andrew didn’t partake in any alcoholic drinks, all beverages were included with any class of ticket on the trans-Atlantic flight. This included Beer, Liquor, Wine, Cocktails, Soft Drinks, Coffee, and Tea.

Meal Service

Even though Andrew didn’t choose a meal ahead of time, about 30 minutes into the flight, he was offered a meal. If he would have chosen his meal ahead of time, that is what would have been served. If Andrew would have changed his mind, he could have chosen from various menu options.

Andrew was also given a breakfast menu/checklist where he was able to build his breakfast so that it was ready for him once he woke up the next morning. He went with a fruit plate and the typical Scottish breakfast, both of which were very good.

Quick side note: there is probably a good chance a few salt and pepper shakers go missing because they are the coolest looking shakers we have seen. And no, Andrew didn’t steal his.

A cool touch added to flights going from the UK to the US and the Caribbean is the British Mile High Tea which includes flavourful finger sandwiches, delicately decorated sweet treats and, of course, a hot drink of your choice. Andrew only flew Virgin Atlantic to the UK so he didn’t get to experience this.

About Edinburgh Airport

Edinburgh Airport is on the smaller side but still boasts plenty of dining and shopping options. They also have one of the coolest control towers.

Customs

Just like with most international airports, once we left the airplane, we were diverted to a different walkway towards customs. It was a fairly short walk to get to the customs line which moved quickly. Edinburgh is going the way of other airports/cruise ports in that there are a series of individual unmanned gates where passengers scan their passport, their photo is taken, the gates open, and off you go to collect luggage.

Dining

The night before he left Scotland, Andrew stayed at a hotel right next to the airport that included breakfast so he didn’t have a need to get a bite to eat before boarding his flight. Andrew popped into a coffee shop to grab a mocha to go which was pretty good. Here is a full list of restaurants at the Edinburgh Airport.

Shopping

While Edinburgh doesn’t quite have the shopping selection as larger international airports, there is still plenty to buy. There was a good selection of the usual duty free jewelry, make up, some clothing, and of course, Scotch. Andrew used the remainder of his Scottish pounds to purchase a few last minute items.

Security

There were a few differences in security at Edinburgh that stood out compared to the states. The first being that all medication needs to be in one single clear plastic bag. Andrew was prepared for this since he experienced this when he flew through here two years ago. There are signs throughout the line notifying passengers of this and they provide clear bags for anyone who needs them.

The second major difference was how passengers get ready to go through security. There are multiple individual stalls that passengers go to, grab a bin from below, place their items in it, then slide the bin towards the middle where a conveyer belt takes the belongings through security. This is something that would be great to see in the States as it would keep the line moving and would allow faster folks with less stuff to not have to wait on slower groups with more items.

Rental Car

We rented from Arnold Clark which has their own shuttle running between the terminal and their facility. The ride takes about 5 minutes from the terminal to the rental car lot and a little longer on the return trip as the shuttle stops at one of the hotels on the way. Don’t forget they drive on the left side of the road in Scotland!

Final Thoughts

We would definitely fly Virgin Atlantic again, especially since they offer a few direct flights between Orlando and various UK Airports. The plane was nice, the food was good, and the flight crew and all Virgin Atlantic employees were very friendly. The only possible downside is some of the flights from Orlando don’t run daily so if you are set on certain dates, you would need to look for another option on one of the legs. They partner with Delta and passengers can book both directions on the Virgin Atlantic website.