In today’s article, I’m going to discuss the best seats in the Economy cabin for each Virgin Atlantic aircraft. I’m sure you find it shocking that i’ve flown Economy, but it is true.
In this article, I will be covering the Virgin Atlantic Economy cabin, specifically the Economy Delight ticket type. Let me start by saying that any use of the word “best” is a little dangerous, because what I think is good, others may not agree with. But the purpose of this article is to point out some of the seats I like and the reasons I like them. You can then make your own choice.
787-9 Dreamliner
The 787 Dreamliner was Virgin’s newest Economy cabin until the A350-1000 arrived. I must say, Economy Delight on the 787 is really not far off par with the Premium cabin. There have been times when Premium has been too expensive and instead I’ve opted for Delight because the only difference is the physical seat. I get all the perks I normally do, due to status, and I actually get more points in Economy than Premium. (I’ll do an article on that at some point!).
It’s a 3x3x3 layout in the Economy cabin on the 787. But value for money is great in my opinion. On day flights, you can take Economy Delight and earn the same miles & points as Premium, but for a hefty price saving. Sure, the seat is not as wide, but the legroom is similar. The food is less premium, but overall it’s a really smart choice to save some cash.
The bulkhead row, 46, suffers the usual problem of additional legroom but comes with the caveat of a narrower seat due to the inflight entertainment screen being inside the armrest. Personally, I find this bulkhead to be uncomfortable, so I never opt to sit there despite the legroom. Row 51, seats A/B/C is my go-to for Economy Delight on the 787 due to the guilt-free recline.
- Best seats for sleep – 48A/B/C
- Best seats for couples – Any A/B/C
- Best seats for a quick exit – 47C
A330-300
The A330s have the benefit of having a 2x4x2 layout in Economy, which means if you can bag an A/C or H/K seat then you either get a window or aisle and no middle seat which is good.
The layout on the -300 aircraft is different to the -200, with Economy Delight rows starting at 49 for the centre and 51 for the outer rows. Personally, I’ll always take the A/C or H/K seats, but there is only one row in the centre, which is row 49 – the bulkhead row. The downside to the bulkhead is that the tray tables are in the armrests, resulting in narrower seats.
One of the big benefits of the Economy Delight cabin on the A330-300 is that it is towards the middle of the plane, meaning you’re quite far from the bassinet positions, meaning less chance of a crying child in the vicinity of your seat.
Eventually, the A330s will be retired in favour of the newer A330-900neo aircraft Virgin have on order.
- Best seats for sleep – 51A/C
- Best seats for couples – Any A/C or H/K combo
- Best seats for a quick exit – 51C
A330-200
The A330s have the benefit of having a 2x4x2 layout in Economy, which means if you can bag an A/C or H/K seat then you either get a window or aisle and no middle seat which is good.
The layout on the -300 aircraft is different to the -200, with Economy Delight rows starting at 49 for the centre and 51 for the outer rows. Personally, I’ll always take the A/C or H/K seats, but there is only one row in the centre, which is row 49 – the bulkhead row. The downside to the bulkhead is that the tray tables are in the armrests, resulting in narrower seats.
One of the big benefits of the Economy Delight cabin on the A330-300 is that it is towards the middle of the plane, meaning you’re quite far from the bassinet positions, meaning less chance of a crying child in the vicinity of your seat.
- Best seats for sleep – 51A/C
- Best seats for couples – Any A/C or H/K combo
- Best seats for a quick exit – 51C
A350-1000
The A350 is the newest addition to the fleet, featuring newly designed Economy seats. This product does not exist on the rest of the fleet at the time of writing. Fortunately, the seating on the A350 seating is fairly consistent and is laid out in a 3x3x3 layout in the Economy cabin. This means it’s not too dissimilar to the 787.
- Best seats for sleep – 54 through 56 A/B/C
- Best seats for couples – Any A/B/C or H/J/K combo
- Best seats for a quick exit – 54C/D
Bottom line
If you’re not able to fly Premium or Business, you can still make the best of your experience in Economy. As Virgin update their fleet, we’ll be sure to keep you up to date on where the best seats are.
