Virgin Atlantic Upper Class vs. British Airways Club Suites: Which is England's Best Business Class?
by Krish Patel
Flying between London and New York is a very competitive route. And while British Airways offers the most daily flights between the two cities, Virgin Atlantic wants its travelers to know that they’re the best option. Both airlines offer a premium Business Class product across the pond, and I had the chance to try both Club World and Upper Class in the latter quarter of 2024. Continue reading to find out which airline came out on top!
Booking and Pricing
The cost to book a Business Class ticket on either airline is very similar. One-way cash fares for both British Airways Club World and Virgin Atlantic Upper Class flights from London to New York are priced dynamically and can cost anywhere from $1,510 to over $10,000.
Both airlines also have award programs where you can book Business Class using points. One-way flights from LHR to JFK on British Airways typically cost 80,000 to 90,000 Avios in Business Class, which changes during the peak and off-peak travel season. Virgin Atlantic will charge a similar amount of Flying Club points as what you’ll find with BA to fly Upper Class one-way from London to New York. Several credit card points, such as Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to both programs at a 1:1 ratio.
Winner: It’s a tie
Business Class Check-In and Boarding at Heathrow
Virgin Atlantic and British Airways provide vastly different ground experiences for Business Class passengers at their hubs in London’s Heathrow Airport. Virgin Atlantic operates out of the massive Terminal 3, while BA utilizes the newer Terminal 5.
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class passengers receive access to the dedicated Upper Class wing. It’s an exclusive space that feels like pulling up to someplace special. In the check-in lounge, you’ll find refreshments, seating, and even spacious restrooms if you’re not ready to check in. There’s a dedicated security checkpoint connected to the check-in area that leads you straight into the terminal. Checking in for a Virgin Upper Class flight at LHR feels very private and exclusive, almost like a First Class ground experience. You won’t have to lift a finger because the dedicated Upper Class wing staff will handle all of your bags.
Meanwhile, British Airways doesn’t offer an as exclusive check-in experience as their archrival Virgin. Passengers flying in the Club Suite can check in at the dedicated Club World check-in counters, which are also used by OneWorld elite members and found in the vast Terminal 5 check-in hall. While it’s a seamless process with BA and takes very little time for dropping off bags, the experience just doesn’t feel as special as what you’ll get with Virgin.
Both airlines also offer their Business Class passengers priority boarding, however, Virgin Upper Class passengers usually board earlier than those flying British Airways Club Suites. On most of its aircraft flying to New York, British Airways operates aircraft with a First Class cabin, which boards ahead of Business. If you’re on a Virgin Atlantic Business Class flight, you’ll find yourself as one of the very first passengers in the cabin because they don’t have a First Class product.
Winner: Virgin Atlantic
Lounges at London Heathrow
The biggest difference between Virgin and BA in their ground experience is their respective lounges at Heathrow Airport.
British Airways has several Galleries Clubs in Terminal 5, including 2 in Concourse A and one in the B Gates. The B Gates lounge is quieter and feels more exclusive than the other two clubs, which tend to be extremely crowded. You’ll need to take the transit from the A Gates in order to reach Concourse B, where the lounge is located. It can be found in the center of the concourse, right up a set of escalators.
Essentially, the B Gates Galleries Club is a massive rectangular shape packed with plenty of seating, several amenities, and a lovely selection of food and drinks. The main seating area is located on the other side of the lounge and includes a variety of furniture, such as chairs for lounging, plush couches, and armchairs. You’ll also find the buffet near the main seating space, tucked away into a back corner of the lounge. There were various hot and cold food items, as well as afternoon tea during my visit.
Amenities in the lounge include showers with Elemis skincare items, a workstation, self-serve Whispering Angel champagne bar, and a kids play area. None of the facilities seemed busy and there wasn’t a waitlist to use any of the shower suites. Overall, the Galleries Lounge in the B Gates offers a typical Business Class lounge experience with an old and cozy feel.
Virgin Atlantic has one Clubhouse Lounge in Heathrow’s Terminal 3, which feels modern, swanky, and exciting. It truly embraces the vibes of the Virgin brand, with bright sconce lighting and a colorful seating area. You’ll notice many types of furniture to choose from in each corner of the lounge, including lounge chairs, comfortable couches, chairs that swivel, and communal seating spaces. In terms of food options, there’s a buffet offering cold items, but it’s possible to have food delivered to almost every seat in the lounge via a QR code. All of the food options looked inspiring, with plenty of choices for a proper meal or light snack.
The Virgin Clubhouse has several amenities, such as showers, a relaxation area, workstation, yoga studio, showers, and even a rooftop terrace (my personal favorite). I really enjoyed all of the facilities in the lounge, which has something for every type of traveler. Whether you’re on business or looking to relax, you won’t get bored in this lounge. Virgin Atlantic’s amenities in the Clubhouse are very innovative and offer something that even many First Class lounges don’t have.
Winner: Virgin Atlantic
Cabin and Seat
Virgin and BA have different approaches when it comes to their Business Class cabins. On British Airways, the Club World Suites adopt a luxurious and exclusive black leather design that feels very comfortable. The small touches of wood and silver trim make the seat look very stylish and elegant. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class cabin on the A350 has a fun design, with bright mood lighting and pops of bold color. Virgin’s light tones make the seat feel more inviting and refreshing.
The Club Suite on British Airways is a great Business Class seat, with plush padding and plenty of storage options. There are three side compartments and an additional storage locker, giving you plenty of space for storing personal items. In addition, the seat controls, IFE remote, and tray table are all very intuitive and conveniently placed within an easy reach. Seats in the center section are slightly angled towards each other, while those along the window are facing outwards at a slight angle. Best of all, each Club Suite features a fully-closing door that offers great privacy both when sitting and sleeping.
Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class seat is quite comfortable thanks to the luxurious brown leather that makes up the seat. You’re provided with plenty of side table space, but the amount of storage options in this seat aren’t as great as others. The main storage shelf is kept open and doesn’t feature a door, which means that personal items may fall off during takeoff and landing. While the privacy is great in the A350 Upper Class seat thanks to the high seat walls, the partition at each seat only slides halfway across and doesn't feel like an actual privacy door. Other than that, I really like this Business Class seat and find the seat controls and power outlets to be very intuitive.
Winner: British Airways
Food and Drink
The dining experience in Business Class is considered an important aspect of the passenger experience. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways both serve three-course gourmet meals and have a solid beverage selection that includes mocktails, coffee, tea, and various alcoholic drinks. However, I found the selection of food on the Virgin Atlantic flight to be more adventurous and innovative than what was served on BA. While still high quality, the meals on British Airways better align with comfort food that’s delicious and easy to perfect in the air.
My corn soup on BA made for a delicious start to the meal, especially when paired with the crunchy croutons. Provided on the side were three bread rolls and not-so-fresh salad. I opted for the shahi paneer as my entree, which included the right amount of spice and texture thanks to the basmati rice. The creamy vanilla panna cotta for dessert was tasty like the other courses. I wish that more effort was put into the presentation of the meal, which could elevate the dining experience further.
When it came to the meal service on Virgin Atlantic, I was blown away. The meal is beautifully presented restaurant-style on a purple placemat and includes unique salt-and-pepper shakers shaped like the fan blades of an aircraft engine. I was very impressed by my curried cauliflower soup, which was presented beautifully and rich in flavor. I could say the same for the pumpkin girasoli entree as well. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the creamy pumpkin inside was a nice touch. As far as dessert, Virgin Atlantic’s cherry and chocolate delice made for a decadent end to the meal (my only suggestion would be to change the shape of the dessert). Chocolate with the sweet flavor of the cherry paired nicely in this dessert.
Pre-arrival meals were offered by both airlines before landing in New York. Across the pond, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways are famous for serving afternoon tea in the premium cabin. Despite the evening arrival times on both flights, BA didn’t serve afternoon tea. Instead, I was offered a roasted vegetable and ricotta sandwich on ciabatta, which was still very good and substantial.
However, Virgin Atlantic’s afternoon tea made for a nice taste of English culture before landing in the U.S. The berry tart and scone were both provided alongside clotted cream and jam, as well as a seasonal Christmas tea. Everything was pretty delicious and the scones tasted great alongside the tea.
Winner: Virgin Atlantic
Onboard Lounge/Galley Space
Found on all British Airways widebodies in the Club World section is the Club Kitchen. Essentially, it’s an inflight pantry stocked with various snacks, wines, soft drinks, and desserts. The Club Kitchen is a nice space to come and stretch your legs, but doesn’t feel very special because most other airlines have a similar feature on their planes.
Virgin Atlantic is famous for having onboard lounges on all of their aircraft. The Airbus A350-1000 and A330-900neo both feature a lounge space called The Loft. You’ll find plush couches, a large screen with the inflight map, and a snack basket. What I really love about The Loft is the red and purple mood lighting that gives off fun party vibes and makes the space feel exciting. Flight attendants won’t keep you waiting, as they’ll ask if you want anything to snack on or drink.
Winner: Virgin Atlantic
Inflight Entertainment
Both Virgin and BA offer 18.5-inch inflight entertainment systems in Business Class complete with a solid selection of movies and TV. I found Virgin Atlantic’s entertainment system to be more user-friendly. The dedicated entertainment tabs are clearly presented on the homescreen and each offers a curated selection of movies and TV. There are also plenty of podcasts and music playlists, as well as the flight map and A350 tail camera.
British Airways also offers an extensive selection of entertainment across multiple genres of films, but it’s not as easy to search for content. Scrolling through all of the choices can take a while, and I didn’t find its layout to be as intuitive as what I saw on the Virgin flight.
Business Class Amenities
Upon boarding each flight, I was provided with an amenity kit (“Goodie Bag” on Virgin Atlantic), inflight bedding, and noise-cancelling headphones. Virgin also offered comfortable pajamas upon request, which was nice to have on a 7-hour transatlantic flight.
British Airways’s Club World amenity kit is well-stocked and comes in a cream leather pouch, which I preferred to the paper bag that made up the Virgin Atlantic amenity kit. Its contents consisted of:
Eye mask
Earplugs
Dental kit (toothpaste and a toothbrush)
Sleep socks
The White Company Spa skincare products (lip balm, hand lotion, and pulse point sleep oil)
Virgin Atlantic’s “Goodie Bag” included:
Eye mask
Earplugs
“Brush it off” kit (toothbrush)
White Glo toothpaste
Earplugs
Ren skincare items (hand cream, lip balm, lotion)
In terms of inflight bedding, Virgin’s memory foam mattress was super comfortable. It paired nicely with the provided pillow and thick duvet, making me feel as if I were sleeping on a cloud. British Airways also had lovely bedding that included a mattress topper, plush pillow, and duvet, but the mattress was slightly thinner compared to that of Virgin Atlantic. I truly managed to sleep well on both flights, but preferred the bed on the Virgin A350.
Neither airline offers complimentary Wi-Fi, however, British Airways offers free messaging for Club members (formerly Executive Club). Virgin charges 2.99 GBP ($4.04) for messaging, which lasts the duration of the flight. Wi-Fi service on BA costs 4.99 to 21.99 GBP for the entire flight, while those flying Virgin Atlantic can purchase a 1-hour pass for 5.99 GBP or one for the full flight at 20.99 GBP. Since my flights were both over the Atlantic, the Wi-Fi service didn’t work and I felt that it wasn’t worth buying any of the passes.
Winner: It’s a tie
Inflight Service
Inflight service is the most important aspect when considering any Business Class flight experience. Virgin and BA both had good flight attendants on my flights, who always maintained a professional and respectful attitude.
The flight attendants working the Club World section on my British Airways flight were courteous, but spent a lot of time in the galley for nearly an hour and a half. They felt more present in the cabin only for the first and last two hours of the flight.
I found the crew on Virgin Atlantic to be more passionate and engaging. They were very conversational and seemed happy to check on passengers throughout the flight. During my flight, I even received a sweet note from the crew thanking me for flying with Virgin Atlantic. It’s these small touches that have the power to make a difference.
Winner: Virgin Atlantic
Which is England’s Best Business Class?
Both airlines offer a solid experience and make for great choices when crossing the Atlantic. For me, Virgin Atlantic is the overall winner and has a better Business Class experience than British Airways. While the seat is solid for a transatlantic crossing, I absolutely love Virgin’s attention to detail in both the amenities and dining experience. If you’re someone that values elegance and a more luxurious seat, then British Airways is the right airline for you. And if there’s a significant cost difference between Upper Class and Club World, with Virgin Atlantic being more expensive, then I’ll certainly pick British Airways. I’d be happy to fly either carrier again and hope that my ratings of each airline help you pick your next flight to the U.K.