Virgin Atlantic Economy Delight or Delta Comfort b/w JFK & LHR
Oct 22, 2018, 5:32 pm
#1
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Virgin Atlantic Economy Delight or Delta Comfort b/w JFK & LHR
This March, I'm planning a week in London and am considering taking Virgin Atlantic because of the AM flight from JFK.
Which seat is more comfortable — Economy Delight or Delta Comfort? Which seat has better flight amenities if any?
Last, do all Economy Delight seats as well as Economy Classic seats have USB ports? Seat Guru says there are no power outlets at any economy seat. That is a big negative and it's making Delta Comfort & Delta's main cabin look more attractive as I will be watching Amazon Prime I downloaded.
Which would you pick assuming price were near the same?
Thanks.
Which seat is more comfortable — Economy Delight or Delta Comfort? Which seat has better flight amenities if any?
Last, do all Economy Delight seats as well as Economy Classic seats have USB ports? Seat Guru says there are no power outlets at any economy seat. That is a big negative and it's making Delta Comfort & Delta's main cabin look more attractive as I will be watching Amazon Prime I downloaded.
Which would you pick assuming price were near the same?
Thanks.
Oct 23, 2018, 1:41 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: UK
Programs: VS Gold
Posts: 512
I would take seatguru's advice with scepticism, it's gaining a bit of a reputation as being quite out of date. Case in point - the lack of in-seat power you mention is completely wrong - see the guide to in-seat power here - every VS seat in every class has at least USB power.
As far as a seat-for-seat comparison, if you're willing to wait a couple of weeks I am doing LHR-BOS-LHR, outbound in Economy Delight returning in Comfort+ so will be able to give you my take on things.
At the moment VS are using three different aircraft types for NY-LON, A333, A346 and B789. DL at the moment are using A332/A333. If I was looking at VS Dreamliner at 3-3-3 in Economy vs. DL A330 at 2-4-2 I would be leaning towards Delta. But this far out there is no guarantee which aircraft you'd be using.
If you are in a hurry to book, I'd stick with the VS daytime flight out to London for the EU protection (you will get none on Delta), and take Delta going back. Just so you can say you've tried both. :-)
As far as a seat-for-seat comparison, if you're willing to wait a couple of weeks I am doing LHR-BOS-LHR, outbound in Economy Delight returning in Comfort+ so will be able to give you my take on things.
At the moment VS are using three different aircraft types for NY-LON, A333, A346 and B789. DL at the moment are using A332/A333. If I was looking at VS Dreamliner at 3-3-3 in Economy vs. DL A330 at 2-4-2 I would be leaning towards Delta. But this far out there is no guarantee which aircraft you'd be using.
If you are in a hurry to book, I'd stick with the VS daytime flight out to London for the EU protection (you will get none on Delta), and take Delta going back. Just so you can say you've tried both. :-)
Oct 23, 2018, 5:58 am
#3
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 55,189
I would take seatguru's advice with scepticism, it's gaining a bit of a reputation as being quite out of date. Case in point - the lack of in-seat power you mention is completely wrong - see the guide to in-seat power here - every VS seat in every class has at least USB power.
As far as a seat-for-seat comparison, if you're willing to wait a couple of weeks I am doing LHR-BOS-LHR, outbound in Economy Delight returning in Comfort+ so will be able to give you my take on things.
At the moment VS are using three different aircraft types for NY-LON, A333, A346 and B789. DL at the moment are using A332/A333. If I was looking at VS Dreamliner at 3-3-3 in Economy vs. DL A330 at 2-4-2 I would be leaning towards Delta. But this far out there is no guarantee which aircraft you'd be using.
If you are in a hurry to book, I'd stick with the VS daytime flight out to London for the EU protection (you will get none on Delta), and take Delta going back. Just so you can say you've tried both. :-)
Oct 23, 2018, 6:36 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: UK
Programs: VS Gold
Posts: 512
The one thing about flying one airline and returning on the other is how do you select seats for both flights before you buy the tickets? I don't want to be forced to select seats after the purchase only to find out that the seats remaining are not what I want and/or have an expensive seat selection cost.
I'll be returning November 5th. So thirteen days. I'll remind myself to post on this thread as soon as I can. :-)
Oct 23, 2018, 1:47 pm
#5
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If you're in this situation, Delta will allow you to preview a seatmap as part of booking, and Virgin allow you to choose your seat during the booking process as well. If you end up booking through VS, choose your Economy Delight seat (which is free of charge), and then use your VS booking reference number to access the DL leg on delta.com - you can do a dummy booking on DL.com beforehand to see which seats are available. A bit convoluted I'll admit, but it's a workaround.
Next, once I input the VS reference #, I will be able to select the DL seat I saw from the dummy booking assuming it's still there? Just want to make sure I understand.
I'll be returning November 5th. So thirteen days. I'll remind myself to post on this thread as soon as I can. :-)
Oct 24, 2018, 1:52 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Posts: 914
"Quote" So after I book the roundtrip with VS outbound to LHR and DL inbound returning to JFK in which I have selected my VS seat, I go to delta.com. Where do I input the VS reference #? Will it be under "My trips"? I don't see where to do that.
Next, once I input the VS reference #, I will be able to select the DL seat I saw from the dummy booking assuming it's still there? Just want to make sure I understand."un Quote"
I have just booked LHR-ATL-MSY with VS return and I could book my seats on DL using the VS PRN via the DL website. 3 of the 4 flights are with DL. I hope that helps Analise.
John
Next, once I input the VS reference #, I will be able to select the DL seat I saw from the dummy booking assuming it's still there? Just want to make sure I understand."un Quote"
I have just booked LHR-ATL-MSY with VS return and I could book my seats on DL using the VS PRN via the DL website. 3 of the 4 flights are with DL. I hope that helps Analise.
John
Oct 24, 2018, 3:54 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: UK
Programs: VS Gold
Posts: 512
So after I book the roundtrip with VS outbound to LHR and DL inbound returning to JFK in which I have selected my VS seat, I go to delta.com. Where do I input the VS reference #? Will it be under "My trips"? I don't see where to do that.
Next, once I input the VS reference #, I will be able to select the DL seat I saw from the dummy booking assuming it's still there? Just want to make sure I understand.
Next, once I input the VS reference #, I will be able to select the DL seat I saw from the dummy booking assuming it's still there? Just want to make sure I understand.
So here's the steps I would take:
- Go to DL.com and do a dummy booking for the DL sector of the flight I wanted to take in order to preview the seatmap
- Go to VS.com to complete the full booking
- During this process you can select your VS ED seat, but not the DL C+ seat as you cannot preview a DL seatmap on VS.com
- Once the booking is confirmed, as John says above, you can use the booking reference from VS to search your booking on DL.com (go to the 'My Trips' section on the top of the DL.com page)
- From there you can view the DL sector of your itinerary and book the seat that you wanted from step #1
I hope that makes sense!
Nov 5, 2018, 11:17 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: UK
Programs: VS Gold
Posts: 512
@Analise
I got back from Boston this morning :-) While everything is relatively fresh in my head I'll pen down a few thoughts. In the coming weeks I do plan to write up a more detailed trip report for another VS website I read. But I can give you the headlines if it helps with your booking!
Just to make you aware - it wasn't a 100% "fair" test, for the following reasons
1) My outbound on VS was pretty quiet
2) My return on DL was a full, relatively short overnight
3) As I hold Gold status with Virgin, the service I received from them reflected that
4) VS Economy was on a 787-9 with 3-3-3 layout. DL was a 767-300 with 2-3-2 layout.
But if we're talking about the seat alone, here goes:
Looks
VS: Differentiated from the rest of Economy by having champagne/biege coloured seats. No other markings indicating it as a different product.
DL: Red trim around headrest edges and a different stitching pattern. Comfort+ branding on the seat.
Comfort
VS: I had no seat neighbours, so whilst I couldn't judge the true width, the legroom was ample even when the seat in front reclined. Fabric material and the cushioning was good. Didn't feel uncomfortable as the flight went on. 34"/86cm pitch according to VS.com
DL: My seat neighbour was a ~4/5 year old girl so she didn't exactly invade my space. Again, this made true width hard to judge!! Legroom was also sufficient, 35"/89cm pitch (according to DL.com). That being said, the seat did start to feel a little hard after half an hour or so. The leather material made me warm after a while.
Overhead bins:
VS: No specifically reserved bins for Delight passengers
DL: Bins above Comfort+ seats were marked as for Comfort+ only
Interlopers
VS: Despite requests not to move to them, some pax ignored this and self-upgraded to ED seats after doors closed. I informed a member of cabin crew and he came round to discuss payment with them.
DL: Not really an issue as only one spare C+ seat, and it was a middle.
Connectivity
VS: Seats came with a UK/US/Euro plug under the seat and USB ports on the monitor
DL: UK/US/Euro plug in between the seats in front, USB ports on the monitor
IFE Screen
VS: 789 had touchscreen. Nice clear picture
DL: Also touchscreen with good picture quality
Side note - the A340-600s serving the daytime JFK-LHR flights do not have this touchscreen capabilities and the IFE screens are quite old. Connectivity is different, I believe there are no plugs but Y seats do have USB if memory serves
So that's it really! Make of that what you will :-) I have not tried Comfort+ during a day flight but if I was in your shoes I would be going for the daytime VS flight JFK-LHR and then have a stab at Comfort+ on the return to see what you make of it.
Let me know if there was anything else you wanted to know!
I got back from Boston this morning :-) While everything is relatively fresh in my head I'll pen down a few thoughts. In the coming weeks I do plan to write up a more detailed trip report for another VS website I read. But I can give you the headlines if it helps with your booking!
Just to make you aware - it wasn't a 100% "fair" test, for the following reasons
1) My outbound on VS was pretty quiet
2) My return on DL was a full, relatively short overnight
3) As I hold Gold status with Virgin, the service I received from them reflected that
4) VS Economy was on a 787-9 with 3-3-3 layout. DL was a 767-300 with 2-3-2 layout.
But if we're talking about the seat alone, here goes:
Looks
VS: Differentiated from the rest of Economy by having champagne/biege coloured seats. No other markings indicating it as a different product.
DL: Red trim around headrest edges and a different stitching pattern. Comfort+ branding on the seat.
Comfort
VS: I had no seat neighbours, so whilst I couldn't judge the true width, the legroom was ample even when the seat in front reclined. Fabric material and the cushioning was good. Didn't feel uncomfortable as the flight went on. 34"/86cm pitch according to VS.com
DL: My seat neighbour was a ~4/5 year old girl so she didn't exactly invade my space. Again, this made true width hard to judge!! Legroom was also sufficient, 35"/89cm pitch (according to DL.com). That being said, the seat did start to feel a little hard after half an hour or so. The leather material made me warm after a while.
Overhead bins:
VS: No specifically reserved bins for Delight passengers
DL: Bins above Comfort+ seats were marked as for Comfort+ only
Interlopers
VS: Despite requests not to move to them, some pax ignored this and self-upgraded to ED seats after doors closed. I informed a member of cabin crew and he came round to discuss payment with them.
DL: Not really an issue as only one spare C+ seat, and it was a middle.
Connectivity
VS: Seats came with a UK/US/Euro plug under the seat and USB ports on the monitor
DL: UK/US/Euro plug in between the seats in front, USB ports on the monitor
IFE Screen
VS: 789 had touchscreen. Nice clear picture
DL: Also touchscreen with good picture quality
Side note - the A340-600s serving the daytime JFK-LHR flights do not have this touchscreen capabilities and the IFE screens are quite old. Connectivity is different, I believe there are no plugs but Y seats do have USB if memory serves
So that's it really! Make of that what you will :-) I have not tried Comfort+ during a day flight but if I was in your shoes I would be going for the daytime VS flight JFK-LHR and then have a stab at Comfort+ on the return to see what you make of it.
Let me know if there was anything else you wanted to know!
Nov 5, 2018, 2:11 pm
#10
Moderator, Virgin Atlantic
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: www.V-Flyer.com
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Posts: 2,392
Thanks for the very informative comparison.
Out of interest - did you notice what happened to the interlopers when the VS crew 'discussed payment' ? ;-)
Nick
Out of interest - did you notice what happened to the interlopers when the VS crew 'discussed payment' ? ;-)
Nick
Nov 6, 2018, 12:18 am
#11
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: UK
Programs: VS Gold
Posts: 512
Haha, well two of said interlopers moved to the row in front of me, so I overheard most of the conversation!
They seemed happy to pay in the end (the price was £40 if I heard right), and payment was taken during the Duty Free run.
I have a feeling they were chancers who would only have paid if asked.
They seemed happy to pay in the end (the price was £40 if I heard right), and payment was taken during the Duty Free run.
I have a feeling they were chancers who would only have paid if asked.
Nov 7, 2018, 5:41 pm
#12
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Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 55,189
@Analise
I got back from Boston this morning :-) While everything is relatively fresh in my head I'll pen down a few thoughts. In the coming weeks I do plan to write up a more detailed trip report for another VS website I read. But I can give you the headlines if it helps with your booking!
Just to make you aware - it wasn't a 100% "fair" test, for the following reasons
1) My outbound on VS was pretty quiet
2) My return on DL was a full, relatively short overnight
3) As I hold Gold status with Virgin, the service I received from them reflected that
4) VS Economy was on a 787-9 with 3-3-3 layout. DL was a 767-300 with 2-3-2 layout.
But if we're talking about the seat alone, here goes:
Looks
VS: Differentiated from the rest of Economy by having champagne/biege coloured seats. No other markings indicating it as a different product.
DL: Red trim around headrest edges and a different stitching pattern. Comfort+ branding on the seat.
Comfort
VS: I had no seat neighbours, so whilst I couldn't judge the true width, the legroom was ample even when the seat in front reclined. Fabric material and the cushioning was good. Didn't feel uncomfortable as the flight went on. 34"/86cm pitch according to VS.com
DL: My seat neighbour was a ~4/5 year old girl so she didn't exactly invade my space. Again, this made true width hard to judge!! Legroom was also sufficient, 35"/89cm pitch (according to DL.com). That being said, the seat did start to feel a little hard after half an hour or so. The leather material made me warm after a while.
Overhead bins:
VS: No specifically reserved bins for Delight passengers
DL: Bins above Comfort+ seats were marked as for Comfort+ only
Interlopers
VS: Despite requests not to move to them, some pax ignored this and self-upgraded to ED seats after doors closed. I informed a member of cabin crew and he came round to discuss payment with them.
DL: Not really an issue as only one spare C+ seat, and it was a middle.
Connectivity
VS: Seats came with a UK/US/Euro plug under the seat and USB ports on the monitor
DL: UK/US/Euro plug in between the seats in front, USB ports on the monitor
IFE Screen
VS: 789 had touchscreen. Nice clear picture
DL: Also touchscreen with good picture quality
Side note - the A340-600s serving the daytime JFK-LHR flights do not have this touchscreen capabilities and the IFE screens are quite old. Connectivity is different, I believe there are no plugs but Y seats do have USB if memory serves
So that's it really! Make of that what you will :-) I have not tried Comfort+ during a day flight but if I was in your shoes I would be going for the daytime VS flight JFK-LHR and then have a stab at Comfort+ on the return to see what you make of it.
Let me know if there was anything else you wanted to know!
I got back from Boston this morning :-) While everything is relatively fresh in my head I'll pen down a few thoughts. In the coming weeks I do plan to write up a more detailed trip report for another VS website I read. But I can give you the headlines if it helps with your booking!
Just to make you aware - it wasn't a 100% "fair" test, for the following reasons
1) My outbound on VS was pretty quiet
2) My return on DL was a full, relatively short overnight
3) As I hold Gold status with Virgin, the service I received from them reflected that
4) VS Economy was on a 787-9 with 3-3-3 layout. DL was a 767-300 with 2-3-2 layout.
But if we're talking about the seat alone, here goes:
Looks
VS: Differentiated from the rest of Economy by having champagne/biege coloured seats. No other markings indicating it as a different product.
DL: Red trim around headrest edges and a different stitching pattern. Comfort+ branding on the seat.
Comfort
VS: I had no seat neighbours, so whilst I couldn't judge the true width, the legroom was ample even when the seat in front reclined. Fabric material and the cushioning was good. Didn't feel uncomfortable as the flight went on. 34"/86cm pitch according to VS.com
DL: My seat neighbour was a ~4/5 year old girl so she didn't exactly invade my space. Again, this made true width hard to judge!! Legroom was also sufficient, 35"/89cm pitch (according to DL.com). That being said, the seat did start to feel a little hard after half an hour or so. The leather material made me warm after a while.
Overhead bins:
VS: No specifically reserved bins for Delight passengers
DL: Bins above Comfort+ seats were marked as for Comfort+ only
Interlopers
VS: Despite requests not to move to them, some pax ignored this and self-upgraded to ED seats after doors closed. I informed a member of cabin crew and he came round to discuss payment with them.
DL: Not really an issue as only one spare C+ seat, and it was a middle.
Connectivity
VS: Seats came with a UK/US/Euro plug under the seat and USB ports on the monitor
DL: UK/US/Euro plug in between the seats in front, USB ports on the monitor
IFE Screen
VS: 789 had touchscreen. Nice clear picture
DL: Also touchscreen with good picture quality
Side note - the A340-600s serving the daytime JFK-LHR flights do not have this touchscreen capabilities and the IFE screens are quite old. Connectivity is different, I believe there are no plugs but Y seats do have USB if memory serves
So that's it really! Make of that what you will :-) I have not tried Comfort+ during a day flight but if I was in your shoes I would be going for the daytime VS flight JFK-LHR and then have a stab at Comfort+ on the return to see what you make of it.
Let me know if there was anything else you wanted to know!
I just returned today on Comfort + from AMS to JFK. It was an old 767-400 and I was at 15F which was the bulkhead. The legroom was tight actually as Seatguru warned. On the flight from JFK to CDG, I was in 10C which is a bulkhead aisle in the center and the legroom plus seat were VERY comfortable.
To clarify, your JFK to LHR daytime on VS had no IFE or the IFE was not of the touchscreen variety? If the latter, how did you operate the IFE?
The daytime flight is appealing. Here's the thing. I would need wheelchair service so if I do VS to LHR and DL back to JFK, should I book the tickets on the DL website as I have Skymiles with them and would that get me wheelchair at JFK upon departure and at LHR upon arrival on VS if I book with DL? With my back condition, flying now means wheelchair service at departing and arriving airports.
Nov 8, 2018, 2:02 am
#13
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: UK
Programs: VS Gold
Posts: 512
The daytime flight is appealing. Here's the thing. I would need wheelchair service so if I do VS to LHR and DL back to JFK, should I book the tickets on the DL website as I have Skymiles with them and would that get me wheelchair at JFK upon departure and at LHR upon arrival on VS if I book with DL? With my back condition, flying now means wheelchair service at departing and arriving airports.