Review of Virgin Atlantic flight from Islamabad to London in Premium Eco

Not many people think of Pakistan as a tourist destination. It’s a pity. The monuments of Lahore, the salt mine, the bazar of Peshawar or the mountains of the Karakoram Highway are all top class attractions. The country is cheap, I felt perfectly safe, the infrastructure is reasonably developed, the food is good, the hotels are comfortable and the people are very friendly. Some photos I took:

Lahore Fort:

In the bazar in Lahore:

Khewra Salt Mine, also known as the Himalayan Salt Mine (although not located in the Himalayas):

Grapefruit and Pomegranate stall in the Peshawar bazar:

I stayed at the Serena Hotel Islamabad. This hotel is not only the best in Pakistan but it’s also on par with other top hotels in the world yet the room rates are very reasonable. It’s a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.

A very comfortable airport transfer by private car was included in my hotel rate. The airport is about 45 kms from downtown Islamabad and it took 40 minutes via the expressway to get there. The exterior of the airport:

A soldier checked the passengers’ tickets and passports at the entrance of the terminal building. There were a few people in front of me and it took five to ten minutes to enter.

The next step was luggage control – just a few seconds.

Next came customs – I was waved through.

Priority check-in was available at a separate desk for premium economy passengers.

There were a few people in front of me with a lot of luggage. Some VIP guests were checked in by a soldier/policeman/helper. The check-in didn’t take more than ten minutes for me.

Passport control took another five to ten minutes.

The whole process of getting from landside to airside was altogether hassle-free and didn’t take more than a half an hour.

Let’s have a look at the departing flights. There are not many flights although most of them are by wide-body aircraft even for relatively short distances. Note the flight to Kabul by Kam Air (not a widebody): I didn’t know Kabul Airport had reopened after the chaotic scenes of 2021.

The terminal is modern, spacious, clean and was not crowded.

There were remarkably few shops. I had a good cappuccino.

I choose Virgin Atlantic to fly from Islamabad to London because it was the only direct flight that day, it flew at a very convenient time (not a night or early morning departure) and premium economy was only about 10% more expensive than economy (business class would have been three times more expensive).

The cabin crew arrived exactly one hour before departure.

The boarding area.

A Saudia B777 on the apron.

Boarding was done by multiple agents. Passports and boarding passes were checked at least three times.

Wheelchair passengers were the first to board, followed by families with young children. The next group was premium passengers – premium economy and business class together.

Our plane today was a B787-900, registration number G-VBEL, built In 2018.

I received a warm welcome as I entered the plane. I had a quick look to the left at the Upper Class (business class) cabin – it looked beautiful. I turned right to the premium economy cabin which also looked very nice, although the strong purple color was a bit surprising.

The premium economy cabin has a 2+3+2 configuration in five rows with a total of 35 seats. The cabin was almost completely full but I was lucky and the seat next to mine remained empty.

Seats 21AC:

Seats 22DFG:

Seats 22AC:

Legroom at seat 22A:

A pillow, a blanket, a headphone and a menu with “hello you” written on it were waiting on the seat.

The headphones were better than the ones offered in economy but not as good as the ones in business – fair enough.

Legroom, seat width and overall seat comfort were all very good. The cabin was in very good condition. The materials used to cover the seats seemed to be of premium quality.

A welcome drink was offered. I chose apple juice.

Push-back was at 11.56 for a scheduled departure time of 11.55. We took off at 12.06 from runway 28L.

The view of the terminal building during taxi:

Skymap is well designed and has several viewing options.

“The number of passengers onboard is 216” – I think I’ve never heard this type of announcement.

Let’s have a look at the menu:

Packed pretzels and drinks were offered about 25 minutes after take-off. I ordered some coke and white wine. I’ve never seen wine in a can. The wine tasted really bad; not because of the can but because it was some really cheap wine that any decent Parisian sans-abri (homeless) would refuse to drink.

Some Sea Salt Crisps and other snacks were offered from a basket only 15 minutes later.

We overflew Afghanistan with some beautiful views over the mountains from our flight altitude of 34,000 feet. Do you know which ATC is used when flying over Afghanistan? Pakistani, Afghan, Tajik or something else? I don’t know.

The most beautiful views came when we reached Tajikistan.

Lunch was served at 13.00, approximately one hour after take-off. I had chicken. The presentation of the meal was up to the standards of premium economy class with proper glasses, porcelain plates and metal utensils but the meal itself was neither good or bad; it was just so-so as it often happens in premium economy.

Carrot and harissa salad with roasted chickpeas, pomegranate and couscous. It sounds good but it wasn’t.

Breaded chicken filled with garlic butter, creamy mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetable. Fancy name for this meal but it was not good.

Double chocolate cake.

Tea (and coffee) was served after the meal in a home style cup – it’s so much better than a plastic or paper cup.

Snacks and drinks were available from the galley throughout the flight.

The cabin crew was very friendly, smiling and had a very positive attitude.

In-flight entertainment offers 123 movies, 65 TV shows and 567 music albums. The choice is varied and most people should be able to find something they like.

I watched two movies and listened to The Clash:

A vegetable samosa was served as a snack a bit after halfway. The presentation was not very nice and the samosa was too spicy for me.

View of Lake Balaton in Hungary:

The third meal service started 1 hour and 55 minutes before landing. I choose the mushroom, thyme, mascarpone parcel. The presentation was such that the cabin crew apologized about it. The food was like the main meal five hours earlier: not good, not bad.

We reached the coast of England about 40 minutes before landing.

Some nice views over London:

We landed at Heathrow at 16.10 and reached our gate at 16.15 for a scheduled arrival time of 17.20, more than one hour ahead of schedule.