I've flown Virgin Upper Class and BA First Class a couple of times each to and from Barbados.
It's the night flight back that's the cruncher and on each and every occasion the Virgin Upper Class flight was pretty horrendous.
The cabin crew seemed to regard any available space, such as that at emergency exits, as being stash ground for black plastic rubbish bags. The toilets were installed to be used as storage tables for empty trays? The so called clever little 'whenever you like' food was pretty mediocre and seemed to consist of a variety of sandwiches, which ran out in the midnight hours. The cabin crews left something to be desired in their attitudes toward running anything approaching a ship shape aircraft. I am sure that all the Virgin girls had had a lovely time in Barbados but the function of the company is surely not really to act as a holiday carrier for its employees?
It is some four years since I last flew that route with Virgin but I have no intention of doing so again. Branson's little clever dick marketing does not counter balance the quality of service provided by BA on the same route.
I fear that I am no longer athletic enough to worry too much about climbing over the seats for close counter excercises but I have always found that, were I so inclined, BA provide one with seating facilities which are more conducive to avoiding a hernia with the commensurate cries of agony which might have disturbed my fellow passengers and inhibited the passionate ardour.
The inevitable letter of complaint to Virgin on the worst occasion, produced no response at all, whereas a moan to BA when Condorde was five hours late ex Bridgetown to London produced two First Class round trip tickets.
