PREMIUM ECONOMY SHOWDOWN ~ Delta vs Virgin Atlantic 

The seats are actually the same. Don't rely on Seat Guru these days. The site isn't maintained properly with a lot of old info or inaccuracies. Collins MiQ seats of 18.5 inches are used in the aircraft you filmed. A huge point to make though is that with Virgin it is very aircraft dependent. The MiQ seats of 18.5 width are used on the newest aircraft, the A350 and the A330-900neo. Whereas the 787 Dreamliner and older A330-300, much wider and better padded seats of 21 inches ( yes ! ) are used. This affects whether it is worth upgrading to PE over economy. That question is also influenced by how bad it is in economy in the particular aircraft. On the A330 ( both types ) its pretty decent and a PE seat in a A330-900 isn't that much better for width but on a A330-300 it is ( 21 inches ! ). On a 787 Dreamliner the contrast between cabin sections is the most stark, with horrible densified 9 abreast in economy with narrow seats and body encroachment in other ways, v's, old school wide 21 inch wide seats forward in PE ! If your aircraft is planned to be a 787, it is really worth buying PE unless the money is too much. Delta confusion. The 18 Delta figure you read was either a mistake or you were reading the value for Premium Comfort, which is just an extra legroom version of economy without the other perks. That category existed before Delta belatedly came to offer PE seats and continues to get mixed up. Actually its not quite 18 but is rounded up to it in databases. The Premium Select described seats are Delta's true PE seats and are 18.5, except maybe on a 767-400 they are written as 19 but its not sure till someone measures it. Unfortunately eighteen and a half is at the ordinary end of PE widths and is becoming a norm but i.m.o. it needs to be more or at least have a greater gap over economy. Unfortunately the good ones are being replaced by lesser and wide ones are becoming rarer. As I said before, on certain aircraft, notably the A330, economy width is pretty good, so to be giving you only an extra half an inch is quite a cheek ! Plus remember the seats in PE tend to have hard and immovable sides which are good for passenger separation but if the seat next to is empty anyway, your rolls of fat wont be able to spill through next door, unlike in economy with ordinary and lift-able armrests. If you game seat selection in economy smartly you might end up with an empty neighbouring seat and be glad you saved the money, for all the extra PE perks are really worth ( luggage allowance, boarding, food etc ) For seat pitch, that is the same for each airline at a measured 38 inches. This really is a consistent standard in the industry, with only a few exceeding it and it's not on transatlantic routes. Toilets can matter. They won't be big or fancy in PE but the numbers matter. It is airline and aircraft dependent. In a larger PE cabin, its nice to have dedicated toilets for that cabin. It is unlikely you will be entitled to share Business Class toilets on any aircraft but if someone knows of one please correct me in reply. To have to share toilets with economy passengers is bad simply because of the numbers game and that also means things get messy quicker - yuk. For transatlantic service both Virgin and Delta are good options. From reading around, Virgin tend to have the greater preponderance of appreciation. Perhaps Virgin's biggest competitor on transatlantic routes is British Airways but by comparison their PE service is considered mediocre. Among all that do it ( and nowadays most do ) other airlines may have less perks and/or a lower reported standard for food and cabin service just depending and yes luck also comes into it. Also the money is important, quite obviously. I can't see it being worthwhile if the price ratio is ridiculous. Unless your body absolutely needs it and therefore you must be resigned to paying PE prices.

I have an upcoming trip and I actually went out of my way to fly with Virgin Atlantic over Delta despite the Delta flight being easier transfer wise and Delta tickets being cheaper. The cabin has a much nicer ambiance, there is the wander wall, flight attendants are generally friendlier and they serve you a drink in less than minute. One of the biggest dealbreakers is the fact that Delta's food service is atrocious for something that is supposed to be premium. Food in cardboard bowls is just not right considering the price difference. In the past they served food on ceramic plates etc and their premium offering has really gone down the drain. To top it all off Delta screwed their customers with their rewards program, having to spend 5000 dollars just to get silver status is insane. Especially when you consider the few perks that come with silver status.

really helpful, thank you!

What was the recline like at the back row?

which toliets do you use economy or first for the virgin flight?