Copyright Simple Flying
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are the two UK-based carriers competing on long-haul routes, including to sun destinations in the Western Hemisphere. So which airline offers the best premium economy class? The choice may come down to personal preference, but there are a number of factors to consider when declaring that one airline has the edge over the other. At the time of writing, most British Airways aircraft still have an older interior cabin. However, British Airways is currently rolling out new interiors with refreshed premium economy seats, including on its fleet of Airbus A380s. This is already available on its 787-9s, and will continue rolling out on other aircraft through 2026. Premium economy is marketed as "World Traveller Plus" by British Airways and "Premium" by Virgin Atlantic. British Airways Vs. Virgin Atlantic: Physical Space Virgin Atlantic says premium economy passengers enjoy a seat pitch of up to 38 inches. On the Dreamliners, the premium economy seats are ThreeSixty Aerospace (now Safran GB) Reverb leather upholstered seats with a seat width of 18.7 inches and a seat recline of 8 inches. For reference, economy class has a seat pitch of 31 inches. On the A350s and A330neos, the premium seats are Collins Aerospace MiQ seats and offer similar dimensions. British Airways' A350s, 787-10s, 777-300ERs, and A380s feature Recaro PL3510 seats with a row pitch of 38 inches, a seat width of 18.7 inches, and a seat recline of eight inches. All very similar to Virgin. The 787-9s come with Recaro R5 seats that offer the same dimensions and personal space. The Boeing 777-200ERs feature Recaro PL3530 seats with the same pitch and width, but a deeper 10-inch recline. While there may be some variance between aircraft types within Virgin's and BA's fleets, overall, their premium economy offers are very similar when it comes to seat pitch, seat width, and recline. As stated, it should be noted that British Airways is in the process of introducing refreshed premium economy seats. Number Of Seats In Aircraft Virgin Atlantic operates an all-widebody fleet made up of previous-generation A330-300s, current-generation Airbus A330neo, A350s, and Boeing 787-9s. The A330-300s come with 48 premium economy seats, with this falling by two to 46 in the A330neo. The A350-1000s have two seating configurations, with both coming with 56 premium economy seats, while the Dreamliners have 35 premium economy seats. Focusing on British Airways' long-haul fleets, its A350s are equipped with 56 premium economy seats, the A380s have 55, the Boeing 777-200ERs have 40, 48, or 52 depending on the configuration, the 777-300ERs have 40, the Boeing 787-8s have 25 or 37, the 787-9s have 39, while the 787-10s have 35. Some British Airways aircraft offer first class suites, although this is not a class offered by Virgin Atlantic, as business class (called Upper Class) is its highest class. Let's take a closer look at the two overlapping aircraft types, the A350-1000 and 787-9, and compare the total number of seats these airlines pack in the aircraft. Virgin's A350s come with a total of 335 or 397 seats, depending on the configuration, while the 787-9s are configured with 258 seats. BA's A350-1000s are configured with 331 seats and the 787-9s with 216 or 215 seats. Airbus says the -1000 "comfortably accommodates" 375–400 passengers, and Boeing says the 787-9 has a typical two-class capacity of 296. In other words, both airlines have low seating densities, except for Virgin's 397-seat A350-1000s. Select Premium Economy Perks Both airlines offer premium economy perks relative to economy-class passengers. Some perks offered by Virgin include two 23 kg (51 lbs) checked-in bags, a 10 kg (lbs) hand luggage allowance, priority baggage delivery, premium check-in, priority boarding, and a welcome drink. Premium passengers can take snacks from the "Wander Wall" as well. Virgin Atlantic also offers a cosy corner called "The Booth" on its A350s and "The Bar" on its A330s and 787s, as well as "The Loft" on its A330neos and A350s. However, those spaces are reserved only for business class passengers. Like Virgin, British Airways premium economy passengers have a double checked-in baggage allowance (23 kg or 51 lbs each), although Gold members can check in three such bags. BA does not specify a weight limit for the cabin bag, just the typical dimensions to fit in the overhead lockers. Like Virgin, passengers can expect priority boarding, a more stylish amenity kit, great in-flight meals, and noise-cancelling headphones. All of Virgin's aircraft now offer in-flight WiFi with coverage offered on pretty much all stages of its routes. However, WiFi is not free for premium economy passengers, and they need to pay extra to access it. Passengers can also purchase in-flight WiFi on British Airways flights, although starting next year, BA passengers will be offered free access to Starlink in-flight WiFi. British Airway's Slot Dominance One factor to consider is which airline offers flights at the best times. This obviously varies massively and becomes route-specific. However, British Airways overwhelmingly dominates the slots at London-Heathrow with over half of the slots in many slot inventories. Slot inventories at Heathrow are some of the most coveted and guarded slots airlines possess. The massive A380 was specifically designed with airports like Heathrow in mind that have limited available slots. This means BA is able to offer many more frequencies and better connections from its base at Terminal 5. Passengers will typically have more options to select the flight time that better suits them. British Airways has a considerable advantage for tight connections and a choice of departure times. Having a much larger fleet, British Airways also operates a much larger network, offering more options. Virgin Atlantic's smaller share of Heathrow slots is still largely focused on transatlantic routes, and it often targets the prime business and leisure times. While British Airways commands slightly over 50% of Heathrow's slots, Virgin's share is an order of magnitude lower at 4%. That said, the gulf is not quite as massive as it seems, as BA also operates many narrowbody short-haul flights, whereas Virgin exclusively operates widebody aircraft. Similar Fares But With Caveats When it comes to expense, both are broadly similar. Virgin Atlantic's premium economy fares on the same or similar transatlantic routes are typically a little higher, especially at peak times. Again, BA passengers benefit from higher frequency, where they can select a flight, perhaps at an inopportune time, that may have a lower fare. That said, Virgin Atlantic can sometimes offer premium economy seating much cheaper than BA. For example, as of the time of writing, Virgin is offering premium economy fares from London-Heathrow to New York-JFK for around £737 or $970. A search on British Airways for the same route and date shows premium fares costing £2,659 or $3,500. Basic economy fares are similarly priced for both airlines on that date and route, while business class seats were also the same price. With a fare costing almost a quarter of the price and offering much the same product, Virgin clearly wins. A search for flights on November 26th shows that both premium seating fares are similar. British Airways' premium economy fares are about the same as they are in mid-January at around £2,659 or $3,500. Meanwhile, Virgin's fares are £2,649 or $3,500, making them practically the same price. This price search shows there can be a massive difference in price, depending on the date, any sales, and how far out one is booking. Virgin Atlantic Arguably Has The Edge If one carrier had to be selected over the other, the winner is arguably Virgin Atlantic. This is reflected in Skytrax's 2025 World's Best Premium Economy Class Airlines. In that ranking, Virgin is ranked not only better than BA, but also the best in the world. It is followed by Japan Airlines, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, EVA Air, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Air France, Qantas, and ANA. This means that British Airways is still ranked a very respectable seventh globally. Given that BA is in the process of rolling out its new cabin interiors that include refreshed premium economy seats and introducing free in-flight WiFi next year, it is possible that it could climb in the rankings and close some of the distance with Virgin. But still, the differences between the two airlines are not so stark, and it mostly comes down to personal preference as well as factors like connectivity.
