Virgin Atlantic RETREAT SUITE vs British Airways CLUB SUITE | Business Class BATTLE

We flew from London to New York for our latest business class comparison, and pitted Virgin Atlantic's brand-new Retreat Suite against British Airways' Club Suite.
Nicky got the Retreat Suite experience on Virgin Atlantic's A330-900neo, and paid 47,500 Virgin Points + £627 taxes and fees
Liam flew in BA's 777-200 Club Suite, and paid 80,000 Avios + £175 taxes and fees.
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[@jonasstringer8699]

As soon as I saw it was Nicky and Liam trying Virgin and BA respectively, I just knew Nicky would have gone for Virgin simply for the clubhouse's outside viewpoint deck 😂😂

[@carolamick8303]

So I did the deck last visit. Ehh…..nope. Nicky it’s disappointing.

[@NATO4623]

@@carolamick8303I am not a British guy but I think British airlines lounge is more better than virgin

[@jtn1968]

I have an idea. When you do a review like this, you two should take the other airline on the way back. We all know Nicky loves Virgin LOL, but he should fly back on BA to accurately compare them. At the same time Liam should get some time in Virgin's clubhouse too...😃😃😃. As always it was fun

[@missVmilne]

Great idea !

[@Calebs_Aviation]

Yes!

[@alicepinder5671]

I was just thinking the same thing!

[@skyehiker]

Was thinking the same thing!

[@khensanebaloyi8103]

That's an amazing idea!

[@jamessez5826]

Great video. One note for anyone using this video to decide booking either airline in business. The Virgin seat shown here is only available on 4 aircraft, there is a different similar seat on the a350 of which there are 10, but a majority of the fleet have a really disappointing seat! In comparison, BA have a the club suite on nearly half the fleet, and In my opinion if you do get lumped with the old club product it’s a better seat than the old upper class. Shame as the route I’m looking to fly does not have VS A330 or A350

[@missVmilne]

Such a good insight - thanks for sharing : - )

[@everythinggoes850]

VA needs to upgrade their horrendous coffin seat on the dreamliner

[@abakedslayermcgiles2703]

@@everythinggoes850They really do! How they can classify it as a business class seat when you get zilch privacy is beyond me, in addition to that they are angled in such a horrendous position; it must feel horrible taking off facing pretty much sideways!

[@obamtl]

I couldn't agree more. Stuck with the old BA product on my most recent flight, but still loads better than the old Virgin. On my next flight, it was a choice between direct flight on the old Virgin product or a transfer on BA, but with the Club suite, or several hundred pounds more and a transfer on Virgin with their new products. I felt I'd rather have a transfer on BA than deal with Virgin's old product. And I couldn't bring myself to pay several hundred pounds more for Virgin.

[@F-35-f6k]

On ba most aircraft have the club suite now but virgin alantic a330 neo upper class have 3 types one this type 2 the a350 similar designed to american business class and the 3rd one is the most bad seat the seat that looks like new zealand airlines business ckass but the uk points guy might not be rhe most honest one cause they never show you virgin alantic worse business class

[@matthewcallard289]

I’ve flown both in the last 9 months. The BA club suite is definitely my preference. Much more space and storage. Very comfortable.

[@robyoungquist5803]

British Air hands down! Understated quiet decor, 👍🏻. Do & Co catering 😋😋, white tray cloths instead of small placemat 👍🏻, cut crystal glasses 👍🏻 and of course OneWorld miles 😉👍🏻. Sorry Nicky 😢

[@DesiroDriver]

Done this route with both carries, BA just last week. Both are very different, both were great. I’d happily book either. It’s all down to the pricing at the end of the day.

[@tammyhendrickson2443]

Love VA Upper Class! I flew on a 350-1000 last week from London to Orlando and it was a wonderful experience and the food was exceptional. He was right that they do feed you quite a bit! I love the Virgin Atlantic lounge in London. The lounge is a wonderful and relaxing place!

[@truebrit3578]

The problem is that you have had so much exposure, not just here but in say the Daily Mail its unlikely that you are being treated by a regular passenger. Your food arrives plated perfectly, your call bells get answered in seconds. Crew know who you are. Perhaps an interesting test would be to take someone with you who isn’t known, same flight, same class and see if the service varies

[@londonirish11]

I like the videos a lot guys, very entertaining and great too see side by side comparisons. But I do agree with the last comment you should take somebody else with you who is not known and see how they are treated, especially see how a disabled person finds how accessible the seat, IFE screen and controls are. Suggestion for future videos it would be nice to know how many meal options are available, if you can choose your meal in advance. In the seat review can you mention if you have an air vent, I noticed that some aircraft no longer have personal air vents in the cabin. Keep up the good work guys👍

[@Ashs290]

Unfair to compare retreat suite with BA club suite. Retreat suite is only on a small number of planes which are subject change at very short notice with no recourse from VIRGIN whereas BA’s 777, A350 and B78X are all club suite. Virgin is good when the star align but if they don’t the coffin seats in upper are probably the worse business class seats in the air.

[@abakedslayermcgiles2703]

To be honest, the bulk of Virgin LHR-JFK Departures and vice versa are either operated by the 787 or 350; Nicky should have been on an A350 operated flight whose upper class product is similar to BA’s Club Suites.

[@theraving90s65]

I agree I’ve just come back from LA and had the coffin seats luckily I’d booked the left hand side of the plane so wasn’t facing anyone. But the foot rest stick into the aisle so sometimes other passengers would bump your feet. And the guy next to me was tossing and turning in his bed bouncing up against the wall screen so it was like flying in turbulence. Virgin lounge is the best though

[@malaytheonly]

@@theraving90s65 Are the coffin seats that bad? Im flying on the 787-9 in November. Wondering if i should look elsewhere? Thanks

[@theraving90s65]

@@malaytheonly if I hadn’t flown with BA business class the year before I’d probably be loving it,but going from them to virgin just in my opinion wasn’t as good. The BA vice versa seats where great for me and the wife and I love how you can put the screen up and down between. Virgin is ok but I paid north of £6k and just don’t think it was worth it. The lounge experience and driving up to dedicated terminal for virgin upper class is 10/10 though

[@rawzville]

@@malaytheonlyI just flew in July and the coffin seats will be avoided for me when scheduling future flights. And I was on the left aisle and had more privacy than center or right aisles

[@frankdatteln-westhausen3093]

The comparison was not really fair, Nicky should have gone for the standard Business Class seat on Virgin Atlantic , the front row seats in the middle are special seats which cost extra with extra legroom width.

[@lis7932]

For me its BA i just love flying with them 😍

[@funny2thag]

I recently flew VA Upper Class on their older 787-8 and A350 and I got some really good sleep on both. The staff is amazing and the Clubhouse at Heathrow is by far the best lounge I’ve ever visited. Great video as always!

[@Danz5368-1]

787-9

[@abakedslayermcgiles2703]

Awesome review lads! Although I kind of feel that perhaps a Virgin flight using the A350 or B787 would have been more appropriate, reason being is that both the B787 and A350 make up the bulk of Virgin’s LHR-JFK-JFK-LHR traffic and those two business class offerings are in greater numbers than the very few retreat suites as well as being drastically different. Nonetheless it was spectacular to see a review of the retreat suite.

[@pacmanc8103]

Looks like a toss-up to me. I’m not a fan of the pink lighting on Virgin nor the general ‘vibe’ in the cabin - really nit picky I know. Given my preference for flying One World (Virgin remind me a lot of JetBlue, which I don’t fly in the US), I’ll stick to BA.

[@logicalthinking4376]

A slightly better test would be BA’s A350 club suite as the aircraft obviously beats an older 777 even with the same cabin. I’m a BA Gold member and really like the CS, a marked improvement from the old CW cabin. Never liked VA and personally think their products are incredibly overrated

[@d_dave7200]

As a person who flies economy to make my points (and cash) go further, I think any lie-flat seat would be amazing, never mind these suites :) Both look great.

[@hollyheaphy1370]

British Airways for me

[@Duchess_of_Cadishead]

It’s great to see you again. You’ve been missed.

[@darrellcrane]

The second guest appearance of the apron view deck on TPG UK

[@Bobrogers99]

I would have liked to see the menus to compare them.

[@pullformore]

Great video, thank you! But how can it be a "battle" if you don't actually draw any conclusions? Rusted on BA GGL flyer here, but I must say the VS facilities do look much better than the tired old BA facilities in T5. Is the grass greener? Hmmmm.....

[@jackprentice1996]

You can get BA first class for the same price as the retreat though

[@bradcolby3624]

Love that you’re expanding channels. I really enjoy these vlogs.. thanks again for sharing these beautiful experiences with us.

[@Sydorrah]

My favorite part is always the call bell challenges. Both airlines did pretty good here. I think theyre both equal. Identical from the service , amenity kits, sliding doors (a plus) pretty good

[@hmzbn]

hey TPG. love the content, super useful for us UK lot who can’t get a full picture from those who travel from the US. i would love if you guys could do some more credit card and points content. with a video like this, i would love if you could sit down and compare each aspect of the flight with each other to decide which one was better overall. keep up the good work!!

[@acf72]

Just discovered your channel and am loving all the videos, you’re all great! Would love to see a 4 cabin comparison on a Qantas flight (specifically QF1) Sydney to London.

[@TripleDinLV]

I LOVE Nicky's sass in this one! Happy PRIDE, Mate - I look forward to the upcoming channels' content!

[@noahbowie5985]

Differing between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways offering in the air is really a question of preference. Virgin Atlantic's fun and sexy offering is brilliant and something I really enjoy but British Airways offering is more professional and sophisticated. On the ground Virgin is significantly better than BA however it is worth noting that Virgin is able to offer this experience due to the fact it offers a much smaller route network with a much smaller volume of passengers. Virgin may have the better experience on the A330neo when compared to a BA 777 but when it is a Virgin A350 compared to a BA A350 then it is a much tighter comparison which does come down to preferences of service style as BA offers a better designed seat. Furthermore if you were to compare a Virgin 787 to a BA 787-10 then the vastly superior product would give BA the advantage. And so this shows where the difference is. Virgin is a fantastic airline and their staff always make them a delight to fly however BA offers more consistency and as they aggressively retrofit more aircraft with the club suite then it does feel like BA has the advantage over Virgin for now at least.

[@missVmilne]

Another compelling and informative head to head - well done team ! Really enjoy your unique content - no one does like you. If you want a lovely outside terrace experience, please don't ignore the Star Alliance Lounge at LAX's Tom Bradley Terminal. Yes there are massive construction works going on around the entire airport (they're building a flippin' monorail !). However this lounge is a little oasis - particularly in the evening. Thanks for doing what you do so we want to and stay positive. Hello from London :- ) xx

[@justahomosapiens1861]

Both carriers offer a solid product though I think Virgin Atlantic's overall airport experience was better. One is classier, the other more casual. In the end, a matter of personal preference provided schedule and airfares are comparable.

[@missVmilne]

Great comments : - )

[@waynelion-cachet35]

Virgin isn't worth the price difference on the routes I need. BA product and service is excellent

[@MyElijah56]

I think BA meals were better... but Virgin just rocks with the atmosphere... :)

[@adamtry5717]

Great content as always, would be great to get more info on price and points used to travel in these seats and how comparable they are. 🙂👍

[@nickyjkelvin]

Check the description 😉

[@danvalentine2997]

LHR ground experience: Virgin LHR Lounge: Virgin Seat: Virgin (only if you get the rare ‘Retreat’ suit - Otherwise BA has a better overall product on their new suits. Food: Do&Co offer some of the best catering in the sky. I’ve had great and not so great meals on both Virgin & BA. So I’d say a tie on food with current catering. Service: BA is old school most of the time, Virgin more in your face style. Each to their own on this but for me Virgin edges it. Somewhat of an unfair comparison using a brand new VS plane and their ‘premium’ business seat compared with a 25 year old BA plane albeit retrofitted in a standard business seat. BA’s seat holds up and if it wasn’t a ‘Retreat’ seat I’d stick with BA. Virgins normal seat isn’t great.

[@steveb1086]

Do love watching you guys. . If your general joe spending around £10k each seat for a Business Class seat its just not worth it. Collect miles or Avios and you can save enough to have something in Business , Upper Class. I've even struggled with Premier Seats as ridiculous price on BA for NY, Orlando, etc. I've written to BA many times why they can't improve their food in world traveller , they always take it on board the feedback but same bland ew food Hope you had a good trip

[@richardstreet7518]

Think the fact that the VS aircraft is new would swing it for me.. the 777s can be Iver 20yrs old now

[@simonbennett7888]

Excellent video, thank you. My recent BA experience was on an A380 with the old, tired and now very poor business class. Service was not the best I have had either, the crew appeared to just not know what they were doing. I last flew with Virgin last year and I agree with most commentators that the coffin seats on the A333 and 787-9 are not the best but Virgin make up for it with the service they provide, which has always been exceptional. It is disappointing that Virgin have chosen not to upgrade the 787-9 product to the new suites but that policy can always change with enough pressure from customers.

[@devon896]

In what way did the BA crew "Not know what they were doing"? I mean there is over 60 business class seats onboard and not all 22 cabin crew are working at one time.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Happy Pride Month 🌈 Thank you for being such an affirming and fun space and I wish good luck to everyone across the spectrum.

[@lovesmusic5504]

What has 🏳️‍🌈 got to do with an aviation video?

[@sarahworsley3973]

Really enjoyed watching the two comparison of airline. Ive used virgin upper class before and its great. I haven't used British Airways buisness yet though.

[@propergeek]

Based upon your experiences I'd be happy with either. But Virgin have been our long haul airline of choice for many years. Did the Upper Class Wing for the first time recently. It's nice to arrive in style.

[@esentially_tee]

Love a good Nicky vs Liam moment and great video!! Another great comparison would be the same aircraft ,same class,different airline e.g different A380 configurations on different airlines

[@conor8274]

I don’t think it’s fair how you compare the retreat suite (better compared to virgins regular suite product) to the standard BA suite. Just saying.

[@12milliex12]

How do you book the retreat suite? It was always greyed out on the seat selection in the app? Great video!

[@Velvix420]

Nicky should check out Frankfurt’s outdoor terrace it’s free and amazing with the occasional Lufthansa 747 parking next to it

[@NoahB-te9on]

Did I understand correctly? Both Channels get renamed and uk Channel will be for races and multicabin stuff and international for Destination vlog stuff?

[@NatesPC]

Glad to see you all back :)

[@TheStarsInHisHead]

Haven't flown BA Club Suite yet (I will in September), but I have flown Virgin Upper Class London to Mumbai and I really wasn't impressed at all. Food was awful, service really lacking, particularly on the way out, where the FAs were just so miserable and moody. The seat was dirty and the IFE didn't work properly. Such a shame. Glad your experience was miles better.

[@XteamMAB]

How did you get on a other virgin plane to do a announcement

[@riridat]

probably another flight back to london that they don’t show because it’s the old outdated virgin

[@iTechwareOfficial]

Thank you for showing the points + cash value in the decription. Would be great motivation for people if you displayed this in text at some point in the video too!

[@keiththorpe9571]

See, we don't get the super-sexy new planes with the absolute top-end product flying from London-Heathrow to Dulles International Airport near Washington DC. We get the hand-me-downs after you guys flying into JFK have used 'em all up. 🤣 Just kidding, I've only made the trip twice in the last 10 years from DC to London and back (last one was business class about five years ago). It was actually very, very nice.

[@l3v1ckUK]

I discovered the B gates lounge last time I went through T5. It's going to be my first port of call next time. I was lucky enough to get moved to to a business seat too. BA did a chocolate pudding with the mask on the flight, and it was the nicest chocolate thing I've eaten in years.

[@PhilJohn1980]

Having flown both of these products, the BA seat was just on the whole a lot more comfortable. I found the Virgin business class seat a bit cramped, and I'l not exactly tall! In take off and landing position you're horrendously upright versus a little bit reclined on BA as well. The pyjamas you get on a night flight were a nice touch though.

[@jamesk1806]

Of course Nicky picked the superior product! (well I think it will be) not watched it yet.

[@bobgenghiskhan2499]

I think the B-Gate lounge is convenient for departure from those gates instead of worrying about the train from the main terminal, but it's not that nice IMHO so I wouldn't have done what Liam did.

[@jamescurtis8290]

I don’t think these two seats are comparable with BA costing £2200 return, whereas Virgin charges more than double. It seems a little unfair.

[@finlayblogs8053]

A points guy video is exactly what is needed for a Wednesday afternoon

[@Christianj288]

What people always forget to comment on is the difference in scale between the two airlines. Virgin can afford to add more ‘boutique’ touches (such as the upper class wing etc) so BA can never compare on that front for business class passengers due to the size of the operation (ie reserving this for First/ Gold flyers). Plus the retreat seats are not standard for Virgin Upper Class, given the rest of the seats only have a partially closing door.

[@tonybytheway7543]

Flown and like both. The Virgin clubhouse at Heathrow is awesome. The BA club suite is better than the Virgin option IMO, more privacy, more room and more comfortable. Food and drink wise pretty similar, but I think Virgin's service was better. Either is a great option if the price is right,

[@ukdavepianoman]

Another great video. On board, both looked pretty good really. I think the Virgin Clubhouse lounge is much better than BA Heathrow lounges (especially Galleries - I've not tried out B-gate lounge). So perhaps Virgin slightly better. Not sure how the prices really compare as each used different numbers of Points / Avios.

[@vyomakeshaconsultancy3406]

Guys really great to watch your videos nice comparison between BA and Virgin offering in business class keep it up.cheers Gowra

[@arthurgimba1310]

Interesting concept, “honest” watch. It’s also an idea I have been playing with since I thought about coming up with my own watch brand

[@jueym8164]

Virgin upper class is so much more than BA club, it’s almost as expensive as BA first so unfair to compare I feel. But can’t wait to try the new Club Suite. Thanks guys x

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you guys for sharing your flights. You both make me 😂 laugh!! So cool!!!

[@jsptravels]

Flew the neo back from Boston in March, splashed out on the retreat suite upgrade .. (not sure you mentioned the £200 fee) .. had a few teething issues with partitions not going up, suite doors not unlocking .. but was it worth it? Still yes.

[@jsptravels]

A video may or may not be on here of that trip 😂

[@viviennepage2136]

Just found you guys and loved this. We’re flying in retreat suite next month. Do you have any videos on Heathrow transit from T3 to T5?

[@firebreathingrubberducky5621]

Ok, the trek from T5B lounge menu to T5A is quite the walk of there's no buggy. You*Cannot* take the train.

[@eplourde4634]

Is there a planet full of Liams? I'm gonna go check for spaceship tickets 😂

[@Jnthnpg]

The bell test works if you’re at similar distances from crew. If not then of course the front row is going to be faster to answer…

[@franklinloo2160]

Nice story and content. I have One suggestion. Duel for Airlines who offered SKYCOUCH OR SLEEPER SEAT. Example : Air New Zealand, China Airlines, Lufthansa, Azul and ANA etc.

[@alexmoses2177]

Wow lucky boy Nicky!! I much prefer flying per Airbus as I do feel on long haul, that in the Boeing, I am almost in a coffin! 😅😮 GREAT reprts as usual (yeah I mean you Liam!).. Keep flying.. ALEX XX

[@tjittekamminga5170]

both nice and so but I prefer Virgin Atlantic! Its fresh and new. BA had its heydays with the Concorde. Associate BA more with Brexit then Virgin Atlantic!

[@brigittelehmann9749]

Interesting review greetings from the Netherlands

[@golfsully]

Nice to see Liam in first class for a change

[@StevoE7]

Nicky and that FA banged later 🤣

[@gunvaldsandhaland7757]

I Love The Club House In London The Best Business Class Lounge In Europe My Opinion.Great Trip Report

[@PokhrajRoy.]

It’s so nice to see all of you being agents of chaos 😂

[@Calebs_Aviation]

Great video I loved it! However I wish we’d see a Virgin Atlantic VS British Airways review but in BASIC ECONOMY! The cheapest tickets you can buy to see who offers the best bare bones product from say London to Washington DC! (LHR-IAD) How’s that sound? Fun right!! 😮 Also why did you compare the A330-900neo to the B777-300ER? A better comparison would’ve been the Virgin A330-900neo to the BA B787-9 Dreamliner! 🎉 Anyways great job as always and Cheers 🥂 mates! P.S. what Sony camera do you guys use? I’d love to know! Caleb’s Aviation

[@nickyjkelvin]

Check out out 5 way economy battle from New York to london!

[@Calebs_Aviation]

@@nickyjkelvin Forgot about that video and I checked it out again. Thanks Nicky & cheers mate 🥂

[@donaldpolson5450]

I feel the 2 are not exactly like for like. Virgin's Upper Class - as per usual practice with Virgin's products - is a fusion ie there are obvious elements of 1st class eg The Upper Class Wing and The Club House. Having said that selecting the A330-900 Virgin's latest craft is not like for like - better to have compared A350s? Also fairer to compare the standard Virgin Upper class seat with the Club Suite. Both very strong products imo and can't go much wrong . The issues essentially begin moving down to the next classes.

[@k.klaidas]

Next video should be comparison between North South and B Gate lounge in LHR

[@atmgolf6817]

Thanks for all ur videos

[@miss.travellingbug]

I really enjoy travelling Virgin, look forward in trying this product!

[@sizzlemann]

Anytime you can fly business class, you're a winner regardless of airline!

[@StuartSquire]

Your endless gushing of how everything is perfect is starting to grate. I think you need to be clear and transparent - do you pay for your own flights? If so, how much, as the price is very relevant. Are there any weaknesses or improvements that can be made? Thank you for hopefully answering these queries and I can then judge whether it is worth paying the extra.

[@ThePointsGuyDepartures]

We always include pricing in the description :) Nicky got the Retreat Suite experience on Virgin Atlantic's A330-900neo, and paid 47,500 Virgin Points + £627 taxes and fees Liam flew in BA's 777-200 Club Suite, and paid 80,000 Avios + £175 taxes and fees.

[@tripstracka1643]

Brilliant as always

[@Plen3716]

While I would rather fly BA they both look excellent. Though I don’t think it was totally fair that virgin was in the retreat suite. Club suite is the standard product whereas the retreat suite is the niche “business plus” seat.

[@NoahB-te9on]

I prefer the Lounge and Checkin of Virgin. The cabin and food both look great

[@jessierollstin4853]

My vote is Virgin Atlantic, when you have such similar seating I look at the Service, it was obvious the Service on Virgin Atlantic was a step above.

[@AviationExperience]

Looking forward to watching this later. 😀

[@frederickmei6196]

We need more Liam!

[@tramcrazy]

The transit buggy/train/tram is an Automated People Mover 😅

[@TrooperClerk]

LIAM YOU BROKE THE KIT!!! 🤣

[@coyotelong4349]

Only complaint with Virgin is they’re based in the strange T3 T3 is nice, but the layout is very strange, with only the 1 big main seating area with all the duty free stores & restaurants, then endless empty corridors to get to the actual boarding gate

[@actuallyjenkins6617]

You should do a race of London to New York (heathrow airport vs gatwick airport)

[@Smudger_83.]

Great vid. Virgin upper is over priced imp, when searching online the are always around 30-50% more money than others.

[@luisstransport]

Great video

[@MarcW-h8m]

Why didn’t you check out the Club Kitchen on the BA flight?

[@Seby8822]

Flew in club suite a couple days ago

[@the.abhiram.r]

finally a real tpg uk video

[@thomas-xj1hs]

Good to give Nicky a rest for a few months as we knew he would be estatic re Virgin Atlantic. Bring back Jean for a more objective and colourful review experience!

[@fcoole2033]

Virgin Atlantic EVERY time! Crew are amazing!