MULTILINGUAL FAMILY
IN LONDON

In March 2026, Virgin Atlantic launched its new direct route between London Heathrow and Seoul Incheon, giving travellers another non-stop option between the UK and South Korea.

When we booked our family trip to Korea this summer, there weren’t many reviews of the route online, especially from families travelling with young children, so I thought I’d share our experience.

For context, we usually fly Korean Air when visiting Korea. This time, however, Virgin Atlantic’s fares were slightly cheaper. For our family of three, we booked Economy Classic for the outbound flight and Economy Delight for the return, saving around £300 (roughly ₩500,000) compared with Korean Air on the same dates. While £300 might not sound like a huge saving, it can pay for several great meals or family outings in Korea, so for us it was definitely worth considering.

Was it worth it?

Overall, yes.

Seat Selection

One thing that surprised us as regular Korean Air travellers was that seat selection isn’t included with Virgin Atlantic’s Economy Classic fare. If you want to choose your seats in advance—as you can for free with Korean Air—you’ll need to pay an additional fee. Otherwise, your seats are automatically allocated when online check-in opens 24 hours before departure.

We decided not to pay, as it would have reduced much of the cost advantage of choosing Virgin Atlantic in the first place.

Fortunately, the flight wasn’t completely full, so after checking in we were able to change our seats without any difficulty.

Normally, when travelling with our daughter, we prefer sitting towards the back of the aircraft. It’s closer to the toilets and gives her a little more freedom to move around if needed. On Virgin Atlantic’s London-Seoul route, however, there aren’t any rear toilets, so we ended up choosing seats in the middle section instead.

Boarding & Flight

Heathrow was busy with summer travellers, although school hadn’t yet, so it didn’t feel quite as hectic as peak holiday season.

Our boarding gate was announced slightly earlier than expected. Even though we arrived at the gate well before boarding was due to close, most passengers had already boarded, so we were able to walk straight onto the aircraft without having to queue.

The flight departed slightly ahead of schedule and arrived in Seoul around 90 minutes early. Our luggage also came through quickly, so we were out of the airport sooner than expected.

The Seats

The biggest difference we noticed compared with Korean Air was the legroom. Virgin Atlantic’s Economy Classic definitely felt tighter.

As someone of average height, I wasn’t particularly uncomfortable, nor was our four-year-old. Taller passengers, however, might feel rather cramped, especially if the person in front reclines.

Interestingly, almost nobody did.

Whether it was simply considerate passengers or everyone trying to maximise their own space, most people—including us—kept their seats upright throughout the 12-hour flight.

As our flight wasn’t completely full, there were several empty seats scattered around the cabin. A few lucky passengers were even able to stretch out and sleep across an entire row.

Cabin Crew

Compared with Korean Air or Asiana, where most passengers are Korean, the passengers on our flight were much more international. The same was true of the cabin crew.

There were at least two Korean-speaking cabin crew members on our flight, which would undoubtedly be reassuring for passengers who aren’t confident communicating in English.

Everyone we interacted with was friendly and professional.

Food

I never expect too much from airline food, having been rather spoilt by Korean Air over the years (their bibimbap is still my favourite in-flight meal), so I wasn’t expecting Virgin Atlantic to compete. That said, it was nothing memorable, but I had no complaints either.

For the first meal, I chose the Korean BBQ chicken with rice, followed by chicken congee for the second meal. My husband opted for the English breakfast.

Our daughter received a children’s meal consisting of mashed potatoes, battered chicken, a pizza snack and waffles. She barely touched any of it—but that’s typical for her whenever we fly.

One unexpected favourite was the mid-flight snack. They served kimbap with a small pot of gochujang sauce. As a Korean, I found that combination a little unusual, but I have to admit the sauce was surprisingly good.

We also enjoyed a Magnum Classic ice cream and helped ourselves to some crisps from the galley between meals.

Amenities

Amenities were fairly basic. Each passenger received a pillow, blanket and headphones.

If you’re used to airlines providing slippers, toothbrushes, toothpaste and eye masks, you’ll need to bring your own. This seems to apply only to Economy Classic, though. A friend who flew in Economy Delight told me they received a toothbrush, earplugs and an eye mask.

Children received a small activity pack with colouring pencils and a pair of bright red Virgin Atlantic sunglasses. The sunglasses were an unexpected hit.

Entertainment

Before flying, I’d read a few reviews describing Virgin Atlantic’s entertainment system as disappointing. Honestly, I didn’t find that at all.

There were plenty of recent films available, and I had no trouble filling the flight.

Our daughter happily watched Disney films and Paw Patrol for much of the journey.

One small downside was that the screens don’t tilt, so younger children may have to look upwards slightly.

A Few Other Things

• The electronic dimming windows were much nicer than draditional pull-down blinds.
• Our water bottle leaked during the flight and soaked my daughter’s blanket. The crew replaced everything immediately upon request.
• Complimentary sweets were handed out before landing, which helped with ear pressure of our daughter.
• USB charging was available, although ours didn’t seem particularly effective.
• There was no onboard duty-free shopping.

Would We Fly Virgin Atlantic Again?

Yes.

Would I choose it over Korean Air every time?

Probably not.

Virgin Atlantic’s Economy product isn’t quite as comfortable, and Korean Air still has the edge when it comes to little touches such as amenities and seat space.

That said, for our family, the saving of around £300 easily outweighed those differences.

I’d much rather spend that money enjoying Korean than gaining a little extra legroom on the flight.

If the fare difference was much smaller, I might well choose Korean Air instead.

But if Virgin Atlantic remains cheaper, I wound’t hesitate to book it again.