From the Desert to the Thames: Flying Virgin Atlantic to London

by Anthony Grant

It’s that time of year again, when the desert heat starts to descend and thoughts turn to escaping the triple-digit temperatures for a bit of cool Britannia. Because let’s face it, sometimes Idyllwild just won’t do.

London, the effervescent capital of the United Kingdom, is within closer reach of the desert than you might think. First of all, forget the punishing drive to LAX. There are daily flights from Palm Springs’ airport to San Francisco (SFO) all summer long, making it the most effective point of departure for trips to London on America’s favorite airline for travel to the UK: Virgin Atlantic.

We recently flew on Virgin Atlantic and here’s what we loved about it: The plane felt clean and fresh. The service was always friendly, not forced the way it often is on many American airlines. The food was good and we were never hungry.  True, we sat in the Premium cabin and were pampered a bit more, but things looked pretty good back in Economy too.

Virgin Atlantic’s new Spring/Summer 2026 menu highlights modern British flavors and regional twists, including dishes like buttermilk chicken burgers and sticky toffee pudding in Upper Class, and truffle macaroni cheese in Premium. Economy passengers can enjoy favorites like mid-flight pizza and a refreshed Mile High Tea. "Our new menu is as bold and vibrant as the destinations we fly to," said Virgin Atlantic.

Premium customers are treated to British classics like dill-roasted salmon, and Economy offers chicken with lemon and herb crème fraiche. Like  Upper Class customers, those sitting in Premium can partake of  a range of drinks and snacks throughout the flight at the Wander Wall snack bar, not just at designated meal times. By the way, true to its record-store roots, Virgin Atlantic has the best IFE (in-flight entertainment system) of any airline we’ve recently flown: there are plenty of music and movie options to help you while away those airborne hours.

Aviation fans will appreciate that starting in May, Virgin Atlantic will be using its 335-seat Airbus A350-1000 on Flight 19 from San Francisco to London’s Heathrow airport. This newer aircraft features a spruced up Upper Class cabin that we hear features window-facing seating, nice modern lighting, retractable privacy screens, extra storage, an 18.5-inch touchscreen and access to The Loft, a swanky social space on board. Your seat in Upper Class converts into an actually comfortable airborne bed that extends to six feet seven inches — pretty nifty for those who want to catch some high altitude Z’s. Visit virginatlantic.com and book that dream trip to London today.