There are so many recreational areas in Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse that it's difficult to choose where to sit. There are so many recreational areas in Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse that it's difficult to choose where to sit.

Limo to lounge

The limo-to-lounge service was a breath of fresh air as it avoided all the usual hassle associated with London Heathrow.

When entering the terminal, instead of driving to T3's drop-off point I was driven to a private area where the barrier system was operated according to car number plate recognition. When I arrived at the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing I was greeted by a member of staff and my luggage was taken by a bellboy, so no heavy lifting required on my part.

The Virgin Atlantic wing, which opened in November last year, is not unlike a five-star hotel lobby.

There is comfortable leather seating, concierge-style desks, washrooms and even a private \re-pack' area so passengers with over-packed bags or those who need to retrieve an item from their luggage can do so discreetly, rather than being forced to literally air their dirty linen in public!

I didn't have to re-pack so I was seated while my passport and tickets were checked and then escorted directly to security. Refreshingly, there was no queue although all passengers are still required to put their footwear through the shoe screening device before entering the Duty Free shopping area.

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Unfortunately there is nothing Virgin can do about passengers with cheesy feet - this is a BAA issue that should be addressed.

Virgin promises its Upper Class passengers a 'limo to lounge' experience in just 10 minutes and it fulfilled its promise.

In fact, the most time consuming element was the walk from security, through Duty Free to the Virgin Clubhouse (club lounge H at terminal 3). Along the way passengers will find top-end stores such as Chanel, Emporio Armani, Burberry and Harrods.