While planning a recent trip to London, I discovered that Virgin Atlantic has some rather amusing fare types. They have “Upper Class”, their top level, with full lay-flat beds. One step down, they have “Premium”, which offers an “extra-large leather seat”. Though “Upper Class” is a slightly stuffier sounding name for “First Class”, these are generally fairly standard.

Where things get goofy is “Economy”. Virgin offers not one, not two, but three flavors of “Economy”. As of 2019, they are:

• Economy Light

• Economy Classic

• Economy Delight

If you’re skeptical, I understand. Here’s a screenshot from their site:

Given this bizarre set of options, I would dearly love to what didn’t make the cut, because I bet the rejects were amazingly terrible. You know you’re not going to have a great time in “Economy”, period, but the name “Economy Light” leaves me thinking you might well find yourself “seated” in the overhead compartment. There’s also nothing “Classic” about “Economy”, at least not in any positive, “Coca-Cola Classic” sense of that word.

Ultimately, I went with an “Economy Delight” ticket. I wasn’t delighted to pay extra, nor would I describe my travels as “delightful”, but it clearly beat the alternatives.