#14891 by lifebuoy
04 Sep 2006, 18:20
Not really a trip report - more observations regarding my Club world experience in comparison to VS

Didn't intend to book with BA but I got a "BA Travel Shop closing down fare" which meant the fare was only £1200 or so...that was half of Virgins UC fare so it had to be done.

I'm sure most of you know that BA have a premium checkin area at Heathrow - Zone R. It has its own security - this proved invaluable as by 9am in the morning (it being the Friday before the Bank Holiday) passengers were being prevented entering Terminal 1 till 3 hours before their flight. By using Zone R however we were able to check in with no queue, no wait at security and a good 5 hours before the flight. Round One to BA

Terraces Lounge at LHR - poor in comparison to VS, Terraces lounge at SFO even worse. Food at LHR lounge - sandwiches, croissants blah blah blah - self service bar etc etc. SFO a few packs of crackers, prepacked cheese, crisps etc. Virgin win on lounge hands down. I liked the Molton Brown Spa at LHR though and the great shower block -so BA get a little tick...

Priority Boarding at LHR - piece of cake, easier than VS..at SFO..security checked at Lounge itself and boarded directly onto the plane from ramp connected to the lounge..which I thought was pretty cool

Entertainment system - well I'd heard that BA's ws archaic...however it had games..it had a touch screen so you didn't need to use the controller..it had 16 or so channels..so though it wasn't AVOD..it was miles better than Odyssey or Nova...and now i come to think of it I don't remember Vport being touch screen


Cabin - VS wins on ambience as you'd expect..the Club World cabin is a bit old in design - I think I heard its being revamped this year

Club World seat..I could sit alongside the person I was travelling with..I could recline to my hearts content...its not as modern as UCS, nor as big apparently...but I've got to say I hd the longest sleep (5 hours) I've ever managed on a plane. And I loved being able to chat to my companion and look out of the window.. I have to say I didnt miss the UCS.

Service..BA cabin crew were older..they weren't as whacky, funky, etc etc...but they were on the whole a lot more professional, attentive...friendly but polite...jeez maybe I'm getting old...I think BA overall win this round because they made youfeel like a premium customer...I don't always get that with VS

Food...the BA food wipes the floor with Virgin..the BA wines were much better too..no contest

Amenity Kit...well I haven't seen the snooze pack but the molton brown kit..had little bottles of moisturiser, mouthwash, liquid soap etc along with the usual socks, eye shades, ear plugs, tootbrush
& toothpaste..really useful, liked it much more than the Boateng Kit..in fact I liked it as much as the old VS Space NK Kit..so no shock here..BA wins on amenity kits

Where BA missed a bit with service it seemed obvious that it was more to do with distinguishing Club world from their FIRST..eg blankets not duvet, tomato ketchup sachets rather than in a bowl

Oh my gosh...I thought I was one of the most loyal Virgin fans out there...have flown 20 or so times with VS, half of them in Upper..I thought I wouldn't want to fly with anyone else...but you know what...BA crew, seat, Zone R, amenity kit & great food outweighed my recent VS experiences.

maybe I can live without an inflight bar, the UCS and the fabulous lounges after all..

I find myself strangely looking forward to my next Club World flight...or maybe its just the jet lag kicking in..I might be a BA convert..yikes..time will tell.
#136984 by VS045
04 Sep 2006, 20:13
...and for half the price;)

Thanks for the TR![y]

If all anyone did on a plane was get and go to sleep, then I'm sure VS would win hands down. However, there are many other factors involved and as anyone who frequents this site will have heard, they need to be addressed.

VS.
#137495 by G-VROY
06 Sep 2006, 12:34
BA better than Virgin? no i cant believe it, i wont believe it! [:0]
#138116 by Ianflies
09 Sep 2006, 14:33
Good TR - echoes my thoughts and pretty much same experience from my TR to Canada. Really rather impressed with the food too and overall service. Makes you think....
#138272 by VS045
10 Sep 2006, 21:40
Good TR - echoes my thoughts and pretty much same experience from my TR to Canada. Really rather impressed with the food too and overall service. Makes you think....


Try not to take those thoughts too far;)

VS.
#138666 by Ianflies
12 Sep 2006, 19:49
Originally posted by VS045
Good TR - echoes my thoughts and pretty much same experience from my TR to Canada. Really rather impressed with the food too and overall service. Makes you think....


Try not to take those thoughts too far;)

VS.


Thoughts reigned in - cabin crew doors to manual - cross check.
Virgin Atlantic

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