This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Anyway I digress.
Arrived MCO about 4pm. No lines at check-in. I was amazed as it's usually heaving. Straight to the desk. Seats re-assigend to 70AC and 71AC. Explanation 'the flight is full so I assume there has been a problem seating people together'. A bit disappointed as we had enjoyed the seats outbound and like to be at the back so that if the kids play up no-one notices.
Anyway after a drink we made our way throught securtiy. Again much shorter lines that we have experience before.
Another drink before heading to the gate. Usual spread of people hanging around and not clear if peope were in lines. I asked a man if he was in line to which he asked what row I was in. At that point I couldn't remember the exact answer-it had been 79 and 80 for the last 11 months so I just said 'I'm upstairs' which I susptect may have come across as snotty. I didn't mean to. But I didn't want to get into a whole dialogue about how it didn't matter which row I was in as I could board any time. Oh well.
Our seats were occupied but the correspending HK rows weren't. Checked with cabin crew and people realised they were in the wrong seats. They offered to move but as they all seemed settled it seemed churlish to when at first impression it didn't seem to make much difference. However it may have been better to asked them to move to be slightly futher away form the toilets-see later.
Was surprised to have to ask crew for the care chair as I had heard the check-in agent 'phone the request through. Had to ask for a drink too.
From then on crew were superb. Used our names which as well as sounding polite also shows they've bothered to look it up and remember.
Pulled back 5 mins early at 6.10 and took off shortly after.
Drink service and meal service prompt, excpet the kids meals took a while to be brought up from downstairs. Spaghetti and meatballs for the kids which neither liked. Salmon for me-same as my wife's but she had sauce on hers. Fruit for my dessert instead of cheescake. (I'd requested low fat).
We were on Virginia Plain so Odyseey IFE and the differnece was noticeable in the games and choice of films.
Cabin lights remained dimmed for most of the flight. Kids dropped off around 9 pm.
Now I couldn't settle at all. The familly opposite kept their reading lights on for most of the flight. Howver the main problem was constant traffic of people using the toilets-the doors were noisy closing as was the toilet flushing. In addition the cock-pit door slammed each time it shut. Now I'll confess I don't sleep well on aircraft, but the one place I have done is PE on the old 742's so I was disappointed not to get any on this flight. I couldn't help curse the people in 'our' seats. I did glance at them on a visit to the galley and there was no obvious reason why they should be there e.g. a famiily with a baby or young children etc. I note seat requests are just that, but I would have felt better with perhaps a more detailed explanation as to why we had to move.
Anyway that's why I have rated the seat below average. The seat itself was fine. A point to note-the H seats have the IFE box underneath them so do restrict leg room a little compared with the adjacent seats.
Crew were very attentive and the drinks rounds were the most frquest I recall with VA.
Breafast was the usual muffin (Apple and cinnamon-yak!) and fruit-at least it was melon and not grapefruit.
We landed an hour early at 6.30 and horror of horrors had to go to a stand and be bussed in. The Captain apologised profusley-explained this was an increasing problem at UK airports and that VA had no control over it.
Not first off the plane but still before some UC passengers. Why don't they use the doors behind row 12 of UC insteasd of the one by row 23 of economy?
Still-through immigration and bags already on the belt. Out of customs by 7.15 and heading home by 7.30.
Disaapointed by seat choice but other than that can't complain. Am womndering if downstairs might be better for a night flight because the traffic to the toilets is coming form UC at the front and they are positioned further away from the seats. Maybe try those next time.
David