This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Check in at the the reception desk. A question - at the old CH, they used to swipe my passport at reception, but not now. I see some people are asked to do this at the concierge desk though - what's going on?
Someone is filming in the CH - a very orange presenter with slightly goggly eyes is doing pieces to camera. I am sorry I don't know who he is, but I hope his fake tan / make up looks better on screen than in person. I guess this will be on a travel show near you some time soon.
Order Pumpkin soup (yum) and a burger (not enough chips, but otherwise good), and the waiting staff keep me topped up with water and juice. Retire to the 'office' to web surf and book some park tickets for the Parker family trip to Orlando in March. Decide to use Virgin Holidays for the ticket booking since I know the company, and the 10% VS Gold discount. This all goes fine, and two grand later (six people's worth of tickets to Disney, Universal and Discovery Cove) we're done...
Not impressed with the connection speed of the PCs in the CH - very slow, and I'm not a fan of keyboard-based trackballs - they don't provide the control and accuracy of a mouse. Why can't they just follow the JFK clubhouse and put Macs in?
I have a shave booked, which nearly becomes a massage when the therapist doesn't look at what she's doing. The shave is pretty good, though I think my face was having a sensitive day, and feels a touch sore afterwards. I don't think I will be going for this every time.
Flight is called to gate 32 - could be worse. Priority boardings are being pulled aside and I'm soon on the plane. Settle in quickly, with coat taken and drink delivered. Slight delay in pushing back due to an error on the bag count. Consider telling them that drive thru had got the wrong number of bags from my limo driver's pre-check in request, and could this be the cause. Turns out to be a computer problem in the end - I hope that it isn't my case that's left on the tarmac.
Roll for take off about 1645, and we're in the air. The whole flight is dead smooth. IFE starts quickly, but they seem to run the intro video twice (or maybe it just feels like that). I'm tired so I watch Flightplan (utter tosh - and what kind of plane looks like that one) and the 40 year old virgin (I'm in that kind of mood). Menu looks pretty good, but I don't want to eat too much, so I have a salad and broccoli and stilton soup, which were both nice.
Rest of the flight passes uneventfully - no-one at the bar when I venture down (though I am asked if I was sitting in Upper when I come down the stairs for s drink and some company). Take advantage of the fruit and drinks left on the units at the divider between PE and Upper. Watch some episodes of Peep show, hmm.
Descent is easy, and we're almost on stand when another slight delay is announced - we're going to be towed the last few yards - not sure what happened there.
Immigration hall is empty, and my bags are among the first twenty or so off - thank heavens for priority tagging.
All in all, a pretty good flight. Now all I hope for is a good night's sleep on the 46 on Friday...
