This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Turned up at JFK using a shortcut from Long Island and did my usual 'drive aimlessly in circles getting increasingly lost trying to find the car return'. I had no intentions of returning the rental car to the airport but the depot was shut on the Sunday due to bad weather so I had no choice. Regretfully my TomTom map ended a mile short of the airport in mid Jamaica... grrr.
Eventually found Avis and dumped car and got to sky train. 15 minute wait and then onto a packed train. Disembarked at T4 and walked to the checkin area. I had checked in online but looking at the respective queues thought it wiser to use UC. Bad mistake. There were at least three check in lines for UC each coralled by its own little tensile barrier. I was in the rightmost with one person in front of me who was soon seen. As she departed I stepped to one side to allow her past and the mother and son in the central queue ran over to 'my' checkin person with one of the biggest trolleys full of luggage I have ever seen en route to DEL. First time I have seen someone use their full UC allowance!
The lady behind and I shared despairing glances and furtively discussed stepping in. The British wish not to cause a scene won out and after a minute or two the lady behind me swapped queues to the central queue as that was now going to go faster. Another gentleman stood behind her and by the time he was first in the queue I decided to join his queue. As his person became available the people to his left darted over and took his checkin person. We repeated the despairing glance scenario and he moved to my former queue where he was rapidly seen so I rejoined my original queue and was checked in.
Now I now I COULD have complained on both occasions but surely ground staff can see who is next in line and enforce some kind of courtesy?
It seemed that several of the people travelling including the American mother and son in front of me were endorsed from other airlines.
I made my way to the Club House and whilst it wasn't heaving service was not exactly flowing smoothly. I sat down at around 18:00 and by 18:15 decided that perhaps I'd better get my own drink. Returning to my seat I was asked around 18:20 by one of our favourite CH Personnel what I'd like to eat. I opted for the burger and she castigated me for not grabbing her attention earlier given that boarding was due to start in 10 minutes! No worries, the burger arrived and was wolfed down and I was on my way to the gate by 18:34.
The fast track worked quite well this time and I found myself behind Mrs and Master Pushy from the checkin. I was able to see their boarding cards and see that they were in the facing seats directly behind me... I knew that my seat had no overhead so a cunning plan formed [}:)]. Through security as quickly as possible (no shoe removal!) and a brisk walk to the gate and straight on with priority boarding. I was soon ensconced in my seat with my bags in the nearest overhead lockers behind me [:I]. A few minutes later Master and Mrs (decided that scans better) arrived and were most bemused by the lack of overhead space. In all fairness though there was no kvetching just acceptance. Perhaps the queue jumping was just a cultural thing not a deliberately rude thing.
Usual settle down ritual, changed into sleep suit and the very attentive CSS hung my clothes for me. After 30 minutes or so one the crew offered a second drinks round - giggling when I asked if we were going to be late pushing back then... and we were, 19:50 pushback and a 20:25 rotation. Nearly an hour late but a fast flight so 'time would be made up'. I guess my question for the experts here is if they left on time would they then arrive too early to land at LHR?
Menus and amenity kits were on the seats and I was surprised to find that the 19:30 flight was now a GNF flight. Apparently all East Coast evening flights are now. The FSM was a humourous cove who made dummy announcements which generally provoked gails of laughter from the appreciative pax. The favourite seemed to be 'Passenger XYZ has just told us that his girlfriend in New York has just had a baby boy weighing in at 7lbs 2Ozs'... rounds of applause followed. Secondary announcement 'Passenger XYZ has asked us not to tell his wife in London'.
After take off the FSM did the usual secondary safety annoucement deviating slightly from the script in that no mention was made of flight safe modes. I moved to the bar and chatted to the Scouse CSS and queried this. All the crew seemed to agree that it could only be a matter of time before the restriction was raised but that it wasn't yet! Enjoying my chat I decided to eat at the bar and chatted to a young gentleman who spookily had been eating at the same restaurant in Rockville Centre on the same night as me earlier that week!
I had the seasonal salad with beef, hot breads and cheese. Not wonderful but hey... the CSS tried to persuade me to try the Fallen vodka but mindful of the need to be conscious the next morning I declined and returned to my seat which I made into a bed and kipped down on for a few hours. Sleep was elusive but I managed to doze, springing into life at the 30 minute warning. Changed back into civvies, cleaned teeth and awaited deportation to some g-dforsaken stand in T5.
Much to my pleasure it was not to be and we arrived at Gate 32 close to immigration. A quick dash from the plane had me at the baggage belt with 07:10 and by 07:15 baggage was streaming past. Problem was most of it was Economy. I counted over 50 pieces of Economy before the first set of three UC bags came off, then 2 PE, the 50 more Economy. The bulk of UC luggage did not arrive until 07:40 so I watched the conveyor for 30 minutes.
My Addison Lee car was waiting for me as promised and on the way home I was introduced to some new Ghanian music by a Mr Odeneho and his new CD 'Obolobo'. Very Soca feel with some dancehall and a little dub. Very danceable it you can do that holding one hand in air and rotating other near solar plexus in a miming ballroom thing. I can't but hey...
So again a great VS flight marred by outsourced groundstaff in the US and Baggage Handlers in the UK.
