This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
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I tried to get some sleep on the three and a half hour drive but didnt succeed past cat napping. We arrived at Gatwick at around 6.20AM, I tipped the driver and off I went to find the check in as the drive-through check in wasnt open at that time in the morning.
I had to wait a minute or two for the security dude to complete the Have you lent your cases to a member of Islamic Jihad recently sir? type questions before being allowed to proceed to the check in. I had checked in online the day before but used the regular check in as there was a bit of a queue at the DIY drop off. The lady that processed me was efficient and professional but thats about it, all you can ask for and it bothered me not a jot.
As I had a few minutes before the clubhouse opened I walked around the departures lounge, bought a few bits and pieces and got to the clubhouse at about 6.50am expecting to be the first one there. The CH was already open and a couple of passengers were milling around. As the Montego Bay flight was the first flight out that morning I suppose they opened a little earlier than 7am.
I had some tea, the egg(s) benedict and a croissant and read the paper. I left the lounge a little before the flight was called to grab some magazines and headed off to gate 36 (quite a trek).
Im not sure if these gates are new or have been refurbished but the old blue carpeted area has been replaced by wood flooring and multiple lanes at each gate, one marked as dedicated Upper Class. The flight was called and as the dedicated UC/PE lane wasnt used a member of staff stood next to the growing line of passengers waiting to board repeating the phrase Premium Economy and Upper Class here over and over again the poor thing. I dont see why there was a dedicated and signposted lane for it not to be used. Saying that, due to the member of staff weeding out Y pax from the queue things moved fairly quickly and we boarded Hot Lips (I think).
I was the first one in the cabin and made what is now becoming a standard gesture of banging my head on the overhead bin above 10K (every time!). I settled into the seat and accepted a bucks fizz, declined the suite instructions and a newspaper from the very friendly FA and just relaxed. I was a tad tired from the early start and figured a couple of cocktails would help me off to sleep before lunch.
The Cabin filled up with 10A being taken by a staff member that I assume was fairly senior as the cabin staff paid him a lot of attention and he was in the midst of what appeared to be a conversation regarding the finer points of a contract in the midst of negotiation. My neighbor in 11K then proceeded to get in on the act with a conversation along the lines of Yeah.Yeah.Im on the plane nowyeah in first class with a glass of champagne..yeah.tell Boiesy Ill email him from the hotelyeah and so on, a conversation that just HAD to take place. Please god dont ever let the FAA and other organizations approve Cell Phones for use in the air, I just couldnt take it.
During this conversation 11K entertained himself by kicking his foot against the right hand wall of his suite so my arm kept getting jarred on my armrest. I leaned up, made eye contact and looked at the kicking foot and hey presto that behavior ended.
I settled back into my seat as the young man in 9A decided to throw something small at his dad in 9K which hit my leg and fell to the floor, I dont know what it was and it didnt hurt but he got the next glare. So between the two conversations of Yeah..yeah.first class yeah.with a glass of champagne and Look, the concept is all well and good but we arent signing off on that amendment with those numbers and Upper Class Wimbledon taking place I was beginning to boil. I made a conscious decision to lighten up and not to let my fellow passengers detract from my flight, put my IPOD on and closed my eyes. The FA woke me up a little later (well I woke up when she passed by) and took the lunch order and handed out the OB kits.
I awoke to catch the last sentence of an announcement apologizing about something and asking for our patience to find we were still on the ground and several people were looking out of the window on the starboard side of the plane. I wasnt aware at the time but as we were being towed away from the gate the starboard wing tip had connected with something and had been gashed. At this point the IFE was put on so I watched The smartest guys in the room whilst people were working on the wing. A little later a member of the flight crew came into the cabin (I assume he was the captain) and explained in detail what had happened. I wont bore you all with the specifics but there was no way that the wing could be repaired in time before the crew went over their mandated hours so we were asked to sit tight until we could be towed back into a gate and deplaned. Another 747 was available (Jersey Girl I think)
During the wait we were served sandwiches and tea. The delay didnt bother me at all as I was in no rush to get back to the island but I felt sorry for all the people losing half a day of their holidays, particularly those not in UC.
The plane was brought back in and the UC passengers were instructed to gather their belongings and deplane. We were escorted off the plane though the forward PE cabin whose passengers were held back (along with the Y passengers) until we had left, boy you could feel those eyes burning into your back..hehehe. We were handed a small In Transit boarding card though I dont know why as it wasnt checked by anyone until it was taken from us when we boarded Jersey Girl.
We were escorted in a group back to the clubhouse which was kept open for us (big kudos to VS for that one). When I got there I noticed the time was around 12.30PM so we had been on the plane for something around three to three and a half hours although I may be wrong about that. We were asked if we wanted a food voucher for use in the terminal but I and the people at the desk with me declined.
Well I wasnt hungry and so I pulled up a place at the bar and began to drink my weight in Stella Artois whilst reading though the days papers. I declined the offer of food as I was looking forward to the lamb shank onboard and I also declined the offer of a treatment. Again kudos to the CH staff for being so welcoming and hospitable to those of us that were there preventing them from going home.
Whilst sat at the bar I was handed a written apology on behalf of VS for the delay, a little later I received a print out of my FC statement showing the 20,000 miles offered in way of apology had already been added to my account. Each time I was greeted by name. The service was just beyond what you could ask for and I told the staff at the desk as I left that they had handled things beautifully. A little touchy-feely maybe but I had had a few beers at this point and the staff definitely deserved a compliment.
As the flight was due to leave at 4pm (as opposed to the scheduled 9.30am) I left the CH a little early (after leaving a message on V-Flyer) and went to McDonalds. Now I know what you are thinking but that muck wasnt for me, a friend of mine here asks me to bring back McSlop Burgers when I travel, my laptop case still smells of burgers.uch!
I made it to gate 32 and had another beer at the little bar there (oh I was tipsy by now) waiting for the boarding call. When boarding commenced I was once again the first person in the cabin and the new FA on duty asked if they had kept the CH open for us (boy was she cute, and being called My Lovely for the first time in years didnt go amiss either). So once again the cabin filled up, minus the VS staff member in 10A, our lunch orders were taken, the OB kits were handed out and the FSM came around and introduced herself and apologized for the delay yet again.
Well this time we left the gate and the ground. Cocktails were served and I asked for a water with my Vodka Tonic as I had drunk a little more than I was used to when flying and waited for lunch whilst watching some comedy.
Lunch arrived, I had the tomato soup which was very nice and the lamb shank which was excellent. With these I had a glass of the Tantalus Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon which was okay.
I had a piece of lemon tart for desert which wasnt great and I left most of it. I skipped cheese and coffee and made up my bed for a much needed sleep. I have no idea how long I slept but I assume it was about three hours. I was disturbed once when the kid from 9A came over to talk to his Dad and decided to lean against my ottoman which meant he was leaning against my feet. I leapt up as I normally do when disturbed sleeping and pulled off the eye mask to see who the culprit was. He took the hint and moved and I went back to sleep.
I stirred and got up to use the bathroom and grab some water from the bar. I put the bed back into seat mode and watched something or other on the IFE for a while. I declined afternoon tea as I was completely stuffed, it did look nice though.
We landed and had to wait a few minutes on the ground for the BA 777 to LGW to leave before we could deplane. I speed walked past the other passengers and got into an EMPTY immigration hall and was the first person off the flight through. For those of you that have been to ANU you can appreciate how rare that is. I waited about twenty minutes or so for my bag.
Then things became even better, I was straight though customs without the usual inspection, my ride was waiting outside, I was home in fifteen minutes and found that my cat-sitter had had my house cleaned, my laundry done, my grass cut and had made sure there was water in my fridge. Im meeting her for a beer after I post this as she has earned a bonus, it was so nice to come home to everything clean and tidy (very rare for me).
VS could delay each of my return flights like this for all I care, they handled the delay very well indeed. However the thing that really made the day for me was the staff. The CH staff were outstanding and the staff on both planes were even better. Consider that some staff on the second plane had come in on their day off. I shall write to VS in the next couple of days to big up the people involved. I didnt ask for Heroes form as like an idiot I hadnt made note of the various peoples names but I shall do my best to let VS know just how well their people performed.
Right then Im off for a beer.
All the best, Adam
