This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
The AirTrain discharged us at the T-4 elevated station and we made our way into the terminal. At the ticketing desk I finally scored an upgrade for Slink to Upper, having had no luck in the week prior to the flight, despite there being 10-15 seats open. The message, oft heard before, is 'keep trying', even if it means the last-minute fingers crossed exercise at the airport.
I pause here to compliment both the ticketing agent and the check-in agent who were courteous and helpful, happily exceeding other recent VS check-in experiences. This was the right way to begin a journey, I thought. Or course, being handed an Upper Class boarding pass produces a decent feeling as well. [:p]
Walking the short distance to the VS Clubhouse we were again warmly welcomed. We requested Revivals passes. The Clubhouse hostess said, 'I have to warn you now, that Revivals has no hot water'. After two months of repairs, I queried? 'The problem is with the BAA', the hostess replied. This must be really grinding to VS, to have the airport authority at Heathrow keeping them from delivering on the full benefits of flying UC. We took the passes nevertheless as we intended to sleep onboard and I wanted Slink to see Revivals.
The CH was quiet when we arrived. I spied several of the regular staff who were friendly and seemed in a happy mood. We ordered drinks and Slink strolled around the CH to have a look at the various offerings. The CH menu sat on our window-side table; spying it, Slink suggested we share the seared tuna on angel hair pasta, with basil and tomato. It was delicious, hot and tasty! After another glass of wine we took the server's recommendation and shared one of the daily specials, a Cuban-inspired plate of pulled pork, rice, salsa and guacamole -- excellent.
At this point, you would be quite right to ask whether Slink and I have bottomless stomachs. We did seem to eat quite a lot, and then dessert was offered, a warm bread pudding with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and a shake of cinnamon. Our friendly server suggested coffee which we declined as sleep was our next appointment.
Speaking of which, it was just then time to board. Our excellent Clubhouse experience really had us looking forward to the flight and a good night's sleep. I'd checked ExpertFlyer at the CH and learned our outbound aircraft would be Cosmic Girl. She was sitting proudly at the gate when we arrived and in no time, we were offered early boarding. Slink and I had selected the Snooze Zone (on the 744 it is upstairs) and after a friendly greeting from a FA who remembered me from my flight to LHR in May, we were soon changed into our 'ninja' sleep suits. Seeing the cardboard UC snooze kit on my ottoman I asked a passing FA her opinion of this severely reduced offering. 'Embarassed', she replied. Enough said and hopefully VS is just running out inventory,bidding adieu to whoever suggested this horrible idea, and hard at work readying a decent amenity kit for UC pax. There are other threads on this topic; suffice to say that at the moment there really is no UC amenity kit, only cardboard and earnest apologies.
Takeoff was on-time, our beautiful Cosmic Girl carrying us gently aloft, executing a wide turn before heading to the northeast.
I awoke after about four hours of sleep, quickly consuming some coffee and one of my favorite bacon butties. Slink was stirring, and a good thing, too, as the captain was just announcing the commencement of our descent into Heathrow. The obligatory holding pattern was next though skies over the English countryside were clear. Fortunately we circled for only 10-15 minutes before a smooth landing. A long taxi later, we arrived on stand at one of the far gates and soon were having the long walk to Fast Track which, thanks to bunched arrivals, was more akin to Slow Track.
Revivals was quite full. Slink and I both wanted a shower, even if the water was to be cold. Surprisingly the shower was more room temperature rather than frigid, and very refreshing. Breakfast was next and then Slink and I set off for the Heathrow Express to begin our long weekend.
Overall an excellent experience, particularly at check-in and in the Clubhouse, topped off by a professional, friendly crew and the beautifully sleek Cosmic Girl -- if only I looked as good!
Chuck-
