This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
PE and UC and bag drop are together. There are 2 pax in the PE queue, 1 in UC and 5 in the bag drop so that's good. Not like LGW can be in the morning! And the Y queue is not too bad either!
My carry-on bag a bit on the big side but its squishy enough to go in the temporary wooden box thing that is being used to check bag sizes there are two big plastic bins full of things that have been thrown away. We are told that we have got to collect bags at MCO and then deposit them at a separate transit drop off and then and then stay in the terminal for the Delta flight out - more on this later. We are given boarding passes for our MCO - FLL flights but they are 6B and 17A - Der! So go to the Delta desk at Manchester and exchange seats for two together.
Go to Security - looong queue 45 mins at least - Shoes and belts off. It was an OK process with no hassle. Through at about 845am The Duty free rules changed today apparently and all items including liquids are permitted to the US as long as they are sealed and taken to the gate except that is on US carriers even the duty free shop staff are confused they have an email dated 1st Sept 2004 to tell them of this change? Hmm?
Starbys up next of course - Venti Capp for me and a tall skinny latte for MrsJ. We are boarding at Gate 212 which is right next to Starbs so its a great area to sit and watch. We can see that the -Aircraft is G-VGAL - Jersey Girl, so Nova IFE - get some great pics from the terminal.
Gate 212 doesnt have enough seats or room for all the passengers waiting to board the Starbucks is a good place to wait if you are ever at this gate. Wheelchair passengers Are boarded first, then passengers with children then when the announcement for PE and UC is made mayhem ensues as everyone tries to board! There is no priority boarding queue! Lots get turned back as Y pax try to board, sorry guys. We go through the boarding pass machine area. Then have our passport checked again. Then secondary screening area -but we are not picked. Woo hoo! Then duty free is collected - pretty painless and saved lugging it around the terminal in truth!!
We board - feels like coming home - is this why I like VS so much? Colour, music, feel, crew? 79A/C as usual, extra side table etc! Got some good pics of the cabin.
There are 2 crew as usual. Champers is served. Some pax have sat in 79H\K when actually they in 72 Doh!! How do people manage to do that?? We are told we can use our phones until the doors are closed! We sit for an hour while the secondary security takes place! So send a few texts!!
Push back at 1125 - In the air at 1135 - Flight time of 8 and a half hours. Unusually the map is on during take off cool I never know why it cant be on all the time anyway?
Nova starts about 20 minutes into the flight - its1st Sept so......We still have last months films - hahaha!! Wanted to see Firewall and its on last months list -so thats good! ( for me anyway)
Our CSA tries to sort out what the films are - l suggest a quiz amongst the pax to guess them?
And thats what the FSM does! Mrs Taylor in 62C finds a copy of last months seatalk!! So we are sorted! Watch Firewall, pretty good.
Crew do a drinks round then come round again with a drinks order this is a good service
Lunch is
Beef stew or
Chicken Pesto or
Vegetable Ravioli served with
Pasta salad
Cheese
GU chocolate dessert - which was yummy
Then we have a wine service during the meal
Baileys and Brandy run after trays cleared, superb!!
PE upstairs is great, the service today has been excellent. This is what sets VS apart. Can anyone else match this?? This is the standard!
Pop down and say hello to Jane the FSM(permission given for name use) - I really believe that the 'style' of service comes from the FSM. We talk about VF and whats on it, service and consistency, amenity kits, routes, 380s and her team. She is very interesting and a great advert for VS. She has been with them 16 years and it comes across that she loves her job and the company. Tell her Im a VS nerd and confirm it by knowing stuff that she says most pax wouldnt know!!(or worry about!!) Hahaha!
Her team have been great today and l let her know! And what a pleasant person she is too.
Film 2, Inside Man, Denzil Washington, OKish!
CSA's went round with drinks again and left a tray of water and juice on the area behind our seat.
Drinks and ice cream at 4pm/11am( eastern)
Go for a walk downstairs, the flight is full, not a spare seat! Have to say that when l get back to PE its like a peaceful haven - so quiet and so much room!! The aisle must be twice that of Y.
FSM comes round to see everyone upstairs. Has a chat with a few passengers which is a nice touch!
Settled in to watch some comedy TV -Extras, the one with Kate Winslet as a nun, cringeworthy!!
At 130pm we have a sandwich and tea, choice of chicken Caesar or cream cheese. Also fresh fruit in a bag. Tasty snack!
Commenced our descent at 1430. It was good that the pilot announced about 30mins to go and then the FSM said that now was the time to get the plane nice and tidy for landing and asked pax to hand in any rubbish and use the loo - nice touch!
The seat belt sign came on at 1440 and they left the map on again which l dont remember happening previously.
We touch down at 1510. Bit late but not too bad.
We had a connection on Delta in 1hr 35mins! Eeek, would we make it?
Off the plane first and through to immigration. No-one in the hall! great! The immigration agent is good, really friendly, we tell him about the fun we had at MIA in March , he agrees and says its a hellhole and he likes it much better at MCO.
MCO has 2 baggage carrousels. One for UC and PE and one for Y. So our bags turn up after 10 mins! Great!!
Get through customs and then at this point as we are transferring, our bags get given to a TSA agent for transfer to the Delta flight. This area is just to the right after you go out of the first baggage area. So if you ever transfer at MCO then DONT put your bags on the conveyor to the main terminal otherwise you will have to go all the way over on the shuttle to get them.
Anyway, get the bags sorted then ask TSA agent where the Delta flights go from. Get told we have to be re-screened and, bugger, no liquids on the internal flight!! So l run back down to the TSA bag area to try and get my duty free in my hold bags! I just make it as our bags are disappearing!! phew!!!
Then we are security screened and go to the Delta area where there is just time for another Starbys!!! We board 15 mins behind schedule for FLL!!- next connection FLL - EYW!!
The Delta flight should be 45mins but we get caught in a hold over FLL because of some bad weather. How bad does 'weather' have to be. I mean l dont want the pilot to take any unnecessary risks, but Ive flown in some right old gales and storms in Europe!!
Turns out its a big electric storm so I guess landing in that would NOT be fun!!
Big clusterwotsit! Flight gets diverted to, bizarrely, Tampa!! - it has to refuel and will then go over to FLL once the weather clears. FLL is closed. Well at least our onward Continental flight cant leave FLL either. A hotel looms in Fort Lauderdale methinks!
Get chatting with some Americans who are doing the same route as us. They use their phones to check about the flight to EYW and other options. The flight to Key West is showing as departed and the next flight is the next morning!! Aaagh!!!
The flight eventually leaves Tampa as it starts to get dark. We fly down to FLL and arrive at 915. Ask the ground staff to make sure our bags get off-loaded as they are tagged to EYW. Go up to the Delta desk and ask about Hotels. They say they have no responsibility but after some 'discussion' agree to put us up!
At this point the Americans tell us that the Continental flight to EYW is STILL HERE!!! So we thank the Delta staff and run up the road in the rain to the Continental terminal! Go to check in and are told the flight is full. Would you believe it!!! We are issued with 'gate' tickets so we can go on the 'stand-by' list! Hmmph!!
At the desk I have another 'discussion' with the agent about the flight being full and our confirmed booking - as its now 230am UK time l think l was pretty calm. However it gets annoying when the agent says he cannot even find our booking!! A call is made for 'the three remaining' passengers on our flight. I ask if they can be 'bumped' as the flight is already two hours late so they cannot be in the terminal. Another agent comes over to help us and tells the first agent that our names ARE in the ticketed list and that the latecomers should get bumped as we have confirmed bookings! She asks the first guy what he thought he was doing!! Thank heavens for this lady.
She tears our actual tickets in half and tells us to run down the air bridge and 'sit in any free seat' - so we do!! First time I've ever boarded without a boarding pass!!!
Although its been stormy and the plane only has 19 seats and is therefore small, the flight is smooth even though a huge electrical storm is off to our left and we arrive into EYW with a great view of the runway through the cockpit at 1030!!
Our luggage hasnt made the trip unfortunately so we have to fill in a form!! OMG 2 weeks holiday ahead and no luggage - eeek!!
The Dollar car rental guy has stayed late for us though and sorts out our car - we are expecting a 4 door car but he has 'vans' or 'pick-ups'!! The van turns out to be a 7 seater Chrysler and its great!!!! Good upgrade. Hahaha!
Get to the hotel at 11 and go straight to bed! Wake at 7pm US time and dont wake early all holiday - so that seemed to sort out any jet lag or time difference issues - who needs Melatonin eh???
Good news next morning - we drive to the airport to check up on our bags and they are there!!! So well done to Continental!!
In summary, a long day, but everything came together, even if a bit of running was required! Virgin were excellent and whilst Delta or Continental could not be responsible for the weather they both (after a bit of 'discussion') looked after us well. I guess the moral is that if things go awry then make sure you are polite but firm - l read a great line to use if its late and things arent good - smile and say 'l know its late and we are all tired, but is there anything l can do that will make it easier for you to rectify this situation'!!
Return TR follows!!
