This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Its just a shame that under the present climate the factors that VS have little or no control over conspire to take the edge of the product, and try peoples patience !
So without further ado, lets; Wet your appetite; for what follows !
The plus points.
01. The Virgin Atlantic Gatwick Clubhouse.
02. On Board FSM.
03. The Upper Class Cabin Crew.
04. The Upper Class Menu (No seriously !)
05. The abolition of Secondary Screening & The Shoe Carnival on arrival at Orlando !
The minus points.
01. The Sofitel at Gatwicks North Terminal.
02. BAA.
03. BAA.
04. You get the idea by this point BAA !
And so another trip to Florida was finally here !
A cold, foggy, dark Monday morning in Blighty greeted be when I opened the curtains at home !
After loading the car, and doing On Line Check In (OLCI), I headed South for the overnight stay at the Sofitel at the North Terminal before heading out on VS 027 to Orlando the following morning.
Made good time pulling up at just after 2.30 PM at the Sofitel having negotiated the temporary road works around Gatwicks North Terminal !
British Airports Authority (BAA) are currently renovating the Multi Story Short Stay Car Park. In fact they booted all the Car Rental companies to the South Terminal, and nicked their Car Park for Short Stay Parking with is limited to 9 hours !
Once Id got shot of the bags, I deposited the car on the NCP Flight Path Car Park, and caught the bus back to the Sofitel.
The Sofitel has seen better days Well thats my view Alright it looks the part when you walk in, but the rooms look decidedly old, and then there was the luke warm hot water !
Still at 138 pounds for the night which included up to 14 days parking, via holidayextras.co.uk, it seemed a good idea at the time !
Grabbed a cup of tea in the room, and then headed for the South Terminal for Twilight Check In, and on entering the Terminal, my heart sank There was a huge line snaking its way around the Terminal heading towards the Virgin Check In Area ! In fact it snaked through Zone A, and back towards the Train Station.
Despair soon turned to elation when I found out this was the queue line for the Departure Lounge.
The ever helpful BAA person told me that from entering the South Terminal it could take as long as 2 hours to get through to the Departure Lounge !
This was also the first day of the new liquid rules, and well confusion ruled !
I was not impressed - Having spent 2 lunch hours the previous week trying to locate a clear 20 x 20 bag, I wasnt amused to see to see a hoard of yellow tee shirted BAA Staff handing them out ! Trust me it was like a scene from Its A Knockout ! All that was missing was a BAA Represenative brandishing 'The Joker' card !
Why oh why can they put that on their Web Site that the bags would by supplied at the Airport ?
Anyway, I breathed a sigh of relief, bypassed the crowds and continued towards Zone A .
Theres been several changes since I last used Twilight Check In, back in February this year !
Id already done OLCI, from home to grab Seat 6a, but wanted to use Twilight Check In, to get rid of the bag !
Firstly, gone is the initial screening, which leaves you free to join line for the 1st available agent.
At 4.30 PM on a Monday afternoon, there were only 2 couples in front of me, so the whole process was completed in less than 5 minutes.
In fact it would have been a whole lot quicker if the couple at Check In, hadnt been trying to check the kitchen sink etc ! What part of 2 bags dont people understand ?
In the ensuing chaos there were loads of raised voices before said couple asked relatives to take away some of their luggage ! Couple then trudged off still moaning !
Then it was my turn - The Handling Agent was really pleasant, and handed over a Clubhouse invitation, and then apologised for the lack of Fast Track, which is now closed indefinitely ! I was also quizzed on whether I was carrying an Apple or a Dell Laptop !
Now heres the curve ball ! after Twilight Check In, youre asked to stay in the South Terminal whilst the bags are scanned ! This should take 15 to 20 minutes !!
Quote from the Handling Agent; Youll here a PA if youre required to return !
Hung around for 30 minutes before returning to the Sofitel for the evening only to be only to be ejected out into the freezing night air when the fire alarm went off at 8.30 PM !
At long last Tuesday morning dawned, and armed with the knowledge of the length of queues the previous evening, and the fact that it could take up to 2 hours to get through to the Departure Lounge, coupled with the fact I wanted to maximise my time in the Clubhouse, I decided on an early start !
Awoke to the Alarm at 5am, and after a quick shower, and coffee, I was on the way from the Sofitel on the Monorail to the South Terminal.
Sods Law:; 5.55 am walked through security, and was in the Departure Lounge in under 2 minutes ! Interestingly, wasnt asked about the liquids in the 20 x 20 bag, the Camcorder, or the Laptop !
Time to kill; so enjoyed a luke warm cup of coffee, and wandered around the shops until the Clubhouse opened a 7 am. Tried to use BAAs free wireless internet access in the Departure Lounge which didnt work !
Its fair to say that the VS Gatwick Clubhouse is a haven of tranquillity away from the madding crowds of the South Terminal. Since my last visit, the menu has changed Gone is the traditional & signature breakfast dishes so I choose :
GREAT BRIOCHE : - British back bacon, herb burger, roasted tomato, and field mushrooms served with toasted brioche, and topped with melted gruyere cheese, and free range scrambled or poached eggs.
Fair play to Virgin it was nice, and went down really well with a couple of glasses of Bucks Fizz !
Theres other choices on the menu, but Chilli Beans for breakfast, well thats simply not me !
Throughout my time in the Clubhouse, service was attentive, quick, and the girls in the V Touch Salon, well theyre simply delightful, and nothing is too much trouble for them.
In fact, I lost count of the number of staff that came over for a chat, not just asking; Do you need anything.
This was by far my best Clubhouse experience.
VS 027 was running _ an hour late due to the in bound aircraft being late, but shortly after 11am the call for boarding via Gate 17 came, so I made a move to be re united with our old friend BAA !
For those who know Gatwick, Gate 17 is a small gate just off the Departure Lounge, and well, trying to squeeze 450 passengers into it was always going to be tricky unlike the Satellite Lounge !
When I arrived there were at least 100 people in front of me ! Im sorry to say this, but being UC I pushed my way to the front to be greeted by Security who merely asked if I was carrying any lighters !
No was the reply, and I continued on to the Handling Agent who swiped the Boarding Pass so that I could continue straight onto the aircraft (Hot Lips).
People where also being pulled at this point for Secondary Screening, at the Gate, and there was most definitely no Priority Boarding. In operation. That meant another solid queue across the Gate, and down the jetway to the aircraft ! All in all another 10 minutes before I arrived at the aircraft door !
All that soon became a distant memory as I finally reached Seat 6A, and was promptly offered a glass of Champaign, which was refilled prior to departure. It was also nice to see the old style Amenity Kit on the seat. The Snooze Pack was nowhere to be seen thank goodness !
Despite being advised of a 30 minute delay, we were actually on our way just 20 minutes late, until yes youve guessed it BAA dealt their final hand of the day a 20 minute wait for the runway !
Finally we were on our way departing from the Westerly runway followed by a left turn to take us long the South Coast, Southampton, Lands End, and across the Atlantic to make land again on the East Coast of America.
Shortly after take off it was so nice to see the Flight Service Supervisor (FSM) arrive in the Upper Class Cabin (UCC) where she promptly addressed each passenger by name, and spent a good 5 minutes talking to each of us about how our day had gone, and peoples view of the Upper Class product.
The 2 crew working the Upper Class Cabin were in a word Excellent. People wanted for nothing, and both spent a fair amount of time sitting talking to the passengers, and making sure that everyone had everything they needed.
I have to say the Upper Class food was excellent. For lunch, I chose Tomato Soup, followed by the Steak, with Chocolate & Champaign Moose for desert.
The only problem with this was trying to eat through a patch of turbulence ! So bad in fact that the wine spilt from the glass as the aircraft did its best impression of a Florida Theme Park ride !
That wasnt the only turbulence We had at least 5 more instances on the way down to Orlando some of which were severe.
The entertainment choice on board was also good, and gave me the opportunity to view two movies Id been trying to see for a while, The Devil Wears Prada, and The Queen, both of which were excellent.
Once Id watched the movies, I donned a Sleep Suit, and managed 40 winks before it was time for Afternoon Tea. This consisted of a choice of sandwiches, cakes, and hot apricot tart which was yummy !
This was a reasonably quick flight, eight hours 57 minutes with the standard Orlando arrival route crossing the coast over the Kennedy Space Center, then drifting inland for a left turn over the Orlando Executive Airport, before touchdown at Orlando International Airport !
The weather on landing however, wasnt good. The first I saw of the Orlando was the final left turn shortly before crossing the Beeline Expressway for touchdown. In fact the runway was decidedly wet, and the fully laiden 747 400 used all of it .. braking, and reverse thrust were very noticeable rather than the normal slow roll out on 17L/35R.
As always at Orlando International Airport, a long taxi to gate followed after being held again at the intersection of the 17R/35L the active take off runway. Once at the Gate, I departed the aircraft but not before everyone from the Uppper Deck, and the forward Premium & Economy Cabins had left. Even so, I managed to find any empty immigration line, and was through quickly.
Then I waited And waited whilst I watched a series of Premium Economy bags Then Economy bags arrive before the Upper Class bags arrived !
Once through Customs, I was in for a nice surprise ! The Secondary Screening & Shoe Carnival, has gone to be replaced by a line of T.S.A. Officers creating a secure cordon to the Rapid Transit System. This is done to keep the arriving passengers clear of the departing passengers.
All in all from getting of the aircraft to re claiming the bags in the Terminal took around 40 minutes.
So there you have it ! My 3rd Upper Class flight with Virgin Atlantic !
Now if only Sir Richard Branson could buy BAA !
Now theres a thought !
