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#909432 by soupey202
03 Sep 2015, 13:12
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This was our first trip in UC as we are usually behind the curtain in PE. We were on the 747-400 Gatwick configuration with 14 seats in UC at the front of the lower deck. On arrival at Gatwick it started well we headed to the check in area (we had checked in but had not printed boarding passes) only to realise they had moved UC check in and it is now a separate area to the left as you approach it. As soon as we walked in we were greeted and asked where we were flying to today. We were taken over to a terminal and check in was competed very efficiently - we travel with fragile bag of medical equipment which we usually have to then take to a separate area but no this time they took it for us. The check in attendant noticed my difficulty walking and offered assistance which I declined as I prefer to walk at the airport albeit slowly as I will be sitting a long time on the aircraft. He told us where priority security was and how to find the clubhouse after security. Priority security was a nightmare (not the fault of Virgin) as there are no clear instructions but the staff were shouting at people for getting it wrong.

From there it was in to the oasis of the clubhouse where we were again warmly greeted and she briefly told us about the spa and the need to book early as they got booked up, she also offered to arrange special assistance for me . At this point there was plenty of seating available although it did get busier. Three out of four of us indulged in a glass of champagne whilst we decided on breakfast which was good. I was the only one to go for a spa treatment and a couple of us took advantage of the shoe cleaning (my shoes were last that shiny the day I bought them). As I take a long time to get to the gate we headed there as soon as the gate was announced rather than waiting for the call to board in the clubhouse.

Once board we were welcomed by our lovely senior cabin crew who was excellent throughout the flight. I know we are not allowed to name on here but she was fantastic and a letter to Crawley Towers will duly be sent praising her. Her assistant for the flight was ok, he was perfectly efficient but he didn't have that special touch which made such a difference. For me the seat was wonderful, nice and wide (I am far from being thin) and I could elevate my leg properly at intervals as well as having room to just stretch it out. Initially the entertainment on our side of the cabin wasn't working properly and it took two resets to get it to work. Thereafter my screen was still a bit iffy as it often took several presses to get it to respond but there was a decent selection of films. The food was extremely good (for plane food) and we all got our first choices although I did hear her tell another passenger that they had run out of the panna cotta (we already had ours by then). Throughout the journey they regularly came round to see if we needed anything and when they were absent there were a range of soft drinks on the bar to help ourselves. Unfortunately there was one big problem with the flight which I had been a bit worried about before we went - having now experienced how much better UC is we never want to go back to PE again!! On arrival they didn't follow the usual pattern for disembarking letting everyone go at once which meant we had a long wait to get off as most of economy had preceded us, also as we had been beaten by the Manchester flight immigration was heaving and it took two hours to get through at which point I was wishing I had asked for assistance as I was struggling to stand for that long.

Overall I was very impressed with the whole experience - we are returning in a couple of weeks so it will be interesting to see what the return flight is like. I know from past experience that in PE the service is never as good as they just want you to go to sleep and leave them alone!
#909434 by dickydotcom
03 Sep 2015, 13:43
Thanks for the TR.

You are so right when you say once you've done UC you never want to go back.
The year following our first UC trip to MCO we did go back to PE and to be honest it wasn't that bad.
However I've now become a fanatic miles collector. We have already done an UC trip this year and have our tickets for next year, plus enough miles in the bank for 2017 so for me it's definitely UC and as long as they are flying the 747 I'll say thanks for keeping our seats warm up the font.

Dick D
#909435 by hiljil
03 Sep 2015, 13:53
Thank you for your interesting TR. I always hold my breath when I start reading when it is a person's first time in UC - but I need not have worried. All went as it should for you.

So pleased you had such a pleasant experience. I hope your return trip is just as good . :-D
#909441 by deep_south
03 Sep 2015, 16:17
Sounds like a good flight - until you arrived. UC pax getting "stuck" behind the front cabin is bad enough, but there is no excuse for not holding back the main deck Y passengers, but this happened to us last year going both to & from Cuba...

They really should have sorted this out by now, as it does take the gloss of the overall experience, nad since it is the "last thing" that Virgin arr responsible for, leaved a bad, linfering impression...
#909442 by marshy11
03 Sep 2015, 17:38
Thank you for sharing your virgin UC experience . Lovely to hear how attentive the staff were, a shame for the delay in disembarking but you are there now, so enjoy the sunshine.

Have a lovely flight home.
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