VS010 JFK-LHR 2 SEP 15 (Upper Class)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

Ground Staff

Food & Drink

Entertainment

Seat

Cabin Crew

After a somewhat mixed experience on the outbound leg (covered in my previous trip report), I wasn't especially looking forward to the return flight. However, things got off to a good start at JFK with the check-in and security procedure. I used the Delta Sky Priority lane, swiftly picked up a paper ticket, and was directed to security. My heart sank as I saw the long queue of people winding round the terminal, but an agent beckoned me over, checked my ticket, and directed me into an empty lane. This channel took me right into the heart of the thronging mass of people, and I expected my priority passage to end there, but a second agent then checked my ticket. To my surprise and delight, she stopped the slowly advancing queue of passengers in the standard lane, moved a barrier aside, and directed me to cut across the queue at right angles and go straight to the security scanning area. The total time from entering the check-in area to being through security was around 10 minutes; I imagine following the standard route would have taken at least an hour. Suffice it to say, I was pretty impressed.

The Clubhouse at JFK isn't as impressive as its LHR counterpart, but it's still a really nice lounge. After taking a shower in one of the spacious bathrooms, I sat down for an early dinner. The melon salad was beautifully presented, and the sea bass was delicately flavoured and expertly cooked. The ice cream came as scoops rather than in pots, which was classier, and the waitress kept my wine glass topped up. I felt I should leave a tip in the JFK Clubhouse (whereas I didn't at LHR), and this was reinforced by the fact that the service was better. The JFK lounge also had good views of the tarmac as well as easily available plug sockets - two small but welcome features that were missing at LHR.

Boarding was not announced until after 9pm, which was making some guests uncomfortable, but I was happy to wait whilst they boarded the rest of the plane. My seat was 1A, chosen because it was in the Snooze Zone, and because I wanted to experience the upper deck and, well, because I thought 1A sounded kind of classy! I subsequently read many reviews that were very negative about the upper deck versus the nose, and seriously considered changing my seat, but I decided to stick with it. I'm glad I did! The upper deck is not perfect, for two reasons: first, the weirdly placed economy cabin taking up the rear half; second, the limited overhead storage space. However, I was aware of this from the reviews and had decanted everything I needed at my seat into a satchel bag, so I was actually quite happy to hand my wheelie case to a flight attendant for storage. I outlined my generally negative view of the Upper Class suite in a previous review - I think it's dated, and I greatly prefer the Cathay Pacific reverse herringbone or the Emirates partial suite. However, I found that 1A - being at the front and set against a straight wall - offered more privacy than 15K in the nose. I was also pleasantly surprised that, in addition to the rear lavatory for Economy passengers, there were two lavatories at the front for the 10 Upper Class passengers, giving a ratio that you'd normally find in First. I think this is useful on an overnight flight, when people will spend much longer in the bathroom to change their clothes, brush their teeth etc.

The crew was very friendly. The flight attendant explained that I was in the Snooze Zone and was welcome to eat, but would have to do so in the dark as people wanted to sleep. I really appreciated this, given that I'd eaten in the lounge and wanted to go straight to bed. It also made a welcome change from my Emirates experience, where the first two hours of a midnight departure from Shanghai were spent in a lit cabin with a full meal service going on. As soon as the seatbelt lights were extinguished, I made my bed, changed into my Virgin Atlantic sleep suit and tried to get some sleep. To my delight, the overhead vents were working this time, allowing me to keep my pod at a much more comfortable temperature. I didn't find the bed particularly comfortable - I could only sleep on my left side with my body following the curve of the high sides, I struggled to balance my feet on the ottoman, and another pillow would have been very welcome. But then, I'm a big guy and a rough sleeper! The crew woke me for breakfast, but I elected to get more sleep instead. The seatbelt signs came on 40 minutes before landing and the lavatories were locked immediately, which seemed excessive and only gave me just enough time to change back into my day clothes.

Arrival at LHR was delayed by traffic, with the captain saying it was the longest JFK-LHR flight he'd experienced for some time. Once on the ground, I was slightly put out that the entire Economy mini-cabin was allowed to disembark first, but it didn't really matter. Once through immigration, I genuinely thought my luggage had got lost. After waiting for 30 mins, I finally discovered that one of the baggage handlers had taken my case off the carousel and placed it in a row of luggage against a wall. I have no idea why, and it was very irritating, but I was just glad to be reunited with it.

I decided to stop off in the Revivals lounge. This is very much the poor relation to the Clubhouse, but it didn't matter. I was able to get a shower and then to have a perfectly decent English breakfast and fruit salad served by friendly staff, which made me feel a lot perkier.

All in all, I don't think Virgin Atlantic is quite as amazing as many people claim, but I did have a better experience on the return leg. With the New York flights and credit card spend, I've built up a healthy stash of Flying Club miles, so I'll look forward to sampling the 787 in due course!

pretty much agree with both your field reports.
I don't find UC good value at all.

A bit off topic.. but Im sure you would have noticed the Etihad lounge on your way to Virgin Lounge at JFK that was under construction.

Thanks Eggtastico. If I'm paying in excess of £2k (and many pay a lot more than that!) for a fairly short return flight, then I want the experience to be special... and it's not. The ground services are top notch, but the UC cabin is sub-standard. It might be better on the 787, but I really think it's time to ditch the coffin-like suites. Interesting that VS doesn't feature in the Skytrax Top 10 business class seats. There's also something about the service which is fun and flirty rather than serene and understated. I know this is a Virgin brand hallmark and won't change, but I personally prefer the Cathay Pacific ambience. I guess it comes down to subjective preference.

Thank you for the detailed TR. Sounds like a much better sector than the outbound, with friendlier crew on the ground and in the air.

I've only flown with Emirates in Y, and found their hard products to be miles better than the VS offerings, so I'm not surprised to hear your view on the seats etc. What makes me stick with VS is the service - I always feel well looked after (except on one or two occasions I suppose - but my post flight complaints were dealt with very well).

Anyway if you are used to the level of comfort offered by the middle east and Asian carriers, you definitely did the right thing choosing VS over BA...