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#914537 by cooperman
19 Dec 2015, 14:46
Ground Staff
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Pre-amble....bear with me, it gets a bit involved. A bit of a story to tell that gives you an insight of a V-Flyer' travels .... more than just the flight.
After reading this before posting, the preamble is more interesting than the flight!

So, here goes:

This was a first time trip on a B789 Dreamliner for me. I was keen to compare to my usual mode of transport to my mud hut by the sea in the sunshine which, for years, has been on The Big Bus A346.
The trip itself was planned months in advance to take advantage of M upgraded to G fare availability, originally for the 25th. November. (£1,026.00 plus 60k miles and miles earned for the M fare). :cool:
In the interim, however, I was asked by my company if I would change my dates so that I could attend an industry function which was on the same day that I was supposed to travel. ( Being the systems sales expert in my company, they couldn't do without me!). :blush:
So, straight onto the phone to check availability for the same fares, different dates. Nope...only Economy available.
Now, as much as I really do enjoy my work and respect my boss, there comes a time when one has to remember to always turn left onto a long haul flight. Even though any fare changes would be covered on expenses, I couldn't get them to agree to pay for a full UC Fare without using miles. (£4200, I think!)
Paul's not changing his dates to travel a lower class. :-P
So, we agreed that I would go on my original dates and they would struggle through .
Checking, checking and checking...a couple of weeks before the original due flight dates I managed to find, online G availability. So that was booked on the phone within seconds of me seeing the availability, at a total change cost of £114 (the M fare change cost plus the difference in the actual fare).
I also managed to change my domestic flight from JNB to DUR for another £41. Result, I'm now sorted for the new dates, the boss is happy, I have brownie points at work and we managed to secure a good few contracts at the conference. :-D
There is a moral to this pre amble....keep checking for miles upgrade availability...you never know when they will appear.

The day of the trip was the same day that my client entertaining duties at the above conference didn't end until around 4.00 am in the Chateau Impney hotel bar...! Luckily I paced myself on the booze as I would be driving after hotel checkout time at 11.00.
I managed to get SEQ 14 at OLCI....via iphone app after excusing myself from the conference dinner table...I know, I know, how very naughty of me...but I did explain to my guests of the importance of the attempt..."Sad Paul"..... I did try for the coveted SEQ1...it wasn't to be! :-(

A steady drive from Worcestershire to Camberley where I had arranged to leave my car with a pal.
He would drive me up to T3 DTCI. He is always amazed at the unique experience of having someone take your bag away and issue you boarding pass without waiting in line at a normal check in desk... a true executive experience that he will do himself...maybe one day.

So, straight through DTCI and security, passed through T3 shopping mall and up the marble stairs to be welcomed into the Clubhouse...all within what seemed like 5 minutes!
Found my favourite spot on a sofa behind the bar, and then started the usual top class service. Umpteen mojitios (mojiti?) CH tapas, a visit to the deli counter, stroll up to the garden roof, shower. What a great way to pass 4 hours...oh, and a few zzz's due to the early morning finish at the conference.
I boarded at the first call, straight on to G-VAHH, Dream Girl. Only one air bridge operating into L2. Maybe this is the way they board B789's now. The Previous A346 always used L1 and L2. So I really did turn left on the plane.

And into seat 5K.

Sorted out my things for the flight .... iPad and QC15's, just in case IFFE wasn't showing anything interesting to me.

Here's an observation... the usual routine of going to the loo to change into my T shirt was fine. Except when I tried to leave and return to my seat. The loo's are located in between UC and PE at door L2. No problems getting in, but the door opens outwards, into the walkway. So, as other pax are still boarding, I had to keep trying to open the door in between pax passing into P E or onto EC...... a nice large space in the loo though. Maybe a design oversight as the door could quite easily open inwards and save the escape from the loo issue!

Cheery CC came round with pre flights drinks....water for me though as I needed to re-hydrate a bit after the previous days entertainment and the mojiti in the CH.

A full UC and PE cabin, seems as though there were a fair few spare seats down the back.
On time take off....and a really quiet one too. The B789 certainly seems a lot quieter than the A364 when on full thrust down the runway.

The larger window gave a good night-time view over the South of UK ..I never got to use the electronic dimming though as it was a night flight and there was so nothing to see outside.

A note on the windows at row 5 ...they are very offset in relation to the seat position so a fair bit of neck twisting is needed. Row 6 seems to have a more direct view out.

A search through Vera Touch IFFE revealed nothing that I fancied so, music it was to be via iPad and QC 15's then. I had my very own rock concert at 38000 feet. I think I succeeded in not singing along out loud to my tunes! :cool:

FSM came around, no introduction, no mention of name, just "Sir". and took pre dinner drink order (Bacardi n Coke).
Dinner ordered, along with cornflakes and a bacon butty for brekky.
FSM was also on wine waiter duty, again professional and "matter of fact" but not the usual VS style.
Dinner was main course only for me. A lovely fillet steak with veggies. I have had worse in a normal restaurant. Washed down with a Sauv. Blanc...and another, and another. The cheery CC certainly made up for the lack of FSM enthusiasm and interaction.

Dinner service completed, the majority of pax bedded down for the night.

Being a true V-Flyer, I just had to visit the new style bar.....what a disappointment. Whilst I took the remainder of my wine to the bar to finish it and to get a top up, not only were CC non existent, the bar stools were not padded and there were unusable footrests which could probably only fit ladies of children's feet size. Maybe they have been designed in a way to make pax move on after a short while... not comfy enough for them to linger?
So ,no action at the bar, no other pax were bothered, no top ups ( I could have asked but, maybe, it was time to get some sleep) back to 5K and made my bed...Night Night.

Brekky about 90 minutes before landing. All OK, even the bacon butty was yummy.
Back to the loo to change and yes, again, I managed to open the door into someone who was walking by...oops, sorry! :blush:

The loo "block" is shared by UC and PE pax. The loos at the UC side are bigger, the PE side are standard size but with doors opening inwards. There didn't seem to be any segregation as pax from both cabins used any of them as they became available.

Landed early, straight onto stand and into a virtually empty immigration hall..unusual for the VS601 as it usually lands just after a Lufthansa A380 ...imagine that lot in front of you at immigration.

Bags off within minutes of arriving at the carousel.
Straight through another empty customs hall, bags dropped at South African Airways re-check desk and up to the new SAA lounge to wait from my flight to Durban.

Comparing B789 to Big Bus A346...nothing different in the seat, a bigger window, a lot quieter cabin and, I think, a more refreshing arrival to the less intense, higher moisture content air conditioning. Thumbs up from me. :-)

The lack of involvement of the FSM and the initial cheery CC made this a solid flight, nothing special, not too much interaction and banter per my usual VS trips to JNB...the return however, was completely the opposite. I'll try to do a TR on this soon.

If you managed to read to this bit...thanks for sticking with the story!

Paul
#914586 by David
20 Dec 2015, 22:29
Hey Paul

Looks like your first trip on the Dreamliner was ok but nothing special. Shows again the importance of a good crew to finish off the Virgin sparkle.

I noticed the issue with the toilet door but on the plus side, the space in the upper ones is amazing compared to what we've been used to :-)

You back to reality yet ??

David
#914587 by mitchja
20 Dec 2015, 23:12
Thanks for the TR

The washrooms on-board all aircraft where the solid door opens outwards are wheelchair / accessibility enabled hence why they are also bigger than standard washrooms.
#914592 by cooperman
21 Dec 2015, 08:43
David wrote: You back to reality yet ??David

Back to work yes…back to reality…No! :-O

mitchja wrote:The washrooms on-board all aircraft where the solid door opens outwards are wheelchair / accessibility enabled hence why they are also bigger than standard washrooms.


Thanks for the reminder on access James. How selfish of me not to think of this! :blush:
#914593 by jfenney
21 Dec 2015, 08:44
Firstly congrats on the perseverance of looking for the ellusive G fare :-D . Thanks for the informative TR and as always it seems the crew make or break the flight. Have to admit not taking a route that would entertain me using the 787 but it sounds a great aircraft for comfort.

Jurgen
Virgin Atlantic

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