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#920518 by mikethe3rd
27 Apr 2016, 14:05
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I have been keen to report back on this flight after the CC on the previous leg were less than considerate.

We were so lucky with weather on this trip. A one off high of 24 in NY, one cloudy day in Florida and to end, sun and highs of 23 in DC. We spent our last day in the Georgetown area sat by the river… There are a couple of restaurants there and they’re not the greatest food wise, but their location and views are beautiful. We enjoyed the day sat in the sun ordering wine after wine.

I’m unsure if it ever made the news in the UK but the metro system in DC has been having a few issues lately and their 24-hour emergency closure coincided with our last day. We don’t really use the metro as we prefer to walk. That said, we were wary this could cause some extra traffic on the way to Dulles so we decided to get an Uber back to our hotel around 5pm and we were on our way to Dulles for 5:20pm. The driver drove back through Georgetown and after about 40 minutes of being stuck in traffic it was an easy 30-40 minute drive back to Dulles.

This didn’t leave a lot of time for the Clubhouse but we weren’t overly bothered. It seemed very small but very busy; the only two seats available being in the restaurant area. We killed 30 minutes in the lounge and then we were called for an on time 8pm departure.

I’ve always been a big fan of the A330 and have often wondered why it gets such a bad rep on this site and others. I’d never noticed it before but I now think it’s time to join the club. One of the reasons I’d liked the A330 was the intimacy of the cabin and it always felt so much smaller and more personal than the 340 or 747. Having now flown on the 787, I really get it. The 787 is roughly the same length as the 330 cabin, but with only 3 rows and a ridiculous amount of space for luggage etc if sat in row A, I really felt the size difference on board the 330 and couldn’t even find room for my relatively small hand baggage suitcase.

The FSM started with his on board greeting and just from his script less welcome, tone and general upbeat bounce to his voice you could instantly tell he was pleased to be on board and would command a good crew. I’m now convinced I can tell how the crew are going to perform from the first 5 seconds of these announcements.

They were superb. All of them. Professional throughout and nothing was too much trouble for them. We headed to the bar after take off and spoke to the FSM for about an hour. It was then time to try and get some sleep but always find it so difficult. I think I might give up trying on these overnight flights. After about an hour nap I awoke and one of the crew briskly came to my suite to wish me a good morning and ask if I was ready for breakfast. The same service ensued for Alex when she awoke to the captain’s 40 minute landing announcement. She was concerned she had missed breakfast so raced to the bar to collect some cereal. On returning to her seat, a bacon roll was waiting.

Were these a memorable crew? Not at all. But they were superb for doing everything to a high standard and so welcomed after our previous flight. I retract my scaremongering statement:

mikethe3rd wrote:As the redundancies arrive, I’m fearful this might become the norm over the next few six months. This was, unfortunately, the worst crew we’ve ever experienced.


We were able to disembark through L1 but the lack of ePassport gates added an extra 15 minutes to a standard trouble free exit.

Looking forward to my flight to Dubai in a few weeks on board the A340. As for now, we’re in Puerto Banús for a few nights of sun and this TR was written on board the EasyJet flight down from Gatwick. I think I prefer them for short haul travel to BA but that’s another thing all together. Thanks for reading!
#920519 by SlimpyJones
27 Apr 2016, 14:20
Cheers mike, very glad to hear a good report. I've always been intrigued by the IAD clubhouse. You mention it was busy - could you tell whether this was lots of Au/UC passengers as I gather the lounge is shared with VX and possibly others and if this caused the busyness.
#920520 by mikethe3rd
27 Apr 2016, 14:34
I believe it was mostly busy due to other carriers. As our flight approached it did empty out. I'm not au fait with the DC schedule and noticed the VS22 departed closer to 10pm the following day so it does depend what time you depart, too.

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