This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Having Platinum Ambassador status with IHG and staying at the InterContinental, I was able to make use of my late 16:00 check-out. Having booked a standard room here, I'd been upgraded by about 3 room categories to a partial water view room. I did notice a few days before IHG had changed my room type from my original upgraded full water view room to just a partial water view room but hey, not complaining as mentioned I'd only booked a standard room anyway.
I can highly recommend the InterContinental. A nice modern well maintained hotel with great rooms, facilities (including a pool), great staff and several restaurant options in a good location on the water front. It's a 5 minute walk to South station so easy to get to / from the airport using the Silver T bus line, which is actually free from the airport as well.
A short walk to South station and I was soon waiting for the Silver Line bus back to Logan which only takes about 20 minutes, though the International E terminal stop is the last drop-off point.
Again for this flight I was unable to OLCI.
VS check-in at Logan opens at 17:35 so I had 30mins or so to wait so I grabbed a coffee first. Check-in was pretty quick if a little chaotic, probably because it had just opened and there where quite a few people already waiting.
The agent needed some assistance from a colleague in checking my bag to just LHR as with this being an ex-DUB flight, my final flight leg to DUB departing LGW. It was soon sorted though and a bag tagged to LHR.
Made my way through security which only took about 10 minutes and was the usual. The number of people that don't completely empty their pockets before going through the full body scanners never ceases to amaze me! Remember for a full body scan, absolutely everything needs to be taken out of your pockets including handkerchiefs.
Headed down to the VS Clubhouse. Warmly welcomed and I was soon settling in. Had a hotdog and a bowl of chowder which where both very tasty. The Clubhouse did soon fill up but the service was good the whole time I was there.
Around 20:55 I decided to head to the gate before the call was made, simply to avoid the rush for the single lift up to departures. VS where departing gate 6 this evening.
The gate area was utter chaos. There was no clearly signposted priority boarding and people where just stood everywhere waiting to board. Families with small children where boarded first. Next came the priority boarding call, which was actually supposed to be next to where the gate desk was located, however, as most of the Upper Class pax where stood on the other side, the ground staff actually opened a second priority line on that side as well. It really was all very amateurish I have to say. There was no clear or defined system for boarding from what I saw. VS where using the excuse that the aircraft was late on stand. The actually VS aircraft had been at BOS since ~15:30 that afternoon so it wasn't due to a late arrival. Apparently it was actually down to the previous Air France flight being late at finishing using the gate. I heard one of the agents say that happens all the time.
The whole boarding process wasn't good at all and didn't portray a very good image for VS. It came across as if it was a little bit like it was their first time boarding and departing BOS, which obviously isn't the case!! The difference between here where they seemed to struggle with 1 x A346 flight and somewhere like MCO where they efficiently dispatch up to 4 or 5 flights a day was quite remarkable.
Once onboard the flight I was warmly welcomed and shown to my seat. The overall service on this evening's flight wasn't quite up to the same level as the outbound flight, although is wasn't in any way bad. The service just seemed very rushed. Ok it was only a 5hr 45 min flight but even so.
Pre-flight drinks where offered. Sleep suits handed out (which I don't use).
We had 306 pax onboard this evenings flight on board G-VWEB. J was full. I think the A346's has 315 seats (?) in total, so very nearly a full flight.
We pushed back a little late at 21:52 and rotated at 22:06. The seat belt seemed to be switched off very early, literally within a minute or two of rotating, as I got up and headed to the forward washroom to change into my shorts / t-shirt, you really could feel the aircraft still climbing.
I didn't feel like eating anything so converted my seat to a bed straight away. I always do this myself and personally I don't really see the need for the crew to do it for me, though they will of course offer. Breakfast card completed and handed in, duty free pre-order form handed in, I also need something else so handed over my money for that.
I must have started dozing off as I was woken up by a member of the crew banging the table of the seat behind me. Clearly another jammed table!!
Next thing I remember was been woken up by the crew for breakfast. Noticed my duty free had been delivered and left under my seat for me
Breakfast was very nice as usual. My table was working as it should this time too. Had the bacon roll followed by the pancakes.
I didn't use the VERA on-demand other than looking at the map.
The cabin was soon being cleared and secured for our final approach into LHR. No merry go rounds this morning.and we landed just after 8am a little early.
Said my goodbyes to the crew and headed to find out what immigration was going to be like. Pleased to say the self service immigration gates are now in use again at T3, though they actually had longer lines than the manned desks, which where deserted so I used one of those instead which clearly worked as I was first to the luggage carousel
Bags started coming off in no time and I was soon making my way up to Revivals.
All in all not a bad flight. Nothing much stood out about the flight itself (probably because I was asleep for the vast majority of it) but the boarding process at BOS was a shambles.
Regards
James Mitchell
James Mitchell