This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Welcomed warmly by the ground team at MAN. I was greeted by a little bit of a queue but handled well by the team at MAN who really IMO are the best ground team across the VS network
Security using the priority lane was easy and straightforward. I was greeted by name into the Escape lounge where for a trial VS are having a uniformed representative in the lounge. The CC member (who is expecting) was friendly, helpful and provided a really personalised experience. Good to see if it gets extended beyond the end of September when the trial ends.
I headed down to the gate which was 202. This is the far end end of T2 so a steady 10min walk from the lounge. Boarding finally commenced at 1025 and it was clear from the number of passengers in the seating area, this was a far from a full flight. I had been watching the seat map on Expertflyer for a few days and only 12 passengers had selected the seats until the morning before the flight. And 12 it stayed.
Welcomed at the door warmly and directed to 'Suite 8K' where a glass of champagne was quickly offered. This was closely followed by newspapers, magazines and a personal welcome to everyone in UC from the FSM who provided the menu for the flight. The amenity kit was already on the ottoman and though we had been provided with a bottle of water on the air-bridge, the crew offered one more before take off too.
Already it was clear this was going to be one of of those memorable flights for all the right reasons. The FSM was top of her game, a seriously long-standing member of the Manchester team and proud of that and it showed in every good way possible. The CC were chatty (5 in UC) friendly and keen to please.
Push-back came at 1059. The delayed VS075 just beat us to the runway so we were finally airborne at 1128 waiting our turn in the line-up.
So 154 passengers on board with a CC of 10 and a flight time of 8hrs30mins on 'Lady Love'
Hot towels were quickly offered after take off and drink orders taken. I stuck with the Sapphire southside though I think I am loosing my taste for them, so switched later on.
Drink refills and crisps too were offered a couple of times whilst lunch orders were taken and tables were laid for lunch at 1245.
I won't got into the menu as it is exactly the same as previous TRs and is due to change shortly. I enjoyed the Tomato and Basil soup which was served with more than one passing of bread, the Beef which was tender and delicious and enjoyed the blueberry and lemon sponge with cream. The only slight change as the pudding was listed as the lemon curd sponge.
I enjoyed a little cheese and then settled down to watch Veep...again!!
I made a visit to the bar and chatted to the crew for a short while and the bar was kept well stocked with snacks. The CC were regularly in the cabin offering drinks, promoting the Extra bites menu and offering the snack basket.
I snoozed for a while and had a couple of soft drinks. Water bottles were regularly provided and then two hours out of ATL, the extra bites options were offered. I enjoyed the classic gourmet burger which was delicious and a selection of mini cakes.
The CC went around the cabin thanking everyone for their company and for flying VS. This was reaffirmed by the FSM who came to shake hands just before a final round of hot towels and lovehearts.
We touched down at 1500 and were on the stand quickly. I was fearing the worst after a few previous visits through ATL over the summer were met with large queues and long delays. I didn't need to worry, I was through in mins and the whole experience was seamless.
I was sipping a G&T in one of the Delta Sky Clubs within 30mins of stepping off the aircraft. That is a first for me.
My journey to NYC was seamless after my last trip which was plagued with long delays. We did leave a little late. It felt strange on a journey of 1hr45mins to be sitting on a 76W in a Delta One configuration. Dinner was served which consisted of a cold Chicken Noodle salad or a steak with spinach and potato wedges.
Drinks were regularly offered and a cookie ended things on a sweet note.
Another fantastic flight with VS. A superb FSM, a great CC and a seamless experience both at MAN and ATL. Coming up a review of Delta One from JFK -MAN
Thanks for reading.
Jon