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#925736 by horburyflyer
05 Sep 2016, 16:06
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So it was time to head over to NYC once again....taking the train from Yorkshire to the airport was seamless and around 75mins door to door. Far better than the dreadful M62 or 'over the tops' the old way....

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 :D

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.

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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.

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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 :D

Thanks for reading.

Jon
#925747 by buns
05 Sep 2016, 16:42
jon
Thanks for the promptly posted TR - which, as usual, was an enjoyable read.

The frequency with which you travel through MAN gives us the opportunity to see how good the place can be and as VS expands the operation there, I sincerely hope that it proves a financial success to justify the continuation of the VS presence in the Escape Lounge.

I think we are of like minds about the importance of having a good FSM results in the on board experience being unbeatable. So pleased that you once again had such a good flight. One question - with only 12 in UC why continue with 8K (presuming this was a 330)??

Looking forward to the Delta leg

Thanks once again

buns
#925759 by horburyflyer
05 Sep 2016, 18:50
buns wrote:jon
Thanks for the promptly posted TR - which, as usual, was an enjoyable read.

The frequency with which you travel through MAN gives us the opportunity to see how good the place can be and as VS expands the operation there, I sincerely hope that it proves a financial success to justify the continuation of the VS presence in the Escape Lounge.

I think we are of like minds about the importance of having a good FSM results in the on board experience being unbeatable. So pleased that you once again had such a good flight. One question - with only 12 in UC why continue with 8K (presuming this was a 330)??

Looking forward to the Delta leg

Thanks once again

buns


Many thanks buns. 8K is 'my seat' and come rain or shine I stay put....I did use to be a fan of 3K and 4K but I do believe (might just be in the mind...) that 8K is more roomy for example than 7K that I was in a few weeks ago and it felt tighter.

The bar doesn't bother me on day flights even when busy.

Interesting one of the CC on the flight on Friday asked me exactly the same question :-D

Jon
#925760 by horburyflyer
05 Sep 2016, 18:54
ColOrd wrote:Very good TR always Horburyflyer.

Did having the VS member of staff in the lounge make a difference at all?


In the grand scheme of things - No! She did take time to chat and answer any questions and she was helping with some seating requests for some passengers on the VS075.

A nice to see enhancement.

Jon
#925761 by ColOrd
05 Sep 2016, 19:03
Lets hope the trial is a roaring success and they start to at least Virginise the Escape Lounge!

I haven't been in the one in terminal 2, but the one in T3 was quite nice if a little dated!
#925763 by horburyflyer
05 Sep 2016, 19:30
buns wrote:jon
Thanks for the promptly posted TR - which, as usual, was an enjoyable read.

The frequency with which you travel through MAN gives us the opportunity to see how good the place can be and as VS expands the operation there, I sincerely hope that it proves a financial success to justify the continuation of the VS presence in the Escape Lounge.

I think we are of like minds about the importance of having a good FSM results in the on board experience being unbeatable. So pleased that you once again had such a good flight. One question - with only 12 in UC why continue with 8K (presuming this was a 330)??

Looking forward to the Delta leg

Thanks once again

buns


I forgot to add in the TR that this was the first ATL flight that I have been on for over a year that wasn't full. Just a typical early September blip between the end of the School holidays and the Labor holiday weekend in the U.S.

What I do understand is that JFK is selling really really well and San Francisco is exceeding expectations. LAX would make a nice addition don't you think..... ;-) and of course DL are widely expected to announce MAN-DTW this month from next spring too!

Jon
#925770 by SlimpyJones
05 Sep 2016, 20:30
Always enjoy your TRs Jon, especially hearing things from the MAN side of operations! Very glad to hear that JFK & SFO are selling well too. I was taking a look at the MAN expansion earlier today and there was mention on one of the articles that the first bits of work could start later this year. I would absolutely love for VS to take full advantage of the expansion and build a solid base, potentially even become the biggest airline there. There's so much potential I think.

I'm very interested to hear your take on your DL return flight as well!

:)

Cheers
#925772 by ScoobySu
05 Sep 2016, 20:48
horburyflyer wrote:What I do understand is that JFK is selling really really well and San Francisco is exceeding expectations. LAX would make a nice addition don't you think..... ;-) and of course DL are widely expected to announce MAN-DTW this month from next spring too!

Jon


That's really good to hear about SFO - I've been living in fear that our May 2017 flights may end up merged/cancelled due to low demand!

Thanks Jon for another excellent report!
#925775 by buns
05 Sep 2016, 21:07
horburyflyer wrote:


Many thanks buns. 8K is 'my seat' and come rain or shine I stay put....I did use to be a fan of 3K and 4K but I do believe (might just be in the mind...) that 8K is more roomy for example than 7K that I was in a few weeks ago and it felt tighter.

The bar doesn't bother me on day flights even when busy.

Interesting one of the CC on the flight on Friday asked me exactly the same question :-D

Jon


Jon

Thanks for that - Likewise, I am a big fan of 8 & 9 A when travelling on the 330. Wider seats and the bar (even on a return from ATL) does not bother

Hoping the configuration gets the re-vamp soon

buns
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