This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
I was then able to check-in online as normal.
Drove back to MIA and dropped my car off at Alamo around 17:00 and then made my way to the delight that is concourse F at Miami International airport
It’s basically a sh1thole - there really is no other way to describe it. Avoid at all costs and spend the absolute minimum time there you really have to. For an International airport it’s a complete and utter disgrace. You don’t even need to head inside to see what a mess it is. TBH, I spent most of my time there sat in the smoking area across the road from the departure concourse!
You can see from the photo (taken from the smoking area) where the signage is missing above one of the entrances. The white structure above is the on-site hotel). VS use concourse F which is a little further to the left of where that photo was taken. I really really wish VS would move in with DL in their renovated concourse H.
Check-in for the VS6 opens at 17:40 even when VS operate the earlier VS117/118 flights and I remember from a previous time, they will not yet anyone check-in for the VS6 flight when check-in opens for the earlier VS118 flight.
I waited at the Upper Class desk line, but as someone was in front of me one of the agents working the Economy desks called me over which meant having to fight through several people to get to him and of course he didn’t have all the necessary priority bag tags or lounge stickers etc so had to keep running back and too between his counter and one of the other Upper Class counters. Not the best idea really.
Headed back outside for as long as I could. I did grab some food before going through security as well and I’d seriously recommend everyone does this as the lounge offering was utterly abysmal (more on that later).
Up to security. Hmmmmm , well for starters, you can forget about TSA-Pre in concourse F. It simply does does exist here. You get a ‘TSA priority’ service instead. I use the term priority very very loosely as well. You still have to queue up with everyone else, once you get to the initial agent checking your boarding pass and passport, you are then handed a blue ‘priority’ card to go though the same security as everyone else. The only concession you get is you get to keep your shoes on and you get a standard metal detector rather than a full body scanner....that's it, nothing else!!!! Lap-tops and tablets etc all have to be taken out of your bags in the normal way. The TSA staff, though whilst being polite where not particularly friendly. One of them kept shouting at everyone to NOT pass through the little gate before the initial passport check until they where called to do so, however, that was difficult as the line for the security where backing up anyway!! It was pretty chaotic TBH.
The Club America lounge - lol what can an say about that....not a great deal really . Whilst VS Upper Class pax now get to use the (I believe) recently renovated windowless ‘First Class’ section, there where the ‘First class’ service ends. The food offering consisted of a few stale looking sandwiches which looked like the had been left out for sometime as we’ll as a few bits of dry vegetables. The odd biscuit was also available. Not much else other than a coffee machine.
It was pretty full as well when I was there with very little spare seating. The lounge had absolutely no atmosphere what so ever and actually felt more like a dentist waiting room rather than an airport lounge. Even the TV wasn’t working. You could hear the mumbles from around you from other pax who knew better lounges and especially those flying VS having used the LHR Clubhouse first. A couple sat next to me where truly amazed at how bad it was here. The WiFi and mobile 4G/LTE service sucked as well in there just to ice the cake
Just to add to the ambiance of the lounge, there where no paper towels in the gents washroom either
The flight was called around 20:50. The usual chaos around the gate 19 area with the priority line there but pretty well hidden on the left hand side of the gate. They where just boarding pax who needed extra time by the time I got to the gate and then Upper Class pax where then called to board.
I was welcomed onboard and made my way to my 12A seat. The aircraft was an A346 again (G-VRED). Again the seat and cabin appeared to be in good condition.
We had 311 pax this evening , 11 crew and 3 flight deck crew. We pushed back 10 minutes early at 21:30 and rotated at 21:50. This evenings flight would be a speedy 7hrs and 20 minutes as we where expecting tailwinds of approx 200mph.
It did get bumpy a few times during the flight with the seat-belt sign coming on and even the Captain coming on asking the crew to take their seats too! That is never a good sign, though it didn’t get that bad actually. I’ve had worse turbulence before.
I just had the soup to eat as I really didn’t fancy either chicken or beef, which seem to have been on the Upper Class menu for months now <sigh>
I didn’t really watch much on the IFE, though it did appear to work OK. Again USB charging blocks where handed out which convert the on-board Empower connection to USB.
The FSM was helping out with the on-board service and after she cleared my table, she came back and thanked me for being a regular flyer and turned down my bed for me.
One thing I always always do though when converting my seat into a bed is empty the arm rest pocket before pushing it down as I’ve had a previous incident where that would not pop back up and the crew had to litterly force it up using brute force. Same thing again with this one as it would not pop back up after I woke up!!
After getting changed into my own shorts and t-shirt (I don’t like the sleep suits) and after settling down, I managed a good few hours sleep and actually found the bed very comfortable this time. I woke just as breakfast was being served. I’d already filled in my breakfast order form so after getting changed it was all ready for me.
We where only about an hour away from LHR so it wasn’t long before the crew where securing the cabin for our arrival. We touched down a little after 10:00 so almost a full hour early.
I said my goodbyes to the crew and headed to immigration , which I’m thankful to say was deserted at the time of the morning. Those stupid machines wouldn’t let me through. The staff tried to tell me to take my glasses off.....I don’t think so, when my passport photograph has me wearing my glasses FFS. I was directed to be manually processsed where the agent told me that the machines where indeed pretty hopeless as they fail with many people.
Headed down to collect my bags and as was outside topping up my nicotine by 10:45.
All in all a good solid VS flight. MIA doesn’t get any better though I’ve already decided if I do the same thing again this year which is looking like I will, I will most definitely avoid MIA now and fly to FLL this time as DL fly there from at least JFK )possibly others, not sure yet) so I could fly from MAN via JFK which would suit me much better.
Regards
James Mitchell
James Mitchell