This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
The day before I was due to fly I completed online check in – all worked OK for Southampton to Manchester with flybe and Manchester to New York with Virgin, but unable to check in for the Delta connection on to Boston. I arrived at Southampton airport in good time and explained the situation, flybe staff informed me that they could tag my bag all the way to Boston, but could not give me a boarding pass for the Delta part of the journey as they only codeshare with Virgin and not Delta. Security at Southampton was fairly quiet and I was through in a few minutes, with time for a coffee before the flight was due to board. The flight from Southampton to Manchester was uneventful and a flight time of 45 minutes was expected. On arrival at Manchester I followed the signs for flight connections, about 10-minute walk from plane to flight connections. Here I was greeted by Virgin staff who were able to give me a boarding pass for the Delta connection and a card to allow entry to the Escape Lounge. There is then a short bus ride to T2. When I arrived at the Lounge it was relatively quiet, although the staff told me that it had been very busy prior to the earlier departures to Orlando & Chicago. While it’s no Clubhouse the staff here are great and there was sufficient food & drink to keep me happy. Flight was called about an hour before departure and I headed to the Gate and was able to board immediately. I was pleasantly surprised to find the aircraft was a 747 (Barbarella), I had been expecting an Airbus 330. It was the first time that I’ve flown UC in a 747. I was welcomed on board and offered a glass of champagne. The whole experience was superb and the cabin crew never stopped and nothing ever seems too much trouble. After the meal, which was served with some excellent red wine and cheese, biscuits & Port I got some rest before the afternoon tea service. I can’t remember exactly what was on the menu but the food was good and the service was all excellent.
We landed at JFK early which meant that I had plenty of time for the connection; I’d not done a connection at JFK so was not sure what to expect. As a returning ESTA holder immigration is much simpler than in previous years and you don’t need to fill out the blue customs form any more. Even though bag was tagged through Boston after immigration you still have to wait for bag and then have it re-checked after exiting the arrivals hall. I then had to head for security to get back to the departure gates. Being a Friday afternoon, it was exceptionally busy and took a good 20 minutes. As my connection flight was going from the B side of T4, I headed for the Delta Sky Club more out of curiosity to see how it compared to other lounges & the Clubhouse. As expected, it was very busy, but I found a seat and was able to relax while waiting for my flight. Just to note it took me 1 hour & 45 minutes from landing to getting through immigration & security and get to the Sky Club. At the appointed time I headed to the Gate, there was a slight delay in boarding as crew’s inwards working was late. We boarded about 20 mins late, the aircraft was a small CRJ9 so did not take long to board. As is often the case at JFK we spent 45 minutes taxying, but a relatively quick flight time of 40 minutes and we were in Boston. On arrival at Boston had a short wait for the bag to arrive. There is then a bus to take you to the subway station and after a short trip on the subway I was in downtown Boston and my hotel.
So, in summary, the downsides:
It was a very long day leaving Southampton at 10am, finally arriving Boston 930pm (although some days there is a direct flight Manchester to Boston which would reduce the overall trip time).
No Clubhouse at Manchester.
The positives:
I was able to travel UC (in a 747) at a very reasonable price.
Travelled to/from Southampton airport which saved me having to get to Heathrow
The Manchester based crews are superb and are a credit to Virgin and I would fly via Manchester again.