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#930063 by Speedo
15 Dec 2016, 14:47
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This was our first go at a Ex-DUB flight - thanks to everyone here for all the advice! Our itinerary was DUB-LHR-EWR with a MIA-LHR-DUB return. The main purpose of the trip was to see friends for Thanksgiving but it morphed into a mini-roadtrip with 5 nights in the Bahamas tacked onto the end!

Flew over to DUB the night before from LCY. Nice easy positioning flight and LCY is very convenient for us (about 10 mins door-to-door!). Stayed at the Maldron at DUB which was clean and comfortable (even if the corridors do seem to go on for ever!).

Our DUB-LHR BA flight was at 10:30. Check in was fast with no-one in front of us at the CE desks. Our bags were tagged through to EWR and boarding cards for the VS flight also issued. Little queuing through security but nthing too bad.

Spent a short amount of time in the shared lounge. Nothing special but I made a good go at sampling all the pastry items on offer. The flight over was uneventful and comfortable - especially as we had exit row seats right at the back of CE, I've never had so much leg room! I do find it strange that BA won't let you reserve seats in advance of OLCI even if you are travelling CE unless you pay a fee. While it doesn't really matter on such a short flight, I would be a bit annoyed on a longer Europe flight, especially considering the cost of CE.

We landed into LHR ahead of schedule. The signing in T5 to flight connections was easy to follow and after a very short wait for a bus we were on our way to T3. Having never transferred at Heathrow I was slightly surprised when we had to go though security screening again. Once that was all done we to see the Virgin connections desk. Had a great chat with the lovely team there - discovered that the tunnel to the terminals was blocked by protesters, glad we had come in from DUB! New boarding passes were issued and directions to the Clubhouse offered.

After a little bit of shopping we headed up to the Clubhouse. The remodeling was explained to us when we arrived. The Clubhouse was pretty empty with plenty of empty seats. Mrs. Speedo headed off to book some treatments. They were having problems due to staff not being able to get in because of the protesters, so they couldn't fit in all the treatments she wanted. I settled down with a G&T to make my way through the tapas menu! The crispy cockles were particularly good. We were looked after by a member of cabin crew who was pregnant and thus off flight duty. She was fantastic and I hope that we get her on a flight in the future! One of the spa team came over to Mrs. Speedo and let her know that they had managed to move some bookings around and could fit all her treatments in. Again great service from them.

Boarding was called 15:20 and we slowly made our way down to the gate. Quite a queue when we got there but it moved quickly. Boarded West End Girl to find most people already in UC! Didn't think we had been that slow from the boarding call!! No welcome drink offered which didn't particularly bother me but did make me worry about the rest of the flight.

We pushed back on time with 228 people onboard. UC wasn't completely full with a few empty seats.

Once we were airborne the CC came round and introduced herself and addressed me by name. From this point on I wasn't worried about the service! Drinks were delivered and lunch ordered. I had the Chicken Satay and the Lemon and Thyme Chicken. I thought both of them were really good.

The rest of the flight passed quickly. The CC were really responsive to any requests. A snack was offered about an hour or so out from EWR but I didn't really fancy anything.

Landed into EWR ahead of time. We were out of the plane fairly quickly and into an empty immigration hall. Went straight to an agent and we were through in a minute! Probably the fastest I've ever been through immigration anywhere in the US! The speed of that meant there was a short wait for bags but overall a very quick arrival! Then it was off to Hilton for a night before starting the journey south.

Overall I thought it was really good flight. The food was excellent and I enjoyed the feel of the Dreamliner. The seat was comfortable as always though I do wish it could go into more of deep recline - in the end I converted it into a bed and watched some films lying down. The DUB portion wasn't much additional hassle and well worth it for the savings!
#930233 by buns
18 Dec 2016, 21:39
Thanks for the TR - Glad that V Flyer was helpful in doing an ex-EU trip.

Whilst a result on avoiding the protesters, the unavailability of staff did no doubt took a little of the shine off for Mrs speedo.

Good to hear the on board service was good


Thanks once again

buns
#930316 by tomthumb
19 Dec 2016, 19:22
Thanks for the TR - always good with a good crew on board
Virgin Atlantic

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