Still, we reached Luton at around 07.45 and headed straight for the Silverjet lounge, which is just outside the main terminal building. Check-in was done at the door, very quickly and efficiently and we settled down with some Buck's Fizz (probably a little bit early for straight champers, but good for settling the jangled nerves!). The lounge was already quite busy but there are plenty of seats and tables and a good breakfast spread of cereals, juices, breads and sausage rolls. At around 9.30, people started queing at the security door, located at the end of the lounge. No actual boarding announcement was made but most people were aware that it was time to go.
Security was relatively quick but extremely thorough - shoes and belts off, full pat downs and liquid analysis were all happening, so don't expect an easy ride! The only real gripe I have about the whole experience was standing outside security waiting for the next coach to the aircraft in the freezing cold - and then sitting on board said coach waiting for it to fill up, getting colder and colder by the minute. Not something many premium passengers are going to enjoy very much.
A short drive to the AC, a 767, boarded by the front steps and settled in 5E & 5F, window and aisle in a 2-2-2 config. The window at 5F is not best placed for viewing the outside world, though.
Everything that followed was extremely positive and begs certain comparisons; The seats were nowhere near VS UC standard, more like Gulf Air's J product in that they were reasonably comfortable and worked well, but lacked width and the flat bed aspect. IFE was quite bizarre and rather quaint - each seat was equipped with a small, hand-held TV screen, like a Sony Watchman only a bit bigger, which you connected to a power supply with the adaptor handed out by cabin crew along with headphones. The films (about a dozen new and recent movies) and tv shows were pre-loaded onto the device and could be fast forwarded or paused on command.
Nothing really to get excited about and I think I watched an episode of Hell's Kitchen and Frazier which appealed to me most out of all available choices - another win for VS here, I think!
However, the cabin crew were the friendliest and most professional I have ever encountered, although I get the feeling that the cc:pax ratio is quite high, so that might explain a lot. I think the flight was about 75% full. There is no call button, but none was required as there was always someone on hand to help. Nothing was too much trouble - I fancied a Fanta but none was available and instead I got a lemonade/fresh orange mix - a much superior brew!
Foodwise, Silverjet wins again over all other carriers I have experienced. My wife can't eat dairy products and the pre-selected meal she was served, a kind of chickpea and vegetable tagine was pretty amazing. Likewise, my spatchcocked poussin with salt beef and green beans starter was superb. The bread basket which was constantly circulated had a choice of raisin & walnut, olive or sourdough and was as good as I've eaten anywhere.
The flight, 7h.55m, was one of the best experiences I've had in the air. Well done, Silverjet, and long may you prosper and even the one hour queue at EWR immigration didn't seem so bad after all that had gone before.
PS - The return, (apart from a very bumpy 5h.50m duration) was every bit as good as the outbound trip, and I managed to sleep most of the time, despite the angled seat and, according to the captain, the very unusual turbulance.
One tip for passengers would be to get to Newark early as the lounge is very small and seating is at a premium, although we were lucky enough to bag two of the huge ball chairs. Lounge food's not great either, consisting mainly of crisps and sandwiches. Another weak link, but hey, nobody's poifect as they say in New Jersey!
