Now of course there is no direct Virgin Atlantic flight from the US to the land of convicts, but you get to fly V Australia for this leg.
I got the standard First class V america flight down from SFO to LAX, not quite with it's usual charm as I was in row 1 not 2A as usual, and I was sad to leave so many good friends behind. There were some great views of LA as we came down the coast and looped over the city, and of course the Jack n Coke flowed freely
Fortunately the Virgin America and V Aus flights both operate out of terminal 3 at LAX, so as soon as I had picked up my bags, I had them checked in, and with boarding pass safely secured, jumped in a cab down to Manhattan Beach to watch the sunset
(my favourite place on Earth) and grab some decent food during the 7 hour stopover.Nicely refuelled and imbibed I headed back to LAX and made my way to the less than stellar Alaska Airlines lounge that a few airlines seem to use out of terminal 3. It is very no thrills but a couple of whisky and cokes and a bag of crisps filled some time while writing a few cards. Not a place to spend any considerable time though.
The V Aus staff were always on hand to keep usinformed, and we boarded on time, with the nice girl walking us to boarding.
Having flown V upper a few times I was curious to see the difference in the product, and the first noticebale thing (other than the attractive young Aussie lasses welcoming us on board
) was just how fat and wide the 777 is.A quick turn left revealed the Business cabin 4 rows of staggered 232 formation, with the mystical curtained off row 5 behind the bar (which nobody had booked but a couple of obviously regular flyers jumped into just after take off, which naturally irked as you always feel like you're missing something
).It felt a bit odd facing forward rather than sideways, but the seat was pretty good, lots of leg room, I'm 6'4 and had no issues, just slightly tight for a very large frame (ahem).
Champagne and nibbles were doshed out, and I recall them being very nice nut selection? Maybe olives? And the bubbly was a vintage Moet which went down a treat. 1-0 to V Aus.
The FSM came round with the amenity pack, a terrific little number, Bulgari washbag containg Bulgari lip balm and body lotion, nivea roll on deodarant, colgate mouth wash, toothbrush and paste, excellent ear plugs, and the most comfortable eye mask I have come across. 2-0 to V Aus.
Next the girl who would be looking after my section came over to introduce herself, spent a nice amount of time chatting and making sure I had everything I needed.
Take off was smooth and on time as we left the lights of the South Bay beaches behind and headed out over the Pacific. Of course normally you get used to hooking a right and doubling back over California, so it was a little daunting to know that there was nothing but 15 hours of the deepest parts of the Pacific ocean beneath you.
Fortunately I had booked myself into the back seat against the window, so felt nicely ensconsed, and there was nobody in the seat next to me which was very important for the sleeping part of the flight. Unfortunately you can't do anything online with V Aus, such as booking your seat, I'd had to phone someone in Australia, so one back for V Atlantic, 2-1.
Dinner was served shortly after take off (around 10:30pm) and was fairly similar to V Atlantic fair, cant recall exactly what I had, beef and wasabi mash potato i think.
The usual V-Red offerings were available on 10" fold out touch screens, but I didn't take advantage, just used the noice cancelling headphones to dull the engine noise.
Pretty soon people started to go to sleep, and one of the good things about the seat is that it is a variable tilt seat, all the way to flat, so I set myself up, eyeshade on and earplugs in and tried to kip. V Aus seats definitely better than Atlantic 3-1 V Aus.
![][|)](./images/smilies/icon_smile_sleepy.gif "Sleepy"){kind=icon}
The cabin did get pretty hot midway through the flight, and was quite uncomfortable. I got up several times for a stroll, and the bar area was dead, only 3 stools to sit at, but not very cosey, no room for a flight attendant to stand behind a bar and chat, just drinks on a shelf. Definitely a major plus for V Atlantic 3-2.
Their was quite a bit of turbulence, and the seatbelt sign was on for quite a while, which is apparently quite common as the jetstream hits you from the side as opposed to head on.
I got a fair amount of sleep, and woke up in time for breakfast, which was by far the best I have had on a plane, fresh fruit, pastries, and a very good cooked b'fast with decent eggs and bacon, nicely presented. Again a big winner for V Aus over Atlantic. 4-2.
Before long we were descending into Melbourne, with terrific views of the city and the MCG as we approached, and with immigration card and fasttrack pass in hand, was through to the sunshine in about 10 minutes, no hassle.
Overall the product is definitely superior to V atlantic, the staff are still fresh and cheerfull and the seat/bed was much better.
I'll try and add some pics but not sure they'll appear here.
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Last edited by LondonRaider on 11 Feb 2011, 08:38, edited 1 time in total.
ROUND THE WORLD UC.........
