V-Flyer

My first non-Virgin long haul flight for a few years and my first experience of Terminal 5 at Heathrow.

Check-in was slow, even though there was no queue. Only two desks were open and at both the assistant was on the phone sorting out a passenger's problems. After about ten minutes another desk was opened up. The check-in process itself was then pretty quick and security speedy.

On to the lounge. Despite being a new terminal, the business lounge is nothing special - give me the Clubhouse any day! Fortunately, after about 30 mins the gate came up for my flight indicating it was going from the satellite so I headed over the to satellite business lounge. Again nothing special, but at least it was quiet.

Boarding the aircraft was efficient with a separate business/first line. Although the air bridge seemed to go on for about half a mile.

Onboard the service wasn't particularly good. The crew were efficient rather than friendly. I had an aisle seat upstairs on a 747. The crew kept leaning across me with no apology to talk to the lady sitting at the window beside me. It was very irritating when you're trying to watch a movie when every five minutes a stewardess leans across the 12" gap between you and a tv screen! Also I'm not sure why the need to push a trolley down the aisle to serve the twenty odd passengers when walking from the galley with the trays would have been quicker and would have meant they didn't keep knocking my elbow.

Overall impression confirmed my conclusion that Virgin excels against BA business. Had I able to get a Virgin ticket for the full route (LHR > HKG > SYD > SIN > LHR) I definitely would have opted for that. Unfortunately the only code shares with Singpore were double the BA ticket price. The only perk to this trip was an upgrade to First class for the return leg as some form of BA promotion.

Thanks for the TR. Upstairs in the bubble is def the place to be, but I agree the leaning over by staff can be a little bit annoying, but im my last expereince I was more that happy for the stewardess to lean over me :-)

Those T5 jet bridges do go on ... and Galleries really are nothing special when you've been spoiled by the Clubhouse, but, it's the seating arrangement that puts me off BA. Looking forward to the return TR in First though!

Thanks for TR.

That constant leaning over would have annoyed me A LOT.

Fare enough for serving drinks and meals etc but certainly not of it was for more general conversation. If it was me I would certainly have said something!

Interesting report. I noted that in the latest Sunday Times Travel magazine, Singapore Airlines was rated one of the worst (in terms of fare difference from Y to C and the likelihood of getting an old aircraft, amongst others)... and Virgin came out best for their Upper Class product.