PE cabin upper deck

Travelling to MCO again in October and have requested 19AC outbound and 24HK inbound. Wanted to try the upper deck on the return leg. Not been upstairs since the refurbishment so a few questions please. Are there still two cc seats behind 24HK and is there a fixed curtain behind both 24AC and 24HK with maybe a moveable curtain for the aisle? Also, are there still side bins in the PE section upstairs and the same overhead storage arrangements. As always any advice to appreciated, thanks.

[Neil]

The side storage bins are still the same, as are the overhead bins (i.e. a bit smaller than those downstairs).

There is now one CC member behind 24AC and one behind 24HK rather than them both being together.

The curtain is as you have described also.

Neil

Hi Neil, thanks for the information.

Barrie

I flew 24K in June and fit is exactly as the other guys describe - only downside is when you come to disembark - you have all the Y pax behind you in the bubble now in front of you waiting to get down the steps at the back of the cabin and the Y pax downstairs exiting the aircraft will also be blocking the bottom of the stairs. Just resign yourself to the fact that you had a great seat for the flight but you're going to be one of the last off!! Your luggage will definitely be on the belt when you finally get there though.

[Neil]

I flew 24K in June and fit is exactly as the other guys describe - only downside is when you come to disembark - you have all the Y pax behind you in the bubble now in front of you waiting to get down the steps at the back of the cabin and the Y pax downstairs exiting the aircraft will also be blocking the bottom of the stairs. Just resign yourself to the fact that you had a great seat for the flight but you're going to be one of the last off!! Your luggage will definitely be on the belt when you finally get there though.

That shouldn't be the case and hasn't been in my experience of flying in the bubble recently.

yes, the 33 Y pax in the bubble will get down the stairs before the PE pax up there also, but the Y pax downstairs should, and always have for us, be held back until the downstairs PE and UC cabin and the bubble have disembarked.

Sadly, Neil, this wasn't the case on VS93. There was no attempt to empty the bubble ahead of the main Y cabin downstairs. Even the CC just shrugged their shoulders and said 'this always happens' and they couldn't get down the stairs either. 19 A/B PE on the LGW 747 is always the speedy seat!

Will be in the Bubble tomorrow so will let you know how I get along

Sadly, Neil, this wasn't the case on VS93. There was no attempt to empty the bubble ahead of the main Y cabin downstairs. Even the CC just shrugged their shoulders and said 'this always happens' and they couldn't get down the stairs either. 19 A/B PE on the LGW 747 is always the speedy seat!

Same experience for me. Love flying PE in the Bubble when we go on holiday, but always taken a while to disembark as they have never once (in four flights) held back the Economy cabin downstairs. Never really been in that much of a rush to get off though as with Virgin holidays, you always end up sat on the coach waiting for the final few stragglers anyway.

Have to agree with Hunter. On the last 3 (only) flights on Virgin in PE we have disembarked last. Would rather wait an hour in immigration to have the pleasure of the bubble.

I flew Premium Economy home from Las Vegas into Gatwick in March this year. We sat in the bubble as usual.

The ecomony section upstairs were let off first, then us.
As we came down the stairs a Cabin crew member was standing across the downstairs economy aisle on both sides y) not allowing them to disembark until UC & all PE passengers had cleared the aircraft.

The last time I flew in the bubble it was still in the old layout and, even then, it took ages to get off at MCO as the economy guys were already disembarking.

Doing the route again this year and have chosen seats downstairs so, hopefully, will not be held up too much.

It is only a problem really, if the flight is a bit late. the last time, we landed behind Lufthansa and the Manchester flight. We were a bit late and the MAN flight was very late. Adding our economy pax into the mix, meant that we were somewhat near the back of the queue.

Flight to Vegas on Wednesay: economy were held back downstairs to let the bubble disembark. (Although we were disembarking through L1 to start with)

When we flew in the bubble to/from Jamaica last year , the downstairs Y pax were held until we disembarked.

Arrived ANU yesterday, travelled PE in the bubble. Downstairs Y class were not held back, however due to only 240 pax on flight ( think only 16 total PE up and down) and a sprightly pair of legs still got through immigration in 5 mins. All good

Sadly, Neil, this wasn't the case on VS93. There was no attempt to empty the bubble ahead of the main Y cabin downstairs. Even the CC just shrugged their shoulders and said 'this always happens' and they couldn't get down the stairs either. 19 A/B PE on the LGW 747 is always the speedy seat!

Same here, Y pax downstairs were not heald back on my last 3 trips this year v(

So is sitting in the bubble still considered the better experience, or are you better off downstairs nowadays?

So is sitting in the bubble still considered the better experience, or are you better off downstairs nowadays?

It's very much a case of each to their own. We flew to MCO earlier in the year in PE - flew out downstairs (quicker off the plane for immigration) and upper deck back. Actually found the lower deck preferable so I guess that's where we will be in future - as long as we can get A anc C seats

So is sitting in the bubble still considered the better experience, or are you better off downstairs nowadays?

I quite liked it. The aisle is massive and definitely gives the feeling of more space. Once the curtain is drawn across from Y it feels very exclusive up there as there's only 20 of you.

People queuing for the toilet was not a problem either.

It is harder to look out the windows if that's something that is important to you, not impossible but you have to peer over a bit due to the curvature of the plane and the side bins.