Please use this forum is for Virgin Atlantic trip reports. There is a subforum for other airline reports.
#963006 by ColOrd
19 Dec 2023, 18:50
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Well where do I start with this one? Older V-Flyers will remember Honeylamb I believe her username was who used to consistently have holiday disasters, including smashing her rental car up on the Golden Gate Bridge... well yes this is that type of tale of woe!

So firstly I booked this whole trip only a few days before, I was meant to have been going for an operation on the 5th but it was cancelled and no date yet set for its rescheduling, I needed to escape the UK. A good friend of mine is VS crew and was on this flight so I thought I'd tag along but I'd be returning from Los Angeles a week and a half later. Now sadly these days I do need assistance with airports as my mobility is very limited (hence why the operation was so important to get back to my days of doing 40 flights a year etc). I'd done everything with VS's special assistance team in advance, however it didn't go to plan.

DTCI was very smooth bags checked in. I explained to the lovely agent there that I would be okay without assistance through to the Clubhouse - I wanted to take my time, I needed a few duty free items and I generally prefer to not use the assistance where possible. My friend who I was travelling with went off his direction to get some duty free stuff and I went first to visit the main assistance desk to check everything was booked to get to the gate. Spoke to them, all was fine, they would meet me at the Clubhouse, they scanned my boarding pass, it was all good. Job's a goodun!

Gets to the Clubhouse and service down the bottom end by the windows was very good, it wasn't too manic when we turned up, had a few bits of breakfast, the food and drink quality and quantity didn't disappoint. One of the Clubhouse Duty Managers popped by to say hello as an AU and have a chat. I used some of my miles to get my friend upgraded to premium. In sorting out that transaction (as my friend had gone to use the old kids room to have a sleep after I dragged him to the Clubhouse for 0630) she did discreetly ask me did I need assistance. "Oh don't worry it's all booked" She looked aghast "I'm afraid its not, you're not on our sheets for it - leave with me will sort".

Popped to the bar, and I must say, one of my more negative Clubhouse experiences, the whole "pit" area was just a zoo (was closing on about 1030 at this point) it honestly for a few moments felt like the Clubhouse had lost its soul. The staff on the bar which is normally my favourite place to sit immediately before boarding were very busy so lacked the normal sparkle, the sheer amount of people meant the music wasn't doing its job of being southing and relaxing. I don't normally get flights as early as the 105, I regularly go for the 23 or 41 or a late afternoon JFK, so I am putting this down to me not being used to this time of day in that central part of the clubhouse. (Regular readers will recall I ALWAYS get to the CH for it opening but usually stay hidden down the bottom or behind the bar or even upstairs).

So the flight is announced, no assistance, its on a far gate so there's no way I'm gonna be able to walk it. Eventually my friend picked up a stray wheelchair. In all the calamity of this, the angel that was the aforementioned Duty Manager was on the phone with the assistance people and giving them what for! In the end my friend pushed me and the duty manager very kindly walked with us with my hand luggage. It all felt a bit much and just a bit let down, I must stress by LHR, VS were excellent, beyond excellent. Its awful enough being in this position and I'm not going fo the woe is me sympathy vote here, but the company that provide the service are paid to do so by the airport and airlines, and this was just poor.

On the funny side, my friends "pushing" skills were hilarious, I think we crashed into more things than we passed, and by the time we got to the entrance to the gate I told him I'd go back to my sticks to get scanned in and down the jet bridge. The gate was totally deserted so I'm now stressing I'm holding the aircraft up. The Clubhouse Duty Manager stayed with us and was now taking us right to the aircraft door.

On the final bit of the jet bridge just where the control panel for it is, and my right stick slides out from under me, the floor was very very slippy and of course I go my end. Hit my nose, my mouth and my left wrist on the way down. Manages to pull myself up, thankfully ironically someone had left a wheelchair by the controls so I was sat in that with my now bloody mangled face trying to work out what was bleeding and why with some horrified looks from both my friend and the assembled team of cabin crew, the clubhouse manager, one of the gate agents, the FSM and eventually the VS operations duty manager! Thankfully nothing was broken, and the blood which seemed to go everywhere was only actually coming from my lip, so following a brief clean up, a bit of a cry, I got on the aircraft, although was told I was only allowed to do so by the FSM if I stopped apologising, which I agreed to as long as she took the bag of goodies we had brought for them!

The FSM was outstanding throughout the flight, as were the whole crew. I cannot stress enough how exceptionally amazing all of the VS team made me feel despite a shitty situation, I really felt looked after by people on the VS side. On the Wilson James and Heathrow Side, I have other issues.

New menu was okay, the carrot tartare starter was really nice, I enjoyed it. The pasta was pretty tasty if a small portion, and the chocolate cake was good and nice and fresh and light. There was a new raspberry Vodka called Sapling. No one knew why it was loaded as it wasn't on the menu anywhere, however it was delicious with cranberry, so I have just ordered myself a few bottles of it! Second meal service was okay, had the vegan burger, it was nice and filled a hole.

The flight was eventful with several medicals, some rowdy staff from a certain Seattle based coffee chain who were so loud they were audible on the flight deck, and a rouge drunk Canadian who was threatening to light up a cigar! I felt sorry for the crew cos they worked their bums off on this one. Interestingly enough someone was vaping in one of the loos which caused an alarm to go off that I've never heard before and a member of the crew starts running through the cabin asking us to all take our seats. The whole thing was resolved in about 35 seconds, but that felt like an eternity. I understand the vast majority of normal bings and buzzes you hear on most aircraft these days, but wow there is deffo a fear factor when something like that goes off!

Landed into a cold and grey Seattle with a nice flyby of of Elliott Bay, The Space Needle and the city. Flawless assistance service at SEATAC from Jet Bridge right through to the uber pick up point!

If you made it this far well done and thanks for reading, I needed to write this down just for a rant if nothing else. Interestingly enough, those V-Flyers who know me, will know that I work in the rail industry in the UK, and involved in accessibility, and this has been both eye opening and alarming. I did message the MD of Wilson James on my return flight to make sure she was aware of my arrival at LHR, it shouldn't need that at all, but I won't be leaving this one till I get a decent response!
#963010 by Murraymint
20 Dec 2023, 09:52
Thanks for the interesting TR. I recall Honeylamb’s fabulous reports and do miss them.
You obviously had a disastrous start to your trip at the hands of LHR assistance and I hope that you receive a sincere apology for it. Also disturbing to hear about the behaviour on board- I would have thought some action would have been taken, especially with the smoke detector being activated, by being greeted by police on your arrival.
I hope you can relax over the next few days and have a better return trip.
#963017 by VS075
20 Dec 2023, 17:18
Thanks for the TR. If not already, definitely complain about the lack of assistance. Although the VS staff were helpful, it shouldn't have got to the stage where your friend took you in a stray wheelchair, which I'd say was also by sheer luck there was one stray where you were more than anything.

I hope you get a new date through for your surgery very soon.
#963018 by RLF
20 Dec 2023, 17:51
Sorry you had so many issues, hope you are back on your own feet soon.

How is Honeylamb, haven’t seen her on here for ages, are you still jet setting. Also must be due an update from mdvipond and Tizer and Chunky Monkey!
Virgin Atlantic

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests

Itinerary Calendar