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#960315 by mitchja
04 Nov 2022, 22:20
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Another trip to Fort Lauderdale, this time via ATL from LHR. It was booked in January. I ended up flying from LHR because it worked out slightly cheaper than MAN. The ATL flights were also showing as an A350 which sealed the deal :cool: as I've only flown on the A350 once before.

Did my usual and headed down to LHR the day before using the train. Stayed at LHR T4 Crowne Plaza again. I ended up getting a ridiculously good deal as well as I managed to grab a Club level King room for just £106 :)

Booked Parker Cars again to take me through the VS Drive-thru for ~£26. Unfortunately though when we arrived the VS drive-thru entrance was coned off and an agent was there apologising about drive-thru being closed this morning due to a faulty door. The agent was directing everyone round to the normal T3 drop-off zone.

It was pretty busy at VS check-in. I'd done all the pre-departure document uploading without any issues and completed OLCI. I was directed to one of the Upper Class desks with only 1 person in front of me. After checking those passengers in, the agent then disappeared leaving me there. 5 minutes later they returned and checked me in. She brought up what she thought was my booking and asked me if I was flying to JFK. No, I was flying to FLL via ATL. Wrong person's booking apparently. Eventually she found my booking and checked me in tagging my bag all the way to FLL.

Not the best check-in experience by any means unfortunately (hence why I've marked down group staff) :-(

Anyway......into the lift and headed up to the Upper Class Wing entrance, which for the first time was actually manned by an agent who just scanned my boarding pass in the usual way using the scanner on the wall and then let me in. Not really sure why a person was needed for that?? 2 passengers in front of me going through security. No issues getting through security and in no time at all I was heading up to the Clubhouse.

I was warmly welcomed at the Clubhouse. I headed straight to the restaurant for some breakfast which was as good as ever eve though the portions are noticeably smaller now. Lovely staff working there as usual.

After about a hour I received a text and email from VS informing me of the drive-thru closure. That should really have been sent a lot earlier in my journey!

After breakfast I headed to my usual spot up in the loft area. It's always quiet and peaceful up there. Service was as good as always using the QR codes on the tables. Nice to get some fresh air up on the patio as well.

There was an announcement about the VS103 being delayed due to the late incoming A/C. I had an 1hr 59min connection at ATL so fingers crossed. The scheduled departure time was 11:05 which came and went. The flight was called around 11:40 I think and we were departing from gate 7. Not departed from those gates on VS for a long time!

Boarding started daily soon after I arrived. I was warmly welcomed onboard G-VDOT (Ruby Slipper) and directly to seat 8K. Nice to be flying on an A350 again. Pre-departure drinks were soon offered. No personal welcome from the FSM or other crew members on today's flight sadly. That's the first time in my last half a dozen flights that's happened but anyway the crew working in Upper Class worked hard and were all happy to help.

The door was closed and we pushed back at 11:45. Only about ~120 passengers on todays flight with 12 crew + 2 flight deck crew. Most of the middle section seats In J remained were unoccupied.

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The IFE worked well, although there wasn't much I really wanted to watch. I managed to find a couple of films to pass the time though. I do like the tail and belly cameras though.

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I had already pre-selected the salmon as main course meal. I started with the chicken parfait which was good though could have done with a little more crostini. The salmon was delicious. I finished with the brioche bread and butter pudding which was also very good.

I find the A350 seat controls are a bit fiddly and it's not overly obvious how to recline (you press the go flat bed button but obviously don't keep it pressed). Those buttons are also pretty much inaccessible when the table is out and in full use.

As with the older Delta One seats; once reclined, the A350's seats can also be a little awkward to get out of if unless you move the seat back to upright mode. You are also are not supposed be reclined at all during take-off or landing apparently though that's not immediately clear. The shoulder belt only needs to be used for landing and takeoff as well.

The onboard WiFi worked well (you can use your VS MasterCard Reward+ Boingo WiFi pass on the A350's as per the B789's - it just doesn't work on the A333s). Not sure about the A339's?

Does anyone know if the A339's also have the tail and belly cams?

Flew out on DOT and back on PRD and neither of those A350s have yet to get the table modification which I thought VS were supposed to be doing months ago? The table wasn't an issue for me but I believe for the 'larger' passengers, the table can be an issue?

Spent some time sat in the loft area chatting with the crew in Premium. There's no Wander Wall for Premium the A350's which is a shame. The crew do leave a snack basket out in the premium galley along with a snacks and fruit in the loft area for Upper Class.

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Afternoon tea was served around 90mins before landing. I had the fish goujons which was excellent and very filling.

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There must be quite a lot of schedule padding in use as even though we departed 49 mins late we still managed to land 43mins early at 15:02 (scheduled arrival 15:45)!!

Said my goodbyes to the crew and headed to immigration. The global Entry kiosks have moved slightly now compared to where they used to be at ATL. You just walk a bit further now and then head left. The GE kiosks are now also paper free and only require you to take a photo. Passports no longer need to be inserted. A quick check at the GE desk and then into baggage reclaim. Bags started coming off within about 10 minutes. After dropping my already tagged bag there was little to no waiting at the flight transfer security before heading to SkyClub lounge before my DL flight to FLL.

All in all a pretty good flight sadly let down by the check-in and no drive-thru. The crew were pretty good on this flight.

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