This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
VS check-in was closed when I arrived so I grabbed a bite to eat. Before long VS check-in opened. It did seem a bit un-organised as VS and SAA share the same check-in desks. SAA check-in was still running as VS opened. I even watched the ground staff swap the VS and SAA signs from behind the counters.
I'd been checking ExpertFlyer and this flight was looking pretty full down the back in Y so I had my fingers crossed. Headed to Upper check-in and my Au card and Y e-ticket. I was assigned the seat I'd pre-booked in Y so no op-up at check-in.
Decided to give the priority security line a try flashing my VS Au Flying Club card. No problems at all and I was straight through, no queues at all in this line.
Made the long long walk to the 'B' departure gates where VS fly to/from. The IAD clubhouse is directly across from the VS departure gate (gate B34). No VS A/C there yet as it was only 15:30. Entered the IAD Clubhouse only to find it at bursting point full of SAA pax (who share the lounge). The SAA flight was due to board at 16:00 but was delayed until 16:30, the reason given was because the VS flight was late coming in and they had to de-plane all the arriving VS pax first.
It was pretty hard to find a spare seat and I did hear a few VS pax mutering things under their breath. The other shocking fact was there was absolutley no champagne what so ever. A VS Clubhouse is simply not a Clubhouse without champagne as far as I'm concerned [:0]
Things soon calmed down once all the SAA pax left and the IAD Clubhouse was back to it's usual quite relaxing state I remembered from my last visit there.
Had some lunch and made a few trips to the smoking lounge in the departure area.
At 18:15 I heard mine and other pax name called to visit the front desk. My economy boarding card was quickly exchanged for a nice new shiny PE one [y] [8D] I'd already checkd ExperFlyer so I knew the A/C was G-VFOX so the new Wcl seats [y]
Boarding was called at 18:30 and I made the short walk to G-VFOX. This is where is got manic. I had been given seat 19G but I found someone already sitting there. It later turned out this was the other op-up Au pax from the Clubhouse. Anyway, I went back to the bar area where the A/C was boarding. 6 other pax where also there and for the same reason as me. At least 10 pax had been given double-booked seats (ie different pax given the same seat). Y was also over-booked, hence my op-up. It was mayhem as the crew found theselves doing the ground staff's job of trying to sort this mess out. Most of the double booking had occured in PE. 4 pax where bumped to J and the other 2 somehow managed to get their correct seats. A lot of Y pax had also been split up and pax from all cabins where beginning to get stressed.
Not too bad though as we where all drinking champers at the bar whilst we all waited for our seats. I was chatting to a couple of the J crew and they said to make things worse they were 2 crew members down on tonights flight. The pre-flight PE drinks where given out once everyone was seated, but I already had my glass of champers from the bar [:I]
My allocated seat of 19G was vacated and I sat down. The new PE seats are good (cannot compare it to the older A346 PE seats as I've not sat in those). Took me a while to find the empower points, they are between the seats very close the the cabin floor. There's 2 push button controls, one for recline and the other for your lumber support. Leg room was good, just as I'd remembered it from the LGW/MAN B744 PE seats. There is a movable head rest with wings, although as soon as you raise the head rest it falls back down unless you lean your head on it. Recline is pretty much the same. The width is also good with nice comfy arm rests. The foot rest bar is not much use if you are over 5 foot tall. It's just the the BA Y seat foot rest bar. I found it much more comfortable not using it, although beware where you put your feet under the seat in front as there are numerous bars and other bits hidden under the seats in front. The IFE box looks to be under the middle PE seat in the middle section of the 3 PE seats. If you get a bulk head row (row 18) you get a leather covered moulded solid cushion type thing to put your feet on which is stored in the over-heads during take off and landing hence reducing your luggage storage space.
The white plastic surround where the IFE control sits under the screen is pretty cheap looking and very thin, it's just like the moulded plastic you get in packaging. Cannot see this lasting very long!
We pulled back around 19:30 I think and where soon in the air. V:Port did take quite some time to be started.
The meal service was started about 1 hour after take-off, the food was pretty bad actually as it wasn't very warm. I wasn't too bothered as I'd eaten in the CH and just wanted to try and get some sleep. Managed a few hours I think. No drinks rounds where evident during the time I was awake. I'd kept the little water bottle you get with your meal and I made a few visits to the water fountains back in economy. On the out-bounad flight the water fountains where mentioned during the after-take off PA. No mention was made though on this flight.
G-VFOX does not have the new Ycl seats yet. Still those nasty yellow things dotted around the Y cabin.
90 mins or so before landing breakfast was served, I say breakfast, it was actually just another musali bar and a hot drink.
We had made good time in the air and landed ahead of schedule at 06:45. Arrived into the new gate area of T3 and where off in no time.
Headed to immigration and I used the Iris gates for the first time. These are directly on your left as you enter the immigration area. I too had to bend down to be scanned. The gates are automatic and open as you approach and then open automatically to let you though once you have been scanned.
Baggage collection was not too bad, although my bag had not been J tagged again. There seemed to be no order of arriving bags, J bags didnt come off first.
VS you really really do need to sort out your baggage handling once and for all.
Made my way to Revivals where I had a shower and some breakfast before making my way to BMI check-in in T1.
Regards
Regards
James Mitchell
James Mitchell
