This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
I left the office a bit before 7, walked to Paddington and then HEXed to LHR. Our corporate deal entitles us to a limo, but the idea of sitting in traffic for 30mins on the M4 didnt seem hugely appealing. The Limo makes sense for those living in the country, but for anyone in easy reach of Paddington and travelling at busy times of the day, the Heathrow Express is a no brainer. The new VS counters in T3 are impressive as is the refurbished departure area in general. The only odd bit is the escalator from the HEX delivering you outside the building.
No queue at UC check in, and straight up in the lift to the utterly excellent private security channel. No queue at the passport control either, and wave of my UC BP got me waved through the shoe carnival. HEX to Clubhouse in 7 minutes is good!
The Clubhouse was busy, but gradually thinned out as flights were called. I was pounced upon by a member of staff as I took a seat and refills (of water) were proferred through my stay. The food was up to the usual standard some delicious potted shrimp and ham, followed by the excellent burger (which was just a little overcooked). I then pottered around, reading, surfing and watching the football. A very relaxing way to start a trip.
Boarding was called at 9:45, from Gate 35. A nice leg stretch before sleep! No queue at the gate, and I walked straight on the plane. Very pleasing not to have to queue at all in the entire airport experience!
I had managed to slip into 7D from the previously allocated 15K. The seat choice offered to late bookers on this flight was pretty crap just a few undesirables near the bar. I was lucky to snag this though OLCI. I liked the bulkhead on my left (blocking noise and sound out), but the bed felt a little shorter than those at the window. Is this correct? You trade the lack of air vents (bad) for not having mood lighting shining on your head during service (good).
The usual pre-departure formalities over with, we pushed back on time and were soon airborne. The only noteworthy element was a pilot in love with himself, the PA ending with a request that if anyone finds a pair of Armani sunglasses, please send them to the flight deck. [:?] Note to pilot, you are employed to fly the plane safely, not try and be funny.
At the ping of the seatbelt sign I was into PJs and into bed (no-one offered to help make the bed up). 7 hours later, I awoke feeling remarkably fresh over Siberia. Not feeling in the mood for work, I watched a little TV, read for a while and then decided I wanted breakfast. I ordered the full English which was apart from the meaty sausage pretty horrible. Cold beans, some dry rosti, stringy bacon and oily mushrooms. The coffee was truly revolting and got sent back, though the replacement espresso was decent enough. There certainly didnt seem to be a problem in delivering breakfast to me before the main service had started.
A little more reading and loafing and we were into the descent. We landed a whopping 40mins ahead of schedule in bright sunlight on a warm Hong Kong afternoon. [:)]
All in all, a very decent experience indeed. Good timekeeping, excellent ground services at Heathrow and a sound nights sleep. The crew were fine if unmemorable, the only low points being the food (no surprise) and the pilot (personal taste, but to me he sounded like a complete pillock).
