VS086 LAS-MAN 13 NOV 11 (Upper Class)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

Ground Staff

Food & Drink

Entertainment

Seat

Cabin Crew

So it was time to bid farewell to sin city and head home.

Packed up and ready we took our luggage to bags to go in the Palazzo.
Excellent service, free for UC pax. Was good to know that we didn't have to worry about them until we arrived in MAN.....and we didn't!

Limo picked us up at 2pm for LAS. Airport was extremely busy and IMHO a bit depressing. There's a lot of work going on at McCarran so hopefully this will be to improve the terminals.

VS ground staff almost jumped on us as we entered the terminal and tried to direct us to check in. Told him that we had already checked in on line and our luggage was with BTG.
Told to go straight to security......and the lounge l comment.....no Ma'am says he, no lounge here, you have to wait with everybody at the gate.
Ok, we shall see

So off to security.....massive lines there and it was mega hot and total chaos
I cast my eyes around and hey ho noticed a separate line for business/ first, so with no
more to do l ducked under the tape dragging a startled Mr CL with me
No lines here and nobody batted an eyelid except for one or two pax sweating in the long line.
Within minutes we were through and headed up to the gate where Hot Lips was stood alongside English Rose bound for LGW.

So states Mr CL...no lounge then....ha says moi....hang on here while l go and look, my fellow v-flyers have told me different
Another cast of the eye and bingo.....VIP lounge right there where you guys told me it would be ....so a quick about turn to grab my darling and we were orff
It's not the best lounge we have been in and was pretty busy but it was a welcome retreat from the terminal and staff were very good and efficient. Free wifi enabled me to catch up before we departed.

VS agent appears a while later to announce LGW boarding and shortly after came back for us.
So off we toddle to the gate, just two pax stood there, so we waited.....and what do you know...the idjit who had told us no lounge was there too looking his best to be in control....not.
I couldn't help but enlighten him about his previous faux pas and was rewarded with the stupid boy calling the whole flight for boarding.
Well it was like Christmas Eve in M&S....we were pushed aside by the stampede to board....one guy at this point starting shouting and demanding that he and his wife were let through as he was first class and first class should be boarding NOW....before everyone else.
Oh it was a right mess.....until thankfully another VS agent appeared and announced that UC and PE would only be boarded at this point and asked all other pax to please remain patient.

So we made our way on board. UC was full and l have to say that it really didn't have the same relaxing feel or ambience that we experienced on the outbound.
Crew were not attentive and in fact looked pretty miserable.
We did however have a lovely cabin steward who made up for the others and he welcomed us at our seat with a glass of sparkling, he also remained helpful and in good spirits throughout the flight.

I really didn't like the seating on this 747, limited privacy and as we were right up front too tight for comfort and a tad claustrophobic.
Sleep suits were offered and we were asked to order dinner.

Once airborne the crew started to prepare for dinner, no pre drinks offered.
We both had the soup and the chicken.
Soup was very tasty and hot and Tonty was spot on when he said that the bread roll looked like a baked spud
Chicken was yuk, lukewarm and tasteless. To be honest l wasn't really hungry so it didn't matter.
We both had cheese to finish and coffee which was fine.
Just a note about Wilbur & Orville here........only the salt appeared on the table...he he l had to giggle and glad that l had managed to acquire the little darlings on our outbound....with FSM permission of course

Once dinner was done, our lovely steward offered to make up the beds and asked if we wished to be woken for breakfast.
Yes was the answer to both questions.

I did manage to sleep for seven hours which was just as well because Mr CL wasn't as lucky and told me it was a very bumpy ride at times!

For breakfast we both had a bacon sandwich with a very welcome cup of tea. Not bad at all and just enough.

So then, Hot Lips bless her got us home safe. But the poor gal is very tired, seats were a bit tatty and sadly she didn't smell clean.
I cant comment on the IFE as we didn't use it, choosing our iPad and iPod to while away the time when needed.
Crew appeared to be almost as tired unfortunately. I know they work hard and l don't wish to criticise too much, but need to be honest.

Our flight out was so perfect and l now know what Virgin can do when at it's best. The inbound experience however would make me question as to wether l would cough up that sort of money again.
Let's hope the re-furb next year will make everything much better.

CL

Oh dear. How dissapointing !

Wee bit of a shame that this leg wasn't up to the standard of the others, and the farrago on the ground can't have helped with the tone of the experience.

I take it that it wasn't Mr CL doing the bellowing about his rights?

Interesting take on the cabin. I have to say I'm on the team that prefers the 747 UC cabin to the 343/6 (which I think you had on the outbound) though right in the nose can be a bit cosy...

Sounds like a disappointing return leg only made better by 7 hours sleep Thanks for your TR as always CL

Once again the leisure routes and LGW crews disappoint ... VS needs to kick butt and accelerate investment.

Once again the leisure routes and LGW crews disappoint ... VS needs to kick butt and accelerate investment.

Greta point Slinky - I'll second that

LGW crews disappoint ..

LGW & LHR are the same crew....

[honey lamb]

Once again the leisure routes and LGW crews disappoint ... VS needs to kick butt and accelerate investment.

Erm, this was a MAN crew.

Once again the leisure routes and LGW crews disappoint ... VS needs to kick butt and accelerate investment.

Erm, this was a MAN crew.

It's no good VS having spiffy new or refurbished planes unless it also invests in the CC. Is there specific training in using the JAM system on the new A330's and for the new Y service? And I mean proper training not being handed a briefing sheet or watching a video. Have CC been given proper hands on training in these - able to rehearse the Y service prior to doing it on active service or getting to play with JAM and use it as real people use it not as the designers expect it too.

I am sensing from the numerous TRs and other threads that in general the CC on ex UK flights are hard working and provide good customer service BUT that it is on the to UK flights i.e the overnight ones where the service is less than stellar and this is especially noticed by pax on 'holiday' routes.

[buns]

CL

Thanks for an informative TR

Obviously, the ability to check in at the Hotel is a bonus (just like it is Downtown Disney), but the upshot is that the route is seen more and more like a charter service and I suspect the "uninformed" VS bloke at McCarran has fallen into that trap.

Nice to know that V-Flyer helped your passage through the airport

As others have said here, the returning crew need to do thier best to maintain standards of service (irrespective of cabin BTW) as that is the impression that is left on the customer and will influence the next choice of carrier

buns

Thank you for the TR, shame to read that it was disappointing.

Thanks for all your responses again.
I was disappointed with the inbound but having read many mixed reviews on here it didn't come as a complete surprise.
The outbound was as different as chalk and cheese and it was a great start to the holiday and proof of what Virgin can do when they are on top form

CL

I've done this route (return) three times already and always had a fantastic crew.
I flew out Sunday and got back today (same crew both ways) and they were the best yet. I couldn't fault any of them at all.

Flight time today was 8hrs 22mins, the other two times coming back have been 8hrs 30mins so anyone getting 7 hours sleep after having a dinner and being woken for breakfast is doing very well