VS026 JFK-LHR 7 MAR 13 (Upper Class)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

Ground Staff

Food & Drink

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Cabin Crew

After three days in the office, sadly in the New Jersey office and not in Manhattan, and the day flight home once again selected I was following the weather forecast closely. Winter storm 'Saturn', more amusing renamed 'Snowquester' by the Washington Post, was forecast to start the process of accumulating 6-8" on the roads from Wednesday afternoon and into the night. With a 7.40 am departure from JFK planned for the VS26 this was not ideal. Alas though, no HL disasters, and just a few flurries as I finished up Wednesday - although it did lead to a cancelled detour to meet a client in DC itself - and head to an early bed hoping no freezing stuff in the night. Which was it turned out, but it was a windy, cold, and dark start as I headed out to my waiting car at 5 am.

On the wrong side of the GW bridge I've tried a few timings for the VS26, leave at 5 am and you can be at T4 JFK by 5.25 am. Leave at 6 am and the early traffic builds so it's not worth chancing it ... and today was right on plan as we pulled up to a breezy and chilly JFK. For those who haven't been recently VS and VX are now located all the way over on the LHS of the check in hall at T4, with UC check in facing the door so if you approach from within the terminal you could well miss it. Already well known to me I approached, was quickly dealt with by a nice young man, and BP for a changed seat in hand strode off to security. We were to be on G-VSSH Sweet Dreamer, as is easy to tell from the previous days VS25 but on OLCI I couldn't get my favourite seat of 17A for some reason, quickly resolved on check in, but I suspect another web site issue because most of the seat map was purpled out but the UC cabin was itself only half full ...

As many will know early JFK departures don't have the crowds at security, but then security is itself only half open, so even at 6 am it took 20+ minutes to get through. Lots of people who appeared to be flying for the first time who couldn't cope with shoes and belts etc. all off ... mind you, it was early! I hear it's now OK to take pen knifes on US flights, which strikes me as utterly bizarre when I still have to take my soft Tod's slippers off ... just odd!

With a stack of emails to reply to before take off it was a purposeful walk to the clubhouse, latte and breakfast ordered and an hour of tapping away on the Mac before all radio contact is lost for the next eight hours ... bring on WiFi and down with mobile calls I say. Note to others travelling at this time of day - the spa isn't open until the evening so don't plan on a treatment before departure.

A few minutes ahead of the announcement to board I was packed up and heading out across to the gate area - this new arrangement at JFK really does suit as the clubhouse is effectively above the gate areas VS uses, then with the "Is London your final destination" (which I'm never sure why is asked) it was down the ramp and onto our A346 for the journey across the pond. No greeting at the door but more than made up after take off and quickly settling into 17A having nabbed Heat from the rack . Champagne offered, well it would be mean to refuse after they've gone to all the trouble of pouring it wouldn't it! Sweetdreamer was looking nice and neat, clean, no rough edges and all seemed in working order. The A346 is my favourite plane in the fleet, I like the extra touches like the silvered window blind handles that aren't found on the obviously cheapened A333, and with the A346 cabins being newer than the 747 cabins they look nicer to me.

We left the gate a couple of minutes ahead of schedule but with wintry forecasts still about needed a deice before take off ... duly conducted it meant a delay though so we headed off to taxi 40 minutes after the scheduled time to join a short queue for take off, and up into the bumpy weather (which continued until we left the Canadian coast). For me, a day flight means work, so out with the Mac and empower cable and a good four hours of deleting, filing, and replying to emails followed ... we've recently moved to GMail although I'm keeping Outlook on the Mac, the GMail interface if awful, clunky, and featureless in my opinion (and don't get me started on the calendar ... if Google want these to be work apps they really are going to have to invest in features that save time ). The coffee was excellent, one bacon butty downed and then I realized that it was effectively 5 pm UK time so probably OK to have a drink, or two.

If you're not used to the day flight then even if you've have breakfast in the clubhouse as I did, breakfast is offered after take-off, followed by what the menu describes as 'lunch' about two and a half hours before landing. Here is the full menu card (oh with some abbreviations):

Rise and Shine
A selection of breakfast cereals (corn flakes, muesli, bran flakes, rice krispies)
Breakfast bakery snack
Bacon butty
Mixed berry smoothie
Selection of pastries

Graze
Caesar salad
Selection of savoury nibbles and sweet treats
Fresh fruit

Drinks
Bombay Sapphire, Dewars 12yo, Aberfeldy 12yo, Grey Goose, Bacardi, Martini, Jack Daniel's, Otard Cognac, Graham's Port, Drambuie, Baileys, Heineken, Tiger

Orange, apple, cranberry and tomato juice, still and sparkling water, pepsi and diet pepsi, ginger ale, tonic, lemonade

Specialty teas, coffee, espresso, hot chocolate

Starters
Roasted tomato and bell pepper soup with toasted croutons
Duck rillette with red onion compote and toasted bread

Main courses
Flank steak braised on the bone with swede rosti, carrot puree and jus
Pan roasted chicken breast with sauteed spring vegetables and creamed potatoes
Ricotta and spinach cannelloni with mushrooms and shaved italian hard cheese

Warm breads

Dessert
Apple crumble cheese cake with caramel sauce
Warm salted caramel lava cake with whipped cream

Cheese and port
Smoked chedder, danish blue, mountain gouda with Carr's table water and onion marmalade

Wines
Lanson champagne
Minervois les Bonnes Blanc, Chateau d'Agel
Villa San Maurice Chardonnay
Berry's NZ Sauvignon Blanc
Pietas Old Vine Selection 2011
Pulenta Corve Joven 2012
Coliano Chianti Riserva 2009

I had the delicious duck rillete followed by the flank steak which I have to say was excellent - really succulent and tasty, I could easily have had seconds, and thirds ... I often find it the case that steak from the US is much better than that from the UK and this was no exception. With not a sweet tooth in my mount (those who have met me will know ) it was cheese to follow, and for once I was pursuaded to have a small port.

We had a really lovely crew on board, I recognized at least three including the FSM, several popped over to say hello and welcome back which was lovely and I couldn't fault them at all. So excellent marks there as well as for the food and drink.

Actually the only thing I would change now with 'old' UCS on a A346 is the quality of the IFE monitor. Currently the selection of films is excellent if you have the tastes of an Oscars judge ... it's just that the monitor really is poor quality. Skyfall is on the Vera OD (on demand or overdosed, I just don't know!) list and is so good I can watch it again and again ... which is why it's also on my iPad but the picture quality simply doesn't compare so it was flight map on Vera (sorry) and Daniel Craig on the iPad (well not literally, but if he offered ). I missed Argo at the cinemas and did watch that on the outbound - good but was it that good (I suspect in this case the Oscar judges liked the story), but pretty much all the best picture nominees are available this month so good for VS.

With flying time of 6'45" and a slightly delayed departure touch down was forecast to be 8.05 pm somewhere over Ireland (well not over Ireland, but as we were flying over, oh you get it!) and it duly was. No great view to look at due to the drizzly weather but it was nice to be on home soil and Mr Tristar was waiting and we were off onto the M4 as quickly as we could be. IRIS is still working although the tensa barriers seem to be arranged to dissuade you from using it. Hopefully next time I visit I'll be taking my Global Entry interview so electronic admittance at both ends will be lovely.

Overall a very high quality flight, great crew, Sweet Dreamer in good nick, excellent food and all adds up to just why VS deserves repeat business. Back in New York in two weeks, then a week at home before San Francisco and Vegas - yippee!

Sounds like a great flight. Did you pick it for the time or to avoid the A333?

Yet another excellent TR Slinky, thanks for posting Seems like a flight that came with all the trimmings - just what is required for a post work flight

Thanks for an amusing TR and for including the menu.

[buns]

Slinky

Thanks for the TR

As you say, having a great crew leaves one wanting to remain with VS - I do hope that Crawley Towers take note of what is needed to consistently give this impression to passengers

buns

Great TR, there have been a number of positive TR's recently so fingers crossed Crawley Towers are taking note.

Sounds like a great flight. Did you pick it for the time or to avoid the A333?

I noted that it was a an A346 not the normal A333 as part of the reason for selecting this one . Still avoiding the 333s at all costs.

Thanks for a great TR Slinky and for the menu which looks yummy. Look forward to meeting you later this month.

Thanks Slinky for a great TR.

Sounds like a great flight with an attentive crew. Reminds us all of how good VS can be when it all comes together, long my that continue across all flights.

Jon

Thanks for posting, sounds like it was a good flight. The menu looks decent too, is this the recent change, or is that still to come?

Slinky, I hope you don't mind me asking how you are getting a Global Entry interview? Is this via VS or another airline?

Surprised you like 17A!

Great TR, really enjoyed it, thank you.

Nice TR slinky, definitely well enjoyed. My rules on drinking during travel... it's 12pm somewhere

Cheers for posting it

Thanks for the TR and the guidance as to timings to get to JFK at that time in the morning (we're taking the same flight in just over four weeks) but still the essential question remains unanswered - can one get champagne with breakfast in the JFK CH? (Not asking for myself, you understand... )

For me, 'Argo' was a bit of a surprise win as I'd expected 'Lincoln' to be the shoo in. We saw the former some months back and thought it an excellent piece of filmmaking though. The only misstep was how buff Ben Affleck made himself look when all the others were correctly dressed with a phenomenally ugly collection of 'taches and tank tops. There's also an egregious error in the party scene when the Led Zeppelin track is played..

Thank you for the TR.

Nice trip report! As VS staff at JFK I'll clear up the doubt aabout why we ask if LHR is a passenger'final. It is simply to verify a passenger has the proper documentation (visas, blank pages for travel on to CPT/JNB, etc) this is double checked at the gate as many passengers use Web check in and head straight to the gate, avoiding document verification at check-in.