VS030 BGI-LGW 29 JUL 13 (Upper Class)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

Ground Staff

Food & Drink

Entertainment

Seat

Cabin Crew

Check-in was faultless - no queue and a very pleasant smiling guy at the desk. The business lounge at BGI is currently being renovated with part of it screened off so it was very crowded and even less appealing than usual. I was eager to experience the new Upper Class seat. Although the table design is better, the seat feels cramped and the general layout on the A330 is far from ideal. Fortunately, there were empty seats across from me, otherwise it would have felt even more oppressive. The so-called "opaque" glass partitions might just as well be clear as they offer little privacy and look cheap - as do many of the materials used in the suite. For the first time ever, I didn't manage a single wink of sleep as the cabin was horribly hot and I kept catching my foot on the edge of what they call an ottoman. It just wasn't comfortable at all. The bar is a smart improvement but in general, I found myself longing for the space of the 747 nose section. Lastly, the coffee served at breakfast still tastes like instant coffee which is something I don't understand. I'm sorry to be so negative in this review but it's sad when something that is meant to be an improvement turns out to be the opposite. I'm flying back in a week and hope the experience will be better - although I have practically made up my mind to sit in Premium on future trips or try BA.

thanks for the TR.
Yes it seems to be the general consensus that the new UCDS is not as good at the UCS.
On a day flight perhaps PE is still ok, though I am fairly sure that even with its short comings I would still prefer to be able to lie down in the new UCDS than sit in PE on a night flight.
Cabin temperature seems to be a thing recently. Wonder if the CC would be annoyed if someone told them the temperature was a bit on the warm side?

Cabin temperature seems to be a thing recently.

Unbearble heat in the UC cabin at night has been an ongoing issue IME for as long as I can remember . Asking the crew to turn the heat down never seems to effect any change in temperature either .
Thanks for posting the TR but it's another report that will continue my avoidance of the UCDS wherever possible...
I thought the (non) opaque screens were being replaced (or did I just imagine that ??).
DL

On both our new upper flights in May were were told the new cabin design was temporary and being replaced.