This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
A little background to help inform this report. We live in Yorkshire and have a close relationship with our two sons. Eldest son (ES) and family live in tiny village in Buckinghamshire about half an hour from LHR. Youngest son (YS) and family moved in 2010 to USA. He works in NY, they live in New Jersey about half an hour from EWR.
ES living so close to LHR is really helpful, we spend a few days with them, leave the car on their drive and use a local man who runs an airport taxi service.
All flights till now, except one, have been VS from LHR to EWR. We did one flight with AA – never again, check-in woman went to a Russian gulag charm school, crew were not much better and the return overnight on the sloping bed saw me sliding down to my feet.
Last autumn, VS changed the flight schedules into EWR and there have been posts from others who join us in not liking the new times. When booking flights for this latest visit, we decided to try LHR/JFK though it’s nearly so convenient, involving a long schlep through Manhattan, Lincoln Tunnel, etc. We managed to get Gs for outward and return (yippee) and thanks to Bretty
for posting that DTCI didn’t have to involve VS’s limos, our airport taxi service from ES’s village would work just as well.DTCI went well, we were whisked through into security very quickly, I was selected for a further pat-down (I reckon I must resemble a known felon), then through Duty Free like lightning as we both had a list and through the hallowed portals of LHR CH within 35 minutes of arriving at DTCI. Not bad eh?
We had breakfast – OH had full English and he particularly enjoyed that it was of modest size, not a huge serving. I enjoyed smoked salmon, scrambled eggs & avocado. OH contented himself with the papers while I had a treatment (the express hand one, very good), we had a few drinks, I tried Honey Lamb’s hanging chair for a while and it seemed no time at all till we were due at the gate. Usual long walk, then at the gate I was selected for a second pat-down and bag search, definitely I resemble a known felon.
On board Mustang Sally, greeted in the cabin and led to our seats (15A & K) by the FSM who introduced himself and fetched drinks and chatted briefly. He ran a brilliant team, was very involved throughout the flight and definitely set the tone of the attentive crew. Our named crew member introduced himself and acknowledged us as frequent flyers with Ag status. He was extremely good and couldn’t have done more.
Push-back just before 1400 and after a long taxi and queue, we were in the air at 1415. There’s been a thread recently about amenity kits. Current UC one is in a rather dull looking dark grey fuzzy fabric, about 7” x 5”, contents no different to P/E. OH finds the pen useful for his Times crossword, we both use toothbrush and paste, occasionally socks but nothing else. Oh for some decent toiletries as so many suggested on that thread.
Drinks run and pretzels and the menu appeared very quickly. Menu as follows:
Starters
Crab timbale
Organic minestrone soup
Choice of breads
Main courses
Seared fillet of British beef
Grilled chicken breast
Paneer kofta and korma sauce
Warm oak-smoked trout salad
Pudding
Croissant bread and butter pudding
Chocolate and hazelnut slice
Cheese (Fourme d’Ambert, Double Gloucester, West Country Brie)
Crackers and grapes
Port
OH declined starter, just had chicken. I had crab and trout and we thought all were excellent, up there with the best airline meals we’ve had. Neither of us had pudding, we both had cheese which again was excellent. OH had port which he said was just a very ordinary Grahams but then he is very much a port and cheese man.
Neither of us bothered with the films. I’d hoped to see Grand Budapest Hotel which was on the list per the notorious VS website but didn’t show up. No matter, we just enjoyed being in UC. Flight was very full – I had a walk the length of the plane to stretch my legs. Pointy bit was full, UCDS had only one empty seat, P/E I think had one empty and Y seemed to have only a handful empty.
Afternoon tea appeared quite soon, menu as follows:
Sandwiches:
Prawn cocktail
Barbecued chicken
Devilled egg
Warm scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam
Cakes:
Vanilla cupcake
Rhubarb and custard macaroon
Blackcurrant macaroon
I had just a small sandwich and a scone which came on individual tiny oval plates. OH had a full selection which came on his own personal cake stand.
We arrived right on time, very bumpy landing, shook everyone up. Long taxi but maybe it always is at JFK? As soon as we were off, having thanked FSM, our own crew member and another to whom I’d chatted, we ran to security as we always do, and managed to have only four lines of the snake ahead of us. Eventually got to the desk, OH’s passport stamped very quickly, no fingerprint machine, no photo. I was scrutinised long and hard, then as ever had to do the fingerprint machine with both hands, then the camera. Definitely today’s wanted felon that’s me. Quickly through baggage reclaim, hasten out and there with big beaming smile is YS. Tears from me of course, hadn’t seen him since October apart from Skype.
Brilliant flight, through security quickly, it was short of an hour from touchdown to driving away. Alas it then went downhill. Took us over two hours to get through the Manhattan traffic, mid-town tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel and the freeway in NJ. I’m sometimes car sick in the back of a car, but have never been so in YS’s American battle-bus 4 wheel drive, I’ve happily travelled to Philadelphia a couple of years ago without a problem. Maybe it was tiredness, maybe leaning forward to hear what he was saying, updating us on various matters, but I went steadily more green and couldn’t ask him to stop so I could change with OH – in Manhattan traffic? Lincoln Tunnel? NJ freeway? So I arrived very green!
There’s no easy decision for the future, jury is still out. Autumn flights are already booked because dates are pretty fixed as it’s a family event/celebration so into EWR and P/E at present, no Gs have showed up. And now we have also the news of change of metal on EWR after that. LHR/JFK is much better timing on the outward than EWR but several hours through traffic. Sparrowfart timings of morning return flights from either are a no-no for us, so overnight which means UC for sure so we need miles which for us means enough personal spending on cards and personally paid-for miles (i.e. no company flights, no company purchases on cards). We’ve even considered the dark side but timings are no better and we have no miles and I have NO intention of flying in the cheap seats. I was definitely born to fly UC.
And yes, I have emailed to congratulate the FSM and crew. Many of you mention emailing Crawley Towers but I can’t find anything other than Dunstable, so Dunstable it was.
