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#237281 by Nottingham Nick
08 Aug 2005, 18:59
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After > 30 VS flights in Y, this is our first confirmed (non 'op-up') UC flight. To say we were looking forward to it, is a bit of an understatement. [8D]

We stayed the night before in the Park Inn on Bath Road, booking their evening meal inclusive rate through Holidayextras.com. The hotel and the buffet meal were excellent, despite the fact that the hotel was full of irate / frustrated South African Airways pax, who were victims of a strike by ground crew and had been there up to 4 days. I used OLCI at the hotel despite being in J.

On the morning of the flight, J check in was very quiet, compared to the bag drop and the rest of the check ins, so we used it. We got the magic purple boarding cards and headed for the CH via fast track, which wasnt overly fast!

We arrived at the Clubhouse and straight away booked treatments. Christopher chose a haircut and I chose the sensational shave that I have read so much about on here. Sue booked in for a back and pressure point massage. Once we had found seats I had a bowl of fruit, Sue had the signature English muffin with scrambled egg and Smoked Salmon while Christopher had a sausage cob. We wandered round the Clubhouse, I checked in with V-Flyer and had my shoes shined,

The CH wasnt too busy and the temperature was very pleasant. There seemed to be lots of staff on duty and the service was excellent.

I had a quick peak at the new Clubhouse that opens next month ..they still have a fair bit of work before it is ready for the passengers. I was told that the staff are going for some training in the new salon on August 9th and it opens properly on August 23rd. The current Clubhouse then closes and becomes phase two of the building project, the whole thing being completed about March 2006.

The time in the lounge, not surprisingly, passed very quickly and, at about 11.15am, we made our way to gate 32. It is quite a long trek and when we arrived, boarding had started and there was a bit of a zoo around the boarding area with a massive queue and no priority boarding. Our plane is Tinkerbelle which is a V-Port fitted 747.. good news.

We bypassed the queue in a rather ungainly manner by climbing over seats on the instruction of the check in agent, and made our way to the gate. The flight time is a very fast 10 hours and five minutes. We were offered drinks as soon as we sat down and there was already a bottle of water in each seat pocket. The suites appeared to be in A1 condition.

We didnt push back until 12.25pm and then made our way to 27 L. We got great views of the Windsor as we climbed and then went into the high cloud. It is quite a sunny morning but once in the cloud we lost the ground.

Once the seatbelt signs were off we were offered yet more drinks, I had a beer this time, but Sue stuck to OJ and Christopher had another diet coke. We also had crisps or Japanese Crackers.

The first film I watched was Coach Carter with Samuel L Jackson, during which the main meal was served, I had the chicken, as did Sue. Christopher had the sausage and mash, this has been widely panned on V-Flyer, Christopher enjoyed it though!

As the flight progressed, Sue went for a hand massage then I went for a hot hands treatment which was a very nice, and another first for me today! Finally, Christopher went for a back massage which he thoroughly enjoyed. It is quite amazing that after the meal, the vast majority of the passengers converted their suite to beds and got their heads down. The food and drink service was almost non-stop, Ben and Jerrys ice creams were brought to the seat and there was always the bar, where a huge fruit bowl and drinks were a bit of a magnet.

Coach Carter is an excellent film, which I really enjoyed. After the film I went to the bar for a beer and a chat with the FSM. The second film I chose was The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio which I also enjoyed, but not as much as Coach Carter.

Sue watched The Incredibles which she rated as very good, The Aviator which she thought, had a disappointing ending and Finding Neverland which is a bit of a tear jerker that she thoroughly enjoyed.

Christopher watched Constantine which was all right, The Incredibles very good , Lemony Snicket which he had seen at the cinema and really enjoyed again. He then watched Coach Carter which he was enjoying, but we landed before it finished.

The flight passed at a remarkably quick rate, a bit of Little Britain, Simpsons and then a few games of Tetris, a bit of typing on the laptop, and some of the General Knowledge quiz before tea was served, which was a choice of sandwiches, Dim Sum or fishnchips. We all had sandwiches which was followed by either a scone with jam and cream or a choice of cakes from the plate.

We got great views of the desert, and then the vast sprawling metropolis that is Los Angeles as we came in to land. Being in J we were among the first off the plane, we walked to Immigration and there was only one group in front of us. As soon as we got through Immigration, the baggage claim was immediately in front of us and our bags appeared almost straight away.

Outside in the warm sunshine, the shuttle to the LAX Renaissance was outside waiting and we got straight on it. It was an amazing sequence of events and we were on our way out of the airport within about 15 minutes of landing!!

Conclusions. The flight in J was great, the staff, the suites and the whole experience made it a flight I will long remember.

Am I now hooked on turning left? I dont know I pay for my own flights and J travel is a lot of money, even with Z fares we will see! I must pay tribute though to the fantastic Flying Club! If the point of it is to encourage product loyalty, then it has succeeded hands down. The fact that it allows us regular Y pax to try out the suites and the J whole experience is absolutely fantastic.

Sorry this has been so long, but it is an edited version of the journal I keep on all of our holidays that eventually get transferred to my website. [:I]

Nick
#307635 by slinky09
08 Aug 2005, 19:18
Great read and glad you enjoyed it all - I'll be on VS7 in six weeks and am particularly pleased that you navigated LAX so quickly. It always makes me bad tempered having such long waits at some US immigration stations.

You commented on several frequent topics - like you all had club house treatments and also on board, and the bangers and mash [:p], you didn't say which seats you had though? The flight crew sound as though they were as good as we know VA do, and compared to my return from Chicago today on American in business simply heaps better.
#307645 by shazam
08 Aug 2005, 19:52
Great TR Nick thanks.

Loved the thought of you all hoofing over seats to get past the queue [:D]

I haven't tried the hot hands treatment, maybe next time [:)]

Nice to see you made it through immigration and baggage claim pretty quickly too.

Look forward to the return TR

Shaz
#307653 by lilyjosh0
08 Aug 2005, 20:27
Really enjoyed reading your TR - makes me want to go and book a trip myself[:o)]
#307655 by preiffer
08 Aug 2005, 20:32
Nice one Nick [y].

I'm still hanging on to the tiny (microscopic) hope that the new CH might be open by next wednesday...


{in need of fingers-crossed smiley}
#307656 by buns
08 Aug 2005, 20:45
Nick

Excellent TR - a truly riveting read[y][y][y]

Knowing how you have been so loyal to VS over the years, it is nice to see that your first UCS experience lived up to all expectations.

I too have recently been on a Reward flight in UC (sadly I could not get a UCS flight) and the quiet knowledge that you are getting £4Ks worth of service in exchange for miles is a comforting thought[;)]

Hope your trip to the US is going smoothly and I look forward to the return TR.

all the best

Buns
#307658 by Dave Adkins
08 Aug 2005, 20:48
Excellent TR, If the masses won't get out of the way use the seats - Great thinking, if a few more people did that they might twig that the system their using isn't working[:(]
#307665 by Kryten
08 Aug 2005, 21:33
Nice TR [y] One question, what did you think of the LAX Renaissance? I'm booked there for Friday night before flying out to STL. I have used the LAX Marriott before but thought I'd try the renaissance seeins as they have just finished refitting the Concierge lounge (although this may well be shut Friday night).

Glad that you enjoyed the flight though, I like VS7 as it always seems a good value for money flight for UC [:D] Slightly annoyed to hear that the new CH isn't opening until the 23rd though, I'm flying out to DEL on 20th so will miss it by a couple of days [:(]
#307669 by Richard28
08 Aug 2005, 21:45
thanks for the TR Nick.

So glad it lived up to expectations.

I was hoping the full clubhouse wuld be open by February, when my next UCS trip is due (I thought the 'final' CH was originally due for December 2005?)


Rich.
#307676 by Nottingham Nick
08 Aug 2005, 22:36
Thanks for the positive comments [:)]

In answer to some of the questions:

Kryten: We really enjoyed the Renaissance, it is right nest door to the Marriott. So many chain airport hotels are very sterile, but this one had very friendly staff and served a great breakfast in the morning. It is very expensive to park a car here though, we were glad we had arranged to pick ours up the next morning. The Dollar lot is only a short walk away and it saved us going back to LAX to get the Dollar shuttle.
Another advantage is that downtown Westchester is about a 20 minute walk away, we were looking for something to do to keep us awake and the walk fitted the bill perfectly. There isn't too much there, supermarkets and In'n'Out burger were all we really took advantage of[:I]

Shaz: The boarding queue was a bit of a joke, we asked about priority boarding and the agent just pointed to the queue and said 'It should be here! [:I] We are not averse to a bit of climbing though.[;)]
We had heard horrow stories of LAX immigration, but we couldn't fault it.. luck of the draw, I suppose.

Slinky: Sorry, we were in 7 A & K and 8 A, excellent seats, very quiet and you are among the first to be served with everything. There was no comment on the fact that we had already had CH treatments when we got on board. The IFBT was wonderful! As for the bangers and mash, those who have met Nick Jnr. (Christopher) on the boat and at Reading may recall... he will eat anything and everything that is put before him[;)][}:)]

Nick
#307684 by mitchja
08 Aug 2005, 22:55
Excellent TR thanks Nick. Glad you enjoyed the flight [:)]

Regards
#307690 by Kryten
08 Aug 2005, 23:20
Originally posted by Nottingham Nick
Kryten: We really enjoyed the Renaissance, it is right nest door to the Marriott. So many chain airport hotels are very sterile, but this one had very friendly staff and served a great breakfast in the morning. It is very expensive to park a car here though, we were glad we had arranged to pick ours up the next morning. The Dollar lot is only a short walk away and it saved us going back to LAX to get the Dollar shuttle.
Another advantage is that downtown Westchester is about a 20 minute walk away, we were looking for something to do to keep us awake and the walk fitted the bill perfectly. There isn't too much there, supermarkets and In'n'Out burger were all we really took advantage of[:I]

Thanks for the info. I'm returning my car before checking in I think. Last time I stayed at the Marriott the Dollar driver dropped me off there instead of having to go to the airport and switch busses. I'd walk but my case is a little heavy! Glad to hear that its a nice hotel though, will not get to take breakfast on Saturday though as have an 8AM flight to ORD then onto STL so its breakfast in the UA lounge for me.
#307704 by seany
09 Aug 2005, 00:25
Thanks Nick [y].

Sounds like you really enjoed your UCS experience, are you addicted now?[:p].
#307726 by derby_dave
09 Aug 2005, 11:35
Sounds like air travel as it should be - looking forward to reading the full diary!

derby_dave
#307729 by iforres1
09 Aug 2005, 11:46
Thanks for the TR Nick, turning left could be an expensive habit, but so addictive[:D].

Enjoy the break and look forward to the return TR

Iain
#307738 by Decker
09 Aug 2005, 12:56
So pleased to hear it was such an enjoyable experience Nick - and thanks for the wealth of detail! Hiya to your travelling companions! [:D]
#307741 by Jonathan
09 Aug 2005, 13:06
Ditto to all of the above[:D] - Was that your first time in the LHR Clubhouse?
#307758 by Nottingham Nick
09 Aug 2005, 19:00
Originally posted by Jonathan
Was that your first time in the LHR Clubhouse?


No, we used it regularly in the Amex Plat days, and -thanks to Jaguarpig - we used it at Christmas when we went to Miami. [8D]

I certainly thought that there was an increase in the staffing levels, in the intervening 8 months[y][:)]

Nick
#307821 by daisy
10 Aug 2005, 11:47
Excellent trip report Nick! I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing. [y]
#307848 by jaguarpig
10 Aug 2005, 15:15
Thanks for the report nick, so glad it was up to scratch,regards to all of you, enjoy the rest of your trip.
#308283 by ChuckC
14 Aug 2005, 20:57
Nick,
I had the pleasure of hearing all this 'live', or nearly so, when we enjoyed lunch after your arrival in the USA. But reading it brings out other details you neglected to share: an excellent report. Thanks, Nick.

And a big 'thumbs up' to the Flying Club. And, like many others, I'm really looking forward to to seeing the new CH at LHR.

Regards,
Chuck-
#308421 by JAT74L
16 Aug 2005, 10:44
Again, great TR nick. Glad you so enjoyed the UCS experience, I remember smiling from ear to ear when I did it in Feb!

Regards

John
Virgin Atlantic

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