VS033 LGW-ANU 3 Dec 06 (PE)
Posted: 05 Dec 2005, 19:34This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Anyway, we loaded the car up with 6 suitcases(somehow), and set off down the A41 and then on to the M25. The journey took about an hour and a half and we arrived at LGW at around 8.15. I was really disappointed that I didn't have more time at the airport because I like to sit in the CH, do a bit of shopping and all the rest.
We proceeded to check-in with all our suitcases, but I had to go the ticket and reservations desk because I had foolishly not printed off all the tickets for my wife and friend, although I had already checked-in online. The PE check-in queue was surprising long, so I suppose VS have quite a few flights out of LGW on a saturday. Got to the check-in desk and had a newby checking me in, he took quite a while to do everything, and I asked about upgrading to UC(LOL[:I]) but unfortunately there was only one seat left so I didn't bother, although I was told to ask at the gate just in case a couple of people hadn't turned up.
Happy to have all the suitcases taken off us, I proceeded through the departure gates. I only had half an hour left until boarding so I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself, but after a few minutes standing in the middle of the terminal looking like a complete idiot I went for some breakfast at garfunkels. After that I quickly picked up Jose Mourinho's biography from Smiths and went to the viewing area.
My flight was then called so I set off off for gate 33, it was a long walk but you do get some quite fantastic views an close ups of aircraft. I took my seat and waited for everyone to board, seeing as the queue was so huge. Once I got to the gate I again asked about the upgrade bot unfortunatley ther was still only the one seat, and I though it would be very unfair to leave my wife and mate, although I did offer my wife and she rejected as well[^] [:I].
Got onboard and went up the stairs and took my seat in seat 78a. PE was very empty, the whole front section was taken but There was just the three of us in the last six or seven rows. Cabin crew came around offering drinks and we then started taxi ten minutes after the scheduled departure time.
A nice smooth take off at 10.30, and we were off!! The news video wasn't working so the CSS said she would just switch the movies on straight away, which she did. None of the films that were on, really interested me and the one that did I had already seen (Cinderella Man-Superb film, highly recommended). The entertainment was quite disappointing, because nearly everything that was on, was a repeat of last months entertainment. Other than that there were no complaints, the seat was functioning well and the crew were doing a good job. Lunch then came around, roughly 2 hours into the flight and the chices were:
Chicken and broccoli
Bangers and mash
Vegetable lasagne
I opted for some good old bangers and mash and to my delight, it was delicious. After lunch I watched Cinderella Man for an eighth time and after that had a snooze. Once I had woken up, Tea was being served so I knew it was near enough an hour until landing. I had a chicken sandwhich, which again was excellent. With 45 minutes left until landing I listened to my new video ipod for a while, as the entertainment system was switched off.
Twenty minutes before landing and the seatbelt sign goes on and we begin our decent into ANU. The captain made an annoncement that ANU was very busy and that we would have to hold and circle west of the airport for at least ten minutes. I didn't mind this because I love watching out the window on any approach, but I knew this meant that immigration would be hell.
On straight finals into ANU and it was pretty bumpy, so was the touchdown. As we were speeding past the terminal I managed to see what airlines were alredy in, BMI, AA, US airways, BWIA and luckily we had landed before BA.
First person off the second staircase and I was hit by a beautiful temperature of 28 degrees, with a nice cooling breeze [:D][:p]. Once through to immigration, all four queues were packed and there were still 370 people to follow me [:0]. Once everyone had come through, the queues were nearly back onto the tarmac, lierally. Antigua really needs to sort its airport out, and then I see BA land LOL.
Once through immigration, getting the suitcases was mayhem, the luggage belts are not big enough to handle all the bags when so many flights come in, so they chuck them onto the floor and you have to search for them. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Anyway I managed to find them and get home in good time. The PE flight was good and another successful VS experience.