This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Check In
OLCI wouldn't work for me, which I thought a bit weird. It was then that I realised that I don't recall getting an e-ticket receipt emailed over. Oh well, I thought, that can only mean one thing - a trip to the ticket desk at LHR.
Addison Lee did another splendid job of getting me to Heathrow - about 30 cheaper than a DIY Tristar, and not quite as snazzy, but okay.
Dropped off by T3, and headed for the UC ticket desk, hoping it was staffed - which it was. However, the very helpful guy there was having issues with his technology. It seems that just as I'd arrived, there was an outage on the ticketing system, and he couldn't retrieve my ticket. He phoned around, both to the back office, and to the main ticket desk, and their systems were down as well.
Check-in was still working though, and he was able to retrieve my booking through there. He managed to verify that the ticketing was all okay for the flight, and the existing (though non-upgraded) itinerary print out that I had would be acceptable.
After some check-in ticketing problem with the person in front, I get to check-in, and the boarding pass printer on that check-in terminal goes into a strop. I'm wondering if I shouldn't be flying today!
Finally, the check-in agent goes and asks one of her colleagues to print my boarding pass out on her terminal instead.
Clearly being challenged by the technology, both staff, the ticketing guy, and the lady on check-in, kept their cool, and were polite and helpful.
I'd love to be able to give a higher mark for check-in, if only to reflect how good-natured and patient these individuals were, but I'm only going to give it an average.
Security
I was dreading there being an enormous queue for FastTrack, but that wasn't the case, it moved fairly quickly, especially considering there was a large family with kids in front. There is a sizing gauge in front of the entrance to the search comb, but no-one was forcing people to put bags in it from what I could see. Despite there being no notices about 'take your laptops out' anymore, everyone just seemed to do it automatically, so I guess you still have to.
So, with no delay, it was off to the...
Clubhouse
Another great visit to the Clubhouse. Wasn't too busy at all either. Sat down in the Brasserie and had a very nice brunch, chatted with the wait staff, and generally kicked back a bit. Service was spot on, and even the shoe-shiner was walking around touting for business. The only thing not right is that the Clubhouse still had the Best of British menu for the VS11, and I told them that I was certain it had changed.
I noticed that the Sky Lounge area was 'closed off'... Hm. I wonder who needs that?
I headed out to do a bit of duty free shopping, and with mission accomplished, headed back to find a largish queue of people heading into the CH. Lots of handshakes all around at the top of the stairs. Turns out these were the people who the Sky Lounge was booked for - some Virgin managementy types and their hangers-on.
Rather than wait behind their suit-jam, I just ducked around the outside and walked straight back in, checked my shopping with the baggage guy, and went for a nice steamy shower.
Finished off with a mojito at the bar, and then the called the flight, which would be leaving from gate 40, somewhere near Maidenhead, and 'Priority Boarding' is in operation.
Boarding
So, thankfully all the travelators were working today, easing the hike down to the furthest reaches of Terminal 3. However, Priority Boarding continues to be something of a work of fiction where LHR is concerned. I decided I'd just stand next to the sign and see what happened. Mr Securicor spotted me and beckoned me forward, so it didn't look too much like I was pushing in/queue jumping. This is an area that VS really need to sort out. It would have definitely been possible to do proper priority boarding on this particular gate, but it wasn't quite set up to achieve that.
I then got collared for a Secondary Screening, which had to be the most thorough airline gate screening I've ever experienced. Had to take the batteries out of everything - which annoyed the crap out of me because I usually suspend my laptop, so I can just open it up and get on where I last left off. He also wanted to open a wrapped/packaged gift I'd just bought in the Duty Free shop (still in it's 'World Duty Free' carrier bag, with the reciept). That really took the biscuit, I thought. I said it was I gift, that I'd bought it not 30 minutes ago in the airport, and I'd much rather he didn't open it. He eventually agreed not to. Finally released by the Sphincter Police, giving an ironically cheery 'Have a good weekend' to Mr Security (guessing he'd be spending it cooped up in T3), I headed off down the jetway to join G-VFAB (following me around, that plane is...).
Slight panic when I got to the bottom of the jetway because I couldn't find my boarding card - I'd stuffed it in a different pocket to usual following the search I'd just been through.
Just as I walked through the doorway, I heard a familiar voice, and saw a crew member I'd flown with a couple of times before last year - excellent stuff to see a friendly face, and even better when they remember you.
Headed off to 18K and got settled in. The plane seemed to be filling up rather quickly, and I thought 'This is a Boston flight - they usually aren't this busy'. Then I noticed a number of the Virgin managementy types and their acolytes boarded and took up the remaining open seats in J.
Anyway, got settled, got my first look at the cardboard-envelope 'Scrooge Pack' (lame, so lame), got a drink, FSM came around and said 'Hello, have you flown with us before', to which my answer was 'Oh yes, I've even flown with before', referring to the crew member working the other aisle... that got a 'Ah, you'll know the ropes then' kind of laugh.
Departure
Pushed back a few minutes late and taxied out to Runway 09R for takeoff. Quite a big queue of planes, but we got airborne around 3pm, with a short takeoff roll leading to an early rotation with less then half the 3.7km of runway used. Usual early sharp right after takeoff to point us in the right direction, and we're off over the Bristol Channel, West Wales and Ireland before leaving Europe behind.
V:port and laptop power were available immediately (nice), and the service got into full swing with a glass of Chardonnay and some olives.
Went and propped the bar up for a while after ordering lunch, and noticed that there wasn't the usual huge selection of quality booze behind the bar! What had happened? Beancounters? Surely not?
The FSM told me that the J liquor cart hadn't been loaded, so we only had access to the Y selection of spirits - so no single malts, no port, and no Tanqueray No. Ten!
Sure, the world didn't spin off it's axis, but almost every VS flight I've taken recently has had something wrong with it, or some part of the promised service not delivered.
No fault of the crew, they did the best they could, and more importantly, they were honest.
The goodies at the bar really do need looking at.
The current choccie-du-jour is a Bendicks mint selection. It works with coffee, but not much else, IMHO. They are too 'functional' and aren't a 'decadent treat'. I'm torn between the Lily O'Briens or the Rococo truffles.
The fruit could also do with being livened up. It's pretty much just apples and bananas these days. They definitely used to have grapes, and I'm sure I remember the odd strawberry or two.
Lunch
This was the usual light-bite free affair on the midday East Coast flights.
Nice mozzarella and tomato salad with balsamic vinegar to start (or the soup which looked okay too), and I went for the Thai chicken (other options being Lamb Shank or something veggie that I can't remember). Sorry, but I've had better ready meals from Sainsburys. Maybe it was being served in a bowl (and those bowls are quite like soup bowls) rather than on a plate, the limp bit of oriental greens on the side, or it being chicken 'cubes' rather than a whole piece of chicken, but I don't think it measured up for a J cabin meal.
Dessert was ice cream with sauce, nothing particularly special.
Had a good laugh watching 'Fun with Dick & Jane'. Wasn't sure if I'd like it, but it was a decent punch in the stomach to corporate corruption - there seems to be a theme of that in v:port at the moment, with the excellent documentary about the rise and fall of Enron. Those shows on v:port, and the investigation of BA for price fixing? Coincidence? You decide! [;)]
Mid flight
I tried to put my feet up, relax and snooze a bit, using my snoozy ear plugs - which are nicer in the 'Scrooge Pack' than the ones from the Boateng kit. However, the bar was now monopolised by some noisy people, that I could actually hear talking through the earplugs. Eventually, they were asked to keep the noise down, because they had started talking over the top of each other and getting louder.
Looking at the map, we'd routed some way to the North, so we'd be making landfall somewhere of the Labrador coast.
Had a couple of games of trivia, was a bit weird because some of the same questions came up in consecutive rounds, which I hadn't seen before on v:port, but who was I to complain when I got it wrong the first time! There were some bright people on this flight, and the rounds were hard fought - I won a couple, and lost a couple!
At this point, I realised I recognised another crew member - who I had flown with about 18 months ago - from a trip so long ago, I can't even find it on V-Flyer anymore! I said hello, jogged her memory, and she said 'I swore I knew you from somewhere, but I couldn't place you'. We had a bit of a chat about the drunken friend I was with the last time we flew together, and generally did a bit of catching up.
Looking at the watch, we had less than an hour to go, and we hadn't had afternoon tea yet - so I asked the crew member on my aisle if I'd missed it... she said 'No, we're just sorting it now, but I thought we'd leave it as late as we could'. It also showed how much work there is to do on the BOS flights if they have a full J cabin.
Afternoon Tea
...was the usual sandwich & scone affair, with a big cappucino. I decided I'd have the cheese selection and the scone, and pass on the sandwiches. The cheese came with cornish wafers, among other biscuits - a big uptick from the poor water biscuit only 'selection' I had a couple of flights ago. The cheese selection was very good, and included Cashel Blue, which is a nice Irish blue cheese.
The cakestand, complete with some iridescently iced lemon cakes like you used to get in school, was placed on the bar.
Arrival
Before long, we were well into our descent in to Boston, and the crew put the cabin away in record time. It was great to fly with a crew who left the cabin 'open' for as long as they could, given the comments on here about it being packed away very early on others.
Landing in Boston was a good few minutes early, with a gentle landing on Runway 22L (quite weird seeing people on the beaches in North East Boston), and we were on stand by about 4.50pm Eastern time.
Usual long, slow taxi in to the usual Virgin stand which is tucked out of the way, where I said my goodbyes to our excellent and hardworking crew, and headed for the joys of US immigration, where they had just had a computer outage, and so were not processing any passengers at all!
We had to all wait about 50 minutes or so before the line started moving again. One person from our flight was heading down to Nantucket on Cape Air, and loads of people were very kind and let her jump the line so she could have a chance of making her connection.
So, eventually I got through immigration at about 6pm, over an hour after we landed, and I was near the front of the line! Of course, the delay meant there was no chance to check to see if priority baggage was working, because the belt was crammed to bursting with the bags from our flight!
The rental car line was so enormous, I abandoned my reservation (it wasn't pre-paid anyway), and took the Logan Express out to Framingham, and met up with my friends there, rather than driving over. Given the chaos that has happened with some of the Big Dig tunnels (a roof tile segment collapsed onto a car and killed someone last week), it was probably a good move, all things considered.
The flight itself was good. It was slightly let down by the screw up with the lack of the premium liquor selection, and the hit-and-miss food we've come to expect. I'm sure I'd have been happier having the salad and soup.
The crew were first class in every respect. I simply can't fault the service at all.
The Immigration hold-up was annoying, but outside of VS' control. I'm surprised that the US CBP people don't have any sort of 'fallback' to deal with their technology failing, because it was stopping them processing any entries, even US Citizens and Residents, not just visitors. Generally an annoying day with technology, I think [;)].
Well, hope you enjoyed. I'll work on the return report soon...
Cheers,
Mike
