V-Flyer

Another short trip into New York and environs for a series of business meetings. For various reasons I was not looking forward to the trip, mostly because I realised that of the 13 weekends to date this year I've given up part or whole of 11 of them for business travel ...

I checked-in online, having only booked on Friday I knew the flight to be full and had the only option of 73K upstairs - upstairs is fine but I really dislike being in a window seat, just find it claustrophobic and using online check-in I couldn't raise the seat map to change. So I called FC and since I'd checked-in they of course couldn't change me either ... this frustrates me, however they put a request for an aisle or the exit row on my reservation. On return check-in, I couldnt raise the seat map again, so one more frustrating bug with the VS Web site.

Arrived to T3 scramble, it being the Sunday before Easter, and the whole car drop area outside is being remodelled so a bit of a scrum there too. A shortish wait at UC check-in and then told no, there was no option to change seats, the flight was full (and on board the announcement was made that there were 390 pax, so indeed it was!), no option to upgrade either since UC was also full. So I resignedly headed to the Club House and chilled for an hour and a bit, had the Shepherd's Pie with champagne (how Jeffrey Archer) and walked the short distance to gate 23. Although the terminal was heaving, the club house was relatively quiet the door lady told me theyd turned away lots of families trying to come in with say two parents and two or more children but one Au card, so good for them.

Now I guess I just didnt want to enjoy my flight, and I didnt, and youd be correct to say serves him right! But you know when you have those days, and not a lot satisfies you. And you just dont want to be where you are? And despite yourself you cant help being miserable? Well that was me.

Yet actually, there was very little wrong with the actual flight the crew were fine, the flight uneventful, the arrival on time. There were two real irritations: firstly, we were 45 mins leaving the gate - all down to the mystery paperwork reason (what is this really an euphemism for, its trotted out so often, are VS hopeless at form filling or does it just mean were too lazy to tell you the real reason for the delay?); the second irritation was the PE food, first choice run out when they got to me (beef and ale pie) so I chose the chicken. What a huge mistake, it tasted like moulded rubber, disgusting, awful and discarded (and the thimbles they serve wine in are a joke too).

For this trip I had decided to try travelling with just one carry-on I recently purchased a fabulous Louis Vuitton weekend bag (EGG!!!!) with the express purpose of trying this. It has three compartments, one neatly fitting laptop and accoutrement, the other clothes, the third essentials like QC3s, iPod and travel documents. Perfect. So, carefully loading it up, placing my toiletries in the ziplock bag, reducing everything to the minimum (like taking the VS flight schedule booklet out of my travel wallet) I set off for Heathrow. The plan was to speed through the process at JFK and then at LHR on the return as fast as possible. I found the security process at each end completely painless yes you have to take your lap top and ziplock bag out and place then in trays through the scanners, no problem, no questions, all fine. My plan failed only at JFK when stuck behind a German traveller arriving to work in the US, her paperwork wasnt quite right so I was stuck for 30 mins while this was sorted the hall was full and I constantly contemplated switching lines consequently by the time I got through people behind me on the flight (and I was 2nd in the hall) were sailing past with their luggage of off the conveyor. However it worked beautifully on the return more later!

Great TR, Slinky - a very enjoyable read, thanks.

What a difference a week makes, lots of reports of light loads and then Easter brings the crowds out.

VS really MUST get the PE food selection issue sorted out. I think more New PE TRs have mentioned pax not getting their first choice of meal than not. [V]

At least you had your Jeffrey Archer staple of shepherd's pie and champagne from the CH to keep you going. [:D]

Bad luck in the Immigration queue.[n]

Nick

Great TR, Slinky. [y]

Thanks for the TR

On days like that you may as well break out the JD and settle down to some serious thinking...that is off course if you can still get JD in PE ?

Slinky

Thanks for an entertaining TR[y][y]

I can imagine after having to endure the crowds at LHR, the last thing you wanted is to have been stuck in the wrong Immigration line at JFK[:(!]

Thanks once again

Buns

Originally posted by Nottingham Nick
VS really MUST get the PE food selection issue sorted out. I think more New PE TRs have mentioned pax not getting their first choice of meal than not. [V]

The food ex-London has become truly dire with the odd exception since the switch to LSG Skychefs, if you ask me - especially in the premium cabins (while the Y food might have actually got slightly better). Rubbery meat seems to be a speciality.

I'm in Bahrain at the moment, as some may know. The food I've had on Gulf Air on this trip has been a real eye-opener.

Interestingly, I was talking to a local person from my industry about travel while I've been here, and he said he remembers when VS was 'it' - amazing choices of food, excellent treatment, etc. Now he thinks they are just another so-so airline, and they lost their way about 3 or 4 years ago.

Mike