VS011 LHR-BOS 30 Aug 07 (Upper)
Posted: 10 Sep 2007, 00:55This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
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The journey over to LHR was uneventful, well certainly compared to the previous day when the plane had gone tech at the last moment and had been four hours late in leaving. We were all belted up and ready to go but were held on the ground because of congestion over Cardiff. Cardiff!! It never struck me as being the Hyde Park Corner of the skies but thats what we were told. However some ten minutes later we were released and about an hour later having done a couple of laps over LHR we landed a few minutes late. Anxiously I waited for my baby to appear and cribbed because they chose to offload the luggage from a DUB flight first even though they had landed after us but soon my baby was restored to me. I examined it carefully for any lumps, bumps or scratches, but no, it remained in pristine condition so I took it for its first long walk through the bowels of LHR to T3.
Arriving in Zone A as one does coming in that direction, I skirted round the hoarding and found the entrance to the VS UC check-in area where I was greeted most pleasantly by the security lady. There were three desks open and all three were being used at the time. On the left was a family with a couple of luggage trolleys and an unruly hang-glider oops sorry, baby buggy, on the right were two guys also with a full luggage trolley who were standing with the backs to the desk and both had a face like thunder on them and in the centre a couple with, yes, youve guessed it, a full luggage trolley. The effect of these trolleys the way they were positioned, was that they actually formed a barrier between me and the check-in desks and seemed absolutely impenetrable. No-one seemed to be handing up luggage to be tagged and it was impossible to say what was happening at the desk on the right. As I waited a lady ducked under the tensa lines separating UC from PE and seemed to be making for the desk. The security lady on seeing my face, explained that she had turned up with an out-of-date passport and had gone to re-book. No doubt that accounted for the sour looks on her companions faces. At this stage someone suggested that I be checked in while they were sorting this out which only met with outraged glares, but also the couple in the centre had finished so that desk had become free. The only problem was that I couldnt reach it. The couple, having divested the trolley of their luggage, most inconsiderately left it standing in the middle of the fairway and the guys to the right had their trolley sprawling right in my path. I politely tried to move it but couldnt because of the way it was placed with the familys trolleys and so I tried to get past towards the right. All it required was one of the guys to move their trolley a foot or so, but would they do so and just glared at me when I asked. Look, buddy! Just because your companion has screwed up about her passport doesnt mean you have to take it out on me. The security lady came to my rescue and I was delivered up in to the hands of the nicest check-in agent you could wish to meet. She checked me in quickly and efficiently and thanked me for flying VS once more and released me to the next potential battle security. By this time the family had also completed check-in so the many obstacles to my getting out of the area were removed. However it did not stop me from glaring at yer man on the way out. His day had been spoilt already and one more glare wasnt going to put him up nor down! Sadly I have to mark this down - not because of the staff but because of the arrogant idiots checking in.
Fast track seemed busy initially but it moved quickly apart from the aforementioned family. They were ahead of me in the line and the problem was that Junior kept on trying to go through with some other family member and was having to be sent back each time. The family tried to send the kids through first and of course he followed his elder siblings. Eventually it was sorted by the staff making dad come through and then getting mum to send him afterwards. The shoe carnival was in full operation that day and I got stuck behind a crowd who then said Oh, do we have to take our shoes off? and then proceeded to hold up everyone as they unlaced their shoes. However I managed to avoid them at the other side by having slip-ons! Released from security I made my way to the gate area and encountered VS staff with boards for VS19. Obviously they were trying to round up economy passengers because I was a full 20 minutes in the Clubhouse before the flight was called.
At last I was released to the delights of the Clubhouse and very anxious I was to get there. At this stage it was after 10:00am and I had been up since 4:00am and the only sustenance I had had was a cup of tea and a biscuit (albeit a very nice one) on my Aer Lingus flight. Breakfast was therefore very much on my mind, especially as my stomach had thought my throat had been cut and was grumbling in protest. Although I had been forewarned by someone on v-flyer I railed at the exclusion of the Eggs Benedict. The Eggs Royale with smoked salmon did not quite cut it with me so I had the full English and very satisfying it was too, especially when washed down with orange juice, leaf tea and champagne. After that I had a quick surf of the net (and a champagne refill) on the laptops available there since Aer John has commandeered our travel laptop for his own personal use and a trip up to the roof garden before returning downstairs to find my corner had been taken over. No matter I decided to go into the former fumoir and ensconce myself in one of the bubble chairs hanging there. Im sorry but I have to say that even nearly two full months since the smoking ban, I as a non-smoker, could still smell traces of tobacco. However I was content to swing there till it was time for my Cowshed appointment but when I returned duly beautified, my little bubble was gone as were most of my favourite places. I noticed that having arrived early, the Clubhouse had been busy enough. However as the morning flights departed there was a distinct lull before passengers arrived for the Tokyo, JFK and BOS flights as well as the later afternoon offerings.
Just as I was thinking of wandering down to the gate, the flight was announced and I made my way to gate 7. There was no priority boarding sign but there was only a handful of people at that stage so it really didnt matter until we got into the actual gate area where it was much more congested. People were advised to board through door B and I quickly realised there was a door A through which UC passengers could (and should) have been boarded. Of course there was a long line in the jetway and a purple boarding card had absolutely no status.
At the door I was greeted warmly, although not by name and directed to seat 3K as highly recommended on the A346. I can see why. UC was not full and indeed the centre section had several empty seats. I was welcomed on board and furnished with the obligatory champagne and requested and was given asleep suit (much to the bemusement of first time travellers in UC). So there I was, surrounded by my book, my iPod, my Bose QCs and all the other accoutrements for a flight when I heard the welcome Hello! Can I interest you in a treatment? I looked up but there was no sign of the IFBT and puzzled I looked back. She was in the rear section of the UC cabin and so for the next while I had to endure her braying as she peddled her wares. Actually she was a very pleasant chatty person, but took so long that by the time she got to the person in 2K we were already about to take off and she had to abandon him until we were in the air. When she was talking to me she looked at her printout and saw that I and two others had had treatments in the Clubhouse so we would be low priority but, in fairness at the end of the flight she came round with a priority card.
After take-off the crew came round with a hot towel service and there was one of those Oh, Hello! moments as the cabin crew and I recognised each other. She had been on my last flight from SFO and had been looking after my side of the cabin. Unfortunately she was on the opposite side but it did not prevent her from coming over to chat tome after the meal service.
Shortly after that a Tanqueray 10 and tonic was placed in front of me and v-port was fired up so I indulged in what I had attempted on my SFO flight and watched Happy Feet. Maybe it was my Bose headset or maybe the sound was working perfectly but there were no problems with the sound this time. A second G&T was offered and accepted. For the meal I once more chose the prawn cocktail and the lamb, which were absolutely gorgeous but it was only when I was talking to mike smashing in Boston that I realised that there had only been one round of wine and there had been no offer of a dessert.
After the meal (and flattened by the early start, the champagne, the G&Ts, the wine etc) I slept for a couple of hours, wakening just as they were about to serve the afternoon tea. The sandwiches were a little bit staler than on my SFO flight but the scone was as nice as ever.
All to soon we were descending into BOS and on the ground more or less on time. There was no queues at immigration and I was through very quickly and on my way to the hotel.
Notice something missing? No mention of the FSM. I saw her in the jetway and briefly at the end of the flight (when I realised I had never actually seen her on board till then). It mattered not one whit. The UC crew were superb whether it was because of or in spite of I know not, but the crew were great. Maybe she knew she had a great crew in UC and didnt need to be there