V-Flyer

Arrived a bit early, just after 1pm. No line at UC, the familiar guy did the passport/document checking. Almost asked me if I had 'packed my bags by the sea'... he was obviously looking at the birthplace in my passport which is an 'on-sea'.

There was a rather long line at Y check-in, as only one or two agents were handling the queue so early on.

There were no upgrades going online the previous day, and from a sneaked glance at the paperwork at check-in (yes, I'm a bad person, and probably hated by airline staff the world over), there wasn't any chance of an op-up either... open seats in Y, W and J. So I asked if there was any chance of a mileage upgrade. Initially, the agent said 'You're ticket isn't upgradeable', and I pointed out 'Are you sure, it's an 'S' and should be'. 'Oh yes, right. It's lots of miles, are you sure?'. I'm thinking it's 20k miles and I have them, so just do the damned upgrade, but I gritted my teeth and said 'Yes, it's 20k miles, I have 100-odd thousand in the bank'.

So, she confirmed there were upgrades, and while I offered to go and sort it out in the Clubhouse, the agent insisted on doing it at check-in. I don't know, had I embarrassed her into doing it herself? Fortunately, there was no line behind me, so I wasn't holding anyone up.

There then followed a farrago of paperwork, treks up and down to the ticket desk, and a phonecall to check if I have the miles available - remember, I'd usually upgrade the day before with miles, if there was availability. Just seemed very complex, compared to other airlines where they can just do it all quickly and electronically. I always hold up UA as a beacon for having smart IT systems to help the airport staff do things like rebooking, upgrades, waitlisting, etc., all in a matter of seconds.

It seems the outsourced downline stations can't handle curved balls all that well! The great service that we used to get at places like SFO just can't be had anymore and I think VS totally shot themselves in the feet with that decision.

This was even indicated at the Clubhouse. It's just not what it once was. The service was less than great, they just can't seem to hang on to the waitstaff these days, and there were only two waiters for the whole lounge, one of which seemed new and fantastically slow, though he seemed to make up for it by keeping me regularly topped up with bowls of crisps.
Fortunately, the main I had (a tilapia fillet with spinach) was tasty, if a bit nouvelle-looking (i.e. fantastically small).

T-Mobile have helpfully changed the user interface so that you can't even sign up for a day pass using a credit card without a ZIP code. I guess it never occurred to some chimp in T-Mobile that there might be non-Americans in an International airport. When I asked the agent on the front desk if there was somewhere I could buy a 'scratchcard'-type day pass with cash in the airport, it was answered with a shrug - an apologetic shrug, but a shrug nonetheless. This person didn't even make an effort to find out.

It culminated in what I can only describe as being 'shooed out' of the Clubhouse before 1600, for the new 1700 departure time. A waiter 'offered' to clear away a half-finished drink! It's almost like VS have changed the departure time without telling the Clubhouse staff that they will work an extra half-hour too. I asked if the new policy was to kick pax out an hour before departure time now. Again, this was met with a shrug. That's just so not Virgin.

Security was very speedy, with no lines at all, however, the aircraft was down on A9, which is one of the furthest gates. As I got there, boarding was only just starting, and I was one of the last people to leave the Clubhouse (and I had deliberately held back, even dragging out the drink I had..), so I'll assume that other UC pax had ended up waiting around the gate area, which is not the product we're sold.

Getting there just as boarding was beginning was a good move, as I literally walked straight up, as the boarding scrum hadn't had time to form. SFO was doing it's usual thing with dual bridges, boarding through L1 and L2, however, there was no sign, and no agent directing people onto the correct door, so this meant a large Y scrum heading down toward L1!

SFO just isn't the station it used to be. Standards are clearly slipping, first the predictably unreliable priority baggage handling last year, among other things, so I can only wonder if the rot has set in, and it's just all too late now.

Things started looking up though, the moment I boarded trusty G-VROC, the same ship that had brought me here only 11 days previously and settled into 11A. The crew seemed to be on the ball, and ready to go the extra mile. The introduction from the SCC member looking after my side of the nose was really nice, very personal, and set the tone for the whole flight.

The Captain introduced the flight deck crew and passed on details of the flight, such as the 9h23 duration and that we could expect it to get dark about 2 to 3 hours in, and it would get light again before we made landfall. We got a manual safety demonstration, narrated with some gusto by the cheery-sounding FSM!

We pushed a little early, around 1650-ish, and we were holding the BA flight up, as it was taxiing up behind us as we were starting engines! Taxied out to Runway 28R, with BA following us, and wheels up was around 1710 local, with the usual right turn toward Sacremento after crossing the coastline, with lovely views of the Bay Area.

Cocktails were quickly dished out, and refills offered too, with the whole operation seeming fairly slick!

Unfortunately, we got the 'faceless nurse' video played, which is now basically 15 minutes of commercials for the likes of HSBC and Bombay Sapphire, along with the hand-wringing intro from SRB and everyone's favourite faceless nurse talking about the same old crap that we've all seen a gazillion times.

This meant we didn't get v:port until about 45 minutes after wheels up, shortly before 6pm, as we were passing Reno.

There was no IFBT, so the FSM did the rounds with the amenity dish, introducing herself as she went.

Routing took us from Reno toward Boise, ID, and Great Falls, MT, crossing into Canada on track to Swift Current.

Dinner was served about 70-odd minutes after wheels up. Here's the menu:

* Alaska Crab Salad with melba toast and argula
* Roast pumpkin soup

* Sauteed pork tenderloin, with savoyarde potatoes, green beans, and an apple and Calvados cream sauce
* Pan roasted cod fillet, with basmati rice, baby bok choi, and a bouillabaise sauce
* Autumn vegetable pie, served with baby carrots and Chablis sauce

* Warm pecan pie with cinnamon whipped cream
* Dulce de leche ice cream with chocolate sauce and crushed Crunchie pieces

Lighter bites:

* Panko breaded goat cheese with a sun-blushed tomato vinaigrette (an old favourite making a comeback, I think)
* Roast beef sandwich with portobello mushrooms and caramelised onions
* Duck confit roll wrapped in cabbage leaves with a fruit salsa

I opted for goat cheese to begin, cod for main, and pecan pie for afters.

Naturally, we got hit with continuous light (occasionally moderate) turbulence once the dinner service started, and this continued until just after we crossed the Canadian border, and even then, there was the occasional bump and wobble from the 75mph tailwind that was pushing us along.

Given that I've not got to drive at the other end, I did a bit of propping up at the bar and realised that I'd flown with two of the crew only last month - they took me to SFO on the 24th August! Small world.

However, all the frivolity at the bar was broken up by the seatbelt sign as we approached Iqaluit, near the mouth of Hudson Bay, and we bumped across the Hudson Strait and Labrador Sea.

I decided that I wanted to snooze, so flipped the bed over, and had a few hours of fitful sleep, before waking about 1h45 before landing. Our SCC member was there almost straightaway offering breakfast, so I had a bacon roll and cereal. The roll wasn't dried up like it had been on previous occasions, though the bacon was obviously an Americanised attempt at British bacon, and wasn't that great. Somewhere between Canadian bacon and ham. Tasted a bit plasticky, if you see what I mean, and I felt a touch sick afterward.

We had passed over the Southern tip of Greenland and to the south of Iceland overnight, and would just miss Northern Ireland, making landfall near Islay, then heading for the Lake District, Wallasey and toward London.

About 20 minutes before top of descent, the J CSS announced that breakfast drinks and snacks were available at the bar for those who had only just woken, and then it was time to put the cabin away.

No holding at Bovingdon, meant we got to land about 30 minutes early, at 1030, followed by a bit of a tortuous taxi-in to stand 319, but at least we didn't get a remote. IRIS proved it's worth yet again, and it was interesting to see the Immigration officers now in uniform, with blue shirts and epaulettes. We're looking more and more like the US at times, I fear.

Bags started coming out within 15 minutes of the parking time, and priority bag delivery seemed to work okay as there was a stream of W and J bags mixed together, and my bags were in the first 30 or so.

Up to Revivals for a lovely refreshing shower. Nice!

Verdict:

Check-in: Somewhere between Poor and Average. The airport experience at SFO just isn't quite what it used to be, and the ridiculous farrago over getting a mileage upgrade epitomised what's bad about VS (old, complex, paperwork-heavy systems, where staff are hindered by IT, rather than helped).

Seats: Good. Everything worked, but there were pen marks on the leather, the mysterious indellible red marks on the suite wall, and on the sleeping side of the seat, the cushioning seemed to have seen better days - a bit 'collapsible'.

Food and Drink: Fair. Simple and tasty food, but the quality was debateable. The cod seemed to come from a tough cut of the fish, the pecan pie seemed a bit on the cheap side, and I've already mentioned the bacon.

Entertainment: Fair. Didn't really want to watch much. An episode of the Mighty Boosh and a game of trivia was about it, other than watching the world drift by on the skymap.

Cabin Crew: Excellent. A really outstanding crew, led from the front by an 'Alpha FSM', and a great crew member looking after my aisle.

Mike - really appreciated the level of detail. Sorry to hear that one of our favourite CHs in on the skids. Let's see what they make of the party bus in November...

Glad to hear that the FSM was leading by example... we really must get to the bottom of those red marks....

Thanks for the TR Mike [y]

I've not been though SFO for 2 years now, but it seems that they are sadly now going in the same direction of other out-sourced US stations [:(]

Glad you had a good crew though [y]

Regards

Superb report, Mike. You would be an excellent volunteer to serve on a VS customer panel as your comments track with much of what we've read here.

Best regards,
Chuck-

A TR with loads of detail? Smashing, I say[y]

Glad the VS crew looked after you so well Mike.

What are you smashing, anyway? [:p]

Great TR -- thanks so much.

You raise a point I am sure has been discussed but, candidly, I can't be ars*d to do a search: the 'handwringing' video of SRB...I have always thought that was the poorest message from a CEO I have ever seen, especially when you consider some of his more powerful appearances on telly, etc. One wonders who in PR let that mangy cat of a video out of the bag and into the IFE.

Finally, so sorry to hear about the CH -- at least you left there dry. I, too, encountered some shrugging indifference when they abluted me with Champagne, but deploying the smart bomb word 'MANNION' got them interested very quickly. [}:)]

GJ

One thing I didn't mention about the food, which has crossed my mind (and was why I had goat cheese to start), is that the menu planning wasn't that great.

* Pumpkin/squash soup in both directions

* ex-SFO there was a fish starter and a fish main (which was why I had goat cheese)

* This is probably worse on the shorter flights where there aren't any smaller bites to add variety.

Mike

Mike

Thank you for an excellent TR[y][y][y]

It is sad to hear the the SFO Clubhouse may loosing that edge that has seen them outpace LHR in the past in respect of service - let's hope that the rot can be held back.

Once again, the FSM setting the standards - its not too difficult to see what the critical success factor might be then[:w][:w]

Thanks once again

buns

... and not even a decent Champagne GJ [:p]

Mike, thanks for a great TR as usual, SFO CH RIP, bring back Claire, Luz and Beau!

Originally posted by Bazz
... and not even a decent Champagne GJ [:p]

Tell me about it, Barry -- that fact only compounded the insult!

MIKE -- was the FSM one who was known to you? Some of the best FSMs seem to be known by several of the regular V-Flyers.

GJ

Thanks for the lovely detailed trip report, Mike.

I had the same thoughts about the SFO CH on my last journey through there but i had hoped it was a one off as it had always been a very enjoyable place. What a shame to read of your experience, I sincerely hope that this was a bad day for them and not the norm.

Good to read that the actual flight was on par though. [y]

Thanks,
Sarah

Shame on SFO, love that CH....

Maybe my next visit is something I shouldn't look forward to anymore

Originally posted by davidfsmith
Shame on SFO, love that CH....

Maybe my next visit is something I shouldn't look forward to anymore

Go in expecting the best experience -- most times people get what they envision. And if, in the event, it is NOT what you expect, you at least have the chance to write a really snarky TR about it! [}:)]

GJ

Originally posted by GrinningJackanapes
Tell me about it, Barry -- that fact only compounded the insult!

Only the finest cuvees for GJ's laundry, I'm sure. Maybe a 1996, sir? (I'm thinking that was one of the better champagne years in recent history?)

MIKE -- was the FSM one who was known to you? Some of the best FSMs seem to be known by several of the regular V-Flyers.

I can't remember having flown with that FSM recently, if at all.

As I said, the Y/W CSS was a familiar face, as was the SCC on the other aisle in J. The J CSS I might have flown with about 2 years ago.

Also, it was an all female crew in J on the main deck, which I've not had for a while.

Originally posted by HighFlyer
I had the same thoughts about the SFO CH on my last journey through there but i had hoped it was a one off as it had always been a very enjoyable place. What a shame to read of your experience, I sincerely hope that this was a bad day for them and not the norm.

In fairness, the head barman at the CH (the chap with the serious tattoo art on his forearms) did come over to talk to me about the wifi, and tried to help more than his colleague on the desk did, but at the end of the day couldn't do anything, and I said that I'd take it up with TPTB at Crawley.

However, they were clearly short staffed - as I overhead one of the waitstaff complaining about whoever was missing being given the day off, yet being thankful it was a 'slow day'.

I'd noticed that some of the seats are showing signs of staining (spilled champagne, GJ?) and wear, as is the carpet. The place needs a bit of a valet and tidy up to keep it in good condition. IAD recently got a refresh, maybe SFO is next up?

The fact is, the operation at these downline stations seems so fractured.

Hallmark do the check-in and ground agent work, Swissport do the ramp handling work (but they've done that for VS at SFO forever, and seem to do a pretty good job of it), in the Clubhouse the desk agent is a Hallmark employee, and the kitchen and waitstaff are employed by Sodexho.

It's such a world away from my first Clubhouse visit to SFO, where the menu was hand-typed, with daily specials, and I was looked after in fine style by Claire et al, being treated like an old friend.

I wonder if there's a lack of 'ownership', as everyone is on contracts? There's probably an argument about who's responsibility it is to sweep the floor, that has to be resolved by whoever *is* actually employed by VS at SFO... I guess that's just the Station Manager and Turnround Co-ordinators.

Regarding the lack of IFBT, I think that about 40% of LHR flights I've been on recently haven't had an IFBT, usually due to sickness.

Mike

In fairness, the head barman at the CH (the chap with the serious tattoo art on his forearms) did come over to talk to me about the wifi, and tried to help more than his colleague on the desk did, but at the end of the day couldn't do anything, and I said that I'd take it up with TPTB at Crawley.

Ah yeah, i know him. He's a very nice chap and gave me fantastic service, though i was surprised to see that he wasnt asked to cover up his arms given that he is working in a customer facing role with SFO's top/most loyal passengers. I'm tattooed myself so am not passing judgement on that aspect, i just found it strange.

Thanks,
Sarah

I remember reflecting on a drop in the quality of service at SFO CH in my last TR and hoped I'd just hit an off day, but it seems that such is not the case. The shortgage of waiting staff, and also the way the staff member on the reception desk dealt with me were specifically of concern.

And yes - that SRB video is *terrible*. It lacks any kind of impact at all, and says nothing of any consequence. The whole 'it seems from the letters we receive that we seem to be getting things about right' sounds like an admission of defeat. 'Getting things about right' doesn't exactly sound like the kind of standard that VAA aimed to set when they started out. The first time I flew UC I was nothing short of astonished after years of BA Club World. That's not a word I would use of any of my VAA experiences for a long time.

Sarah, you look wonderful! I'd hire you to work my bar in a second!

@ MIKE -- Being an Arne Jacobsen fan, I ensured that all the Champagne hit my Paul Smith suit and not that beautiful chair. And I think the point you make about the lack of a single 'owner' for the CH's various functions is absolutely the root cause of any slip in performance.

GJ

Nice tattoos Sarah - but why so many??!

John

Would you believe that the KING of BANTER thinks my previous post was SERIOUS!

At last - he is vanquished.

Regards

John

[:?]

Erm...hooray?

GJ

Originally posted by GrinningJackanapes
Sarah, you look wonderful! I'd hire you to work my bar in a second!

GJ

Love the way they tattooed arms and leg cuffs on