This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Aircraft Name: Lady Penelope
Aircraft Reg: G-VFAB
I've mentioned in previous TRs my lack of comprehension of the inability of Virgin's US telephone sales/customer service to take payments off credit cards with non-US billing addresses, but because I had to schedule this trip back to London at short notice in the middle of a longer visit, I was hit by it again. I was told I'd have to take the payment card to the ticket desk at the airport in order to complete the booking. This also meant I couldn't check in online.
It was my first return trip since the flight departure was shifted an hour later to 5.30pm on the winter schedule, and for some inexplicable reason I'd adjusted my departure time from the office to be two hours later than previously. Which was a mistake on two fronts - less time in the Clubhouse, but also, trying to get out of SF at 3pm on a Friday afternoon. I suddenly had big worries about getting there in time, though in the end it really didn't take that long.
*Huge* thumbs up to the guy on the ticket desk when I got there and started to explain I had a ticket to pay for. I'd barely even started to explain when he said 'Mr Morgan? I have your ticket all set up and ready to go. I'm sorry you weren't able to complete the payment on the phone - UK postal codes have letters in them, and it always confuses our system.' He had me on my way to check in within about three minutes.
Check-in was a doddle, and I was on my way to the CH within no more than three more minutes. That hour later made a huge difference - I've sometimes had people come and join me at a table in there before now, but this was the first time I've had to be the one doing the joining - the Clubhouse seemed to be *packed*. A very friendly staff member appeared within seconds, and I soon had a glass of wine and the Clubhouse Sandwich (hot dog with onions!) in front of me.
Oddly, there was no announcement of boarding, but one of the receptionists came round and quietly told everyone. For the first time I can remember, the line at security came significantly back out of the security area and it took a while to get through. (SF used to have a priority channel that you could use with a slip they distributed in the CH, but that disappeared a while ago.) So by the time I got to the gate they were into the last stages of boarding, so I was right on board and upstairs.
All the usual pre-flight business happened, except there was no announcement from the flight deck, and as it happened, no announcement from there at all until just before landing. FSM came round with the Snooze Pack extras and an introduction, though not by name, and without any Gold acknowledgement. I really wanted to get as much sleep as possible, so I turned down the IFBT offer, just had one course for dinner followed by a brandy and then flipped my suite. I actually didn't manage to sleep very much in the event, but stayed flat in the forlorn hope, so really there's not much else to report until I returned to upright for the last ninety minutes or so.
Landed slightly early, on stand more or less on schedule, and then through IRIS and to priority bags which worked - mine was ninth off. I was the first person off the 20 into Revivals, where a shower and a sausage sandwich geared me up for the journey home.
Overall there wasn't anything wrong with the flight, but I don't have much to say about it because I was trying to keep my head down. Insofar as I interacted with the crew, they were bright and cheery and got the job done quietly and without fuss, which let's face it is important on a night flight.
