This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
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Cabin Crew
The effects of a reasonably early start soon wore off as the excitement grew, and after a surprisingly quick trip round the M25 and M23 we found ourselves in the rather hectic Zone A at LGW. I hadnt been able to do OLCI the night before for whatever reason.
The VS desks were not arranged by flight number, just all flights in one BIG line. Thankfully we had arrived a good 4 hours before departure so the wait didnt worry us too much, but what did annoy us was the constant stream of people (mainly for Havana) being plucked out of the line by the VS agents due to the fact that they were late. Now if I was late for a flight I would be bouncing around making sure they knew I was there, but none of these people were, and this made the cynics in us think that several of them had deliberately played the system by turning up late knowing they could jump the queue as a result. They hardly seemed inconvenienced by not having to queue![n]
Anyway, rant over and breathe! We were finally checked in and got our pre-allocated seats of 31A&B near the front of economy. Through security pretty quickly (15 mins tops) and into a packed departures area. Bought a spot of breakfast and a hot drink each as well as reading material. We managed to find a quiet spot in the viewing area (right up the stairs in a far corner of departures) which was half empty, nice compared to the zoo downstairs. I could be the geek and watch the planes while my gf could sit and read, bliss!
Boarding was called so we headed down to one of the satellite gates. No sign of boarding yet but it was soon underway. Priority boarding seemed to work for those privileged few, and then the economy scrum began. Weve never understood why people bounce up so quickly to get on board, its not likely that theyll go without you and you certainly wont get there any quicker!
Thankfully this is the last of our grumbles until landing as throughout the flight the crew were terrific.[8D] Very enthusiastic, and clearly enjoying their jobs (there was one slightly moody looking lady but thankfully she wasnt doing our section much). Meal was meatballs and pasta which was yummy (for plane food) and a nice Gu chocolate pud. The trays were very slow in clearing and we wondered why, but realised that it was because an elderly lady 5 rows or so forward of us had fallen ill and was lying on the seats, head poking out into the aisle with oxygen on. Thankfully she recovered pretty quickly and normal service was resumed. We were later fed some sort of wrap as well as some sandwiches, which we barely had room for, we were stuffed! Regular water rounds were in progress too.
Chatted to a few cabin crew, who were all really nice people and had a few funny tales of their favourite destinations and least favourite routes, nothing too revealing to be unprofessional but showed a human side. Watched a couple of films but cant remember them which is never a good sign!
The flight seemed to fly past (9h 45 mins I think) and before we knew it we were descending. We had a great view of the Hoover Dam from our side of the aircraft. A smooth touchdown, although there was a spot of turbulence when we flew over some mountains. Unfortunately another aircraft was blocking our stand so we waited for a further 45 mins or so before disembarking. However one member of the crew was really proactive and decided to get on the PA and start talking about what there was to do in Vegas with a few amusing lines dropped in which helped pass the time.
Once we parked we were off quite quickly as we were near the front (after PE and UC) and made a beeline for immigration which wasnt too bad by US standards (about a half hour wait). Glad we were near the front of the plane though as those at the back were stuck at the end of a huge line. The immigration and baggage hall at LAS isnt exactly the most appealing of buildings either, virtually no natural light and a bit 80s.
Bags were off pretty quickly, and then off in a taxi to the New York-New York Hotel (recommended).
All in all a good flight, excellent crew and we felt pleased to have chosen Virgin.[y]
Always planning a trip somewhere!
