VS075 MAN-MCO 18 Jun 09 (Econ)
Posted: 16 Jul 2009, 19:08This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
We wondered up the escalators to the now completed new security area at Manchester. When we were here last year it was still a mess and you missed out the whole area that used to be before security. Now its actually quite nice, through secuirty and down into the bigger airside area that encased the previous pre security bit i mentioned. Security was painless and we wondered down back down the stairs into what is now basically a smaller version of the Trafford Centre. Great planning by the airport owners making you walk through Duty Free to get to the gates and with it, passing the anoying sales people who are intent on making you smell of 25 different fragrances. Through duty free we came to be greeted by a nice Ferrari F430, and being a man, there i was drooling over the thing. The man tried so hard to get me to enter the competition to enter but I was resisting the urge, up until the point he told me I could sit in... 20 of the finest english pounds was gone quicker than I was sat in the thing. God only knows how Ill be able to afford the insurance on it if I win, a nice problem to have I suppose!
A full English followed aswell as the usual WHSmith trip before we saunted up towards Gate 202. I havent been to this end of the terminal for a few years and dont like it how Gates 201 and 202 are blocked off so you have no where to sit before the check in agents arrive to check passports and boarding cards and let you into the gates seating area. It wasnt a long wait before they let us through and we entered to see Hot Lips waiting for us. Unfortunately, she can only be described as a mess. The front was cleanish and looked ok, but from the wings back she was filthy with paint peeling off everywhere, the sooner she gets the updated livery the better.
Boarding commenced at 9:30 with Upper, premium and AG members being called first. A sign was there to create a seperate lines but due to the smallness of the gate area it was hard to use, cant really blame VS for that. A further 15minutes elapsed before we were allowed to head towards G-VLIP. We were soon stopped in our tracks, chosen for the extra bag and body search. The second time in as many years this has happened to us, I blame it on my scruffy stubble look making me look like a bad un... I know this is here to keep us safe but in all honesty, why do it at the gate? Why not randomly do it at security. We blocked the people behind us trying to board and in all honesty, what could I have obtained that could put the plane in jepordy between security and that point? A plastic knife from the cafe? A rolled up newspaper to bash someone over the head with? Its nigh on impossible so pointless if you ask me! Rant over.
The search was done quickly though and the security staff were nice enough and one of them commented on my Newcastle United rucksack. If Newcastle had got as many points as there are items in this bag they would have stayed in the premier league. I thought I was getting away from all those jibes, not yet it would seem!
Off we went to be greeted by a rather attractive CC member who I took an instant like too (much to the dismany of the gf) and a male member of cabin crew who if im honest, wasnt very polite. Boarding pass and next isle and turn right were the two phrases we got out of him as we boarded, if only id of got the gorgeous female who seemed so polite and friendly... We took our seats and I have to say the cabin macthed the exterior of the plane. The covering around the IFE was coming off and there was just a general mucky look to the cabin in places.
Pushback from the gate was a minute early at 10:24 and a fairly quick taxi to 23L where we were third in line for take off behind a SAS MD-87 and a BMI ERJ. The ERJ had only just rotated before the engines spooled up and we were belting down the runway. Stephs skymap was still on and looked to be the only one in the cabin to still be on so a few people around were trying to watch it too as i suppose its quite interesting to watch the speed and altitude increase as we headed off into the Manchester sky.
Seat belt signs were off as we were over Liverpool at 10,000 feet. The drinks trolley was soon around where I was gutted to see we had the rude male CC looking after our section of the plane Would you like a drink, hmm, polite enough, maybe it was a blip i thought to myself. Ill have a Heineken please I replied for him to respond with what? I looked at him with a what I believe kids call evils and repeated myself making sure to emphasise the word please. The IFE was switched on and I settled down and watched V Comedy only for the system to be turned off 20minutes later due to other pax having problems. This happened a further 3times and got quite irritating!
Food was served around an hour in, a choice of beef stew, chicken and mash and macaroni cheese was on offer. I chose the chicken and Steph chose the mac and cheese. Flying in economy 100% of the time, Im used to not eating the tripe they serve up and always have crisps and other snacks in my bag to help me along. However, today Im glad to say was different. I ate every single thing bar the cheese pasta pot (dont like cheese so that isnt VSs fault). I wouldnt say it was delicious but tasty enough. Steph ate the entire contents of her tray aswell and shes worse with airline food than I am. The GU pot as always was the highlight.
The rest of the flight went without fault bar the rude CC member and the IFE being reset. The seatbelt signs were deployed atleast 5times due to turbulence, and should have been switched on more as at one point through a rough patch a kid walking down the isle managed to fall into the back of one of the seats. The choc ices were served around 5 hours in and the snack an hour before landing and a return to the rubbish airplane food (a ham and tomato chutney butty that i wouldnt even give my dog), the yoghurt bar was nice though!
We landed at 2:15pm local time on 17L and we were one of the first off, before most of the bubble aswell. Immigration was a nightmare, every queue was massive and we only went and chose the line with the group of Spanish people who couldnt speak English. Great stuff. This did provide some much needed humour as a spanish lady pushed in at the front of the queue with her dog packed in a bag.. (is that legal to take a dog in the cabin of a transatlanric flight?). She didnt choose the best line to push into. It was made up of a lot of English passengers who were quite annoyed at waiting for an age as it was, and who got quite a bit more ariated at this lady. The couple infront of us pushed back infront of her, she then moved infront of them again. By this point we were all chatting and moaning about the lady amongst ourselves before one lady took exception, stormed to the front, unleashed a verbal attack and told her in civilised countries we wait in line, gently moved her out of the way and patrolled the couple in front to move on . A big cheer went up with mutterings of too bloody right and the problem was sorted as she went to the back and uttered something in Spanish. Id like to guess what she said but as its a family forum well leave that bit out. We passed through the actual process fairly quick, just the index finger and thumb of both hands and no mention of Estas at Man, here or on the plane. Whats happened to them and the process of taking every finger print now?
We collected our bags which by this point had been pulled of the carousel, through customs where we ellocted to carry our bags onto the train to the terminal and off we went to get the hire car which was off site. The weather by this point had gone from sunny when we left the plane to absolutely lashing it down when we collected our bags, how long had we been in there i thought. It wasnt a great experience for my first driving experience in a foreign country either but Im alive so cant have done too badly.
All in all, an excellent flight let down by the IFE and the one rude CC member. Hopefully there are some cheap upgrades on the return leg in 15days time other wise i think ill be kicking myself.