V-Flyer

my brief stay in the Uk done, I had managed to escape court by lunch, a taxi back to LHR deposited me outside departures with over 3 hours to spare. having confimed 22K at OLCI I decided to try and move up the cabin. the desks were empty and was seen almost immediately at an UC desk. a request for 22 A or C lead to being told 'not available, blocked out'. This is the second time this has happened on the last 2 trips on this flight Anyway I snagged 22H and was advised K already occupied.
courtesy of a very kind at240 I had secured a CH invite , sadly due to a mix up on dates (totally my fault) we were actually travelling 24 hours apart so i ended up in the No 1 lounge.

now i like the no 1 , for a busy airport it offers some peace and quiet -normally, sadly this time we were treated to a couple in the 50s skypeing a fried and having a loud conversation that most of the lounge could hear !!!! still it eventually ended only for the lady to put on an episode of eastenders at full blast

so sooner rather than later I headed to gate 18 to an empty gate and straight on board. very friendly greeting from CC and on settling into the seat noticed DE&F all free. a quick enquiry and yes none were taken of course you can move (annoyingly A had been given to someone-anyhow).
a pretty light load on the flight and we were able to depart virtually on time with an estimated flight time of 7.17.
on our tour of Heathrow I happened to notice 2 VS 340s in a BMI/BA repair bay ?

take off was to the west with predictions of bumps later on and shortly towels handed out. the announcement from the FSM and just the demeanour of the CC
bode well that this would be a good flight and it was.....just to digress here, the male CC in PE was not only very good but also sported the most amazing haircut with a quiff Elvis would be proud of. Not only that but it stayed in place the whole flight (bet he uses harmony hair spray ).

food/drinks run was soon underway, the usual cr@p sald, beef, very nice choccy mousse and a red wine followed by a Baileys and then lights out.
during the night i noticed at least 3 drinks runs .
Decided to watch Contagion which to be honest was a pretty weak story and then for some reason switched to War Horse which I really didnt fancy.....turned out to be a great film, clever sub plots and how they got those horses to act like that !!!! i did manage to doze a bit and before long -after declining the disgusting cheese and onion (who decided on that combo)sarnie it was descent time into Newark.however said CC noticing I hadnt taken any food came back with the fruit basket 'just i case I was peckish' -top man.

deplaning was via L1 so a fight through Uc and a power walk to immigration (train to catch) got me there about no 10. there were only 3 bays in operation but USCIS have obvioulsy decided terrorists only land during the day as they were rattling through PAX. Normally even with a visa I get questions, lots of stamps, double prints, photos ...this one was 'welcome back , right hand..off you go !!!'

and so i was through, no bags now just a yomp across NYC to be at JFK for a 6am Jet Blue flight. having checked the train times I knew i needed to be at Penn Station by 1.35 for the last connection or I faced a 90 minute wait there , which from last times experience isnt the best of fun and so off I set..................(see the JB trip report), it was 11.30

as far as this trip on VS. first class -as always its the human side that makes the biggest difference and on this trip the CC were excellent.

Shame the lounge louts spoilt that part of the trip for you. Some people really do need to learn some manners.

Thanks for taking the time to post. Great TR.

Hope court went ok for you! Agree with Tonty that lounge louts should be thrown to the wolves
VS 17 is always a good flight from my experience and a happy, smiley and helpful crew just completes it beautifully

Thanks for posting

Thanks for the trip report flabound -- shame the Clubhouse meet-up didn't get to happen, especially given your experience in the No 1 lounge! Maybe next time. I'm glad you made it to JFK in one piece!

Totally agree on the cheese and onion offering, not my choice either!!

Glad the flight was good

Re Cheese and Onion sandwich- I agree. In fact my brother tweeted VS after his latest flight to voice his disgust at the choice! Response- our market research/customer feedback shows is the most popular sandwich amongst our travellers and is well liked.

My brother, who works in market research, tweeted back saying clearly VS market research co was rubbish and offered his companies service!!

So thanks to the power of twitter...I fear it is here to stay for sometime!

Great TR as always btw!

Thanks for the TR and well done on a seamless journey from EWR to JFK....

I agree the Cheese and Onion sandwich isn't the best choice but have been told by quite a few crew now that it is so popular with the passengers.....

Jon

Jon, I bet the immigration officers love having 300 odd PAX reeking of onion chatting to them.....there again maybe its a way of getting through quicker !

I can't imagine how sandwiches with onions in them can be popular. In fairness, they may taste nice, but I've always rejected them for the fear of arriving at my destination with onion breath.

I too think the cheese & onion sandwiches are foul.

I think this 'market research' might be a bit flawed, because generally people on long haul flights are bored and will therefore eat what is put in front of them if it a) fills a hole and b) fills time.

horburyflyer wrote:Thanks for the TR and well done on a seamless journey from EWR to JFK....

I agree the Cheese and Onion sandwich isn't the best choice but have been told by quite a few crew now that it is so popular with the passengers.....

Jon

I like them. Given that the sense of taste is dulled at 34000 feet perhaps the onion seems less pungent than at 6 feet.