VS003 LHR-JFK 20 JUN 12 (Upper Class)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

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I have ummed and ahhed over whether to post this, because I feared it would be relentlessly negative. However, after two martinis and the Brooklyn steak and ale pie in the JFK clubhouse my resistance is weak ... and I'll try to spice it up with some positivity.

Since the day Miss Sunshine flew with the new UCS I've looked forward to being able to plan to fly on her and sample it for myself, a one day trip to New York this week presented the perfect opportunity and so ticket booked, seat selected, anticipation eager if not necessarily high, I headed to a sunny LHR on Wednesday morning. My Tristar car having arrived ahead of schedule it was a quick run before the daily traffic grind built up, a cheery check in person made me smile, and a la HL and others it was a quick route through duty free to reach the clubhouse, where, lovely attentive staff and peace and quiet (oh and a full English breakfast) made for a very pleasant couple of hours.

And so to board, only one jet bridge (is that normal with the A333?) but quickly on and then first horror , I'd selected 9K and completely FORGOTTEN that it had no windows ... now I love a window, I can stare at clouds for hours. More than that however I have an inner ear issue and feel balanced by being able to see a horizon. Oh well, I could at least peer over the divider and get a glimpse of sky from the window by the seat in front (occupied by Bear Grylls as it happens, although I had no idea who he was until I was told, Jamie Rednapp was further forward and isn't he a dish!).

Let's take a look around the cabin to take my mind off the window situation. It does look swish, no doubt beautifully designed, I liked the opaque part of the dividers, the fixtures and fittings are of high quality, the bar looks lovely, and thankfully VS retained the overhead air vents, at least on the outside seats (the loos however are very basically designed compared to old).

And so to the seat, I thought the seat cushion felt shorter and not quite as comfortable, but the extra seat width is noticeable, the armest is next to useless and the new cocktail tray, while in a better position, is tiny and only capable of holding a glass and nothing else - the old one while having many detractors at least was usable in bed mode (good for placing spectacles for example). The seat buckle position does dig into ones ass (well maybe one, and not all ). It is though, so cramped, it feels busy, space intruding into space, narrow aisles, really small ottomans so that people constantly nudge your feet, and there is very little overhead bin space and the wardrobes appeared smaller.

We pushed back early, took off to the East, and were soon up at an altitude reasonable enough to turn off the seat belt signs and release the crew for their duties.Work beckoned for me so it was out with the table, and on with the power ... it's great to have a proper socket but why on earth place it right between your feet to then have the cable trail in a trippable way? Next, the table ... now the UCS table is one of the marvels of the air, it's large, sturdy, good for a laptop and a drink and clutter, and you can tell it where to position itself. Not any more, it's wobbly, smaller, has a silly spring action that forces it to you at all times. Another step back. Oh, and try to put the IFE monitor out and behind your laptop like you used to be able to and no way - the IFE monitor has one position and it's called 'in your face', no good with the table for work, nor really for eating because it's right on top of where you'd naturally put your glass of wine .

As to the IFE, well it is excellent, the picture quality is leaps ahead, and the touch screen is very light on the finger. Shame the film choice is still so dull and actually the programming appeared to be identical to V:Port.

Now, space around the seat. Well the ottoman lifts up to reveal a little stowage area, good for a mobile phone, the magazine tray was a space a laptop used to fit, no more, and where we had all that space behind the seat there's none of it - oh and there's no space for a water bottle so these are handed out after take-off now.

I'd recommend avoiding 9K like the plague, apart from the window situation, the bar bottles rack is in the partition behind the seat and as it's loaded and unloaded it's like a Wandsworth Council waste recycling crew throwing bags into a truck!

The UC loos at the rear of the cabin have no separation to the large PE cabin, so often you queue ...

Grub was goodish, it's patently obvious that the cheese trolley won't fit down the aisle which really calls into question fours years of research to put that onboard, and the crew were delightful as usual, really good, especially so after my crotchiness about the lack of a window ...

Glad it's not being retrofitted is my summary, avoid the A333, apparently it'll be more spacious on the wider B787 so we'll see, but most worryingly of all, I was told it is being fitted to the LHR 747s ... EEEK what a way to ruin the nose zone, let's see if it is and how many VS squeeze in there. Overall I observed so many niggles my conclusion is that the UCDS is a step backward, not forward. I was not one of the 150 people to trial and comment on it and can only image that if those people did comment, they were ignored.

Unfortunately, it's coming to the VS21/22 apparently, a route I often take ... perhaps it's via New York and the Amtrak in future!

Thanks for the TR.

[buns]

Slinky

Thanks for your interesting assessment on the new UC

As a frequent flyer iy is obvious you have quickly been able to discern the smoke and mirrors VS has used to hype their new offering and I for one am very grateful for such an informed opinion around the space available and how this seat actually works in practice (not least as I was miffed last week when I tried to book the 3 in the sale and could not - so now I am happy )

I do hope that VS listens to constructive customer feedback before retro fitting as the benefits of the suite configuration will become diluted and akin to the BA "coffins"

Enjoy NYC

buns

Thank you Slinky, every time you mentioned another small but significant loss of storage space I gave another sigh . We kept saying, given the space available the VS spin machine must have been hard at work, now we know!

Thanks Slinky, and glad it wasn't just me having a moan about the new UCS (not that we 'moan' of course - it's called 'constructive feedback' when you're a manager...).

Did you really think that the dividers were in any way opaque though? If I could ever figure out how to get the photos on my iPad onto a post here, I'd be happy to show you how much of the people in the other seats I could see on my flight...

It's certainly terrible news about the 744 plans, especially if it kills the roominess of the A zone. Right now I'm consciously using 744s over 346s for my JFK travel while I can...

Also, seat width - was it really wider?? I thought it a lot more cramped, especially in bed mode. Maybe I've just been hitting the doughnuts too much recently then... Ahem...

Thanks for the TR slinky. It's not negative at all. It's your honest view of the product offered.

I noticed on the VS8 that the UCS in the 747 seems longer and roomier than the 346 so maybe the UCDS might be better in the 747s

Thanks for such a detailed trip report slinky.

I am really disappointed to hear about the table and the IFE monitor positioning. That is such a strong aspect of the old suite.

The comment that really stood out for me was your observation about the toilets. Not having dedicated loos in a premium cabin is a real mistake.

What are they thinking?

Given that eventually 100% of the LHR fleet will have the UCDS, will this be enough for you to look at using other airlines?

Does anyone know what the criteria was for the "150" that tried the product before roll out?

[Neil]

Thanks for the TR slinky.

Do you think a number of the issues are a/c related rather than seat? I wonder if/when they install the the new UCS in say the A zone on the 747's or on the B787 it would solve issues like lack of space?

I don't personally like the A333 a/c, I haven't flown on the LHR ones yet, but certainly the MAN/LGW a/c to me feel small and cramped, even compared to the A346. I know they work well for in terms of efficiency for VS, but for the pax who are used to larger and more spacious a/c, given the type/style of seats VS use, they are a step backwards.

The comment that really stood out for me was your observation about the toilets. Not having dedicated loos in a premium cabin is a real mistake.

What are they thinking?

They are supposed to be. There's a diagonal curtain between the two loos - one for PE and one for UC plus another UC only toilet at the front.

I'm not sure where this rumour about 747's has come from, as it's always been said that the new Upper Class Suite will only be installed on new aircraft. To my knowledge, no new 747 aircraft are on order.

You need to remember that this product was designed for 787 aircraft, and has only been installed on the A330's because of the delay.

Slinky, you didn't comment on the new bed. Would be interested to hear your thoughts.

I'm not sure where this rumour about 747's has come from, as it's always been said that the new Upper Class Suite will only be installed on new aircraft. ...

Slinky, you didn't comment on the new bed. Would be interested to hear your thoughts.

I know, and that's why I questioned the senior CC when she told me, I checked she wasn't confusing the LGW refits but she was adamant that LHR 747 refits would start in March next year

As a day flight I didn't try the bed ... nor did I think the seats reclined more than usual.

I am curious who these frequent travelers were that tested the new suite. Surely there can be no more frequent that UNIQ pax and surely there are not so many of them that they could not be asked ?

interesting tr and thanks Slinky. I think as one of the most frequent of frequent flyers your views are very pertinent and I am amazed that you werent one of the 'chosen 150'.

can we hope that VS may yet listen to the 'real' pax ???

Unfortunately, it's coming to the VS21/22 apparently, a route I often take ... perhaps it's via New York and the Amtrak in future!

Does that mean they are changing the aircraft on that route? Its generally a 343 that flies that sector isn't it? (Although of course a lot of the 343s are leaving service aren't they?)

Thanks Slinky - I value your views on here as you're generally harsh but fair - so I'm really disappointed with this "improvement" by VS.

I personally felt the old suites were fairly cramped, certainly width-wise, and if that hasn't been improved, or has even been squeezed still further, it's a real shame.

VS aren't going to "undo what they've done", so we're stuck with it. All we can hope is that any rollout plans are shelved, but again I fear not as it makes sense to reduce variety in maintenance.

Oh well!