V-Flyer

So for my final instalment....arriving into T4 from my LAX flight and I was quickly through and up to the Virgin check in desk. I waited a couple of moments as ahead of me was a rather famous boxer...

Once he was done I was waved forward and I have to say was checked in by one of the most friendly members of ground crew I have ever met. We talked about her home (an island in the Carribbean) which I had visited last year and we talked about rum.... She was fantastic and had my case tagged and boarding pass issued without any fuss and she even mentioned my loyalty status...

T4 is a building site right now as I made my way through security which was deserted at 1600 this particular Sunday afternoon and up the CH.

I was welcomed warmly by name and status and thanked for been so loyal to the airline. The CH manager was also to visit a little later for a very similar conversation.

Once in the CH I was greeted by two of the staff who I had met on my previous visits to the JFK CH - both hugged me and welcomed me back, the welcome could not have been warmer as I settled down with a glass of champagne, some water and some spicy nuts and crisps.

I positioned myself near the windows looking over A5 which was the departing gate - Miss Sunshine was parked on the apron and was been serviced with a dirty looking Air India 773 just about to leave the stand.

I tried on the recommendation of the CH team the crispy fish fritters which were the nearest thing to bajan fish cakes I would find in New York - delicious just doesn't come close as I ordered a second portion . I switched my drink to a mojito which was strong and delish....had a cheeky second one before I left.

All too soon at 1740 and it was time to leave and I said cheerio to the CH team and went downstairs to the aircraft which had been pulled onto stand about 30mins earlier.

Down the airbridge after a friendly good bye from the gate staff member and approached the aircraft door. I was excited to be trying UC on the A333 and despite all the reviews I was keen to try for myself and really thought I would be happy.

I was welcomed at the door (not by name and not by the most smiling of crew - little did I know that would set the pattern for the whole flight!)

As I entered I did give out a WOW as the bar looked really impressive - it really does look good.

Down to 3A and straight away the aisles are tight and the cabin looks and feels terribly cramped. Anyway, determined to enjoy all I can - I take my seat, bag in the overhead locker above and made myself comfortable. It felt tight from the off and this from someone who can tell the difference between the suites on a A346 to a 744 - it felt tighter than the A346 but I am told and I hear the statistics loud and clear that it is not....anyway, approached by a crew member and the conversation went like this.

CC: Anyone offered you a drink?
Horburyflyer: Not as yet but no rush.
CC: What do you want?
HF: A lovely glass of champagne please
CC: Right

She then was off to the bar area and came back quickly and handed me the glass without a word been said...rude, how rude

The cabin was full - some people moving around seats and broken tables came into play early on and later on some seats would not convert into beds....not the greatest of starts.

The cabin looks amazing - fresh, new and sparkling - the WOW factor for sure and I actually do like the colouring, works well

Glass collected by the same unfriendly crew member who never asked if this was my first time on the new aircraft (it turned out later it was her's too!!)

Menu on ottoman with amenity kit and a bottle of water was handed by the CSS but could not find a place for it so it ended up behind the seat with the duvet and pillow!!

At this point people were asking for seat suits and they had only a handful on board as they had not been loaded for the return flight - along with no newspapers/magazines and headsets for W and Y.

The headphones were brought on at the last minute not in plastic wrapping so no idea where they were found

The captain came on at 1805 to say we were fully ready but couldn't go anywhere because if we did we would arrive before 0600 which was not possible. We eventually pulled off stand at 1814 and a 40-45min taxi was promised.

A total load of 190 passengers with two flight deck and 11 cabin crew were on board. A flight time of 6hrs 21mins was promised.

The crew took this to start taking orders for drinks and dinner after take-off but after my order had been taken by the same grumpy crew member the bings went and we were racing down the runway at 1831

Once airborne we climed really slowly and at one point actually didn't feel like we were moving - the cabin is quiet but it was clear we were not going as fast as we could and probably because in the end we had left earlier than planned which would still mean a arrival time befroe 0600. This was confirmed as our arrival time shifted from 0551 to 0611 about 30mins after take off

So service began - first the hot towels which were welcome. My G&T arrived with lime as requested and my litle pot of crisps. I had spotted the FSM in the forward galley and there he remained chatting with the galley crew member for most of the flight - no visit this time either from the FSM.

A refill of my drink was provided by a rather more jolly member of the crew who even brought extra crisps. I started to think things had got off to a bad start but were improving....how wrong...

I switched on the entertainment system and knowing JAM I knew this would be one solid aspect of the flight and it was - fanastic (though it did take me a minute or two, ok maybe 5mins to find the headphones under the ottoman)

Table was laid and the table napkin doesn't fit - perfect. The table is rather silly (just not big enough) and I struggled with my screen out whilst trying to eat or be served anything -which had to come over the top of the screen, rather than in front of it...the screen if it went a little further back would improve things no end...though the little drink pop-out table at the side I thought was a good little feature.

Soooo...the food, I am tired of this menu and it was the dine express menu so no mushy pea thingy but I did have the cream of leek soup which was missing the croutons but I hung on to the piece of bread I was offered as extra was not offered.

The slab of beef and I do mean slab was tender and tasty - it was a huge piece and I did sort of enjoy it. The water and wine glass were filled once but not again. Whilst I was having dinner, several people around me were complaining or critisicing the cabin and the crew were vocal about how much they didn't like it too - ok, it has teething problems and by this point I had made my mind up I wasn't overly impressed - but come on don't shout down the product you are working in...

I will say that whilst eating I found elbow room rather restricted might just be me but others around me also seem to be having the same problem. It wasn't funny at all but seeing people eating off trays because their tables would not come out was laughable for someone paying over £3K for their ticket - thankfully my table behaved but I have not seen so many feedback forms handed out on a flight before.

I was offered dessert or the cheese plate but declined both and headed to the bar to enjoy a glass of wine. I wanted to try it out.....a crew member at the bar was polite but very critical of the product and aircraft. To be fair, it was his first time and wasn't really looking forward to someone asking him to put their bed down....he was asked and guess who by . We learnt together but it was back-breaking for him and he said he needed to lie down after doing it... and we laughed together when the topper wouldn't fit the suite properly.

The bar does have a slight slope to it and "ski slope" was mentioned a few times. All for show was my assessment, the seats are smaller for sure and 9A and 9K are seats to avoid trust me....

So bed made up and I got in and was tucked in to find it is not wide and it felt really cramped at the shoulders - I also felt my head was pointing downwards and my legs felt like they were in the air - now obviously not that dramactic but it felt uncomfortable to rest in. The foam is softer I would agree and deciding I could not sleep like that, my bed was converted back into a seat and I reclined it - though it took some time to recline as I had to simply throw my entire body backwards for it to work effectively.

I would say it does recline more, well it is suppose to and I relaxed with some music dozing on and off. The crew were manually switching off lights so not really sure what all that was about but one of my worst flights - mainly as I was counting down the clock to work the next day and not having any sleep and not having a sleep suit to change into - I was in a right pickle

interestingly, whilst I was putting my seat back up I was passed by the FSM and CSS and neither stopped to help

Thankfully the bar was dressed with juice, smoothies and muffins as I was not asked by anyone if I wanted anything for breakfast - I could have flagged down a crew member but was passed it by that time. Revivals was calling for sure now.

Cabin secured and everyone strapped in. Ok, can't really conclude without a word about the loos....the forward one was in use but my word did you feel in the way as the crew were preparing food and the seats were in use by crew trying to rest, wrapped around in blankets and duvets. I did use it and it was clean and very new.

The one's at the rear of the cabin are shared with PE and some queues did form. As we made our final approach, lovehearts were offered.

After a few laps around we touched down at 0612 and was on the stand shortly afterwards. I was pleased to be off make no mistake and not even a friendly cheerio at the door.

Revivals was welcoming after all that - a shower, change and the Clubhouse breakfast had me feeling human again (just)

So in summary, the cabin looks fantastic and so does the bar. In practical terms, changes/modifications will probably be have to made and the crew just kept saying that it will feel more spacious on the 787s - great that it will but what about now. It does feel cramped and I felt uncomfortable in the seat, elbow bashing the sides and in sleep mode, well it just didn't feel right at all and I felt all cramped in.

Love JAM and really wanted to love this product - I felt disheartened that I had not and I think my totally disengaged crew who were overly critical of the product throughout also did take the shine of this first try for me. Will I come back for more, maybe just maybe but not yet as I can fly on later flights on this particular route which use the 744 or A346.

Oh yes, the window thingy between suites needs to go. It does look good but I had a flashing light coming through from the suite next door which was annoying to say the least and I don't want to look at someone else's legs unless of course I choose to

After my flight I did provide feedback on my poor experience and to be fair to VA, they responded quickly with some practical information saying modifications are not ruled out and all feedback is been closely monitored. The crew issues would be dealt with and the clear failures on this flight would be addressed....and this from the horse's mouth if you know what I mean...

Thanks for sticking with me and reading.

Jon

Great, informative, TR.

Shame about the crew.

Paul

Great tr! Shame the crew were so lacklustre!

It's starting very much to sound like the UCDS and 330 do not great bedfellows make.

Clearly the sole objective is to cram as many UC pax in as possible. You can understand why from a revenue point of view but if frequent flyers just avoid it if they can, as it sounds like they will, VS have got a problem.

Thanks for the informative TR

The first part of your journey was a virtual copy on my return back from JFK two weeks back on the 46 - same lady checking me in (v.friendly), a warm welcome at the Clubhouse and excellent service - so it does show that VS can do consistency

What a shame about the flight - good on you for giving the 330 the benefit of the doubt and taking the flight without any pre conceptions. Not helped by the crew attitude and I remain firmly convinced that the approach of the FSM, sets the tone for the crew and the flight service

buns

Thanks for the TR.

Made for a cracking read, shame the on board service was not as good

I do like the warm reception that the JFK CH staff give frequent passers through however the CH itself still hasn't grown on me (not yet, at least).

I am going to be on the VS3 and the 4 in upper later on this week.... I have got to say, reading this is encouraging me to switch to the old faithful VS9 and 10

To also have the CC agreeing with passengers on the quality of the new offering may simply be a way to avoid arguments. Although it does show the supreme lack of faith that VS staff have in their product.. do you think that could be why the initial CC was short with you and also why the FSM avoided people during the flight?

Shame

Thanks for such an informative TR. Part of me wants to try the A330 but reading TRs such as yours and slinky's makes me think I should wait for a bit. I have never liked the 346 in Upper thanks to the dormitory-like look of the cabin and always felt it looked cluttered but this sounds ten times worse

Pity about the crew. I had a similar experience on a DXB flight earlier this year and the feeling of disappointment, especially when you know how fantastic it can be, is hard to take

Thanks for the great TR. It's hard to disentangle the poor flight from the poor new suite, but neither sounds at all impressive. The little exchange you had with the crew-member about your welcome drink is very evocative!

I am on the VS3 soon and I am sort of looking forward to trying it.

It might be the particular crew on my flight just didn't have any faith in the new product - hopefully that will change.

I know three of the crew were on their first flight on the new aircraft with new UC following their training as they mentioned this specifically and the FSM in my opinion was just poor.

If you have flights booked for the VS3/4 do try and go with an open mind - I was unlucky with a poor crew which just added to my poor experience of the new suite and the cabin, but on a day flight such as the VS003 it might be different and it would be interesting to read and hear about some further experiences.

Jon

Thank you for the great TR.

joeyc wrote:Thanks for the TR.
To also have the CC agreeing with passengers on the quality of the new offering may simply be a way to avoid arguments. Although it does show the supreme lack of faith that VS staff have in their product.. do you think that could be why the initial CC was short with you and also why the FSM avoided people during the flight? (

To me, this has always been part of the VS Crew appeal, that they are honest and its hard to defend a product which is indefensible (even after they fix it, it will be cramped and sloping bar, and seats right behind the bar).

That being said, I'd expect them to be honest and provide a good service, rather than the almost 'inconvenient' service that was had...

Smid wrote:

joeyc wrote:Thanks for the TR.
To also have the CC agreeing with passengers on the quality of the new offering may simply be a way to avoid arguments. Although it does show the supreme lack of faith that VS staff have in their product.. do you think that could be why the initial CC was short with you and also why the FSM avoided people during the flight? (

To me, this has always been part of the VS Crew appeal, that they are honest and its hard to defend a product which is indefensible (even after they fix it, it will be cramped and sloping bar, and seats right behind the bar).

That being said, I'd expect them to be honest and provide a good service, rather than the almost 'inconvenient' service that was had...

Perhaps my post has been missunderstood, allow me to clarify. I was not meaning to convey that I would prefer the CC openly lie and parrot the rather baffling and wildly exaggerated facts the VS PR machine has vomitted out.

I was merely commenting that their actions appeared to have been caused by the embarrasment (perhaps) and frustration (definitely) at having to work with an obvious result of some designer huffing glue. Couple that with the comments from other TRs about crews' responses to the new UCS it is apparent that to be assigned to crew the A333 in upper could be considered a 'booby' prize or indeed a punishment for a past life missdeed. I can sympathise, but by no means think it is acceptable to be short with people and avoid the pax like you are working the route to a leper colony - CC and FSM service inconsistency has been a peeve of mine for a while now.

Let us hope VS improve the new UCS in the coming months/years after all the feedback they have no doubt received.

Once again, thanks for the TR Jon. I decided to stick to the VS3 and 4, will give them a second chance.. wish me luck