VS3046 MAN-LHR 31 MAR 13 (Economy)
Posted: 31 Mar 2013, 20:23This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin
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I'll ignore the shenanigans which saw Sealink and I as last men standing...
So somebody (no names Slinks) decided that a 04:30 wakeup was de rigeur. Me and my bed disagreed so at 05:30 I started a leisurely transfer to the terminal from the Hilton. The walk was longer than expected but eventually I got to the terminal. I tried to use the human checkin but was intercepted by a charming VS employee who suggsted I use the terminal checkin. Keeping my petulant whining DYKWIA to a minimum I brandished my gold card and explained that I wished to fasttrack as apparently regular security was a nightmare. She disappeared and came back with a sticker for my boarding pass.
Security wasn't a nightmare. As has been the case for the past several years my toiletries stayed in their case in my carry on and they weren't queried.
Once cleared I texted my fellow VFlyers to work out where we were. The FlyBE/BA lounges were clearly signposted but not the VS.
I arrived at the lounge and was warmly welcomed - the breakfast roll system was explained (speak to the lady in the green shirt) and I quickly found my felow miscreants. Slinks seemed fixated by the concept of having to pay for a second bacon roll, but a poor man's black velvet calmed both of us down.
We engaged a charming member of long haul VS crew in conversation for longer than was probably comfortable for her - but she handled herself magnificently.
Eventually we were called for boarding and sailed through the priority channel. On board I was pleaaantly surprised by the mood lighting and leather seats. I'd really expected something more spartan. The crew looked VS and felt VS. Although Pete (who I was sitting opposite over the aisle) seemed to feel that my quest to tell the gentleman looking after us that he was the spit of the devil in "Jerry Springer The Opera" was misplaced.
Being in row 3 we were served our bacon butties and gin and tonic (*cough*) quite quickly though as others have observed, those further down the back were less fortunate. The black shirted lady in charge wasn't an FSM, rather (I think) an SCC... though she might have been a CSS. Late nights and lounge drinks....
The flight was over all too soon and the novelty of landing and not being id checked is still fascinating to me.
A few fellow miscreants and I decamped to a Wetherspoons which was gamely offering a 10% discount to VS flyers which we had to gamely accept. As the afternoon loomed I parted company and made my way home - looking forward as ever to the next VF social. What I nioe bunch these forum members are!
Did they not realise that it was purely to soak up the alcohol 
. We need another social 
.