This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Apologies for my first and longish TR.
We were travelling PE from LHR to LAX but via Manchester due to a flydrive which will see us travelling from Las Vegas back into Manchester.
Drive from Birmingham to Manchester around 1 hr 15 mins, the M6 on a Sunday a breeze! Hoorah!!! Arrived at Bewleys hotel around 8.15...chose this hotel due to Trip Advisor reports, not too bad but not great - staff at hotel were fantastic but bed uncomfortable, also hotel was fairly noisy and red wine was lousy! Anyway not to worry as it was an early start - up at 4.30am for the 2 minute bus transfer from the airport to T3...credit to the hotel for the easy service.
Check in for VS3046 opened 15 minutes after we arrived, VS (aer lingus) staff were great...not all smiles but not too bad for 5.30am....boarding commenced at 7.05 and push back by 7.27 - quick taxi and take off meant we were in the air by 7.35. Crew on board were fab, I counted 43 passengers on board, not great for a Monday morning but still early days for this service. We landed at 8.26 and were on stand by 8.30, off by 8.35 and due to the the bus transfer we were at T3 by 8.40 (18 transfer pass) and even better my fiancée had managed to wangle passes to the Clubhouse! I could tell you how but I'd have to kill you!
Anyhoooo in the clubhouse by 8.45 and this is where the trip went up several notches, service in the clubhouse was truly amazing, welcome was good and staff in the clubhouse were so attentive. We both had the Clubhouse breakfast which was a true winner, the champagne was flowing from the time we entered to the time we left at just after 10.45...just a pure credit to Virgin...only downside was that I didn't get to order a Red Head due to the constant topping up of Champagne.
Boarded the flight at around 11am...was given the sparkly (not really required due to the Clubhouse) but it would be rude not to accept. Push back by 11.25 and take off by 11.30....wait tech issue meant back on stand and take off delayed to 12.25...had a 40 minute snooze whilst the tech issue was sorted.
Take off around 12.25 and on board service commenced around 13.25 - a Bloody Mary livened me up...also managed to do some multi tasking and put the VERA system to the test, picture quality isn't great but worked well. Onto lunch which for me was Beef stroganoff....i liked it. It was washed down with a lovely Red..which was good! (La Fontaine French Shiraz). Service after wasn't bad, around 5 hours in a sausage roll was served and regular water service, and then around 9 hours in high tea - cheese and pickle along with banana toffee cupcake which was also good. Only gripe for me was that we had to ask for alcohol but the crew were accommodating to my requests!
Overall it was a good experience, it was my first time in PE and after reading some recent reports I was nervous but I've got to say any doubts were unfounded - seats (36K and H) were great...seat pitch was fabulous (I'm 6'2 normal build - and had plenty of room). A fairly good effort and much better than my last experience. I've given the cabin crew an average rating which may seem a little harsh, they were attentive when required but I don't think you should have to ask for the odd glass of wine. Maybe this isn't entirely the crews fault tho!
Customs at LAX were truly a nightmare - been to the US 5 times over the last few years and this was by far the worse, some staff were just on a pure go slow. They had a couple of people completing shift change and i've not witnessed anything so poor - no fault of Virgins tho. Taxi to hotel was easy enough, lets just hope the return trip is as good....18 days of holidaying to come first!
. 
