This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Having read different stories about not being able to choose certain seats online only to find when boarding that the front rows were blocked off, I was keen to find out what actually happened. For this flight, no seats in rows 1, 12 and 13 were ever available to choose online - before or after OLCI opened.
So I'd selected 2C but when I arrived at a deserted check-in about 2 hours before the flight and enquired whether anything was available in row 1, I was told all but 1A and 1B were available so I snapped up 1D.
Next stop - the Servisair lounge to see if it was really as bad as the reviews made out! I presented my AU card at the reception only to be politely but firmly told I needed an invitation (which I wasn't given at check-in). So back downstairs to get one from the Little Red transfer desk. Second time lucky and I was in. Well it's certainly no Clubhouse and functional would probably be the best word to describe it - more akin to a US airport lounge I'd say. The food selection (at 4pm) was soup, rolls, various cakes, snacks (nuts, olives etc) and fruit. The self-service bar was basic but at least there was one!
Only stayed in the lounge for about 30 minutes, it just felt too oppressive and the huge seating area next to gate 8 where the Little Red flights leave from is much more pleasant with its great views of the airfield. Boarding began about 35 mins before departure and strangely there was no "first call" for priority boarding for UC & AU pax - just general boarding (though there was a priority lane).
Once on board it turned out 1A and 1B were occupied by off-duty cabin crew (don't know whether Little Red or main VS) while 1F was taken by a captain from MEA. I did get a strange sort of feeling that "normal" passengers aren't supposed to be in row 1 - it only seems to be allocated at airport check-in and is clearly the preferred crew row! No rows were blocked off. Row 1 does have good legroom compared to the other rows so is to be recommended if you're tall although the overhead bins immediately above row 1 aren't for passenger use.
Only 67 pax on board so just over a third full (not great for a Friday evening). The cabin crew were Manchester-based and were courteous and professional but not particularly warm or friendly. Refreshments consisted of a drink and a Little Red branded pack of Tyrell's crisps. Departure and arrival were both around 5 minutes early.
So what did I think of Little Red? Well if I'm honest I was a tiny bit underwhelmed by it. Let's be clear: there was nothing whatsoever wrong with it, but I do think if VS seriously want to challenge BA - and for that matter Virgin Trains - they need to offer something a bit different, something that gives the "wow" factor that needn't cost much but makes you think "I wish BA did that". As it is, it's a perfectly good but average product.
Terminal 1 is a soulless place and that's hardly VS's fault: hopefully when Little Red move into T2 they can improve things. But the Servisair lounge is no advert for the VS brand and certainly won't win over premium pax from BA. It also doesn't help that the lounge is about as far from gate 8 as it's possible to get. At no time, on the ground or on the aircraft, was my AU status recognised - it was disappointing that I wasn't automatically offered a lounge invitation at check-in (ok, I didn't show my AU card but surely their computer tells them?). And on board, while I appreciate there's little you can do in terms of service on a 40 minute flight, a bog-standard drink and a tiny packet of crisps just seemed very ... average. Virgin America seems to have managed to make itself a bit different and "cooler" than the legacy US carriers: perhaps VS should learn a lesson or two from its sister airline.
In summary then - not a bad experience, just an average one. An opportunity to stand out from the crowd seems to have been missed.
(As a post-script, I've just done OLCI for my return flight tomorrow, only to find I've been turfed out of 2C and moved to 8C, and the first 6 rows are completely greyed out. Hmmmmm - not a good omen! Let's see what happens when I ask for row 1 at MAN tomorrow - watch this space!)
Great to see you max out tier points and miles by flying LR to the maximum during the promo period 
Interesting reflection on yields Gumshoe, though I think they are typical for a new route 
.....I believe the EDI service is doing very well indeed. From experience the MAN is slowly building and long may that continue.....was hoping they would extend the double miles offer but alas not as yet 
