VS016 MCO-LGW 30 NOV 13 (Upper Class)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

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Orlando-Gatwick via Cardiff!

This was the return leg of our first taste of Upper Class return travel on the Orlando route.

First impression of the UC check-in desk at MCO was not great - it's located in a small alcove, and has the appearance of being an afterthought. Nevertheless the process was courteous and efficient, so no complaints.

We accepted the invitation into the Delta lounge, and found this quite underwhelming by comparison to the Virgin lounge in Gatwick. It was quite crowded and noisy, and the only available seating was cafeteria style chairs. The only food on offer amounted to little more than nibbles. At least I managed to while away some of the time by watching BBC MOTD live on the iPad, courtesy of a VPN connection.

We were really quite relieved to move away from the lounge when the boarding announcement was given. We had already discovered on the outward flight (also in G-VROM Barbarella on November 8th) that overhead carry-on storage space is non-existent for rows 6 & 7, so this time we were able to claim a little bit of room in row 8 overheads, and entrust the remainder of our stuff to the storage cupboard.

Boarding had commenced almost an hour before scheduled departure, although no time was gained on the eventual push-back.

Dinner was pretty good - we both chose a main course of beef fillet and trimmings, but don't expect to be asked how you want it cooked, as I suppose cook-chill leaves little choice. The South African Merlot went down a treat (several times).

So, time to experience the lay flat beds, and I have to say the jury is out on this one. Yes, I did get some sleep (which is rare for me on a flight), but I am an overweight fidgetter (sp?) and turning from side to side without totally waking up proved to be impossible. I also noticed that the temperature in the cabin seemed to vary from too cold to too warm at various points during the night (maybe it was just me - or the Merlot). "Her indoors" who occupied 6A said she hardly slept at all, which is fairly unusual, as she would normally get a few hours shuteye in Premium Economy.

Anyway, the smell of bacon butties alerted me to the need to give up, and restore the seat to seating mode.

After breakfast, we reached the point where seat belt signs were on, the Skymap claimed we were somewhere over Somerset or Wiltshire and all of a sudden the Skymap info changed from eta Gatwick 09:03 to eta CARDIFF 09:03. Surely some mistake? But no, the aircraft did a 180 degree turn, and the captain announced that we needed to divert to CWL for a splash & dash pit-stop.

Evidently, weather systems had necessitated much of the flight be done at lower altitude than normal, so the fuel burn had been higher than expected. So, we made it to Cardiff on fumes, and spent the best part of one and a half hours on the ground there. Pity the poor devils whose final destination was Cardiff (and there were some apparently), as they had no option but to wave goodbye to home for a half a day or so.

Eventually we arrived at LGW just over 2 hours behind schedule, although in apologising the captain inadvertently announced that we were only ONE hour late.

So, never mind the inconvenience of the lateness, as the main thing I need to work out is whether the Upper Class experience was worth the considerable extra amount of money paid. Our original booking had been Premium Economy at approximately £850 each (return). I bought the upgrades to UC when they were on offer at £780 each. I think the answer has to be a resounding "no." In summary, the only meaningful benefits (for us) were (1) a free breakfast in the lounge outbound (call it a £10 value), (2) feet up journey, (3) better food - but hardly cordon-bleu.

I think the £780 x 2 was money wasted.

Thanks for posting your TR , sounds like quite a good flight all things considered , I'm guessing you will be sticking to PE in future ?

Yep. Backside expanding as economy seats are shrinking, so PE has to be the basic requirement. Already booked for Chicago and San Francisco travel by VS/PE in 2014, with another November Florida trip when the booking dates open. All things considered, PE better value for money than UC, IMHO.

Despite the negative vibes, VS still our carrier of choice.

Thank you for the interesting TR - I totally agree, if UC doesn't work for you then there is no point using it in the future. Interestingly there have been posts recently where others have felt PE was losing the edge and no longer offered the same value for money when compared with Y.

Thanks for your TR. I guess it's 'horses for courses'. I'm not a great flyer and I find sitting in a row of seats just makes me worse. The #1 UC benefit for me is being able to scrunch down in my suite and breathe my way through take off/landing without everyone looking at me.

Thank you for such an honest TR. I must say , sometimes I miss being able to say the odd casual word or two to my companion ,without the need to get out my seat or stretch over the partition in UC , as you can in PE. Also, I must confess, I have slept more in PE possibly because I was not expecting to be able to , unlike my expectations of UC ! But - I still must rate being in UC overall for feeling spoilt and pampered.

An interesting return into the UK and must have been very annoying for those that had to travel back up to Cardiff.

The bed (old style) is a plus for us as we usually have a shuttle back up to Scotland when getting into London and that nearly always means a long hang on with the struggle to keep your eyes open in the departure lounge, so getting an extra few hours sleep helps.

David