VS010 JFK-LHR 13 APR 14 (Upper Class)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

Ground Staff

Food & Drink

Entertainment

Seat

Cabin Crew

After a long weekend break sightseeing and shopping in NYC it was time to return home.whenever I travel I like to be at the airport early for the return flight as that way I can relax more knowing that I am not stuck in traffic with 30 mins to go. (I have done it before walking in to the airport as they were calling the flight) so I was in the JFK clubhouse at 5pm for the VS10 at 2130.

Boarding was quick from leaving the clubhouse straight through the priority line and on to the one air bridge in use.

Once at my seat the cabin service supervisor came over and introduced herself and offered a drink.
Pushback was on time and with the usual JFK taxi where you drive half way back on the ground we were airborne a little while later,
I declined dinner as I had eaten in the clubhouse but placed an order for a bacon roll for breakfast.
A short while in to the flight we hit a patch of turbulence (that's weird lay flat) that lasted for a couple of minutes nothing too bad but enough to shake the plane.
Throughout the flight the crew were smiling whenever you spotted them but stayed out of the A zone for most of the flight.
The FSM was not visible throughout the flight but the CSS lead a good team in Upper.

Breakfast was served 90 mins from LHR and shortly after the cabin was cleared the captain (2 captains and no first officer on this flight) made an announcement saying that we would be in the LHR hold for 10 mins but would still be at the gate 20 mins ahead of schedule.

A quick lap of London later and we were touching down, and quickly at the gate.
Immigration had a long line for normal passports so I went through the e-gates that never work for me and was through 2 attempts and a woman at a desk later luggage arrived as I arrived at caurosel 9 and I was in revivals less than 10 mins from leaving the aircraft, where I am currently sat with a sausage roll (with brown sauce) and an orange juice.

Another good flight. The crew not as good as on the outbound but they will take some beating.

Good to hear you had another top flight, VS CCs really do appear to be on top form at the moment.

I think on overnight flights they're instructed to get drinks & dinner served and out of the way ASAP to allow people to sleep so interaction will always be less than on the day flights.

Having said that on the VS2 back from EWR a couple of weeks ago a couple of the crew were more than happy to chat at the bar while everyone else was asleep (I just can't sleep on planes, even in a flat bed, so decided not to even try).

Thanks for the TR Chris, sounds like a solid flight

The FSM does tend to buzz about between the cabins a fair amount, there are usually a few fires to put out in ECO - especially if they are short staffed. Good to hear the CSS covered.

Its odd actually, I usually find the queues for the manned passport check goes a lot faster than those e-passport gates... Hopefully things will speed up as people get used to them.

Welcome back to sunny ol' England

Thanks for the TR, sounds like your overall UC experience will encourage you to join those for whose bank accounts have the "left turn only" section.

10 minutes from aircraft to brown sauce sounds like a good effort too....

Thank you for the TR, pleased to read you had a good flight, I am currently trying to bag a couple of reward flights to New York in July, nothing available that suits at the moment but hopefully things will change closer to the time.

oldboy

Good to read another positive TR. Thank you. So pleased you enjoyed it all.

Thanks for the TR -- good to read of another good flight.

I too was in Revivals this morning and must have left about 10 minutes before you would have arrived!

Its odd actually, I usually find the queues for the manned passport check goes a lot faster than those e-passport gates... Hopefully things will speed up as people get used to them.

I agree -- earlier today both queues were backed up to the back of the hall. The normal one moved much more rapidly -- less than 10 minutes.

The e-passport gates are a con as someone has to manually approve it before it lets you through. Is this a union thing?

There was no one at the e-gates when I got there but a fair line at the other desks which is why I used the e-gate.

Since I got my passport it has had to be manually entered at every airport I have flown through. It never works in self check in machines or e-gates or even at JFK immigration.

I'm just not paying for a new passport before it expires in October 2017

Glad you had a good flight. P.S e-gates have never worked for me either, despite trying for the past few years. Each and every time I'm told there's nothing wrong with my passport yet no-one can tell me why it doesn't work.

Like yourself, I decided to wait until renewal time in a couple of years!