VS010 JFK-LHR 6 MAY 14 (Economy)

This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin

Ground Staff

Food & Drink

Entertainment

Seat

Cabin Crew

And so it came to return home. Cosmic Girl (G-VWOW) would do the journey. Again boarding was on time and we actually pushed back from the gate 15 minutes early. However, we stopped quite abruptly, at which point First Officer Ian informed us that the Jetblue behind us had broken down and they were awaiting a tug to move her before we could continue pushback. In 10 minutes we were on our way. Our flight time is 6hrs 10.

Unusually there was no waiting around and we rotated from 31L straight away. It was shortly after this that the passenger in front of us (let's call him Mr D Head) began his string of annoyances. First thing first he reclines all the way back to sleep so not only can I not see the TV but he is about 3 inches from my face. Nevermind, I think, I was hoping just to sleep anyway. The dinner service comes around (again great food) and he lifts his seat up (hurrah!) only to recline it all the way back again suddenly so that the tray falls into my lap. Luckily I hadn't opened anything at this point. The FA kindly asked him to sit back up to which this was met with a huffy sigh and a glare at me.

As soon as she was gone he reclined again and then completely ignored me when I again kindly asked him to sit up so that I could eat dinner. I ended up eating it half, on half off the tray. After dinner I think that I shall have a sleep. But no, Mr Head decides this is when he wants to watch a movie and play a handheld game with the volume all the way up so that the entire back section of the aircraft can hear it. Again the FA asks if he could please turn it down a little so that other passengers can sleep. In protest to this he decides to instead shout at the game and persistently jump up and down on his seat, which means I cannot sleep. He is again asked to keep his voice down, to which he doesn't oblige.

So after about 4 hours of Mr Head I am severely moody and hope that breakfast will lift my spirits. All the way through breakfast Mr Head keeps banging hard against his seat so my tea spills everywhere (have I annoyed him in a past life???). I decide on the way to the toiler to have a word with the crew who are very sympathetic, say they know him to be a pain in the arse passenger, but cannot move him or me as the flight is full, but they give us some extra snacks and drinks to try and make up for him, which was lovely.

The end of the flight couldn't come soon enough and we made a very bumpy approach into a rainy LHR. I have never been so jetlagged!

EDIT: I meant to rate the crew 5, but did 4 by accident.

Oh dear Lauren, poor you.

There just has to be Dick or a member of his family, every so often, whatever the route and whichever the carrier; their attitudes are obvious but summarised as a complete lack of consideration for anyone else...they adopt a "what are you going to do about it" attitude.

One cannot advocate violence whatever the provocation or temptation but some people really do need a slap.

I'm afraid there is usually a Dick or two on every flight, whatever cabin you are in.

Hopefully you had a great time in NY and the flight home didn't spoil it.

Thanks for posting.

Oh Lauren, poor you, having DHead in front of me is my nightmare scenario if we haven't managed to upgrade ourselves. He really was an appalling man to have encountered. Well done to the crew for trying to help. Did you enjoy your visit to NY?

Thanks for posting your TR ,as others have said unfortunately you get prats like him from time to time ,not a lot you can do about it in the air but he would have got a mouthful off me when we landed !
Hope you enjoyed NYC

Oh Lauren, poor you, having DHead in front of me is my nightmare scenario if we haven't managed to upgrade ourselves. He really was an appalling man to have encountered. Well done to the crew for trying to help. Did you enjoy your visit to NY?

We did, yes, Exhausting though! Awful jetlag, which surprised me on the way back.

Oh no! Mr Head certainly sounded like a pain in the backside! Poor you! I dislike pax who reline all the way throughout meal services at the best of times, but this person sounded to not only be ignorant, but deliberately obnoxious.

It's great to read that the CC intervened, but a shame that it didn't help all that much.

On the jetlag, I find that it is easier to stay up for as long as you possibly could when you land at LHR (I know it's difficult after a sleepless flight - been there! ) and then have a relatively early night and wake up slightly later than ususal... normally does the trick for me

Get the VS18 or 26 daytime flights, much better for jetlag.

Get the VS18 or 26 daytime flights, much better for jetlag.

But because you had to be up by something mad like 0400 to get to Newark/JFK in time, you feel like death anyway! Maybe you manage better than I do!

Good lord that sounds awful.

I guess the crew's options are limited when it comes to things like this, but they certainly have the option of restraint were he to have become violent (I think). I might have provoked a fight!

Seriously though, does anyone know at what point and under what conditions are the crew permitted to physically restrain a passenger?

It's at times like this, when it is an advantage to be travelling with a young bored child.
The 'uncontrollable' little person could then could kick away at the back
of Mr horrible's a chair for the entire flight

I would have been torn between having a nice cold glass of ice water in my hand when he reclined, resulting in it "accidentally" being thrown all over him, or standing in the aisle next to him, talking loudly, and gesticulating wildly.