VS008 LAX-LHR 21 DEC 14 (Upper Class)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

Ground Staff

Food & Drink

Entertainment

Seat

Cabin Crew

As a dedicated VS user, whenever possible.

I was left with an experience that I would not have expected a pro-active business like Virgin to allow.

Your own dedicated lounge at LAX is under construction, understood. ANZ has moved out of T2 this year to the TBIT, and you are now sharing the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge.

I am trying to ascertain how long Air Canada has been in T2?

The experience was vile. Air Canada has existed at the airport for some time, and has now taken over from ANZ at this lounge.

the AC Maple Leaf lounge should have been renamed the leaf mulch lounge.

How does Virgin allow itself, whomever looks after integration at LAX for VS that they allow themselves to work with a carrier who can't organise a simple liqour licence? whether or not a new licence has to be applied for, or whether the licence was able to be transferred from the building it was originally registered at.

This is poor on AC's part, and as bad on the part of VS for allowing AC to to not have a full lounge facility up and running.

this is well below Virgin's standards. Pax. pay good money to use lounge facilities, and look forward to a lounge which offers full facilities.

The food selection was so bad, pax. were going downstairs to purchase from the concessionaires, and many did.

I have attached photo's of the fare on offer. see for yourself; processed turkey, wilted salad, soft croutons, a few cookies etc.

there was no hot food, no bar, no working TV's and furthermore the AC staff, were dis-interested, and slovenly.

the 2 staff members who were supposed to welcome you to the lounge were from AC and VS respectively. the dark haired girl on duty from VS, simply said "passports" to me.

I said how about a please?

with attitude she asked again with a please, and did not not pass me back my passport but simply put them down behind the PC monitor on the desk for me to pick up, and the same with our boarding passes. the same girl was on check in at the gate, she did not smile, did not address any passengers and walked right in front of me to get behind the desk at the gate, where she promptly did nothing, other than look miserable.

this needs to be addressed as many of the pax. in UC experienced the same lack of service, and questioned why use VS UC with a 3rd rate lounge and staff.

as always, the cabin crew were great; friendly, happy, entertaining, and shared a good rapport with us.

Pull your socks up VS; the entire experience needs to be money well spent.

FHP

I hope it didn't ruin your trip, but for those of us who use VS outside of their own lounge network at LHR, JFK, HKG and a few other places its a standard experience. Shared lounges are normally pretty average.

Your experience of the AC isn't far from my experience in ALL of the BA lounges I used at LHR, AMS and DXB on my Christmas trip. These are all BA flagged lounges too!

The old New Zealand lounge was always one of my favourites (believe AC has moved in now?). Have sometimes found that ground staff at Non UK Airports to be lacking LAX, LAS, BGI etc. Assume that Virgin don't have has much direct control over them and it is the same for most other airlines. I wonder what the experience is like if you are flying with one of the big middle eastern/far east airlines from the USA?

From my limited recent experience of shared lounges, the food offerings look about standard (and for me lack of a working TV would be a big plus) but the lack of an at least polite 'hello and welcome' is inexcusable in a sevice industry.

My understanding of the shared lounges is as what's been said above - pretty average. How was the rest of your flight experience, by the way?

One of the key points that stood out for me in the OP's post was that no alcoholic drinks were available. Not sure I've ever visited any airport lounge worldwide "sans drinks"

Is it my ipad?

thanks for all the responses.

as I've eluded too, when you're paying premium rate you have the right to expect a certain standard with continuity.

I use shared lounges and some are better than others; but the AC lounge had little to say in it's defence.

Organising a transfer of a liqour licence to the facility should have been undertaken in a timely manner; they knew when they would be planning to taken over from ANZ; so the prep. work should have been carried out in good time, without mistake.

The VS staff are paid employees and reflect upon the company as a whole, and the girl on duty that day was abominable. if you need a manual to tell you how to deal with people, then you should not be in a customer facing role.

The flight and crew were good, and one of the girls was on the B744 which returned to LGW with the gear problem. She was an Australian girl, and kept myself, the other crew and a couple of pax. busy with riddles while we were at the bar.

that's what the experience should be like - a good rapport.

FHP.

Reading a fellow VFlyer's post on Facebook just now it seems they still haven't sorted out the liquor licence at the Air Canada lounge, so soft drinks only for VS's premium passengers at LAX. Astonishing.

Blimey, that's no good.

TBH the food looks a bit like a BA lounge buffet.

I thought that VS was using Virgin America Loft in T3 now ?

[honey lamb]

I thought that VS was using Virgin America Loft in T3 now ?

They are, but the V-Flyer Vegascrazy was alluding was travelling with a wheelchair bound passenger and it was too complicated to use the Loft.

When I came back just after Xmas they were using what was the Air New Zealand Lounge, now Air Canada Maple Lounge.