V-Flyer

This is a very belated TR from our flight out to California in July. Our final destination was San Diego, for Comic Con.

We set off early (about 3am), as per usual, as we had a decent drive ahead of us. We made remarkable time until we hit the M25 (of course) and then ended up rolling very slowly the rest of the way to LHR. Still, we made it in good time, so I didn't need to worry about not having enough hours in the CH. We parked in the T3 short stay and went straight to check in. I was wondering if I'd get to flash my sparkly new Au card in order to utilise UC check-in if there was a long wait, but there weren't many people in line, and we were immediately directed to UC check-in anyway. We were flying out and back in PE, thanks to managing to bag some reward flights using the VS credit card vouchers back in December last year. The check-in process was swift and efficient, and we went through the UC security channel quickly. My husband tried his boarding pass to access the UC security area but to no avail, only mine worked!

The security channel was fairly standard, not the best experience we've had, but definitely not the worst, and certainly nothing to complain about. We were through to the CH very swiftly. We were both exhausted, but I booked a wash and blow dry immediately. They actually had availability straight away, but I opted for an appointment 30 minutes later so I could have a cup of tea and some breakfast, first. We had our usual (Egg Benedict for him, Egg Florentine for me), and they tasted SO good, but I can't tell if this was because it was now about 8am and we hadn't eaten anything since we got up, or if this was due to it actually being excellent. Really, who cares? My hair was done by a lovely girl I see often working there. She gives the BEST head massage (as I opted to tack the free Bumble & Bumble conditioning treatment onto my blowdry) and really made my hair look great. She's also really lovely to chat to and has an astonishing memory, she always remembers what I and my husband do, and even remembered my sister and her boyfriend from when she did my sister's hair in December! I left with great hair and gave her a good tip! I returned to my seat to find my OH passed out after the drive. We'd opted to sit on some seats overlooking the "shed" outside and it always proves to be a good option as it's usually very relaxed there. I replied to a few work e-mails, had more tea and relaxed until a bit before boarding.

We decided to leave prior to the first call as we wanted to make sure we had enough storage space in the overhead lockers, as it can be a bit tight in PE sometimes. We arrived at the gate and were glad to do so as they'd just started boarding! We joined the priority line, which was very short, and as my husband went through, his ticket was scanned and made a strange beeping sound. I was motioned forward and my ticket did the same. Now, I had been checking on Expert Flyer in the weeks running up to our trip and had noticed that the PE cabin was totally packed. Y was half full, and UC was looking fairly busy. I feared the worst... would we be downgraded due to our P fare tickets? :( No! The lady at the check-in desk said "oh, you have new seats in Upper." I couldn't believe it. I'm Au and my OH is Ag, and it's so rare to hear of two people getting an upgrade that it was unexpected but amazing. We boarded immediately in a state of mild euphoria--OH was totally blown away and, if he wasn't before, is now a full convert to miles gathering and status attaining! We were on the brand new 787 and the seats were basically immaculate--the beds when made up were much more comfortable and the cabin felt very clean and spacious. We got assigned seats 9A and 11A, but the kind lady in 10A switched with my OH so we were closer together. I took seat 11A, closest to the bar, but there was so little noise from it during the flight that it was never a problem.

The crew on board seemed very enthusiastic, I think working on a new aircraft really creates a bit of a buzz. On board, the FSM stopped by and thanked me as an Au card holder for my loyalty and for choosing to fly with VS again, a nice touch The food service started a couple of hours into the flight, here's the menu:

Starters
Organic tomato & basil soup
Pillow of smoked salmon
Warm chicken satay

Choice of bread was listed as: Rosemary focaccia (there actually wasn't any of this!), Ciabatta and Oat topped round rolls.

Mains
Grilled fillet of beef
Chicken Tikka Masala
Tomato & mozzarella gnocchi
Seared tuna steak

Pudding
Salted caramel pudding
Clotted cream panna cotta

I asked for the tomato soup and OH opted for the chicken satay to start. My soup never came, even when everyone else had been served, so the flight attendant went to hunt for it. She returned later and said there had been a disaster and someone in the galley spilt the last bowl of soup all over themselves, so I went for the salmon instead. She was so worried and apologetic, I had to say about five times that it was fine and not a problem! The salmon was actually really nice. We then both had tuna as the main. Although well cooked, as it has to be on a plane (I prefer medium-rare for a nice tuna steak), it actually wasn't dry at all, and we both expressed surprise at how tasty it was! We skipped dessert, so I can't comment on that, but the FSM did try to get me to order some multiple times! Haha.

After dinner we made up our beds as we were pretty tired from such an early start. As I mentioned previously, the beds are definitely more comfortable. I slept on and off and listened to music. My OH slept quite a lot and was out for most of the flight, which I was really happy about as he'd done all the driving and definitely deserved a rest. A couple of hours before landing we were served afternoon tea. I had a couple of sandwiches which were actually a lot fresher than they usually are.

Throughout the flight was miraculously smooth. I'm sensitive to turbulence and really hate it, but this was one of the smoothest transatlantic journeys I've done. I think we landed on time, but not sure as we didn't have to be anywhere in a rush so I wasn't paying attention to that. We were one of the first people off the plane and had no wait at immigration at all. The immigration officer was very friendly and we were through in no time. The only let down was the "priority" baggage was a bit of a joke. There was a large group of schoolkids from South Africa and I think all their bags got priority as they got unloaded first... and it was a LOT of bags! We waited about 25 minutes for the priority baggage to start coming out, but once it did, ours were amongst the first to arrive.

We were out of the terminal and in a taxi to Union Station in good time after a great flight! Thanks, Virgin.

As a side note, I have a friend who travels to the US a few times a year. I convinced her to sign up for a miles programme (she mainly flies with BA/United, so opted for BA), and she had an economy flight in July. She was upgraded to business due to her status, and it was the first time she's ever flown business. She sent me a very sweet note to thank me for convincing her to sign up I think she's the only person who has taken on board what I've said about miles and I am very glad it paid off!

Firstly, many congratulations on getting the Op-Up

A rare occurrence indeed and hopefully you will savour your trip experience all the more in times to come.

Anyway, being in the UC Cabin could do damage to your finances in the future

Vey envious about Comic Con. Whilst i am not a comic fan myself, the sights i saw has made me decide i will go to San Diego next year

Thanks for the TR

buns

Hello Spacedog, and thanks for a wonderful TR and congrats on the op-up. Sounds like a good flight all round and I look forward to the return TR (and to hearing a little about Comic-Con).

buns, thank you so much! We were thrilled. We've miraculously managed to make three of our last four international trips (Tokyo, California and Shanghai) into UC experiences thanks to miles, but for this trip we had the PE vouchers and the availability was there, so we opted for the bargain. It ended up being MUCH more of a bargain than we anticipated! I don't ever expect it will happen again, but it was a pretty great experience for my first flight as an Au card holder.

Comic Con is a mixed bag! We go for work and we're both into comics, so it is fun. However, if you're not into comics... well, it's an experience is all I can say! A very busy, frustrating one, as the queues for panels are tremendous (most people camp overnight outside for days in advance of the show in order to get into the most popular panels), and the show floor is incredibly packed. But, it's a great event, we do enjoy it, and there are a lot of opportunities to see crazy costumes, wonderful art, to celebrity spot and generally take in the enthusiastic atmosphere. However, if you're going be prepared for absolute, unbridled madness ;) Hotels are hard to come by in the area as they get booked up far in advance--first dibs are given to exhibitors and companies at the show, then it gets opened up to the general public and prices are crazy. But, if you're happy to stay further out of the centre and get a taxi in daily, you'll find more availability further out.

Bretty, thank you very much! The op-up really did make the start of the trip pretty magical. I actually really like PE, but who can see no to free UC??

I'm happy to answer any Comic Con questions to anyone who's thinking of going, we've been for work at least 5 times, now, so I can make a few suggestions about it.

spacedog wrote:
……….. see crazy costumes, wonderful art, to celebrity spot and generally take in the enthusiastic atmosphere. However, if you're going be prepared for absolute, unbridled madness ;) Hotels are hard to come by in the area as they get booked up far in advance--first dibs are given to exhibitors and companies at the show, then it gets opened up to the general public and prices are crazy. But, if you're happy to stay further out of the centre and get a taxi in daily, you'll find more availability further out.


I'm happy to answer any Comic Con questions to anyone who's thinking of going, we've been for work at least 5 times, now, so I can make a few suggestions about it.

Thank you for such a comprehensive response about Comic con

I caught much of what you say on social media and as I said, I am drawn to go just to witness the enthusiasm of attendees. John Barrowman posted much and I know this helps to maintain his fan base

Thanks oncde again

buns

Thanks for the TR spacedog. What a lovely surprise for the two of you on boarding. I hope whoever wore your soup wasn't too much of a mess. I shall look forward to the return TR.

Thank you for your TR which built excellently to the joys of the upgrade and I found myself smiling with pleasure for you. And then the flight didn't disappoint. Wonderful.

Great TR but even greater to hear about your upgrade!!! And on the 787!
They do a comic con in Cardiff, when I lived in Cardiff I overlooked the former CIA (now Motorpoint arena), my apartment building was across the road and my apartment had a birds eye view of the sights!! Simon isn't interested in it but I love love love Star Trek so would love to go...esp the one in LA!!
I bet the LA one is amazing!
Darren

The only thing that beats Upper is a totally unexpected free upgrade to Upper at the gate - your OH must have been well chuffed to catch some zzzzztime, congratulations!

Enjoyed the TR and the background on the comic conference, thanks for posting, with several trade shows a year that I attend where I get stresssed it's actually very tempting to attend an unrelated one to enjoy, got me thinking

buns, my pleasure! Honestly, if you're willing to just go with the flow we think Comic Con can be a very enjoyable experience. I know what you mean about John Barrowman, we find it a great way to network and interact with fans as well, which is why we try to go every year and why it remains universally popular with people involved in comics in any way. My sister is really desperate to attend, so I think she's starting to save up for a future event.

marshy11, thank you! It was indeed an unexpected treat. I felt bad for whoever got the full brunt of the soup. I assume they had a change of shirt handy as I didn't notice anyone with any obvious stains! The return TR is a touch less exciting, BUT we did get to try out the LAX Clubhouse for the first time, which was fab

Thanks so much, hiljil! Sadly because I had to input the class of travel the surprise was spoiled for anyone reading! But I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

ultreen1, I know, the upgrade on the brand new plane really amazed us. OH was so impressed Now he keeps asking me when he'll get his Au card!

I've heard about the convention in Cardiff but we've never been. I think you should do a proper Star trek convention for the full experience if that's what you're into, but with that said, last year at Comic Con we met Brent Spiner (Data from The Next Generation)! He was walking around the show floor and my OH spotted him. He was an absolute gent and a pleasure to chat to. He suggested we head down to the big Star Trek convention they had in London last year and said he'd introduce us to Patrick Stewart! Sadly in the end it clashed with the New York Comic Con which we usually attend, so it was not to be :( But just goes to show who you can bump into at the San Diego show.

TimCrawley, I couldn't agree more about the free upgrade. Honestly it was the best possible start to our trip. I also find other kinds of trade shows strangely fascinating, I'm always curious to see how they work in other industries. We attend quite a few comic cons around the world; the US ones are by far the biggest and most established. There are a couple of good ones in the UK, and Asia is really starting to up the ante now, too. So, if ever you're in need of a recommendation, just let me know

Thanks to all of you for sharing in my happiness! I'm waiting for a full review from my friend on her business class experience when she gets back from the US. I want an in-person TR!

I attended a Con in Nottingham earlier this year. Very interesting, although poorly organised especially on the photoshoot bookings and then only one printer so by the end of the day a god couple hundred people went home without photos (they were made available for download later). I got to meet cast members from Red Dwarf, I met David Warner who was charming and we talked briefly about his work, he's been in so many films over the years. I met the cast of BBC show Atlantis, and 3 former 'Doctors', and Nichelle Nichols, Uhura from the original Star Trek. She was a sweetheart, a very charming woman. I had a good time in spite of the poor organisation. There were plenty of folks in Cosplay, some good, some very bad, and some that were superb. A bunch of Storm Troopers (who run a charity and are endorsed by George Lucas). But there are lots of queues at these things, waiting and waiting.

Bretty, I think that's one of the problems with conventions becoming so popular--now everyone wants a slice of the pie and they're being set up everywhere by different organisations, and the quality varies wildly. Queueing is also a big issue as these events become more well known. I'm really glad that your experiences with the guests were so good! I'm very jealous that you met Nichelle Nichols. We like seeing all the cosplay--even the really bad costumes have a certain charm (or at least give you something to smile about!)