V-Flyer

As mentioned elsewhere.. I received an email at 4pm telling me my 9.30ish flight was delayed until 1.15am (another followed to say it was pushed to 2.00am & flight tracker website said 2.10am - eventually took off nearer 2.30am)
As our transport was already booked for 4.30pm, we decided to just go to the airport and hope we could get in the clubhouse early. Luck paid off there.
I used Carmel for our transfer - which is the same fixed fee & tolls as using a Yellow Cab.
Driver seemed in hurry.. we got to JFK from Upper West Side in little over an hour! This is in Rush Hour Traffic!

So we arrived at JFK, whizzed through check in & done our duty free obligations of filling up on cigarette gifts & refreshing the spirits cabinet. Before heading for the clubhouse.
We was left in without any problems, despite the long delay for our plane. Was busy at first, with a lot of delta flights still to fly, but at around 8pm the place was empty.

Service from the staff was excellent, though it waned later on as they had to wait for our plane before they could leave.
I managed to grab a shower - cubicle was clean & fresh towels was waiting. A polite knock on the door interrupted me during getting changed into more comfortable flight clothes - I guess if I was a little longer in the shower this may have been a problem!

Drink service was frequent, as was food. Tried the clubhouse burger, which filled a hungry hole. Partner had the Seabass & she said it was nice. Later on we choose from the tapas menu & we both went for Dim Sum & I also had the hot wings.
Drinks kept coming. We also played some pool. We didn't opt for any of the Spa options. Drinks still kept coming. In the end, I had several cocktails, quite a few beers & also a Baileys Hot Chocolate.

By around 10pm, we kinda got a little bored. I know its a rare occurrence for such a long delay, but it would be nice if they had some games room (well there is a pool table, but we got bored after 10 frames) - why not get some tech in there like a PS4 or Xbox One. They could link up with MS & put some Xbox in there & some MS pads to replace their aging plane entertainment system. Even some sort of snooze zone would be a welcomed addition.

The delay from a knock on effect from earlier - from what I could gather there was a problem with an earlier plane & by the time it was fixed, the crew had to have their rest period. So I am assuming we lost our crew to the other flight & had to wait.
Anyway, around 1.25am we was finally allowed to board. There was only about 150 people on the plane. I guess a lot managed to get alternative flights or cancel for a refund. There was only 6 of us in the nose of UC - not sure how many was upstairs or in the 2nd section (747 plane).

All settled in & given a welcomed champagne, a menu for dinner + breakfast menu was served & order taken for a drink once airbone. I opted for the red wine.

Food was served quickly. I opted for the beef fillet. Wine was topped up several times. Food was not great TBH.
Beef was an inch thick & overcooked. Knife was not capable of cutting it. can't remember the rest of the food. It was all instantly forgettable. I opted for a cheeseboard for dessert, which was served with Port.

Tried the bed, but found it uncomfortable & quite hard, so put it back in seat mode & used the quilt to support under my knees.
Settled down to watch Kingsmen on the inflight entertainment while sipping my port (after a top up).
Once the film finished I tried to listen to music & relax. Got a waff of breakfast getting readied & decided against having anything. I was offered juice & it wasn't even cold. Finally landed at about 13.15 UK time. Cabin Staff forgot about us 1/2 a dozen in the nose, so we had no priority departing from the plane.

All in all - even ignoring the delay, etc. - I don't think I would bother upper class again. I didn't find the experience that great. Maybe on a longer (12+ hour flight) the bed would be handy. However, thanks to the long delay, the clubhouse was a godsend!

That's a mammoth delay and you must have got incredibly bored, even with the CH there....

Shame your UC experience didn't excite, though on the upside your bank balance will be happier. Good decision on breakfast, though I guess you were then too late for Revivals?

Sounds like good trip, though your comment on Niagara poured cold water (sorry, couldn't resist) on my desire to go there....

Shame about the long delay and your impression of UC not being worth it again But perhaps the delay had something g to do with that?

Saw you coming in to land as the flight came in fairly low over Berkshire and disturbed my snooze on the sun lounger in the garden

well, the clubhouse was a no brainer - it was either that or sit in the hotel lobby!
Original plan was to land for 8.30, hit the revival lounge for breakfast & a freshen up. Before heading off.
Our original train ticket was for 1.15pm.
We ended up getting the 3.30pm by skipping the revivals & heading straight to St Pancras/Kingscross as quickly as possible (Tube was on the platform as we got there out of Heathrow!)
So got to my intended destination (OH parents who was dog sitting) only 2 hours or so later than planned. - just spoilt all my sleeping on the plane plan.

pjh wrote:Sounds like good trip, though your comment on Niagara poured cold water (sorry, couldn't resist) on my desire to go there....

This was on the Canada side & Clifton Hills area. ( https://www.google.co.uk/search?newwind ... YeAXwbdid8 )

TBH I done the excursions on the US side. Cave of Winds & Maid of the Mist. Cave of Winds was great. You can really feel the power of the falls.

Maybe the US side is better - or somewhere close by & make it a day trip? You can walk over to Canada for the views from that side (Walking is probably quicker than queuing in a Car!)
If I had booked the excursions before the Hotel, then I would have stayed the US side & walked into Canada.

Even with the bonus of the CH experience at JFK, that is a horrible flight delay and then to miss your train connection back in London, must have made your temper very much on the edge

Sounds like you had a very busy holiday with lots of travelling. Shame about your view of the Canadian side of Niagra Falls .. "Blackpool on Steriods" To be honest this could have something to do with where you actually stayed ie the Clifton Hills area. I've been to Niagra falls a couple of times and we stayed at one of the hotels right by the Canadian falls - Once we ventured up to that glitzy area of Clifton Falls and exited pretty quickly Probably an area that suits some but not others

Best of luck with your compensation.

Yea, I think that was it with Canada. We walked out our hotel & turned left trying to get a falls view. Should have turned right & went to falls view blv. (duuuuh!)
Was only in Canada for 1 full day (plus the previous evening when I stumbled upon Clifton in its full glory!).

My own fault really, I had a nice hotel lined up & tried priceline name your own. Everything I selected matched the hotel I found & then priceline gave me another hotel :o/
So ended up in a ramada! Would have been the marriot (the cheaper of the 2 marriots) if I didnt gamble.