V-Flyer

The flight was booked just in time to qualify for free limos on an I fare. The limo drive out to the airport was pretty quick by London traffic standards and the driver was friendly and chatty.

I sailed through the Upper Class Wing, which was empty and on to security. There was a bit of a queue here; it all gets slowed down when one person has lots of stuff they have to remove from their bags, as there is only one lane. That said, I was through security in less than five minutes.

On to the Clubhouse which was busy. I couldn’t find a seat by the windows - my favourite zone - so grabbed the first solo traveller seat I could find. The initial service was a bit slow, more because the lounge was busy, but drinks and food came fairly quickly thereafter. I opted for the Clubhouse breakfast with Earl Gray tea. After food it was time to head to the spa for a quick buzz cut. They now charge for this; £10, or £9 with an AU discount. But it’s still worth it to look ship shape for the trip.

I left the lounge before boarding was called. I wanted to get onboard early, as I planned to make a little video of the flight and wanted to grab some pictures of the cabin before it got busy. The gate was 22, which is at the far end of the far pier, providing sufficient exercise to walk off breakfast! As I arrived at the gate, the crew were just going onboard, so there was a wait of about ten minutes before boarding started. But it had been my option to head to the gate early so it didn’t bother me.

The ten minutes went pretty quickly and boarding soon started. After those who needed a little more time were boarded through door B, they quickly invited Upper passengers to board through Door A. We were on an A340-600 called ‘Lady Bird’. First impressions on boarding were how old these planes are now looking. The side of the plane dates ‘Lady Bird’ to February 2007, so not the oldest 346, but compared to the A330s and Dreamliners not so new.

Boarding was completed efficiently so we left the gate roughly on time. 252 passengers, 12 cabin crew and 3 flight crew. And a flight time of 9 hours 30 minutes.

The crew were friendly and the FSM came along the aisle welcoming AUs by name and saying hi to everyone else. Their new tablets really have made a difference here.

The initial drinks service felt slower than normal. But there again there are a lot more seats in Upper on a 346 compared with the other aircraft, so I’ve probably just got used to it being a bit quicker. Drinks served, food orders taken, and then straight in to laying the tables for lunch. I opted for the smoked salmon, fillet of beef, sticky toffee pudding then cheese. It all tasted good, even though the beef didn’t look particularly appetising. The wine selection is good currently; I started with a glass of white Burgundy, before switching to a Bordeaux with the steak.

I watched ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ on the entertainment system. Again these look a little tired with no touch screen functionality. But they serve the purpose!

I had a couple of drinks at the bar, chatting to some of the crew, the returned to my seat to start editing together the little video I was making. I got bogged down in that for a few hours. Then it was time for the second food offering of ‘Lite Bites’. I opted for the filo prawns. Again these tasted good.

Shortly after that, it was time to start preparing for the landing. We landed on schedule. A quick taxi to the gate and then disembarkation started shortly afterwards. Golf buggies are provided at the top of the jet bridge to take Upper passengers to immigration. But I opted to walk to stretch my legs after the long flight.

A new immigration hall has opened at Miami. It’s still quite a walk, but a bit closer. It must be in its early trials as only the VS passengers were sent to it. A few other flights from Latin America were still sent on to the old hall. The immigration process was very efficient with the Customs check performed alongside immigration. I used Global Entry, but those on ESTA seemed to get through just as quickly. As I had hand luggage only, I was then directed straight out of the exit, bypassing the baggage hall. Driver already waiting to pick me up, we were in the limo within twenty minutes of landing.

I’ve finished my video of the flight now. If you’re interested, it’s on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Igp5qO-flBQ

Thank you for the TR and the most enjoyable video. It really captured the atmosphere of the flight in such a succinct way. Pleased to hear MIA wasn’t such a ghastly experience for you as it can sometimes be !

Thanks for the TR and accompanying video! You and I were in the Clubhouse at the same time, in fact I distinctly remember the VS5 being called

Sounds like a great experience. Lovely little video too. Thanks.

I have always enjoyed the TRs which had photos.
Now you have gone a whole step further.
Well done and thank you.
Dick D

Thanks for such a timely TR (at least for the Buns' household that will be taking the journey soon) and for the useful Vlog!!

Mrs B found it particularly informative and I am perosanlly heartened by the knowledge of a new Immigration Hall - fingers crossed

Excellent FSM it appears, when the I Pads are used, it makes the experience so much better.

Thanks once again

buns

Thanks for the nice replies. Return TR and video to follow shortly.

On the new immigration hall, it appears that if you are transferring to another international flight you no longer have to collect you luggage, as it is checked through. You clear customs at the same point as immigration, before the baggage hall. They made an announcement to this effect onboard.

Great TR and video - having tried to do one myself I know how difficult and time consuming they can be - so thanks for putting that effort in