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#946188 by nickw
17 Sep 2018, 14:35
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After a week in New England, it was time to leave on Saturday afternoon.

I was a little early at the airport so had to wait for the check-in desks to open, but this wasn't an issue and I was soon through security and lodged in a cosy little booth in the Club House. I wasn't sure what to expect from the Club House in Boston, but I have to say it was great. Lots of drinks to choose from, good food, and even better service! Doulovely and Mary went well above and beyond to make it a great experience for everyone in there. Really enjoyed a few hours spent in the Club House before our flight was called.

I scurried down to the gate, to find that they'd boarded Upper and were now boarding economy passengers - which was slightly annoying as I made it down as fast as humanly possible from the lounge once the call went out. Never mind!

Once on the plane, the usual choice of bubbles or OJ was brought through the cabin, and the CSM introduced herself. The usual gubbins were left on the seat for me when I boarded, including a free WiFi code for me to message friends and family while in the air. I didn't use it, but it was nice to have just in case.

A note for anyone paying for the WiFi: If you're buying the light plan, pay in USD not GBP and it works out approx 25-30% cheaper. Unfortunately not true for the heavier plan, which is more expensive if paid in USD. I've been on some flights with really rubbish WiFi in the past, but on the outbound I was really impressed with the WiFi on these Virgin planes, it was fairly quick and I didn't experience any drop outs like I usually do when browsing on a flight.

I sat in 5K again on the way home - I was supposed to sit elsewhere but I changed the reservation after my trip out, as the IFE in the seat I had originally booked wasn't working. I figured there was a good chance we'd be on the same plane, and indeed we were. It seemed like most, if not all, of the IFE issues had been resolved since my previous flight, however (including the seat I originally booked, where the IFE was now working). I also chose 5K because the cabin got a bit stuffy at times on the way out, and 5K is the only seat I could see with air vents - they came in handy on the way back, as things got a little stuffy again.

The seat was still the epitome of uncomfortable, and it wasn't much better when turned into a bed. That said, it did cross my mind that the components I could feel in the seat might actually be the massage function? Not sure, but it was mighty uncomfortable either way. This time the seat and surrounding area was clean, and no scent of poo to report.

I didn't bother with any food or drink on the flight save for a bottle of water, and I didn't sample the IFE on this flight (I've given them 5 stars anyway, as they were good on the way out.)

I planned to steal 40 winks, and made my bed as soon as the seatbelt sign went off after take off. One thing to note, was that the mattress pad thing in the bedding kit actually fit the seat this time - so I'm not sure if the wrong bedding was loaded on the outbound flight, or if the new bedding is brand new in the last few days.

I woke up about 50 minutes out from Manchester, brushed my teeth and got ready for landing. Once on the ground, I was off the plane and back in my car at T2 M&G (with my two checked bags) in under 30 minutes. I thought this was impressive to say the least.

I'm going to avoid the A330-200 routes until January next year, when I'll probably take one to ATL before connecting to MSY. In the meantime, it's BA via LHR for me if travelling to the US.

In terms of punctuality and service I don't think you can go wrong with Virgin out of Manchester, but the hard product is still lacking - from the lounge through to the Upper Class cabin itself. Hopefully the refresh will see to that, and then I'll be posting 5* reviews across the board for future flights.

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