This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
My first post on V-Flyer so please be gentle with me and excuse any spelling mistooks! I have stalked these boards for some time and gleaned lots of useful information from them from you frequent flyers, thank you. This trip was booked eleven months in advance through a travel agent and was bundled as a package comprising flights (with upgrade), transfers, hotel stay, cruise on Royal Clipper, further hotel stay and return flight. From booking to take off the aircraft changed a couple of times and so did our seat preferences hence I kept an eye on these boards particularly regarding the ex Air Berlin aircraft. Because VS29s take off time was at 1005, and we live in Dorset, we decided to travel the day before and to stay at the Hampton Hotel which is attached to Gatwick North Terminal. After a three hour journey we were deposited by taxi in a car park at the hotel foyer entrance and took a lift up one floor. There was a short illuminated corridor which lead to hotel reception and check-in was speedy. We located our room and after a quick cup of coffee in the lounge we set off on the short walk into the terminal for “Twilight Check-in”. The Virgin check-in desks were up one level and when we got there at 1710 there were only a handful of passengers. I had read that there isn’t a dedicated Premium check-in desk but there were only two desks open - one for Upper and the other for Premium and Economy. We quickly got rid of the bags and received our boarding cards leaving us free to find somewhere to eat. Twilight check-in is the future as it takes a lot of hassle out of air travel. After a decent night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast we strolled into the terminal and breezed through the Premium security channel. As we only had an hour to wait for the flight we decided not to book a lounge and the time passed quickly before boarding. We arrived at the gate to be called forward and we were amongst the first on the aircraft. It was “Strawberry Fields” a recently refurbished A330-200. The Premium section on this particular aircraft is in rows 14 to 19 with the seats in a 2-3-2 configuration and we were in 18A and C. Initial impressions were quite favorable as it was all fairly fresh and new. The CC started the welcome onboard round of prosecco, OJ or water which quickly turned into a bit of a scrum with passengers boarding and trying to pass through into the economy section of the aircraft. Is it me or are the overhead lockers getting smaller? It is probably to restrict the size of bags and to save weight. The FSM requested a couple of passengers to change seats in our section freeing up 4 seats which were then given to passengers brought through from economy presumably as an upgrade. As take off time approached an announcement was made by the pilot, that a hat off one of the ground crew had got sucked up into an air conditioning vent and that we couldn’t proceed until the offending item was retrieved. An hour later we pushed back and got in the queue to take off. Once airborne the CC began the drinks round followed by the meal. Starter was Pecan and butternut squash salad, Mains: Pot roast brisket of beef, Chicken Korma or Sun Blushed tomato tortellini. Pudding was Chocolate caramel cake plus cheese and crackers. I had the beef with a glass of red gargle and thoroughly enjoyed it. Meal over we settled down to check out the IFE. The touch screen is about the size of an iPad and I watched 3 of the film offerings. I must say that I was not terribly impressed with the film selection but it is subjective. Nor was I terribly impressed with the seat which seemed slightly smaller than other Premium offerings but proved okay for leg room (I’m 5ft 8ins) but if the person in front reclines it severely restricts your space and made it feel cramped. Oh and I was totally underwhelmed by the wonder wall which was really a small cupboard. While looking at negative points, I was not impressed with the toilet situation. The Premium toilet is situated on the right side of the aircraft at the front of the section. On the opposite side is an exit door. To access it from the left side of the aircraft was through the small galley area which meant dancing around CC. The toilet was used by Upper, Premium and Economy passengers and combined with periods of turbulence it created quite lengthy queues. The extending meal tables are in the centre arm rests which were rigid. At about 90 mins to landing “Mile High Tea” was served comprising either two small Mozzarella with green pesto slow roasted tomato and rocket or Roast beef and horseradish rolls with a small passion fruit éclair, a small blackberry macaron and a small scone, clotted cream and jam. This was served with a choice of tea, coffee or prosecco!
As we approached the north of Barbados we flew down the west coast during the descent and so those on the left side of the aircraft had lovely views of the island. The aircrew made up some time on the flight and we arrived about 30 mins late. We were soon through immigration bag retrieval and customs and into the melee in arrivals. Overall a reasonably good Virgin Premium experience but the cabin felt slightly cramped after a few hours. However, all the Virgin personnel we interacted with were excellent.
