Upper Class Questions

Hi all,

Please could you help me with the following.

In UC do you debark the aircraft before everyone else therefore getting to US immigration first ?

2. Is there a different area to collect your lugagge whenm you are 1st class or do you have to wait with everyone else for luggage?

Thanks

[Neil]

Originally posted by maccafan
Hi all,

Please could you help me with the following.

In UC do you debark the aircraft before everyone else therefore getting to US immigration first ?

2. Is there a different area to collect your lugagge whenm you are 1st class or do you have to wait with everyone else for luggage?

Thanks

Hi,

1) Yes UC pax depart the aircraft first - however if you are upstairs on the 744 in UC then you will probably have to depart after the PE pax as they are closer to the stairs.

2) At most airports you use the same baggage belt as the other pax but your luggage should, and I repeat should come off first (not been working too well recently!). At some airports however there is a different belt for UC & PE luggage.

Neil:)

[Decker]

Originally posted by maccafan
Hi all,

Please could you help me with the following.

In UC do you debark the aircraft before everyone else therefore getting to US immigration first ?

This should happen - sometimes the crew don't enforce it - but most times they do. It is tough on the 747's to stop the upstairs PE sneaking out though.

2. Is there a different area to collect your lugagge whenm you are 1st class or do you have to wait with everyone else for luggage?

Yes - BA and others have completely separate belts [:p]... VS UC is a premium Business Class not a First Class so excuse pedantry!

Thanks for info. We are flying into LAX. Do they have seperate luggage belts ?
Thanks

Originally posted by maccafan
Thanks for info. We are flying into LAX. Do they have seperate luggage belts ?
Thanks

No they don't do this - however given that you should be into immigration and through to the baggage claim before the other passengers, I usually find that the luggage is about to come off and you can be away quickly.

Are you on the VS7 or 23?

Neither. Its VS007.

VS007 is the same as VS7

If you're on the main deck, you should be off first and be able to collect your luggage before everyone else anyway.

VS.

Disembarkation for UCS is usually first for Heathrow services, but not if you fly on a Gatwick service (i.e. Las Vegas and so on). Since UCS is so small, and at Las Vegas they use the "main door", it is behind the PE and front part or economy. The last time we flew UCS to LV I was mighty annoyed to find half the plane was off before us - the crew weren't even holding back the rear economy section, so immigration was not fun - it took well over half an hour to get through. And to add insult to injury, the crew had a dedicated channel, and so were through before we were!

For caribbean services, they often use 2 sets of steps, so UCS is usually off first, or at the same time as the main load.

[Bazz]

Even if you manage to be one of the first pax off the aircraft it does not guarantee you will get through immigration quickly. It will depend on what, if any, other aircraft have disgorged their pax ahead of you! If you come in behind a couple of heavies from Air Canada and Air New Zealand you could be in for a long wait.

When I flew into Orlando last year (in UC) they used the main door for disembarkation. The crew held back the main Economy cabin, so the first people off were the 2 or 3 rows of Economy from the "mini cabin", followed by PE & UC.

As Bazz says, choose your flight carefully - if you arrive after a couple of other large arrivals, the queue will already be long at US immigration. This is one reason why I like the VS75 from MAN to MCO - it generally gets into MCO when it's quiet, ahead of the VS & BA arrivals from LGW.