This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin
Ground Staff
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Decided that I'd drive down to LGW, given that the taxi from Swindon was 180+ and I could get in Courtlands parking for 43.60 for 7 days! Even after 1.5hrs sleep overnight (one day I won't leave packing til the last minute!), the drive wasn't too bad, and only took 1.5hrs (ok, it was 0500hrs after all!) - everything was looking good for an 'on time' meet, however the only downer was that the Courtlands courtesy bus departs every 20 minutes and I contrived to miss the 0640hrs one. The lady in Courtlands reception said that the walk was only 5 minutes, but obviously she didn't know me very well [:D] So, it was a short wait for the 0700hrs bus - although the Courtlands shuttle pickup/drop off point is just opposite the VS drive-thru check-in and I had to stare at it with uncontrolled jealousy! [:$]
Anyhoo, I met up with Onionz a little after 0700hrs, just by the hell-hole that was the VS check-in. The Economy queue snaked round the barriers & well out of the VS area - thank %DEITY% for FC Au [:D] We were directed to the left hand side, to queue for the UC check-in - turns out that line was also for the Ticket Desk, so the queue wasn't that bad once we'd established that and ended up going to the PE check-in as it was completely empty. We secured seats 36J&K, but check-in itself was not a pleasant experience - the check-in agent was miserableness personified, and when asked for FastTrack stickers, replied with 'There's no difference between FastTrack & normal security'! After assuring her that that was of no concern, and we simply wanted the stickers, her couldn't-care-less-tone replied 'I don't have any here, you'll have to go to the UC check-in to get them' [ii] So, off we trotted to find a spare UC check-in agent, and when approached, her attitude couldn't have been more different - 'Of course, here you are', not even asking to see the Au card - though I presented it to reassure her we weren't taking the pi$$ [:D] For the PE agent's attitude, check-in gets a 'Below Average' rating [n]
The majority of pax were queuing for security at the nearest side to the VS desks - as FastTrack is on the opposite side, we headed over there, where the queues were shorter anyway. I think there was a slight advantage to go through FastTrack, but we made a schoolboy error and ended up in the 'normal' queue next to FastTrack [:I] Anyhoo, it wasn't that bad, and we were through the shoe carnival/laptop out/blah blah blah paranoia within a fairly short time. Off to the CH we go for my first visit in some 18 months....
Welcomed at the reception desk with a lovely smile, and had no problems signing Onionz in as my guest. Advised the V:Touch staff that I was in attendance for my 0830hrs 'Back Down To Earth' treatment, and Onionz took a card to choose his treatment. Then we were straight round to the library & the smoking area. I don't know if it's just my perception, but I always find the service a little slow in the library, probably because it's the smoking area and the staff don't want to come in that often - though that said, I haven't sat out in the main area before. Anyway, a CH signature breakfast was ordered for me, a sausage butty for Onionz, and champagne for both (and a Bellini on the side for yours truly). Of course, nowhere in the airport sells matches anymore, and I was &*^^ered if I was going to buy a lighter for the sake of 3hrs - the CH had no matches either, so I had to scrounge lights from other pax in the library, until we determined that there was a 'loaner' lighter held behind the bar [:D] The drinks & food didn't take long to appear, and before long it was treatment time. My 'Back Down To Earth' massage was very pleasing as always, and I do believe that I fell asleep during it, just for a change [:D]
Afterwards, I ordered a 'Bubble & English' breakfast - basically a full English with Bubble & Squeak - very tasty, and washed down with more champagne, of course. Onionz reported that his facial was most pleasing, and when he came back he ordered some more food (though memory is hazy as to the content) & champagne. All too soon, boarding was announced, at gate 19, so not much of a walk. We left it a little while, having one final smoke before wandering off to the gate area.
When we got to the gate, we noticed it was G-VAST (Ladybird) that was to take us to LAS - excellent, Odyssey & games [y][y] We were met with a long queue which must've taken a good 3/4 hr to get to the front of. Through the BP check, security were personally screening every pax, and when we looked back at the queue it was back to being just as long as when we joined it [ii] So we decided that once we'd been screened (with more shoe carnival, and a laptop/electricals check again, just for good measure [ii]) we'd just have a bit of a rest in the main gate area since most pax had gone on the plane and we figured there would be a long wait - better to be stretched out up there than sat in an Economy seat [:D]. While seated there, we watched security doing the screening - at only 1 station of course, given that there were so many pax coming through [ii]. At one point they let a whole bunch of people through without screening - now, doesn't that defeat the whole object of doing a secondary search at the gate? [ii]
Anyway, onto the plane we went and got to our seats to see that the 3rd seat was empty, and hoped that it'd remain so. Indeed it did, so the 2 of us had the row to ourselves - turns out the flight was busy but not in any way full [y] BTW, there was no introduction from the FSM as I've had on previous flights, even when in Y. Pushback was delayed by 1.5hrs in total while the 'extra security' took its toll [ii] Think it was 1215hrs when we eventually pushed back, and IIRC the taxiing didn't take too long.
After takeoff & climbout, the crew came round to take a drinks order - had a vodka & tonic, along with the Worcester Sauce pretzels. Now, I seem to remember that this initial drink usually got a refill offered, but this never happened. Lunch was served a little while later, and I had the chicken & pasta - really quite tasty - along with a glass of red wine. Again, the wine didn't have a refill offered, which I do remember happening on previous flights. Also, the tray looked a tad empty, as if there were other things missing - maybe that's my hazy memory from other flights though. However, the bottle of water was still on the tray, so that's good. There was a refill offered on the tea/coffee round post-lunch.
I only seem to remember one OJ/water round during the rest of the flight, but ice cream & the usual hot sandwich came round before afternoon tea. Afternoon tea was supposed to be a choice of a chicken or a cream cheese sandwich - however they'd obviously run out of chicken by the time they got to us, as the FA just said 'cream cheese?'. When asked if that was the only choice, the reply was a sighed 'well, I suppose we have a salad choice' (I may be innacurate with the sandwich contents, but the rest is spot on). There was another tea/coffee round with afternoon tea, but again this didn't get a refill offered - we may have been too close to descent, but given the lack of drinks refills from earlier in the flight, I'm not so sure this is the case. I'm sure there were more refills offered on my previous flights - in any event, I'll have chance to compare when I fly out to SFO next Wednesday, again in Y.
I've marked the crew as average, because with one exception they seemed pretty disinterested. Whilst they weren't terrible, I just didn't get a VS 'buzz' from them, and the service wasn't good in places.
Here's one of the 4 pics of the starboard winglet that I took (the rest are in the gallery):
On descent into LAS, I thought I should get me camera out and take some pics, but someone suggested not - from the views we had, I missed some cracking opportunities for some great shots [:p]
Anyway, descent was pretty bumpy, as is the norm, and we were on the ground just 10 minutes late (not bad for a 1.5hr delay on departure!). After speed-walking to immigration, the queue wasn't bad - though we'd managed to get into the line for the slowest-moving agent. Bags took ages to come off the carousel - we think it was the mardy check-in agent not processing the bags as priority - but we through customs quickly and into the arrivals hall where Bell Transportation were ready to pick us up (though I'd cancelled the booking because they'd not sent an email confirmation - go figure [ii]). We were outside into the 104F sunshine, and soon speeding our way to the hotel, accompanied by the driver's anti-immigration rants [:D]
BTW, some alcohol & selected cartons of cigarettes are on special offer on USA flights at the moment (both ex-UK & ex-USA) - L&B were 15 for 200 (I thought they'd made a mistake [:D]) [y][y]
Return to follow tomorrow when my typing fingers have recovered from this missive! [:D]
Cheers
Michael
