This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
As we only live a short distance away, the next morning we took the train to Gatwick and arrived just after 8am to find the South Terminal much more crowded that I would have expected two weeks before the Easter break. The queues for security were horrendous[:0], but fortunately Fastrack has re-opened and with the ever so useful stickers adorning our tickets, we crossed through the line waiting to join the security maze (which by this time was stretching back to Boots) to the Fastrack lane where there was no queue and no assisted passengers. After only ten minutes, we were through security and making our way into the peaceful haven of the Clubhouse.
As always, Mrs Buns & I were given a warm welcome and we positioned ourselves in the dining area that is opposite the bar at the far end. I ordered the Clubhouse signature of smoked salmon and scrambled egg and Mrs B opted for the full Monty. Neither of us had expected to get through security so quickly, and the shock must have been apparent to the staff there as we were offered champagne[:w]. After breakfast we moved over to the comfy chairs and settled down to await our flight during this time we chatted with the staff, had our shoes shined and both had our pre-booked hot hand treatments. I have to say, the serenity of the Clubhouse at Gatwick is in stark contrast to the rest of the airside terminal which certainly needs to be expanded as there is literally nowhere for people to go once through security and the queues for shops like Smiths & Boots just cannot cope. (I hate to think what the place will be like on the run up to Easter).
After three and a half hours of peace and calm, we were called to Gate 19 for our flight this is on one of the main tiers so no trek to the satellite; because of this, there was no priority boarding line, but this was not a problem as we were ushered in and were soon on board Pretty Woman in our favourite seats of 79A &C. Although the aircraft has not yet been refitted, I noticed the seats in both PE and economy had been treated to new covers[y].
The dedicated crew on the upper deck made sure we were looked after before take off and push back was just 10 minutes late. There was no queue for the runaway and very soon we were airborne.
Although the Nova entertainment system, the films on the way out were excellent and included Casino Royale and The Departed. We were offered drinks soon after take off and hot towels and soon after the meal service commenced. This was one down point of the flight as by the time the cart reached us at the back of the cabin there was only the choice of chicken or the vegetable option. This was the second time this had happened to Mrs B & myself[:(!][:(!]; after a short discussion with the FSM, the situation was resolved all I will say, is, given the recent scares with poultry, it might be a good idea to offer fish as an alternative non vegetarian option.
The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful, other than to say the tea service commenced from the back of the cabin. Perhaps it was using my Bose Headphones (a Christmas present from Mrs
that was able to take my mind off of things[:w][}:)][:w].A smooth landing at MCO but I am not sure of the time as the four hour time difference seemed to cause some confusion from both the flight deck and cabin crew. All I know is that we were some of the first off the flight and caught the tail end of the VS flight from Manchester going through Immigration so this was not as speedy as I have experienced In the past. Fortunately, our bags were going round the carousel and we were not singled out for customs inspection so we dropped off our bags before making our way through the terminal (BTW the sterile pathway process is still being used) before getting the shuttle to the main terminal and making our way to Carousel 28 for our bags to emerge.
This is always a bit of a lottery and this time round, our bags took some time to be transported across and we waited some 20 minutes. (I believe what happens is the bags are transported from the satellite terminals by small truck and therefore it just depends on whether you bag is on of the last to make the truck before it makes its next round journey).
The trip through the airport was a rather slow hour and a quarter on this occasion, but before too long we were both settled in our airport hotel before picking up the rental car the next day for our trip to the Gulf Coast.
