This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
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Cabin Crew
Just as a slight tangent, for my final meal I had Japanese at Kiku Of Tokyo. I wanted to recommend this for those who love or would like to try Japanese. It seems to be a tradition of mine now to have Japanese as my final meal of a trip. I will add a review for this in the appropriate place too. Kiku is within tower 3 of the Hilton San Francisco. It's accessible from O'Farrell Street as well as from within tower 3. I had been dying to try Kobe beef and this was my chance. I ordered the Kobe beef Shabu Shabu. Was great fun. You get a big bowl full of boiling water and you cook your own meal at the table. Delicious and healthy. Can't say I will go for the Kobe beef again at $85-a-pop. I just had to try it that once. If it had been mind-blowingly wow I wouldn't mind paying again... but it wasn't.
Ok, onto the Virgin bit. It wasn't my first time in San Francisco. I'd had been around the city several dozen times this trip. So I decided to head to the airport immediately after checking out of the Hilton. CDC arrived 5 minutes early. I got the Lexus Hybrid SUV. Not as comfortable on the inside as the Sedan, but more attractive on the outside. Besides it's supposed to be more green. Driver came across as a little snobby. Clearly didn't like the look of me. I was in my civvies and I think he must prefer driving people in 3-piece suits. I was on holiday at this point, not business. I'm not dressing up for a CDC or 10hr flight. Driver then proceeded to ask with distain, 'You're going a bit early are you not?'. Yeah, so!?! How rude I thought. Is that any of his business??? But actually he was right. Check-in was a shambles because I was too early. I just didn't have anything better to do.
At check-in the Upper Class desk was not yet manned. Neither was Premium. There was only one desk open, marked 'all passengers' and there was already a growing queue. I decided to wait in it. Of course, just as I get to the front I notice that there were some who simply couldn't stand in with the economy people and had already gathered themselves at the Upper Class area patiently waiting. Finally, along came the Upper Class agent with her orchid but by this point I was already being served by the 'all pax' lady. Of course, she wasn't used to checking in UC pax. Proceeded to tell me I was going to be charged for my 3rd bag. I said 'I don't think so sweetie'. No I didn't really. I just said 'Um, no.' and she then woke up to the fact that I was UC. You know it was like they just got out of bed. This was 12:45pm. Anyway, checked in and got my Clubhouse invite. Can't say I was delighted about this check-in experience... especially not when other pax had been guided to the UC area when I'd been left in the main busy queue.
Clubhouse wasn't open til 1pm. So pottered around for a bit. Was first in the clubhouse to find more staff that seemed like they were just out of bed. Shouldn't have asked how the waiter was as he obviously hadn't been to customer service school. Anyway, the clubhouse was freezing cold. Didn't complain though. Just grinned and bared it. Now it must have been extremely cold for a Scotsman to say it was cold. I love the cold... but not that cold. I don't like their club sandwich. Turkey, goats cheese and Apple. Didn't really hit the spot for me. It was missing something. The waiter didn't seem to like me as he wasn't as attentive to me as he was to others. Perhaps it was the way I was reading magazines. Perhaps he didn't want to disturb me. So I never got any dessert as I was too shy to ask for it. Several Apple Martinis later I decided to proceed through security to avoid any clubhouse rush.
Flight was delayed by an hour... which I think turned into two by the time we took off. It was G-VFAB. The same aircraft which had carried me to SFO 9 days before. Boarding wasn't so bad. Separate queues and airbridges. So boarded very swiftly. Decided to go for seat 20A. I think, despite prior bad reviews, this was a great choice. I feel far more comfortable with no one behind me. I loved the fact that I had the big purple partitions behind me making the space feel very private. Although I wondered if the seat was a little narrower at point. Could I be right in saying that there was extra head space at the back corner because it was the last seat??? I couldn't be certain but it seemed like it. I could simply sit forward and see what was happening at the bar or lean back and feel completely hidden. The lights from the bar were not an issue. When you have your head right at the back (in bed mode) the edge of the cupboard literally covers the bar. Besides there's the eye mask. Not as lush as the early days eye mask, but still functional.
Very nice cabin crew this time. FSM was Scottish - possibly Glaswedgian. So I knew I was in safe hands. [:p] IFBT came around and I agreed to go on the waiting list, but only if it was pre-sleepy time. If she did come for me I must have been asleep. She by-passed me when coming around with the basket. I have to admit, as much as I like 20A I think the cabin crew seem to forget you. A few things happened in relation to me being last. Maybe it's my face they don't like. [:o)]
The food was a major turnaround from the outbound flight. Thumbs up. Nicely little mozzarella and tomato salad to start. Then the 'flat iron' steak. The carrots were somehow infused with some kind of spice. Lovely. Asparagus was beautifully charred. Perfecto. The steak was delicious but not quite what I'd call a real steak. More of a big chuck of the steak you get in steak pie. Then the molten chocolate pudding was also delectable... but way too generously portioned. I have to congratulate myself for not finishing it. It would have been pure greed otherwise.
Bedtime started out ok, but I am a nervous flyer and sadly the alcohol wasn't helping this trip. I really should have been armed with some valium. I think they should be handing this out to UC pax. [:o)] So my sleep was like a living nightmare really. I would spring into conciousness with every teeny little air bump. My chest was aching with tension. In the end I must have managed to get a good amount of sleep as it was breakfast time before I knew it.
My rows main FA put my breakfast down at the passenger in front. For some reason, probably the fact that he's just woken up, he did not react particularly fast to this. The FSM herself realised something was wrong and stepped in to correct the problem. They walked away with my tray as if to pretend it wasn't about to be brought right back to me. I could only hope the other passenger hadn't touched anything. [:o)] Breakfast was tasty, if a little plastic-looking. Scrambled eggs with chives through it, chunky bacon slices, half a tomato, and a skinny wee sausage. They got my coffee wrong but I drank it anyway.
We were put on hold on arrival in Heathrow air space. I began to obsess about the potential for an air collision. Yes I've got issues! I love flying, but I am scared to death of it too. So I was constantly watching out the window for other aircraft. Then my fears almost came true. At one point an AA aircraft was on its ascent and it actually crossed our path. It was horrible. You could hear the roar of the engines rattle right the way through Lady Penelope. I thought this cannot be right. Had we been a few metres to the left and a little slower we would have undoubtedly hit one another. I will assume that ATC knew exactly what was going on. At the exact same time another aircraft was on a horizontal flight path crossing the ascending AA's and passing under us. Geez Heathrow is scary. Finally we landed and as the pilot said unexpectedly on stand immediately. A Heathrow first for me.
I was one of the first off. Flew through Passport control. Bags off fairly quickly. Headed straight to Revivals for a shower. My only complaint here is that they need to provide a towel mat for your feet and also some kind of extraction as I was soaked by the trapped steam. Staff were really friendly here. Great pass for nervous flyers to wash away the stress and then relax before moving onto the next part of your journey.
If I think of anything else to say I will add later.
