This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
So, to the flight. CDC picked me up and the most chatty driver ever, a Jamaican who lives in Camberwell and we reminisced about our times in Brixton and how much fun (and not) in can be. Only 45 mins to Heathrow at 630 pm was good going and then that lovely sweep up into the drive through check in ... I'd given myself plenty of time because the plan was a hair cut and leasurely dinner before boarding.
I think the clubhouse really comes into its own at night time, the allure of the place is just heightened and the lighting and different zones work very well ... walking in and picking up a glass of champagne I head for a hair cut and a really good one. Apparently I missed Becks who was in a little earlier (shame [:I]) but there we go. Often wonder, FT and other sites have running stickies about famous types seen on board / in lounges, we don't have the same[:?].
Back to the bar and a champagne mojito, boy that was ace [y].
Over to the 'restaurant', two trays of sushi, a burger, glass of red and tummy feeling full and mischievous I go and set every vacant PC to the V-Flyer site [:w].
We're called, yippee, first time to Australia and now so looking forward to it. Yomp yomp yomp to gate 34 where I seem to be the last to board. Very pleasant security man and here we are aboard whatever 346 it is and a fairly, actually very full UC cabin. Apparently a number of upgrades I was told, on checking in there appeared to be about a dozen free seats, interesting, because PE and Y were about 2/3rds full [:?].
I can't talk about the new menu, my plan of eating well in the clubhouse meant I didn't sample any of it. There was a little champagne, some red wine etc etc (oh, and the champagne ran out again half way through the flight which is about to result in a really stinging letter to VS [n]).
As for the flight, it was fairly mediocre actually. Well, that might be unfair, but it was not noteworthy, passengers all bedded down so no interesting bar chat. I did go and sit at the bar for a short while, but after ten minutes of staff whinging (FSM and FA who I was talking to just moaning about hard their life is and how mine must be so much easier because I had a much higher paid job [n]) I left them to it and went to sleep.
Five hours later (ace) I was up, the one really good FA brought me coffee and two bacon butties in quick succession and then a very quick change out of new, over sized (but I can't fit in the medium anymore) sleep suit and we were heading in to land.
It's great at HKG that VS gets gate 36, a short walk to the transfer security (and they are strict with large bottles so no purchasing duty free on board) and up the escalator, a wee few minutes of searching for the lift / stairs to the VS clubhouse and I was settled with a cappucino and synching email. Lovely staff here but only two showers and I missed getting a chance to use them because they were busy and we only have an hour and a bit in the lounge - could do better here.
Back to the gate and into 8A this time, one seat away but no harm in that. I did not leave anything ([:w]) behind in the clubhouse (you know who I mean!) and fairly quickly we were off and heading over water and down to Australia.
Our crew on this leg were quite a bit better - as it was early evening dinner was on offer and for the shame of me I can't remember anything other than some sort of pastry with hoisin sauce to start, the risotto (I knew I was being brave and it was a total disaster, like dried rice pudding, horrible, but I didn't fancy the other stuff especially the travesty of a Yorkshore pudding), some cheese and then to work on all the email that had built up between London and Hong Kong. Following email, a short while at the bar talking to a bunch of people who'd been on a great and extended holiday to the UK and Europe, then seatbelt signs on as it was getting bumpy ... oh well, back to bed and off to nod very quickly!
Slightly worse for wear (tired and a little to much red) I woke up as the cabin was being secured for landing [:0] ... a rush to change and down a coffee, fill in the customs form and we're going down to a beautiful spring day in Sydney two days after leaving [:0].
To close, we were quickly at the gate and off, no wait at all for immigration and I was waved through customs, so into the terminal about 20 minutes after landing [y]. There's no noticable VS counter for the CDC here, you have to do a little hunt for a driver with a name card, but duly found and in the front of a Chrysler 300 I'm off and heading for the Intercontinental. With huge relief, it still being 7.30 in the morning, my room was available to up I go and head to bed. Phew, it's a long way isn't it?
There's a plane at JFK, to fly you back from far away
all those dark and frantic transatlantic miles
all those dark and frantic transatlantic miles
