VS073 MAN-MCO 27 Mar 09 (Upper)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

Ground Staff

Food & Drink

Entertainment

Seat

Cabin Crew

Well, i'm not really sure what to make of this flight really, i usually rave about how good virgin are on this route, but today unfortunately they weren't [:(]

I was really looking forward to this trip, we hadn't flown on the VS073 before, usually we fly out on the VS075, but they weren't 5 seat available in UC on that flight so we opted for the VS073. Anyways, i was looking forward to finding out if the service was the same on the later flight, desperately hoping it was as this was my gold run flight [:D]

OLCI
We finally managed to complete this the day before, there were a few problems as Jessica's name was spelt wrong on the booking and we ended up paying 30 GBP for the privilige of having it changed and then spent 45 minutes on the phone trying to reallocate her seats on both the outbound and inbound flight as well as making sure her childs meal was still available. What did i learn from this - I should be in charge of booking flights in future [;)]

Check in
We were greeted at check in by the friendly security agent who asked us what class we were flying in today, we informed him we were in UC and he smiled and said we would be thankful of that today as there had been a change in aircraft and a few of the economy passengers were having their seats reallocated and would take a while, the economy queue was huge. We were released to the desk and met with our check in agent who never spoke to us once throughout the entire check in, i don't know if it made a difference, but usually we are checked in by an agent wearing a VA uniform but this lady wasn't and her customer service was terrible, not a good first impression of the UC product at all [V]

Next we headed of to security and were informed that my hand luggage was to big to take through security [:(!] Now i have flown with this bag through Manchester 6 times in the past year and it has always been fine before, but today i had to take out what i needed and check it in. When Scott was leaving to do this, after a heated argument, the lady was heard saying that'll teach those UC passengers, they are my third lot today. At this point i turned around and as nicely as possible asked her what she had said as i hadn't heard her properly, she turned beetroot red and walked off. On the brightside though i am now the proud owner of a brand new carry on courtesy of Samsonite [:D]
We progressed through the rest of security painfully slowly and met an awful lot of really miserable agents who insisted everything (well it felt like it [:)]) was taken of and put through the machines, finally we were on our way to the lounge.

Lounge
As usual the Escape lounge was a nice haven away from the main terminal, bu there is a lot of work going on around that area at the moment.
We hadn't been in at this time before and it was fairly quiet on the right side. We helped ourselves to a couple of drinks and some sandwiches and settled down for an hour or so.

Gate and Boarding
We headed of down to the gate at about 12.45pm as there had been an anouncement in the lounge that boarding would be delayed. It was extremely busy at the gate but priority boarding was well laid out and worked very well. After about 10 minutes they began boarding and i forgot our usual strategy of splitting up and yes you guessed it we got stopped for secondary screening. It was a very thorough check and they insisted on everything being taken out of all the bags and patted us all down. Finally after 15 minutes we were finally allowed to board. We were met at the aircraft door by 2 CC who were talking to each other, our BC were taken off me looked at and handed back with just down there being spoken with a flick of the head to indicate turning left [V]. Things were not going to well so far on this journey and Scott knowing how excited i was about this flight just looked sorry for me.
We made our way forward and into the UC cabin and found our ususal seats, we unpacked everything we would need for the the first part of the flight, stowed our bags and settled down. Headsets, menus and snooze packs were all on the ottomans waiting for us.
I don't know how long we waited before being offered a drink, but Lauren had finished her bottled water as she was thirsty. We were then offered a pre-flight drink which took a while to arrive and no top ups were offered at all, in fact we didn't see the CC again until after take off.

Seat
I didn't make a note of the aircraft unfortunately, but the seats, were definately showing signs of wear and tear, however they were clean and worked well.

Service
Well, not upto the usual standard i have come to expect from the Manchester crews. There were 4 CC assigned to the UC cabin but we only saw one on a regular basis, the others appeared at meal times and that was it. They weren't overly friendly and spoke over the girls and not to them, this i don't mind with respect to Jess as she is 4, but to ask me what a 10 and 11 year old wanted to drink just seemed mind boggling [V] to be perfectly honest, imagine the scene:
CC - what would your daughter like to drink;
Me - hang on a minute, Hannah (who is 11) what do want to drink love'
Hannah - orange juice please
Now this got me, the CC hadn't even looked at Hannah and waited for me to repeat what she had just said!!!! And this happened everytime they wanted to know if the girls wanted anything throughout the flight, as i said mind boggling and downright annoying to be honest, in the past the CC have always asked the girls want they want and it is one of the things i have always loved about VA, their ability to talk to my girls and not over them, oh how i was missing not being on the VS075.
The service was very hit and miss throughout the flight and the CC were noticeable by their absensce from the cabin for a majority of the flight, had it not been for one SCC i don't think we would have seen anyone at all.
On a good note the FSM was visible in the cabin, she came through the cabin shortly after take off with the extras basket and introduced herself and said to let her know if there was anyting we needed at all, she was also visible during both meal services, but appeared rushed and in a hurry to leave again. Now i don't know if this was because the flight was fairly bumpy and the seat belt sign was on a lot and the CC were told to take their seats a few times as well, which meant they were pushed for time, but still...
All in all we were very disappointed with the service on this flight and worried as our next 2 flights this year were all on the VS073.

Meals
After having seen the menu and telling the girls what it consisted of they all opted for a childs meal on this flight, they don't usually eat the main meal as it's generally guess the meat with mash and beans but they do enjoy the other goodies that make up the childs meal, but apperently UC children don't get these other goodies - they always have done in the past, does anyone know if this has changed or not???? We did ask if there was a spare ravioli for Lauren and i followed the CC to the galley and overheard her saying that the kids were being a pain and did we have any ravioli left. This wasn't the first time that the crew were overheard complaining about the children onboard, as 2 minutes later the FSM stormed into the UC cabin and said very condescendingly that one of the little princesses wouldn't eat her nuggets without ketchup, she did have the grace to look embarressed when she saw me standing there as did the colleague who said Lauren was being a pain.
Other than a little ravioli,this meant that none of the girls ate anything other than the sandwiches, crisps, strawberries and bananas that i had brought onboard with me, as their afternoon tea consisted of a tiny cheese spread and jam sandwich only, they weren't offered anything else. In the past the crew have always tried to find the girls something to eat at afternnon tea if the sandwiches didn't sound appealing.
Anyways, Scott and myself both had the vegetable broth and coq au vin with rice which was ok. I asked for mine to be served after the childrens so i could help Jess and was told that Jess could sit with me during the meal service so we could both eat together. I told her i would rather eat later and she reluctantly agreed, now i don't know if this is related but my meal was cold when it came out and i have the distinct feeling that it was made at the same time as everyone else's and just left out until i was ready for it [V] I also wasn't offered any desert or cheese and biscuits and none of my drinks were topped up at all, the crew just seemed to be in a rush to get everything cleared away.

IFE
this worked well throughout the flight and the skymap was left on for take off and landing which meant that Jess had something to watch. The choice of films wasn't brilliant, but that's down to personal choice really.

Final thoughts
The flight was quite quick at 8 hours 38 minutes and were amongst the first off the plane and into an empty immigration hall. We were greeted by 2 immigration officers who were checking that green forms had been filled in, it would appear that a majority of the passengers hadn't filled in their forms at all, as they had completed ESTA online. We had done both and were told to go to desk 22. The officer was extremely friendly and again enquired whether or not we had completed ESTA, we told him we had but he didn't need to see our application numbers. We were through quickly and the bags had just started to appear on the belt, we got our bags and headed off to find our driver.
All in all not a very good flight really, it could have had a lot to do with the amount of turbulence on the flight but still we were left feeling very disappointed with the overall service. We have been flying with VA for 12 years and this is the worst flight we have ever had in any class.
For the first time I can say i'm not looking forward to our return flight in UC.

Thanks for reading another of my long TR's, i'm just sorry it's not as complimentary to VA as my others have been.

[honey lamb]

I'm sorry you had such a miserable experience but I would put it down to the crew rather than to it being the VS73 flight as opposed to the VS75. Some of the comments were inexcusable, especially with regard to the children. What did they expect on an MCO flight? I hope you will be writing to VS about your experiences. I certainly would.

Sorry to hear of the troubles MRs B, I echo honey lambs comments, I'd be writing in to VS to let them know about it all too.

Incidentally my wife & I were on your MCO-MAN flight 1 Jan (seated 8+9A). I didn't make myself known as we could see you only just made the flight that day and had enough on your plate without me forcing an introduction upon you! I certainly noticed how good the crew were with your children that day anyway.

[mitchja]

Thanks for the TR, another 'not so good one' at that. Is it starting to become a theme?

I would also write in to VS about the crew's attitude. That's simply not acceptable.

Regards

[Neil]

Thanks for the TR, and sorry it was not a good flight experience.

I do agree with HL about it being a crew issue rather than a flight number issue. We flew out on the VS73 at the end of February and it was the best flight I have taken. The crew were excellent throughout and nothing was too much trouble for them.

I hope your return flight is a better one and you regain your love for VS

Thanks,
Neil

[buns]

Mrs B

Once again VS's old problem if consistency[V][V] I have just written a response to another TR saying things looked like they were improving.

The Crew's attitude is inexcusable - irrespective of whether it was because they had been called in at the last moment to cover the flight or there was some other distraction - to not have covered the UC Cabin is worthy of sending a missive to VS in my opinion.

I do hope your return is much better; for VS's sake in order to retain your significant custom.



buns

Thanks for your TR, what an awful experience. I would be sending a letter off to CS ASAP, what the crew were saying including the FSM about your children is disgusting.

Hope you have a good time and the return is a lot better.

Dominic

I'm absolutely gobsmacked - cant believe how the crew behaved. I'll be using parts of your report in my breifings just to emphasise to my crews how important customer service is. From the crew at the door to the crew in upper class, I'm really surprised at how bad they all were. Please do complan, as it's the only way anything will get done about our few 'lazy colleagues'. In these difficult times all the crew should be pulling together to deliver impeccable service and it really annoys me that some still cant be bothered.
Really sorry that you had such a bad experience.

[buns]

quote:Originally posted by virginboy747
I'm absolutely gobsmacked - cant believe how the crew behaved. I'll be using parts of your report in my breifings just to emphasise to my crews how important customer service is. From the crew at the door to the crew in upper class, I'm really surprised at how bad they all were. Please do complan, as it's the only way anything will get done about our few 'lazy colleagues'. In these difficult times all the crew should be pulling together to deliver impeccable service and it really annoys me that some still cant be bothered.
Really sorry that you had such a bad experience.


Well put[y][y][y]

I hope that my comments above were understood as being directed at the specifics rather than a blanket criticism of all crew

buns

Oh dear, and I thought things were improving as well. It would be interesting to hear the outcome of any communication - which would hopefully not be 'very sorry, have some miles'

David

quote:Originally posted by daywalker
Sorry to hear of the troubles MRs B, I echo honey lambs comments, I'd be writing in to VS to let them know about it all too.

Incidentally my wife & I were on your MCO-MAN flight 1 Jan (seated 8+9A). I didn't make myself known as we could see you only just made the flight that day and had enough on your plate without me forcing an introduction upon you! I certainly noticed how good the crew were with your children that day anyway.


Yes, we have only just gotten over that experience [:I]
In my defence we were booked on a full price ticket for that flight and had booked the CDC to take us to the airport, only it never showed up. When we rang VA the helpful advice they gave us make your own way to the airport, no offer to ring a taxi service for us at all. Thankfully our normal limo driver broke a fair few speed limits getting from the airport to pick us up and take us back there. I hate being late for anything and i've never got on a plane before and had the doors close behind us and begin to move before we have even sat down [:I]

The service we received on than flight was second to none and certainly what we are used to receiving from VA. As others have said i think we just got unlucky with this flight and the CC, i'm hoping the next time will be a lot better.

Another tale of woeful service on board and another example of poor leadership from the FSM. The attitude towards/comments about the children is completely unacceptable.
DL

Mrs B - you must write in to VS about this outbound flight. The actions [or rather lack of actions] on the part of the crew sound really bad.

I've been on the same flight as you & your family in the past and your children caused absolutely no problems. I've been sat next to passengers 40+ years older than your children who have been much more trouble.

It sounds like you got very unlucky & got all the bad apples from the Manchester crew base on one flight.

Enjoy your fortnight in Florida and I hope the return flight is better (should be quite easy, in theory).

James

Mrs B, thanks for your TR, I am just sorry that a few crew seemed to have let the whole experience down (as well as the staff at Man).

The cabin crew on our recent flight spoke to 'Him who must be obeyed' directly regarding his kids meal and he is only 3 and a half. Not quite sure they understood the reponse though[:D]

Hopefully your next trip will be service as normal.

Iain

OMG![:0]

The attitude of this CC was shocking! Make sure you complain, they need to be knocked down a peg or two, they shouldn't treat children like they did.

Truly an awful way to treat children. Who do the crew think they are? LRoM?!?

Sorry to hear you had a disappointing flight. Such a shame when your experience could have been improved by 100% if the crew had just done their jobs properly.

If you can remember it would be worth naming and shaming on your letter to VS, as this brings down the whole product & unfortunately affects peoples perception of all the a/c's crew. Couple of bad apples...etc & very unfair on those onboard who were upholding the VS brand (assuming there were some..)

Unfortunately I would say at least 70% of my flights in Upper out of Manchester have been almost identical, the other 30% spot on perfect but sadly your experience is or has been the most likely for me.

Gatwick departures have been somewhat better.

My one LHR flight was faultless which is why I will be flying in to Miami instead of MCO from now on even if it means getting myself down to LHR.

quote:Originally posted by easygoingeezer
Unfortunately I would say at least 70% of my flights in Upper out of Manchester have been almost identical, the other 30% spot on perfect but sadly your experience is or has been the most likely for me.



Ditto that. [n] Or rather, I would put the percentage more towards 80%/20%. Indeed the reason for taking the MAN-MCO route (VS is the only carrier with a direct flight on this route from MAN) is starting to look less attractive. We'll see how our trip in May goes, but me and the present Mrs Treelo might just be leaning towards the LHR-MIA route for future trips to Florida.

It 'shouldn't' matter which base the crew originate from (or where the flight is headed) -the standard of customer service should be equitable. IMHO the standard of service delivery is directly correlated to the attitude and aptitude (and the leadership qualities)of the FSM.
Incidentally, the fantastic FSM Kerry-Louise (see my TR BGI-LGW) told me that MCO is her favourite route.
DL

Would be interesting to see if these 'bad flights' all relate to the same crew??

There are a lot less crew at MAN so that is very possible

If it is the same pool of staff with very little movement then the crews bad behaviour will become institutionalised and with no new blood comning it in dosen't get challenged and so continues.

The flight then gets run for the convenience of the crew and not the pax. So meals/drinks get served when its best for the crew to serve them, no extras provided, children ignored etc.

Pax don't complain to VS but just vote with their feet (but tell their friends that VS was awful).

As VS don't know pax are unhappy because there are no or only a very few isolated complaints (crew will say in response to a complaint that the pax was awful / behaved badly etc) then they are not able to take action because they will not see a pattern of complaints.

I hope Mrs B does make a formal complaint to VS and that take it seriously.

Looks like VS need to clone virginboy747 !

with regards to check-in I would like to point out not everyone wears a VS uniform, however the ones in blue as just as experianced if not more so than the ones in red (bar the supervisor) she may have seemed rude but I would like to point out upper class pax are not usually the easist people to speak to.

[Neil]

quote:Originally posted by Lizz
with regards to check-in I would like to point out not everyone wears a VS uniform, however the ones in blue as just as experianced if not more so than the ones in red (bar the supervisor) she may have seemed rude but I would like to point out upper class pax are not usually the easist people to speak to.


Hi Lizz and welcome to V-Flyer.

Thanks for your comments. I do however feel that regardless of how difficult UC pax in general may be (and surely every UC pax shouldn't be tarred with the same brush), a customer service agent representing Virgin should still show a common courtesy to a pax who is flying in their top cabin.

Neil