This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
I left work later than anticipated, so I loaded the taxi with suitcases (I am a firm believer that you can never pack too many kitchen sinks) and headed for the airport through the evening rush hour traffic. I had arranged for the taxi to use the CDC drop off so when it arrived I immediately started taking notes of the registration number, model, colour etc. The poore driver was convinced I was an undercover inspector!
Check in was very quick and it seemed only a matter of minutes before we were in the Club House and ordering our first glass of champagne. We have made this trip a number of times and by the end of a busy day at work a relaxing treatment at the Cow Shed marks the start to the holiday.
For the past week however I had been suffering from the same recurring nightmare - :
As I approached the Cowshed receptionist who was filing her nails, chewing gum and chatting to her colleague I noticed the treatment rooms were all empty and the therapists were standing around looking bored. I asedk politely if I could book in and as I do the receptionist slowly turned into the She Devil, stared menacingly at me, tappec a few keys on her PC before spitting out the words Computer says NO. At this point a big steel shutter cames down, the CH completely disappeared and I found myself in the main terminal queuing for a MacDonalds.
In trepidation I looked over at the cowshed reception and it did not look good. As is usual at this time of night the CH was busy but there was only one hairdresser working and I could only see two treatment rooms in use. My worst fears were confirmed when the receptionist advised that all appointments were booked for the next 4 hours and unless there were any delays or no shows we could not be accommodated! I was furious and complained to the Manageress who tried to tell me this was the system passengers preferred. During my heated conversation 7 more people were turned away and I made the point that this was clearly not the enhanced service previously described by Virgin when the IFTs were removed. I then started my own passenger poll in front of her!
With no chance of a treatment we wandered over to the deli and picked up a plate of sushi and another glass of champagne. We were eating when a couple in their 30s sat down opposite. Things took an interesting turn when the woman suddenly said to her partner so you have invited HER to dinner next week? They man said yes and she then loudly proclaimed Well why dont you invite all the other women you sleep with in the village as well He unsuprisingly looked embarrassed and we started eating furiously whilst straining to hear the rest of the conversation! For the next 20 minutes we learnt that they had moved to a new village and whilst she now worked some distance away he was working from home and had taken his neighbourly duties a bit too seriously! She proceeded to systematically go through a list of women, occasionally stopping for confirmation that they qualified for a dinner invitation! Then just as suddenly as the conversation started their flight to SA was called and they got up and walked off to catch their plane! Surreal and probably more fun than a facial!
After that we tried listening into to other conversations but they seemed ridiculously tame and we were relieved when our flight was called on time! Priority boarding worked well so in no time I was in my seat (11A). UC was full and the crew who were mostly Chinese were enthusiastic but I did wonder about their command of the English language as any requests were greeted with a long pause followed by a nervous laugh and it either didnt materialise or was incomplete/wrong. The FSM was around but she didnt introduce herself and I think she was very busy as the flight was full.
The food was surprisingly good.
Chicken salad
Mushroom spinach and feta Pithivier (?)
Cheese
Lemon tart
After supper I noticed that my headset didnt work but when a replacement didnt materialise I was happy to settle down for the night. After a few hours sleep I and most of the cabin were woken by an extremely loud snorer. I checked and Hackneyguy was not on board! In the end a few of us went to the bar for a sedative and the next thing I remember is being woken for breakfast prior to landing in HKG.
Breakfast just before landing seems a strange meal on this route as it is late evening in HKG and those going on to Sydney will be offered dinner in a couple of hours so I just had a cup of coffee to stay awake.
HKG-SYD
The HKG Clubhouse is an old friend and never disappoints, an oasis of calm in the middle of a 24 hour endurance test. I feel guilty that she always gets the in transit tousled haired, bleary eyed, hand me a drink and find me a corner to rock in until my flight is called version of me. But after a warm welcome, refreshing shower, a glass of champagne and a delicious passion fruit sorbet on the terrace I was beginning to feel normal again. Please note ignoring the V-Flyer tradition no vases were broken on this occasion.
Priority boarding worked well again and the crew on this leg were much more professional. The FSM was very evident sadly the same cannot be said for the Polos or pens. I did find it amusing that when the Immigration forms were handed out we all asked for a pen and the FSM went away and came back with a box of the old UC pens.
Do you think he was holding these back for his next Ebay sale?
I chose not to eat supper but have kept both menus should anyone want the choices.
The bed must have been comfortable as I slept soundly until the smell of bacon rolls wafted through the cabin.
Fast track was working well until poor J was taken into a room for further questioning at Immigration but he was soon released and was very happy that the rubber glove wasnt required!
By the time I had collected J our bags were through so we just breezed out into the bright Sydney sunshine.
To summarise the outward journey - the second crew and FSM were infinitely superior to the first but both were very friendly and the experience overall was a positive one. I would have commented more about the lack of amenity kits, polo mints etc but SQ Business offered even less so it appears to be standard.
My biggest sadness is that after 20+ years of flying Virgin the lack of available treatments in the LHR CH means a major attraction of flying Virgin has gone and unless there is a very tempting UC sale SQ has become a major consideration.
A purple boarding card, pre-booked cowshed treatment, glass of T10 with lime, a proper amenity kit, packet of polos and a Freedom Menu please!
Jacki
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Jacki
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