This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
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Cabin Crew
Since I was returning on VS18 and therefore an early morning flight I had booked into the Hilton at the airport and once ensconced in my room returned to the airport and thence to the Jersey Garden Mall for a bit of retail therapy. Once back I headed for the bar for something to eat and to use the Wi-Fi which is free in the public areas there. I can never understand why they charge for internet access in the rooms when they offer it free in the rest of the hotel!
Anyway, back to the bar. Now was the moment of truth as I used the excellent Status Updates tool in the Toolbox to discover which of the A343s was going to be my home the following morning. I was surprised and absolutely delighted to see it was to be G-VSUN. WooHoo! V-Port! 
Having said that I was also a little bit puzzled since that aircraft rarely seemed to do the EWR run, centring itself mainly on the NBO and DEL routes. However mine not to question why, but to enjoy the experience.Bright and early next morning I was up and waiting for the 5:40am shuttle bus to take me to the airport where I was suitably delivered and directed towards the VS check-in desk which I had remembered from my trip last year. As I approached I could see the UC area and it was heaving to the extent it was difficult to see where the entrance was and had to ask. Once in line I was rapidly followed by another UC passenger and we gazed in horror at the chaos.
There was a large family group checking in and all the UC desks were blocked by the porter’s trolley. In addition there was some re-packing being done which led me to believe that they were not flying UC but had been called to that desk when it was quiet. I had visions of being there forever since there were so many kids milling around and no way to get past should a desk become free. There was also a look of consternation on a supervisor’s face as she surveyed the melée and could see two UC passengers both with gold tags waiting to be seen. Fortunately a staff member who had left his desk to retrieve something for his previous customer returned and with one swift appraisal of the situation came down to the tensa barrier and opened it to allow me to get past the crowd at the desk so that I could be checked in. At the same time the supervisor noticed that the other passenger only had carry-on luggage and having ascertained this was so, suggested that he check in at the lounge. He was only too delighted to do so. I was quickly checked-in although on this occasion I couldn’t check my bag all the way through to Cork as had happened last year. I may well have pressed the point except there really was too much chaos around the area and in any case when it does get done it is more as a favour than an entitlement given that I am on separate tickets. To give an idea of the chaos, as I approached the desk one of the kids in the family chose to pull his carry-on right in front of me. He was admonished by one of the adults but when I stepped back to leave he had done the same thing and I nearly fell over him. I was a bit shaken by this to the extent that I was at the bottom of the short escalator when I realised I had left my carry-on behind and I tried to go back up the escalator again!! Back at check-in my bag was being waved around with cries of “Who owns this?” because we all know that to leave a bag unattended in an airport is an absolute no-no. 
I claimed it and apologised but really all they had to do was look at the gold card where my name was plain to be seen. However I think they realised just how hassled I had been by the family.After that the lounge was a haven of tranquillity! The passenger sent to check-in there was just completing the process as I arrived and we were directed to the food area where a welcome breakfast buffet had been set up and a staff member was manning the coffee machine for us all. Once fed I headed back to the seating area and tried to connect to the internet on my macBook. I tried and tried to no avail but when I went to the desk there was no help available. I looked around the lounge to see if anyone else had a macBook so I could glean some advice but absolutely no-one was using a laptop. They were either using the in-house computers or those with smart phones and iPhones were using those. Ah well, over to the in-house computers except that the one I chose suddenly started to close down for no apparent reason. Back to the front desk only to be told it does this sometimes and sure enough when I went back it had restarted.
The flight was called and we sallied forth from the Clubhouse. Now, regulars through EWR will correct me if I’m wrong but my recollection was that last year on leaving the Clubhouse you turned right to go through security which was in an open space in the middle of a wide corridor? Am I right?
This time we turned left and the security area was enclosed and certainly looked a lot more professional. The lady at the entrance scanning passports and boarding cards was extremely friendly greeting each of us in turn with a cheery “Good morning” and a few more chatty remarks before wishing us a pleasant flight. Security was swift and easy and we came out further along the corridor to where I believe the old security used to be - and my belief was compounded by the fact that you could hear the loop of tape beloved of TSA instructing us what to do with laptops, belts, jackets etc. It certainly wasn’t playing in the new area!From there it was just a short hop and step to the gate where there appeared to be a boarding scrum but fortunately just above the heads of the assembled masses the priority boarding sign could be seen and so I skirted round to an empty lane. I handed up my boarding pass and the lady at the gate scanned it and then said, “Oooh, seat 2K. You’ll be sitting next to Sir Richard Branson” I took a few steps forward before it registered what she had said and stopped. “I’m sorry, did you say Sir Richard Branson?” She affirmed she did and repeated he would be in the seat next to me which caused me to ask the most inane question possible. “Oh, is he on this flight then? “ Duh!!! Then the penny dropped and lights flashed. THAT was why we were getting G-VSUN for this flight!
Still shaking my head in disbelief I boarded the aircraft. Now I might be in a minority of one but I rather like the A343 since it was the first VS aircraft I flew on and I certainly prefer the UC configuration over that of the A346. The cabin is smaller and more intimate than the long dormitory-like feel of the 346. Oh, and if regular travellers on the 346 are wondering why I chose 2K since on that plane that seat is next to the toilet, on the 343 there is a 1K not on the 346.
Back to the flight. I was welcomed on board by name and directed to my seat where the cabin crew assigned to that area was waiting. He was an absolute sweetheart and reminded me of Dale Winton. He could have passed for his younger brother if he hadn’t told me he had been 30 years in the airline business. I was offered a pre-flight drink - water, orange juice, mimosa, tea, coffee. I asked for a mimosa but with a certain ingredient missing. He twigged straight away and although I was half expecting him to say “Is this your final answer?” , agreed that it did indeed spoil a good champagne and produced the required glass of fizz! I looked around the cabin and I was the only one drinking champagne. Lightweights! Young Master Dale assisted the passengers in the K rows who were boarding but constantly returned to his position alongside me and I realised he was there to welcome Sir Richard on board. As he waited he told me that both 3 and 4K were reserved for him but that he usually sat in 4K. I expressed my opinion that that was why G-VSUN was flying the route and he agreed but said he rather wished they hadn’t assigned that particular aircraft so that he could see for himself what Odyssey was like and what they, the crew had to put up with on some flights. I was inclined to agree with him.
Eventually all the passengers were on board and settled and then Sir Richard boarded (carrying his copy of The Girl who kicked the Hornet’s Nest which I was reading too,) unnoticed by a lot of people but he nodded a greeting to the few that did see him and was greeted by my cabin crew before settling into 4K and being offered a pre-flight drink. The doors closed after that and we pushed back some ten minutes early for a 6 hour 45 minute flight. I had chosen the A seats on the way over in the hope of seeing Manhattan and the K seats on the way back as they were the only ones facing the wall. It seemed to me that from the way the aircraft turned after take-off that the people in the A seats were going to be lucky once more. Sod’s Law!
Once the crew were able to move around the cabin the FSM came to speak to Sir Richard as she had been unable to do so in getting the cabin ready. The rest of the crew came round to offer breakfast which for UC meant the bacon roll. Having had breakfast in the Clubhouse I wasn’t really hungry and so chose a croissant and coffee which really satisfied me and then I settled down with my book. I should mention at this stage that when we boarded the menu was a typed sheet on the ottoman and while boarding was still on-going the cabin crew told me that the new menu was starting today but the printed menus had not been loaded at LHR the previous day. I bet they were pig sick when they realised SRB was on board and no proper menus!
After breakfast most people settled down for a snooze but though I had been up early I chose not to, reckoning it would stand to me when I got home and so I continued to read. I also put on the iMap but it never loaded although the interactive map did. I prefer the ordinary one. At some stage I decided to watch a film and chose “Up in the Air” which was passable. At regular intervals while I was both reading and watching the film various cabin crew came up to me to check if I wanted a drink or needed anything and it wasn’t to impress Sir Richard as by this time 3K had been converted into a bed and he was away with the fairies.
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At some stage I reckoned it was getting near lunch/dinner time and that the sun was over the yardarm somewhere in the world so a G&T was summoned on I think the fourth drinks round and was delivered with the requisite lime in place. At one point before this I had been aware of a passenger being hustled to the area at the very front of the plane where the crew seats are by cabin crew and immediately after a call went out for medical assistance. A lady was brought into that area which is behind the toilet from the passenger’s point of view to deal with whatever the problem was. Although no restrictions had been put on passengers to using the toilet and indeed many chose to do so - or perhaps did not know that there was a situation there - I chose to use the aft toilet while it was on-going. I did toy with the idea of staying at the bar but my seat was too comfy and my book too compelling so I didn’t. However on one of my forays there, the cabin crew said he would be coming round soon to take lunch orders but I told him I knew what I wanted so he took it there and then after ascertaining I could have the asparagus soup without horseradish. A second G&T was offered and accepted and he told me he would bring it to my seat. However the minute he got there and saw my empty glass he realised he had given me a slice of lemon, not lime and before I could stop him had whisked it away to replace the offending sliver!
I enjoyed my meal very much. The asparagus soup was delicious and piping hot. I had chosen the caramelised onion tart which was more like a quiche than anything else. I was surprised to see it standing in more of the soup but on seeing the menu that Tinkerbelle posted it would seem to me that the soup was a stopgap offering. With it I had a South African wine which was very nice. The crew didn’t even know until after take-off which wines were on board as they had been locked away on loading. For dessert I had the raspberry bakewell tart which was also good but I found the sauce a tad too sweet.
The crew on this flight really worked hard and I do not believe it was just because SRB was on board. The FSM was very visible and very approachable. I asked her if she would ask Sir Richard to sign my book, which he did and for which I later thanked him.
From time to time I had checked in on the iMap and it had appeared as though we were going to be going along the south coast of Ireland and therefore over my town. I hoped for a slightly northerly route so that I would be able to see the coastline from the K window. However according to a later version of the map it appeared that we were coming in at a more southerly route and by-passing Ireland altogether. About half an hour in from landing I looked out of the window and could see we were passing over County Wexford just north of Rosslare. That meant we hugged the coast and the A rows got all the benefit of my home town. Sod’s Law! Again!
We arrived in LHR without the usual two laps over the English countryside and touched down some 15 minutes ahead of schedule. While we were taxiing Sir Richard took the PA and thanked everyone for flying VS and thanked the crew asking us to show our appreciation for their work which I gladly did. They were superb. Once at the gate Sir Richard went to the front of the queue at the door. There was quite a delay to open the doors which has been mentioned on recent trip reports here. Hopefully he noticed it and will address it. There followed the long trudge to Immigration, or I suppose I should call it Border Control and here again was another change. The UK and EU area had been shifted to near the entrance into the area instead of being at the far end. There were no queues there and we were quickly through to await the arrival of the bags. The first few that came were PE bags with a sprinkling of UC ones but after a couple of minutes mine was through and I headed off to my flight in T1 reflecting on the fact that you can found an airline and be synonymous with it but it doesn’t guarantee your bags will be off any sooner as I left Sir Richard still standing at the carousel!
A quick trot over to T1 and a quick flight back to Cork fortunately on time and by 12:45am I was back in my own home being welcomed by the cat. I must say I really enjoyed the day flight over from the States, SRB’s presence notwithstanding. I found there was less wear and tear on the body. I went to bed at about 2a.m and slept well and the following day had absolutely no jet lag. I’d certainly do it again quite happily - in fact very happily
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