This is a Trip Report from the Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Anyway, on to the TR.
I've lost count how many Man-Mco flights with VA we've done over the last 20 years, but it's well into double figures, and we've never had a bad experience. Our flight on Vs 073 ( G-VROS) was no exception.
I booked our tickets the day they were released sometime towards the end of july last year, using m + m. I didn't want to risk playing the waiting game, as I've lost out on availability in the past , especially with m + m .
On our last 3 trips, we have travelled with our dear son. He absolutely loves the flight, but finds boarding a little stressful. Those of you with Autistic children will relate to this I'm sure. So, i decided that i would speak to special assistance, for guidance on a less stressful boarding process. The lady i spoke to was exceptionally helpful, friendly, and courteous, offering us a request of bulkhead seats, to be allocated either for o.l.can.i or at airport check in.
I was able to do o.l.c.i, and print off boarding cards for seats 21 HJK- brilliant!
Man. Airport was fairly quiet when we arrived at 1045. Bag drop and security dispensed with in minutes. The security staff at Man. were particularly courteous- a stark contrast to some of the officious homeland security members.
The ground staff at gate 212 were equally helpful, allowing us to board last, to enable a smooth transition. This pleased dear wife very much, as it gave her another 15 mins to add another half dozen or so cheeky squirts of duty free tester perfume to an already saturated arm! Lol!
Boarding was a breeze, and we were sitting in our seats within a minute or so. I was immediately struck with how quiet the flight was. Nearly every other similar flight has been jam packed. Whether this was down to peoples preference to Vs75, or time of year
I'm not sure. Now I'm beginning to realize why va were offering us a P.E upgrade for £298 p.p return. Not one of the P.E seats was occupied downstairs, although Uc looked a bit more productive. Given the fact that our seats offered excellent seat pitch, and given the fact that only 21abc and our seats were occupied, and the 2 rows behind us were completely empty, P.E would've been an expensive proposition.
The cabin crew were especially friendly, whether that had anything to do with the fact that the plane was only 50% full, I couldn't say. They were especially friendly, and attentive, and they were very good with Ds.
In flight meals were your typical average fare. I' ve never been a huge fan of them, regardless of the carrier. To me, they are a diversion- something to make the tedium more bearable. DW and I both opted for the fish pie, for no other reason than it sounded more appetizing than macaroni cheese, or sausage no mash. To be honest, it wasn't too bad- a bit too reminiscent of NHS food for my liking, but ok. The afternoon tuna sandwich was really quite nice.
My dear Wife is not a confident flyer at the best of times, bless her, so, when we started ours descent, through a succession of bumpy storm clouds, her distress was palpable. This was compounded by the plane taking power again, as if doing a go around. This frightened her greatly. A brief announcement came over the pa from the 1st officer, in that unflappable style, so characterized by pilots, aplogizing for any alarm caused. We were re-routed to a southern runway at mco, so we would be in the air a few mins longer than expected. This was somewhat reassuring to DW, and we did indeed land several mins later.
I.f.e is looking tired now, but I'm not going to lament it's shortcomings, as I know a refit is in the pipeline. Not sure how long the pipeline is though! Lol! Moreover, i didn't watch a single film or programme on the i.f.e, which was a first for me. Instead, in between eating and drinking, I sat laughing out loud at karl Pilkington's hilarious "Happy slapped by a jellyfish book! Highly recommended!
We were quickly off the Aircraft, and walked purposefully to immigration. I had heard that the previous "Toll Booth" system had been replaced by a Uk post office queuing system, and this was essentially so. However, all positions were open, and I did manage to buy a lottery ticket as well, so on balance, I guess I'm happy!
There was a slight delay with baggage claim, due to the lighting storms forcing the ground staff indoors until it had passed.
I used the alamo kiosk for the first time, which was brilliant! That saved unnecessary queing at the desk.
So, all in all, an excellent experience, that will hopefully be repeated on our return trip on Vso74 on july 1st!
absolutely loves the flight,
