Hi
I am new to these forums - hello everyone!
I flew to Las Vegas in PE last week on VTOP and was disappointed by the experience.
Relating to what happened to you, I was also in the bubble and slow to be de-boarded from the aircraft too. The problem was that the cabin crew only held one side of the economy passengers, meaning the far side economy passengers (who cross in front of the stairs) were de-boarding the aircraft and being allowed to. If it had not have been for some economy passengers letting us get off, we would have even stuck as some of the last passengers to leave the flight.
Other moans I have are:
Boarding - This was a total free for all. UC/PE/Parents with young children/Passengers requiring assistance were boarded first (at the same time), however most people on the flight took the opportunity to get on board first too. No one was enforcing the 'rules'.
Aircraft - VTOP should not be in service imo. The plane was dirty, IFE was not working properly (sound issues) and the seats felt like they were falling apart in places. I am aware of the refurbs taking place for the LGW/MAN fleets, however Virgin should not be selling a premium product on this aircraft.
Food - The choice of all main meals containing mushrooms is certainly strange. It was disappointing that the chicken main meal ran out so quickly. The only choices I had were a mushroom risotto or something from economy.
Cabin crew - Friendly and helpful as always, however seeing one cabin crew member reading a Boeing 747 safety cheat book before/during take off and on the flight raised a few eyebrows. I am not sure if the cabin member was new or had a test coming up, but I don't think it was particularly appropriate.
Normally I've associated Virgin with high standards, but this flight was really disappointing. Compared to the excellent LHR flights with Virgin to the US that I have taken, this flight felt like something I would normally associate to a chartered flight. I certainly think it was bad value for money at just under £1,600.
