VS020 SFO-LHR 7 SEP 13 (Upper Class)

This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin

Ground Staff

Food & Drink

Entertainment

Seat

Cabin Crew

So the time came for us to head back home after an amazing 2 week break.

With heavy hearts we packed up, and after a little last minute exploring (Cable car museum) and shopping we headed to the airport at 3pm. We used the hotels town car service, $60 from Union Square to SFO including a tip. Best option with 3 cases and a 5 year old in tow. Plus it was still roasting hot, 30 degrees plus !!
We were soon pulling up at the terminal at about 3.30pm.

Currently booked into PE (online checkin done previous day) I thought I would ask whether there were any Gs available. Check in was not open yet but there were a couple of agents hanging around so I went as asked.
I was told that if there were Gs available we would be on stand by, as preference would be given to those paying to upgrade. This surprised me ever so slightly, but I though OK fair enough.

We sat and waited til check in opened 15 minutes later.
Then when check in opened we approached PE desk, resigned to the fact we were likely to be travelling in PE and at best in UC but with no access to the CH (I assume stand by meant we would be told at the gate whether we could upgrade).
It was a different agent, a nice lady. Lets call her C.
So I asked again the same question - were there Gs available ? This time C said that she would call Ops and check. Quick phone call and she was told yes, there were 3 available for us... result !!!

But I was short just under 4k miles I asked if I could buy the miles. C said No, she did not think that was possible. She checked with a colleague who thought the same.
I then asked if I did the transaction myself would I then be able to upgrade. Initially I was told no, but then C said as there was no queue behind me I could have a go.
My iPhone had a flat battery but luckily hubbys was charged and ready to go.
So I managed to logon to VS website, buy the required number of miles and hey presto they were immediately in my account.
C then checked her computer and they were there too
Another few minutes while she processed us, and called Ops again to confirm all ok. "Hang on" she said " you are on stand by"...... WHAT !?!?
"Oh no it's Ok you're not".. "let me see if I can get your seats together"......
Few more minutes of nervous waiting......... tick tock tick tock.....
Eventually she put the phone down and said that we were 'all set', in UC , seated together and was just preparing our lounge invite )))

Turns out C normally works at the gate, she said she had worked for VS for 12 years and had just learnt lots in 10 minutes. We all wished her a big thank you. I mentioned this site to her and explained it's how I know so much , she said she would have a look !

So we were off to the SFO CH, that I have heard so much about. We were warmly welcomed by the lady at reception and then grabbed a sofa right at the end on the left near the big screens that were showing Disney stuff, very handy. A great view of the runway and we could see the aircraft that would be flying us home too
As you may have guessed my first order was a a redhead. A bit later we ordered some food, burger for hubby, Thai chicken for me. No kids options but Jnr had eaten the biggest slice of pizza you had ever seen earlier in Union square so was happy with some milk and chocolate chip cookies
We spent the time watching the aircraft, having a few drinks and chatting with some fellow passengers that were travelling to the UK for the first time. Managed to grab some of the stationary items, including the lovely silver pen with the red tail fin The ladies at reception were encouraging of this

The CH slowly filled up and at about 6.15pm we made our way down to security. The priority line was actually longer than the regular line. Everyone was going through the body scanner thing, Jnr and I were allowed to go through the regular one
Quick dash past the shops (no time to stop I was told by hubby !) and priority line had no queue and were were onboard. Seats 20A, 20D and 21A. Near the toilet and galley but otherwise nice and roomy compared to A346. Cabin was full.
Drinks offered and taken and we settled in for the next 9 hours or so. I was offered a ninja suit, took 1 but didn't use it in the end.

Cabin crew were very attentive, menus and drinks handed out. I asked if Jnr could have his kids meal (the one we had booked in PE). That was no problem and it was nicely presented on a plate.
He ate, watched a little TV and then asked for his bed to be made up and promptly fell asleep.
It meant that hubby and I could relax and enjoy the flight.
I opted for risotto to start (yummy), chicken(not so, a bit bland) and pumpkin cheesecake for dinner (weird but best of 3 options from what I remember).
I then settled down to watch 'The internship'. Very funny, I was probably laughing out loud !!!
Cabin crew then came round to ask whether I would like to be woken for breakfast (yes please).
They were great and did regular runs though the cabin with water juice etc.

I didn't sleep much, chose to stay in seat mode reclined with headphones on to minimise noise.
The 747 seems much noisier than the A346 ?
About 2 hours before landing time the lights were on a bit (purple ?) and they started the breakfast service.
It felt like I had only just eaten so opted for a croissant and tea.
Again cabin crew were great and let Jnr keep his duvet til just before landing, they then checked in with him as we were approaching. This was great as it's a bit tricky to interact with him over the partition when you are strapped in. He was fine however, admiring the views of south west London.
We landed early at 13:20, into a rainy Heathrow

Priority exit was enforced and we were thru immigration quickly and not long to wait for our bags.
Quick stop at M&S and we were soon in our taxi heading home.....

So 2 great first trips in UC, very impressed and no doubt when we book our next holiday I shall be looking for ways to get us into UC again !

Thanks for reading.
I will try and complete the TRS for the HA flights soon, they were in EC but great service.

Lovely trip report, so glad you had great result to end your fabulous holiday, that's the way it should be.

We are doing the countdown now for our final holiday of the year to Vegas via Lax in just over a fortnight.

We are getting sun withdrawl I had to put the heating on this morning and a jumper, how dare it

Thanks again LTH, love reading everyones adventures. Linda

Thanks Linda, are you spending any time in LA ?

Have a great trip. We did LAS a few years ago, an amazing city.
Loved the hotels, and we hired a car and went to Hoover Dam and valley of fire. Plus the helicopter to the Grand canyon.. amazing
Enjoy !

[buns]

Thanks for an enjoyable TR

A great result on getting the G's - especailly as the flight turned out to be full

Like many a V Flyer, you seem to have caught the bug and will no doubt sell hubby (or some one else) to fund you next UC Faray

Thanks once again

buns

Thanks for an enjoyable TR

A great result on getting the G's - especailly as the flight turned out to be full

Like many a V Flyer, you seem to have caught the bug and will no doubt sell hubby (or some one else) to fund you next UC Faray

Thanks once again

buns

Thanks Buns, it just goes to show that it is always worth asking the same question twice as you may get a different answer the next time

Hmm, what's the going rate for a hubby these days ?

Sounds like a great end to a great trip.

I think the 747 is noisier than the Airbus, but has so much more space and way more character.

Very envious of you getting to Hawaii, always wanted to go but MrsPJH has no enthusiasm for that trip.

Hope to enjoyed the cable car museum. We both found it fascinating, particularly seeing the cable trundling through.

What a result hey
You're right, definitely worth asking the question twice
And good thinking about the miles
As your boy slept in the flight did he suffer from any jetlag?

Thanks for the TR

Another great flight by the sounds of things, would love to hear about Hawaii as it's on my Bucket List.

Thanks for the TR and great result also for the Gs upgrade . What would we do without e Internet

Great TR and well done for showing true V-flyer spirit to get the upgrades.

Brilliant TR, thank you for posting!

Am so chuffed for you that it all worked out and you had such a great experience.

Thank you for sharing it with us!

What a result hey
You're right, definitely worth asking the question twice
And good thinking about the miles
As your boy slept in the flight did he suffer from any jetlag?

Yep, we all did.
He went to bed at 8pm on the day we arrived and we were all awake at about 2am. He ended up in our bed, which we never usually allow.
Poor lamb was sent to school the next morning, but he was fine.
Over the next few nights he was still unsettled but it seems to have finally passed. I do think it takes the same amount of time to recover from the jet lag as was the length of the holiday !!
But worth it though

Thanks for the TR

Another great flight by the sounds of things, would love to hear about Hawaii as it's on my Bucket List.

Cannot recommend it enough it was very relaxing after the 5 days in LA where we didn't really stop.
Maui is a lovely island, perhaps a great stopoff next time you head to NZ ? The scenery and beaches are stunning.
My only negative comment would be the price of food, you really do notice the difference but I guess they do have to import a lot of things from the mainland..
And Hawaiian Airlines were excellent too. And a VS partner to boot !

What I can naver get over is how friendly everyone is over that side of the world. We struck up so many conversations with different people, all genuinely interested in us, our travels and our son. Maybe it's the lovely weather that makes them all so happy. Would explain the difference here !!

Hi L2H, a brilliant TR and looks like top marks for VS all round

Pumpkin cheesecake?? odd, would like to try that actually - hopefully will find myself travelling on Oct 31st.

Good also to hear that Jnr was well looked after by the CC, hope he enjoyed himself.

Cheers for posting