This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Before I start, I believe in something called the Law of Attraction. Its a philosophy about visualising what you want and acting as if you already have it. Every year I make a collage of all the things I want to achieve and look at it every day. As an entrepreneur which I think is french for ‘Eternally Skint, Stressed and always in Debt!!’ travel is mostly in steerage!
However I stuck a picture of the new UCDS bar on my attraction to represent the lifestyle that I wanted…..Could I achieve this?
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Booking
So off to Mumbai, well Pune to visit our development centre. Usually do this trip a few times a year in cattle-class of Emirates, but the pitch is an amazing 34” and the A380 is extremely comfortable.
With Virgin resuming their direct LHR-BOM service I thought it was time to start building my miles and be faithful to a single airline.
Originally booked PE as Upper was well above my humble means but overnight the upgrade rate plumetted and I could afford to fly upper both ways. Law of Attraction baby! So with all the mixed receptions about the UCDS I thought I would check it out for myself. As a 6'2 ex American Football Player (although a pathetic shadow of my former self) I thought it would be a great test! I can honestly say I never slept a wink the night before. I kept having nightmares of missing my flight so decided to pull and all nighter.
At T3
Arrived at Heathrow. Um and arred about DTCI. As much as I'm sure it's great to feel like a VIP I really like walking through the once revolving doors of T3 so did it the old fashioned way! Plus I love dressing like a scruff to test if anyone assumes I'm in the wrong place.
Check-In was easy. Gave me my boarding pass and headed up to the lounge. Last time I traveled my rucsack which was brand new tested positive for traces of explosives! I spent over an hour at security having to explain my complete life history and how I had not spent time at a terrorist training camp in Kabul! Islamic Middle name didn't help - thanks Dad!
also wasn't allowed to check in online as I was ‘randomly’ selected for additional checks - hmmm!Strangely my bag was kept inside the scanner for a good 8 minutes - then started worrying about my recent trip to Amsterdam! Did I leave something in one of the pockets??? GULP :S Lots of activity around my bag and beeping - but I think the private channel thing helped my case. Why would a terrorist bother with Upper?
Bag finally came out was relived and headed to the CH. Everything I ever imagined and more. Beats the Gallery Lounges hands down! The staff are so attentive, it was very quiet. Was given the grand tour. Thought I Had a few expressos and a few Kir Royals gazing at 'Lady Love' G-VLUV with undiluted excitement.
First Impressions
Only about 127 people (just 3 kids!) on board so boarding was quick and easy. I will admit my heart sunk when I saw the cabin. My disappointment continued when I took my seat. It looked a bit on the tacky side and looked a bit beat up in the cold light of Heathrow! Crumbs lined the side of the seats and my TV screen would not stay in place and kept swinging back and bonking me in the face (did a fix MacGuyver would have been proud of). Window hard to see out of. Felt totally exposed and cluttered..... Then something lovely happened, the CSM introduced herself to me by name. That felt really nice and personal.
Take off was on time and meandered to the bar shortly after. Only about 40% full in Upper (PE was as empty as the Mary Celeste). Met an intriguing fellow who became my much welcome drinking buddy. We (I say we...but I was well behaved) got a bit boisterous at the bar but the CC seemed to find it entertaining. I had expected them to start cutting ‘us' off but they didn't! No Dark Rum so my 'Dark and Stormy' was more of a ‘Light and Drizzly’ but the Malbec made up for it. Had dinner at the bar which was a first. Food wasn’t bad. Not quite as good as BA’s Umami fused meals but found nothing to complain about. Asked CSM if anyone would mind if Wilber found a new home in my pocket
The Service
As an insomniac when everyone was a sleep I spent most of the flight chatting to the CC. They were mature but unlike the BA crew who sort of 'mother' you, these wonderful ladies felt sorta like that sexy aunt that you KNOW you shouldn't be thinking about in that way!! Teehee
Like many others have said the CC were not a great fan of layout. One delightful stewardess joked that as she's getting older her expanding derrière is becoming hard to manoeuvre around the cabin! Of course I reassured her its totally all in her head.
[Boy I sooo want to marry a stewardess! Hardly at home to nag at me, regualy works thousands of miles away, discounts of flights and all the miniature bottles I can drink! My perfect woman! (Swoon)]
Decided to test out the lie flat bed. Have a silly complex about being people doing things for me that I can do myself so decided to figure out how to set up my bed. Pretty easy. Grabbed a nightcap from the bar and pretended to sleep. I felt pretty cocooned but comfortable. Could stretch all he way out but narrow.
Inflight kit was a bit weak - but really who uses the contents anyway? Makes a good emergency iPad case!
Final Approach
High tea was served but declined as I'm at the age where I know the paunch will start stalking me! Looked cheerful though. Had some healthy chicken from the graze menu instead.
We arrived a few minutes early. Getting out of Mumbai airport can sometimes take me hours, this time I was standing outside the airport in 15 minutes!!! Result!! Made it to Pune by 4:30am upon checking at the JM Marriott found that I had been upgraded to the executive floor!….
with a stunning view of the beautiful city of Pune from the 22nd floor I write this Trip report with a cheesy grin on my face. Law of Attraction Baby! What an amazing journey! Thanks Virgin and everyone of V-Flyer who convinced me to leave my thrifty-cheapsake ways behind! No going back from now on!
