Upper class from Manchester

Hi all

I will be travelling upper class for the first (and probably only!) time from Manchester. It will be a surprise for the other half, he thinks he is travelling in our usual economy class and I'm not telling him until we are about to check in.

What can we expect when travelling upper?

What lounges will we have access to? I know that we will be missing out on the clubhouse but this trip was booked in economy to start off with. I've managed to upgrade with all of my miles and money.

Do I need an Empower cable?

What are the best seats on this route?

Many thanks for any info given

Jarvis13

what route/flight are you on?

manchester UC will give access to the escape lounge, not used it but from reviews it sounds like a typical shared lounge, if it's crowded it may be more pleasant to have a snack/meal/drink in the terminal

which flight numbers/dates? as seats/power depend on which aircraft is operating on that route on the day...

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en/th ... power.html

...as a rule, go for window seats away from the bar (noise/bustle)

the divider between seats really isolates you, but there's a foot stool with each seat, so you can visit each other for a chat/meal/drink, turbulence allowing

on some flights the bar area is fairly free, on others it can be monopolized by a few for hours on end, so if you want to try it out get in while there're seats

for general info on UC this gives an overview with links to some more details...

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en/th ... class.html

for night flights they'll offer you sleep suits, they're ok, otherwise wear light, loose clothing so you can enjoy the bed properly

i like to board early, get my bag in the locker, and start the bubbly, sometimes the bubbly arrives before i stow the bag!

have a great time

If you are travelling on a 747 from Manchester the best seats for a couple are 6A and 6K - you can chat reasonably easily. The disadvantage of these seats is that the overhead lockers start at row 8.
The Escape Lounge is unexciting - drinks, newspapers, snacks, sandwiches etc with computers and free wifi. If you need power choose a seat near the walls.
Your other half may enjoy the anticipation of Upper - I upgraded my daughter with miles when we flew to Florida to get married last Summer. We debated whether to tell her, but are so glad that we did as she was soooo excited for weeks before!

[mitchja]

You don't need an EmPower cable as the refitted 747's have standard combined UK/US power sockets in the seats.

Worth mentioning that Manchester does have a priority security line as well.

Escape lounge, subject to your previous experiences -it's "o.k." Away from the crowds, pleasant staff, nibbles and drinks, near the gate.

Given your routing is likely LAS or MCO, you'll be in a small UC cabin, assumption being you're on refit 747..plug for seat away from the bar outbound, especially if heading vegas.

Standard uk plug will suffice, to keep power, not charge. Free wifi in lounge and power sockets.

NH

I did the same thing for my OH last year! Just make sure he doesn't have the booking ref, if he does you're likely to get a phone call in work accusing you of wasting thousands of pounds on overindulgent extravagance!
Luckily for me it didn't cost thousands to upgrade just like you, I still had to explain how I done it tho!

All that said! He's now addicted to UC (yay!) and both our wallets have taken a hit!

As someone told me on here....upper at all costs!
(You'll be hooked)
Darren

Thanks for the info all.

We will be on the MCO route, VS075, so it will be the escape lounge for us.

jarvis13

UC is what is all about for long haul.
I take my own comfy pjs and change immediately on boarding then recline with a drink and a magazine.
At dinner you and the OH can eat together which I think is a nice touch.
Then after dinner make seat in to a bed and chill out with a movie!
Guess it depends whether you need to catch some Zzzzzs or not but even I visited the bar for a drink some G&Bs choco and a chat with one or two of the CC.

If you are travelling on a 747 from Manchester the best seats for a couple are 6A and 6K - you can chat reasonably easily. The disadvantage of these seats is that the overhead lockers start at row 8.

Just give you cabin baggage to the flight attendants and they will find a place for it. Not worth a battle over lockers. Some passengers can be a bit territorial about the locker above their seat.
Row 6 is very cosy. We liked it.
Dick D

If your flight is a 747 (as I suspect is likely) then, for a couple, choose EITHER seats 6a & k (which are the front-most seats right in the lower deck nosecone, directly opposite each other, with your feet just about touching when converted to bed mode. Otherwise seats across from each other get further apart (following the taper of the aircraft) so I'd choose two next to each other in any other position. The further forward, the further from the bar, which is a good thing. There are only 14 seats to choose from.

Still got loads of questions so hope you all don't mind!

Does anyone make their seat into a bed on a day flight to chill out and watch a movie? Do we need to ask for headphones?
When am I able to request seats?

Thanks for all info given

[mitchja]

Yes, you often see people sleeping on day flights. It's entirely up to you.

Headphones are usually on your seat, though most people do use their own these days. If you want to watch the IFE from the gate before take-off and after you land up to the gate at the other end, you must use the headphones supplied by VS. Also during these times, your IFE screen has to remain locked in it's storage position so it's not that easy to see in Upper. Once airborne, you can swing your IFE screen out to any position you want.

When you can select your seat depends on when you fly. If it's after May 1st, then you should be able to select your seat from that day. If it's before May 1st, you should be able to select your seat 30 days before your travel.

personally I'd just recline in seat mode on a day flight and save the flatbed config for a night flight. In seat mode it can recline a lot so you can still chill out and watch a film in comfort and much less hassle when you want to sit up and eat or drink.
Seating requests are changing but up until April I think it is now 30 days before departure that seating opens. I don't know if that is midnight on day 30 but I will certainly be staying up to try and book my upcoming return flight.
I took my own noise cancelling headphones last year but seem to recall they didn't fit the socket so I used those supplied. this year I'll not bother to take any.
Dick D

Seating requests are changing but up until April I think it is now 30 days before departure that seating opens. I don't know if that is midnight on day 30 but I will certainly be staying up to try and book my upcoming return flight.

There should be no need for that.

8am (UK time) is normally the time when seats become available to request on whichever day the seat map opens for your flight.

So if, for example, you're flying at noon on May 1st you should be able to request seats from 8am on April 1st.

Still got loads of questions so hope you all don't mind!

Does anyone make their seat into a bed on a day flight to chill out and watch a movie? Do we need to ask for headphones?
When am I able to request seats?

Thanks for all info given

have you logged into your FC account, then in "manage my booking" to see if it'll let you choose seats?

i've never had a problem choosing seats >30 days ahead, maybe with the changes it won't let you now, but no harm trying!


btw, you're in UC, you can ask the crew for whatever you fancy, if they've got it, they'll bring it, especially if you ask nicely

things to ask for include...

bubbly
cables
bubbly
extra cover/pillow if you want (not likely you will)
more bubbly
drinks
another bubbly
the excellent little bags of crunchy chilli snacks
some bubbly
the dark choc bars
how about a bubbly
an espresso (it's not great, but ok if you down it before it cools)
bubbly would be nice
fruit, magazines, etc.
maybe a bubbly to round things off

hic

on your seat there'll be a bag with things like socks, earplugs, mini toothbrush+paste etc., nothing special though

Think I might try the bubbly, lol.

Think I might try the bubbly, lol.

Might try the bubbly? I didn't realise it was an option. I thought you boarded, you drank bubbly. I has never occurred to me to say n (sorry can't even type the word)

Enjoy.

Dick D

I ask for another pillow and turn mine in to a bed and watch tv on day flights. Though recently I have found some quite interesting people to chat to at the bar.

Hi All

Thanks for all the great info. One question I forgot to ask was, will it be the new upper class suites on the MAN to MCO route? I was hoping for the new suite, if not how is the current upper class holding up? Searching t'internet, I've seen some worrying pictures of broken tables, dirty dividers between the seats etc. I'm hoping someone can put my mind at rest as this is a big surprise for the other half

No, it's the old suite - but the LGW/MAN 747s have recently (ie in the past couple of years) been refurbished and deep cleaned so they're in relatively good nick.

That's not to say they're pristine - but they should be better than the LHR 747 & A340 fleet.

BTW most V-Flyers would probably say you're lucky not to have the new suite ... it's not been received particularly well in these parts. Although I think that's largely because there are just too many of them crammed in on the A330s.

Hi All

Am I right in thinking that we will get fast track through security as we will be travelling UC?

Yes you will.

Jarvis 13 - I'm hoping UC has had at least had a refit for my forthcoming MAN-LAS trip in May. Last time I flew this route two years ago seat 6K was filthy to say the least. If you find this take photo's and send them to customers services. They compensated me with enough miles to upgrade econ to UC!

All the UC on the LGW/MAN routes have had some sort of refit, while not completely, I assume repair and clean when the IFE got replaced.

Lounge is a bit hohum, though you do get put in a different part from the pay part of the lounge, but its bar/cornflakes/bit of toast...