Virgin Clubhouse / lounges

After having visited the LGW clubhouse on previous occasions I had my first experience of the LHR clubhouse 2 weeks ago WOW! What a fantastic experience & I enjoyed every minute of my 4 hours there!

I also have to compliment the VA lounge in Boston which was also a fantastic retreat to while away a few hours before retuning home.

And then when I landed, my first experience in the Revivals lounge which was awesome!

All this makes me think why go over to the dark side & try CW again.

I am off to LAX in February & wondered what the departure lounge is like there - can anyone enlighten me? Also how soon does check-in/bag drop open at LAX before the flight? (Boston only opened <3 hours before departure).

thanks

you might want to have a read of this thread from a couple of weeks ago about the LAX lounge

http://v-flyer.com/forum/index.php?f=4& ... =viewtopic


LAX is 4 hours hours to but I think that if you are in UC you can check-in early i.e. when it opens for the earlier flight even if you are on the later one

LAX airport guide

LHR Clubhouse is a shining star amongst lounges IMHO.

It is one of the few areas that Virgin remain ahead of the game.

[honey lamb]

LHR Clubhouse is a shining star amongst lounges IMHO.

It is one of the few areas that Virgin remain ahead of the game.

SFO is excellent too and before the development of the current LHR one, it was a regular winner when V-Flyer had awards for various categories. It was in no measure helped by the manager, Claire who was a legend among legends along with Luz. And then there was (I think) Tiina in LAX.

Oh, those were the days *deep sigh*

After having visited the LGW clubhouse on previous occasions I had my first experience of the LHR clubhouse 2 weeks ago WOW! What a fantastic experience & I enjoyed every minute of my 4 hours there!

I also have to compliment the VA lounge in Boston which was also a fantastic retreat to while away a few hours before retuning home.

And then when I landed, my first experience in the Revivals lounge which was awesome!

All this makes me think why go over to the dark side & try CW again.

I am off to LAX in February & wondered what the departure lounge is like there - can anyone enlighten me? Also how soon does check-in/bag drop open at LAX before the flight? (Boston only opened <3 hours before departure).

thanks

We are going to be experiencing our 1st LHR CH visit at the end of January - we are flying on the VS045 - I was hoping to get there at about 9am (ish) - Enough time to enjoy all the CH delights ??

LHR Clubhouse is a shining star amongst lounges IMHO.

It is one of the few areas that Virgin remain ahead of the game.

SFO is excellent too and before the development of the current LHR one, it was a regular winner when V-Flyer had awards for various categories. It was in no measure helped by the manager, Claire who was a legend among legends along with Luz. And then there was (I think) Tiina in LAX.

Oh, those were the days *deep sigh*

The SFO one is my fav outside of LHR. Granted I'm in there so often, I've gotten to know most of the staff. But it's a great clubhouse and the views of the runways are great.

The SFO one is my fav outside of LHR. Granted I'm in there so often, I've gotten to know most of the staff. But it's a great clubhouse and the views of the runways are great.

Sorry to kind of hijack this but I think this could be one for RyanJW - can you please tell me when the SFO Clubhouse opens?

I have a flight out of SFO in mid January (Tuesday if it's relevant) but the scheduled departure has now been put back to just after 7pm and am not sure when the Clubhouse will open from.

Many thanks,

Steve.

I think it's open all day (or most of it) as it can be used by virgin America customers

[mitchja]

The SFO Clubhouse is open from 15:45 on Mon, Tues & Sat as it's available to VX pax and I cannot see them turning away any VS pax.

(The other days of the week it opens at either 14:15 or 14:45)

SFO is excellent too and before the development of the current LHR one, it was a regular winner when V-Flyer had awards for various categories. It was in no measure helped by the manager, Claire who was a legend among legends along with Luz. And then there was (I think) Tiina in LAX.

Oh, those were the days *deep sigh*

The current SFO clubhouse manager, Robert, is fantastic too. Always helpful and obliging and takes the time to chat. I have seen him go down to the security lines with his passengers to make sure they get safely through the priority channel. I have got to know him quite well over the last couple of years. He is easily recognisable by his braces (=suspenders for our American speakers) and earrings!

I also get a really warm welcome from the Gatwick clubhouse team. Being that bit smaller than Heathrow, they get to know you more easily. Everyone there is friendly and has a smile.

Cheers
Martin

I've only been in 3 Clubhouses - LHR, LGW & JFK (both old & new).

LHR - as everyone says, it has a WOW factor and it's the one area where Virgin are ahead of the competition by a mile. Nothing beats a Virgin Redhead or two and a Clubhouse burger in one of the hanging chairs near the window. By contrast, the last BA lounge I was in at Heathrow had a self-service bar with no champagne - if you wanted bubbly you had to find a member of staff and ask for it.

LGW - smaller than LHR, obviously, but a much more laid back atmosphere - probably because the vast majority of passengers are travelling for leisure. The big fault with the LGW Clubhouse was the table layout near the windows - if you were sat at a window table, you had to be served over the people on the next table.

JFK - really liked this Clubhouse. The old [land-side] one felt more open than the new one, but the benefits of being air-side and right above the gates Virgin use cannot be underestimated. If you're on the VS10 (last flight out) you can change into your sleep-suit in the Clubhouse toilets, put your clothes onto a hanger and board the flight and pass your hanger to the crew to be put in the wardrobe.

The one destination where Virgin really need a Clubhouse is Orlando. 5 flights a day in peak season & that awful crappy Delta Sky Club. I know the Clubhouse will never happen as it's a leisure route & the Delta lounge will be seen as more than adequate. Let's face it, if Virgin did put a Clubhouse in Orlando, it would have to be big as any Delta passenger with status / lounge access would choose the Clubhouse over the Sky Club any day.

The one destination where Virgin really need a Clubhouse is Orlando.

Would be nice but as you say won't happen.

I'd also suggest Manchester could do with a Clubhouse - particularly with Atlanta starting on the A333 with a full size UC cabin and a lot of business traffic.

We have these X Airport needs a CH comments every so often.

The simple answer is that it is often down to space at the airports involved and then there are costs of operating a lounge (rent is not cheap) and the capital construction costs versus the usage.

The reason why LAX is finally getting a CH is because of the opening of the new terminal meaning some airlines have moved there (like NZ) thus freeing up space Bit like the reconfigurations at LHR after T5 opened and the shuffle of airlines around releasing space.

At JFK the VS lounge was (finally) able to move to airside was because of the project DL were doing in the terminal and the existing VS CH space was needed for something else (extra security lanes I think).

Now at MAN there obviously was space for a lounge but someone decided that a V-Lounge made more (economic) sense than having a CH.

The VA website says that PAX get a bus from the Virgin America Loft at LAX to the gate, does anyone have experience of this & how this works for UC PAX?

Thanks very much for the replies regarding the opening time of the SFO clubhouse, very much appreciated.

LHR Clubhouse is a shining star amongst lounges IMHO.

It is one of the few areas that Virgin remain ahead of the game.

My ex-wife was in the LHR T5 CW Lounge last night during the ATC runabout. VS have lost out as she would have flown LHR-HKG and HKG-SYD in UC but is now flying BA and 'The Flying Kangaroo'.

In her own words 'the British Airways lounge is not a patch on the ClubHouse. There is no Champagne but I did enjoy the chilli which had a bite of a bite'.

Looking at FR24; I think she made her connection in SIN, just.

There is champers in BA club lounges but you have to ask for it.

But they don't tell you that.

You have to know to ask.

Like you have to know about the £15 credit they have at the starbucks in T5c because there is no lounge there.

The VA website says that PAX get a bus from the Virgin America Loft at LAX to the gate, does anyone have experience of this & how this works for UC PAX?

When I was in LA last in September there was a choice of two busses one to arrive at the gate just before boarding commenced and one a bit later.
A VS rep in the loft went arround asking if you were flying to LHR an would like to go over on the first bus (which I did - bad I know!) and then escorted the group out to the Tarmac an a waiting bus which then drove across to the end of the VS terminal where you went back upstairs and joined the terminal just after the security checkpoint at the opposite end to the VS gate.

They were offering a voucher to use in the terminal as an alternative to the loft but there is not much choice in T2.

Does anyone in the know have any idea as to when the LAX lounge will open? VS site just says In the Spring...

They've not said yet but my guess would be the end of March, to coincide with the launch of the SS15 timetable when the VS24 is due to be reinstated.

My ex-wife was in the LHR T5 CW Lounge last night during the ATC runabout. VS have lost out as she would have flown LHR-HKG and HKG-SYD in UC but is now flying BA and 'The Flying Kangaroo'.

In her own words 'the British Airways lounge is not a patch on the ClubHouse. There is no Champagne but I did enjoy the chilli which had a bite of a bite'.

If it's anything like the Galleries at T3 which we used last year, the chilli may have had a bit of a bite but the food was clearly designed for people who don't, as most of it was a consistency that would make the use of a straw appropriate.

the chilli may have had a bit of a bite but the food was clearly designed for people who don't, as most of it was a consistency that would make the use of a straw appropriate.

Lol I know what you mean. You have to strike as soon as they bring out a new dish. They don't change them very often so if you don't get in there quick all the meat's gone and you're left with a dish full of sauce which then sits there for an hour.

That would be great timing for me

I thought there was a LAX Clubhouse thread but I'll post here that I read over on FT that the Clubhouse opens on March 5th - for anyone travelling after then. I'll be there late April but am sure someone will post about it before then.

I thought there was a LAX Clubhouse thread but I'll post here that I read over on FT that the Clubhouse opens on March 5th - for anyone travelling after then. I'll be there late April but am sure someone will post about it before then.

I read this, too, and am suitably excited as we're also flying out of LAX in April. Very happy to hear it should be open by then. I await reviews from other vflyers with bated breath.