DXB-LHR
04th April 2006
(G-VAIR) Maiden Tokyo
Upper Class
Seat 5K
Tuesday morning came all too quickly, signifying the end of a terrific short break in Dubai.
I made my way to the lobby of my hotel and called a cab to take me to DXB. Most amusingly, as soon as I had got in the cab I realised I had left my newly purchased Versus sunglasses at the hotel, requiring me to ask dear Jamal, the taxi driver, to go back. Easier said than done given the fact that the main Jumeirah road is being reconstructed so we had to go all around the houses. Still, I got my glasses back, and Jamal got another ten Dirams everyones a winner!
Arrived at DXB about 12pm to find all the signs in Arabic, leaving me trying in vain to decipher which area the VS check-in desks were, finally sussed that it was area five. All bags had to go through a rather poor security screening poor because I clearly beeped on my way through the metal detector but was waived through. I arrived at the VS check-in desks to find a straggle of passengers waiting. Upper and Premium were clearly labelled with good signage, and there were a few staffers in VS red, although the vast majority of staff seemed to be on loan from Emirates. Checked my bag in no problems and was issued with a Gulf Air lounge pass.
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Walked for what would seem like forever to get to departures, through another security stop, and then into what could be the largest duty free shopping arena I have ever seen! Thankfully I didnt need anything so headed straight for the lounge at gate 22 (we were boarding at gate 18).
The Gulf Air lounge is ok, but nothing special. Its quite small but at least its away from the crowds.
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As I arrived I saw Mr & Mrs Tony T who were chatting to PaulS so I said a quick hello. Having heard that Sky found WiFi in the lounge a few days before I did try but was unsuccessful, each time I got the FF home page I got booted off. I decided to help myself from the food display which had a good wealth of snacks, sandwiches, pastries and Arabic treats. Best of all was the Baileys bottle that was left for self service big mistake chaps! [;)]
There are only two internet terminals in the lounge, so after waiting for ages I finally got to use one, only to find that they had cunningly disabled USB, meaning that I could not retrieve anything from my portable hard drive. This strikes me as ridiculous as most travellers need some kind of medium to get their docs from terminal A to B. I had a good poke around the Mgt settings but gave up in the end. Of interest, whatever ISP they are using will automatically block unsuitable content. Time for another handful of Baklava, and the lovely Gulf Air girl came round personally to advise VS pax that the flight was now boarding. I headed down to gate 18, where I could see Maiden Tokyo waiting! I cleared the final security stop at the gate (which incidentally requested all shoes to be removed) and went to get onboard.
As I was on the jetway I stopped to take a photo of G-VAIR (as you do) only to have a security guy try to take my camera, shouting at me to delete the picture I had taken. I tried to calmly reason with him, I apologised and said that I did not realise that my taking a picture of my aircraft was a problem, that I was sorry, and that I was just used to it not being a problem elsewhere. He let me go then still shouted after me I tell you, delete that photo.
I got onboard and found 5k, my home for the next 7 hours. The IFBT came round and I was offered a welcome glass of champagne. The FSM did not do personal welcomes to FC Aus (same as the outbound flight). I was sat next to Petra Roach (of the Barbados Tourism Board) who delighted in pointing her picture out to me in OK magazine. Twice. Seems I had my fill of Z-lebrities on this trip!
Time for a quick refill of bubbly before taxi, and then take-off which was super smooth and almost spot on time. The seatbelt sign went off about 10 minutes later, and I headed straight to the bar after checking out the fab aerial view of Dubai.
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At the bar I spotted a guy who was on my outbound flight. (Hi Sandeep, I expect you to have joined up by now!) so we had a few drinks and a chat to the crew. I asked for a sleepsuit and was given one, so I sat at the bar with it on my lap, intending to have a few drinks and then head off to bed. A couple of guys, Steve and Keith, who were also on the outbound came to the bar and we all had a good long chat about Dubai, the new DXB route, and what we all did for a living.
Oh, and a photo opportunity ... I thought id bring my own snacks onboard
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The drinks flowed freely and the crew came to the bar to take our orders for dinner. We got quite a good chat going on, Mr & Mrs Tony T were with me, and Tony introduced us all to a new take on the Bloody Mary which blew my head off! We were only disturbed by a spot of turbulence resulting in the seatbelt sign coming on so we all returned to our suites (where incidentally, i found my Amenity Kit hiding) which was timed perfectly for the arrival of dinner.
The full menu goes as follows:
Menu
Starters
Seasonal leaf salad with roast hoi sin duck
Wild mushroom soup server with a cheese puff garnish
Shelled prawns with carrot and feta bundle wrapped in grilled aubergine slices, peppers and hummous
Mains
Roast rack of lamb with mustard crust severed with French beans, baby carrots and new potatoes
Grilled hammour fish served with puff pastry crescent moon top and vegetable ragout
Roast vegetable & paneer skewers served with paratha, potato bhaji, daal and green chutney
Iranian grilled chicken served with dill rice, peppers, asparagus, courgette and lime butter
Cheese
Brie, Cheddar or Stilton served with Carrs water biscuits and dates
Dessert
Caramel Oreo ice cream served with mango sauce
Warm molten chocolate pudding served with orange sauce
I had opted for the Iranian Grilled chicken, which sounds quite adventurous for me. It was absolutely delicious, lovely tender chicken pieces on skewers with rice and veg! I was very pleased with this choice on the menu, and hopefully this is the start of good quality and continuity on the UC menu. I decided to follow up my meal with the Caramel Oreo ice-cream, which was fab! The mango sauce and biscuity crunchy bits really made a simple dish with a twist I have to confess to scraping the bowl and I dare say I would have licked it had I not been in public! [:I]
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My dinner tray had now been cleared and as if by magic, the seatbelt sign went out and off I trundled to the bar. There were the same set of faces sat there as per last time (Sandeep, Keith, Steve, Jackie (Mrs TonyT) and Myself) so we had a good chuckle and cracked on with a mixture of J.D. and Bubbly. At this point, the flight really just took off into a world of its own, I was sat there with this small group and we were discussing what a great social point the bar in Upper really is. One of the guys said that he had seen me in the CH on the way out and in a normal circumstance that would be that, you see someone who is on your flight, you may even be sat close to them, but you dont talk or interact with them very much. Bring the environment of a bar into the equation and it all changes, we were chatting along like old friends and having a real laugh.
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We had some fantastic crew onboard with us. So often it is said that a crew make or break the flight, and im glad to say that I felt that I had experienced some of the best guys and gals Virgin have to offer. I got chatting to Matt, our CSS, who was our bartender. Fantastic guy and really had that Virgin Flair, he kept us well entertained and we talked about the new DXB route, the inaugural, and future plans and hopes for the airline. Matt had duties to attend elsewhere in the cabin, so Steve, my new found friend took over as Barman and even Matt had to agree that he was doing a smashing job! Another round of drinks later and we realised that we had drunk the bar dry of J.D. we were close to having a whip-round to get some from Duty Free!
Vicky and Mo were also looking after us in the UC cabin and were absolutely fantastic! I immediately said to Matt to send over the Heroes nomination forms so that our collective could give them the nominations they deserved. These guys were fab enough to pose for some pictures with the mad pax who were keeping them on their toes!
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I got called for my massage by the IFBT about now, so I trundled off and had a very relaxing treatment. I always feel guilty when they tell you to drink plenty of water [:I] I headed back to the bar, saying a quick hello to Tony who was back in his suite. Jackie was still holding out at the bar! Good girl!
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Afternoon tea was being served in the cabin, so we were asked if we wanted to eat at the bar. Choices were: Beef tortilla wrap, Cheese and Tomato baguette or Chicken tikka focaccia. I opted for the Chicken Tikka and it was splendid. So splendid that Keith, who was sat next to me, offered me the rest of his baguette well, it would be rude to say no wouldnt it? Eating at the bar is a really sociable thing, and im so glad that the crew offered us the opportunity. So often it comes across to UC pax that you need to be in your seat for your meal, so to openly make a point about the Freedom of dining on board was certainly welcoming.
After tea, we carried on raiding the bar, working our way through whatever was left. Then we heard the Captain over the radio, we were soon going to start our decent into London! A united Noooo was heard from the bar that had the crew in stitches! I could not believe how fast 7 hours had gone! We joked that we must all carry on the party, and were there any seats free in Upper on the DEL or HKG flights later that day? We all glumly paid that final visit to the restroom and trundled back to our seats.
I carried on with the book I had intended to read onboard; the fabulously titled Is it me, or is everything just s***?. Which held me in fits of laughter until we touched down at LHR a little early at just coming up to 7pm.
A quick taxi to the gate and it was time to pack up and disembark. I said a fond farewell to my travelling companions of the VS401, swapped details, and certainly hope to keep in touch. I walked down to baggage reclaim, grabbed my bag which was one of the first off, and made my way through to Arrivals with Tony and Jackie, and looked out for Richard who was there to meet me. After parting company with the troublesome Turners (who Ill see again at the next social event) Richard and I headed to the car park and made our journey home.
What can I say? This was definitely the best flight I have had (bar of course the V-Flyer social) and had truly affirmed my commitment to VS as an airline. Fantastic crew, a great vibe onboard, and a fab ending to an amazing trip to Dubai!
Most amusing is the fact that i bought a Z fare ticket for an Upper seat - and sat on a small bar stool for 7 hours! Fab! Cost of ticket: 1047 plus tax. Time in Seat: less than 50 mins! Priceless!
Thanks,
Sarah
