flying on the lgw 747s

please could someone tell me the good points of flying the lgw 747s as most people seem really unhappy, is it just the nova system thats not up to much.?

Good points i can think of:

1. They are 747-400s and not old fashioned 747-200s like the aircraft flying out of Manchester

2. If you fly Premium Economy you're guaranteed to be on the upper deck which is always very nice.

3. If you're flying Upper Class, the Recaro seats are very comfortable and the service is excellent (low number of UC pax)

4. If you're flying Economy it's no worse than flying Economy on the Heathrow aircraft

Agree with the last post re good points.

My experience (LGW-MCO-LGW) resulted in a conversation with the Premier team as I asked them to justify the premium cost with the small, dirty tv screen, awful IFE, seats that are at best a challenge to sleep in (but ok during the day), no massage and a shelf instead of a bar. My trip had been business and the experience was a lot less 'Upper' than the LHR planes. And no revivals at LGW - you need it more than LHR!!!!

However, the very attentive crew and the usual food & drink help.

Moody,

What did the Prtemier team say?

One positive:

he old PE seats seem a lot more comfortable than the new ones on the VPORT planes - they are too hard and having the footrest on the seat in front is crap if you are 6'2" [8D]

would it be possible to fly to mco by flying from lhr to miami and getting an internal flight from there ?

if so would it be worth the changeing planes to fly on the better flights
ps i would be travelling uc

steve

[buns]

Steve

You might find the aircraft offered for the MIA MCO route is of the small turbo prop variety and there may be a problem were you to be utilising your full UC baggage allowance.

Friends of ours did just that and said "never again". I have to say that I am all for direct flights wherever possible

Buns

My friends took the VS45 at 0930 from LHR to JFK and then a DELTA flight to Orlando and arrived the same time as the VS15 from LGW!!!

So LHR Upper class with full amenities, maybe when your travelling it will be a Suite fitted aircraft.

In June the VS45 is being operated by a 744 I think this is because the 5th suite 747 - G-VWOW returns.

Then only XLG and FAB left!!!

this years is booked so we will go with that but i am thinking ahead for next year

but perhaps by then the suites will be at lgw
but just for ease of travel it is better to go from lhr it is nearer to home --not a lot but when traveling from nottinham every little helps

[RichardMannion]

For my recent trip to Orlando, I decided to fly to MIA instead as its served by LHR, and proper J service. UCS is on this route too now.

Upon arrival to MIA, drove up to MCo, jsut over 3 hours and pretty much one road. By the time you've dealt with an internal flight and the multiple sets of security at MCO, collecting bags twice etc...

Thanks,
Richard

Candyman
wouldn't Manchester be closer?
Next year they are going to have full UC

quote:Originally posted by declansmith
My friends took the VS45 at 0930 from LHR to JFK and then a DELTA flight to Orlando and arrived the same time as the VS15 from LGW!!!

So LHR Upper class with full amenities, maybe when your travelling it will be a Suite fitted aircraft.

In June the VS45 is being operated by a 744 I think this is because the 5th suite 747 - G-VWOW returns.

Then only XLG and FAB left!!!

Declan,
Does this mean the LGW planes should start to be refitted around Sept?

As I am a bit new here I am not sure of all the terms - so forgive me if I say something silly.

I flew UC back from San Fran and we had the big sliding seat think its called kash - its got all the controls and slides down under the seat in front ( seen in Calendar girls)

We flew Club Orlando from Manc to Orlando and the seat was what I think is called a Reccaro

We also got upgraded to UC back from Antigua to Gatwick and the seat was similar - a Reccaro??

Personally - I prefer the Reccaro type seat - it seemed wider and softer and I found it easier to sleep in? A member of the flight crew mentioned that some other passenegers had commented that they liked it better too?

Mind you - the suite looks WOW!!! Something else again!!!!! Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to try it???:D

quote:Originally posted by AlanA
Moody,

What did the Prtemier team say?

Well...

They apologised for my sleepless night and the dirty screen/screen pocket (said they would contact the cleaners). I got the impression they see the B&S route UC service as 'good enough' and were at pains to say these are new planes.

Still, with a business flex fare of approaching 4k I still felt short changed.

alan yes manchester would possibly be nearer but the planes there have a worse write up than lgw
and as far as i understandthere is no uc from manchester just club orlando and that is more like pe service i think
steve

It actually is entirely PE service, IIRC, but in a nicer seat.

As Alan said, it is scheduled to be a full UC service next year.

As mentioned in my recent trip report, I had an LGW 747 going out to Orlando (Pretty Woman) and an LHR 747 coming back (Ruby Tuesday) which gave me an opportunity to compare. Whilst it is true to say that the cabin looks more up to date on the LHR, I was pleasantly surprised by the LGW version. The Recaro seat seemed wider than the J2000 and although it did not fully recline I still found it comfortable. OK the NOVA system isn't as good as the others, but I still found what I wanted to watch and was quite happy with it. The lack of games on it didn't bother me. I thought the UC cabin seemed more spacious on the LGW too, without the beauty therapy area.

The crew on each were of course the same high standard and I really enjoyed the service both there and back.

If I had the choice again I would stick to flying to Orlando direct on an LGW rather than driving from Miami. It is quite a distance to travel after a long flight.

Roll on the UCS on this route!

Phil

must admit the thought of the long drive after the flight does not apeal and then there is the home journey if i go from mco it is only a few minutes from the parks so we can have longer there
and as you said the seats are wider in the lgw planes that does appeal to me being a rather big guy. i find that the biggest problem when i used to travel in econ even though at 6feet tall the leg room is a problem having a large bum the seat width was an even bigger problem!!!!
steve

I remember a cockpit visit on one of these on its maiden flight
the vs17, back when it was at LGW and the intercom list was in italian ! And all the signs in the toilets too !