This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
I arrived at T3 just before 3pm and proceeded to check in with the "meet and greet" lady commenting that I looked like I knew where I was going.....
Presenting myself at check in to a friendly welcome and a few taps later it was clear something was going on. It's not always a good sign when the phone has to be picked up. A few minutes later with sincere apologies for the wait it was confirmed an aircraft change was underway. Initially I had been moved to 4G on the newly assigned A333 but asked if I could be moved which was done without any fuss at all.
(It would later transpire that the load was so light in W & Y a decision had been taken to switch from an A346 - though as J was full, some had to be downgraded which must be a price worth paying....somehow that makes it sense I am sure)
Was through the private security channel in no-time at all and everyone was friendly and chatty. Welcomed warmly into the CH which was busy but managed to find a seat in the near the bar area overlooking the "new" transfer centre under construction...
Enjoyed a few items from the Clubhouse tapas menu and a few redheads were enjoyed to wash it all down with the odd glass of champagne. The new CH menu was good to see and the Fish and Chips were simply flying out of the kitchen.
Boarding was delayed until 1950 due to having to find a replacement First officer who had switched from the Lagos flight and we pushed back at 2020.
It was clear as everyone was taking their seats that this was a crew totally on the ball - from the welcome at L1 from the FSM to the super friendly CC team working in J who all worked as one.
With everyone settled and champagne offered and accepted, newspapers distributed and sleep suits offered to those that wished we were on our way. A total of 142 passengers with a CC team of 11 and two flight deck crew.
Once airborne at 2042 a flight time of 8hrs was promised due to strong head winds but we were only rocked about a bit during the meal service....otherwise it was smooth for the rest of the flight. I even received a personal "welcome back" from the FSM which was nice as it doesn't happen every flight.
Hot towels were soon offered with drink and dinner orders next - I simply love the Blighty mojito's onboard and had a couple before dinner was served at 2200.
It was a new menu (having only launched on 4th March) by all accounts. We also had a new champagne on board....Gardet Brut Premiere Cru which was rather nice.
Starter choices were Pea and Mint soup, Warm Chicken Satay or Buffalo Mozzarella with Roma tomatoes....I went for the Mozzarella and Roma tomatoes which was really nice served with Olive oil and aged balsamic with sweet pepper berries (tried to load a photo but it was too big....)
Main courses were Lemon and Thyme Chicken with pan-fried potato cake, spinach and mushrooms, Seafood linguine, Keralan curry or chilled Thai beef salad. I went for the Chicken which was tasty and a good portion, though needed a little more sauce.
I finished off with warm brioche and butter pudding served with cream with the other choice of Chocolate torte. I had to skip the cheese and port service which was offered more than once..as I was simply stuffed
![][|)](./images/smilies/icon_smile_sleepy.gif "Sleepy"){kind=icon}
Throughout my water and wine were regularly topped up. The FSM was heavily involved in the service. Warm bread was offered a couple of times and the new wine list was going down well in the cabin with the Shiraz proving very popular
I then de-camped to the bar to find the most friendly, chatty and wonderful ambassador for VS ready to chat, share stories and made sure the next couple of hours were fun-filled and memorable....the fact she was a fellow Northerner just cemented the bond!! We were joined by a couple who had been downgraded to W and as they demolished a bottle of red between them we put the world to rights
Returning to my seat with four hours to go it was time for a nap. Lots has been said about the dream suite which I won't bring back up but I have reflected my thoughts in the score above.
1.5hrs before landing we were offered options from the Extra bites menu which included: Classic gourmet beef burger, Mediterranean Mezze with warm pitta, Thai Fish cakes, Warm Pakora and samosas or cold charcuterie. I decided to skip as I was still full but enjoyed a mug of hot tea which was refreshed too.
With everyone strapped in we touched down into a freezing JFK with plenty of snow on the ground at 2344 reaching the stand at 2356. I eventually left the airport at 0130 after a long immigration wait and a queue to get through customs. The bag was waiting for me though on the belt and I was safely in the hotel by 0230.
This really has to be one of the best VS flights I have been on. The crew were simply marvellous and made even more special by the super attentive service by a couple of the CC in J who are getting married in the next few weeks. I have sent comments already to Crawley Towers with my thanks and say just how impressed I was.
The A333 is what it is. It was a full cabin which does make it feel crowded, made more so when everyone has their duvets out and it's night-time and the lights are out. Interestingly, half the cabin had frosted partitions which did obscure the view between seats, and the other half had the more see-through partitions.....so what NYLON reported recently is clearly starting to take shape. The CC even mentioned this that it was the first time they had seen this. I was on "Diamond Girl" which badly needs her bar area refreshing as it was terribly marked and scratched...
The service on this flight was exceptional, the FSM and CSS were really proactive too and one final note- the cabin was full of Delta elites which is yet another sign just how powerful this partnership is and is clearly helping the VS bottom line.
Thanks for reading.
Jon
Last edited by horburyflyer on 07 Mar 2015, 21:50, edited 3 times in total.
