Miami clubhouse... or not.

Wow. Sitting in Virgin's partner lounge in Miami, the Club America Lounge waiting for my suite flight back to blighty.

What a lounge. It seriously sucks. I would take some pix but I wouldn't want to bust the dream that Virgin offers premium service everywhere. This lounge is straight out of the 80's, with a touch of Jamaica thrown in.

Very surprised - and a little dissapointed. Are the business loads so low that it doesn't warrant a Clubhouse?

j

[RichardMannion]

quote:Originally posted by Jonathan S
Wow. Sitting in Virgin's partner lounge in Miami, the Club America Lounge waiting for my suite flight back to blighty.

What a lounge. It seriously sucks. I would take some pix but I wouldn't want to bust the dream that Virgin offers premium service everywhere. This lounge is straight out of the 80's, with a touch of Jamaica thrown in.

Very surprised - and a little dissapointed. Are the business loads so low that it doesn't warrant a Clubhouse?

j

No need for the pictures, Bazz took a full set that can be found here: http://www.v-flyer.com/forum/flyer_sear ... irport=MIA and they show the full'glory' of the lounge )

I think VS would love to have proper Clubhouses on each route but its a matter of space and money - look at LAX for example, 2 flights a day, busy J route but a shared lounge that is nothing spectacular - all about space.

But hey, at least theres the fantastic Revivals facility upon your return!

Thanks,
Richard

That's true - very much looking forward to showers and eggs (not at the same time I hasten to add).

For now, 1 more hour until I get into 2A... I may even try and board earlier bearing in mind the lovely trellis and 70's porn star sofas.

god help miami.

[Nottingham Nick]

I don't think you will get too many arguments here Jonathan. There have been a number of threads over the months bemoaning the lack of Clubhouse at MIA.

It is only within the last couple of years (Post 9/11) that MIA has been moved from LGW to LHR and I suppose, to some extent VS may regard is as a B&S route. It is a route I use a couple of times a year and I would say that a very high proportion of the pax are tourists.

In fact, during school holidays there seem to a lot of Fla forst timers who have been talked into using MIA after all of the MCO flights are full [:I]

It never ceases to amaze me when I get talking to people on board who intend to drive up to the Disney area that night from MIA after landing [:0]

Nick

Agree Nick. I've just done a short hop on AA from MCO to MIA following the ABTA travel convention (which was fun!)... VS had a set of demo suites there - and availability on the suite flight from MCO was zilch and I wanted to come back into LHR for breakfast.

Oh - and flew UC on the LGW 747 on the outbound and thought the recaro seat was shocking. Had better on Gulf Air... but I guess that's another thread.

Having visited the Club America lounge myself a few times one cant help but wonder what other lounges @ Miami VS could share with..
It's not the worst lounge in the world,but def on the shortlist..

The lounges at BOS and MCO are far better - and also not clubhouses

[Bazz]

Hi Guys,

I have to jump in here, I thought the Club America lounge (landside, concourse 'E') was not at all bad as far as lounges go. We were not travelling in UC so I do not know if this was the same lounge that UC pax are offered in MIA as I believe Club America have more than one facility there?

We used it through Priority Pass. It is certainly better than many lounges I have used, including the ServiceAir lounge in T3 at LHR.

The lounge in Miami reminds me of one of the huts as used in the 80's TV show about a Japanese POW camp for women, TENKO...

Surely VS can provide something a bit better for UC pax? [?]

I was just looking at what other lounges there are to choose from..

http://www.miami-airport.com/html/clubs__lounges.html lists lounges but in not sure how exhausive it is?

anyway this bit caught my eye:

quote:
Virgin Airlines, which does not have its own club at MIA, treats its Upper Class travelers by providing courtesy limousine service from their home/hotel (anywhere in Florida) to MIA. When they arrive, they go through "Drive Thru Service" where a Virgin Airlines agent greets them curbside, checks them in, and takes their luggage while the customer is still in the limousine. They are then treated to Club America B, which is one of three clubs available to member airlines/companies by invitation only.

Two questions spring to mind -
1/Whats Club America A& C like? assuming all three are Club America?

2/ the FL limo service says anywhere in Florida - is that right? FL is a big state after all!!?

[RichardMannion]

quote:Originally posted by Jonathan

2/ the FL limo service says anywhere in Florida - is that right? FL is a big state after all!!?

Yes thats right, look at: http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/wh ... nsfers.jsp

Thanks,
Richard

Thanks LRoM!!
The US transfers are far more generous than UK ones!!

[Bazz]

I know the Club America lounge is not a Clubhouse but I don't think it is that bad, certainly the one in concourse E isn't:

View Full Res

When you get into the lounge, there are four separate sections A, B, C and D. they all interconnect and can be opened as required to form one large lounge or opened separately for privacy. All four areas are similarly equipped and in the same style with bar area, etc..


Knowing Club America have several facilities at Miami, I do not think the B lounge in concourse E is the "Club America B" that Jonathan refers to in his extract from the Miami Airport website. I assume this is a lounge in concourse B? Although according to the website it seems Club America only have facilities in concourses A, E and F?

Question for Jonathan S and Hamishbrown in which concourse was the Club America lounge that you speak of in your posts?

quote:Originally posted by Bazz
I know the Club America lounge is not a Clubhouse but I don't think it is that bad, certainly the one in concourse E isn't:



Question for Jonathan S and Hamishbrown in which concourse was the Club America lounge that you speak of in your posts?

Bazz

It was Concourse E but room B in the Club America Lounge, but it looked a lot worse than that (then again I always look better in photos too)