This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
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Cabin Crew
After dropping off the car at Avis (for the miles, natch), I headed for the terminal in the bus, with two Virgin America pax with me. Checking in was, as always, a scrum through the crowd of Y pax around to get to the UC check-in counter, and after that was done I supervised the TSA folks checking my luggage to make sure they would put on the locks again that I'd left unlocked for them.
Then, in a total state, I made my way up the escalator to security whilst fanning myself, and ten minutes after that, headed for the Air New Zealand Koru Club. Now this is a lounge I love. Granted, it's not got the flair of the Clubhouse at LHR, but it is functional, has exactly what you need in a compact format, with views over the apron to the next terminal. Nothing like seeing four different Virgin America planes gated up next to each other!
The welcome I got from the host was warm and friendly, with quick directions as to where everything was. The Koru Club has fantastic showers. Period. Best yet. Hot hot hot water out of a pummeling power shower. Gorgeous. You don't need a massage after ten minutes of standing under that!
I didn't have anything big to eat because I was planning to eat on-board, but I did enjoy some drinks and of course the view before final call. And finally, when that call came, half the lounge sauntered on over to the gate, where we were literally the last to board. This time I chose a seat close to the exit (mostly because 2A was taken and I couldn't book it), and settled in, only to find that the folks in the seats on either side of me knew each other and I would end up with the one or the other either talking over the partition, or hanging out at my seat. Not particularly plesant to be honest.
Departure was swift and easy with a huge loop to the south over the Pacific and a fantastic view of the coastline from LAX towards Oceanside. Long Beach Harbour was of course the most bright, but the major freeways and state highways were the big arteries of light out there. After changing into pyjamas, dinner was served and it was delicious, but in retrospect I shouldn't have had the two glasses of wine, as I felt rather uncomfortable later on in the night. I struggled to get to sleep, more so than when I'm in PE (my usual class), so it ruined things a bit for me. The slightly-too-warm air conditioning probably didn't help either.
Eventually I went to sit at the bar, hoping to get a little bit of my groove back with some idle chit-chat, but sadly no, the other passenger at the bar seemed to want to hog all the attention, so I went to the back for a walk down the one aisle and back the other before going to bed.
I woke up towards the end of brunch service, but still got something in me before the great cleanup started before landing and before having to change back into my regular clothing. The flight was on time into LHR and the long trek through immigration to the baggage hall ensued. Having priority tags is very nice though... our luggage was out quickly, with my driver waiting to take me home. I nodded off on the way, the flight left me more exhausted this time around than usual, which was very unusual.
I felt a bit let-down not by the service from Virgin Atlantic, but rather the UC passengers who seemed to have this air of entitlement about them (perhaps they are entitled, I don't know), and someone like me who is a rather no-nonsense, enjoy-the-moment kind of person, definitely doesn't seem to fit in there. I definitely have to give kudos to Air New Zealand for their almost perfect lounge in Los Angeles. I wouldn't mind flying through there time and again, just to experience it over and over again.
