LGW UC loos

This might be a silly question [:I] I've been reading some trip reports (thanks to all who post, very informative) and have seen that the LGW planes seem to share loos with the downstairs premium and first few rows of economy, I don't want to open up a can of worms but going from sharing 2 loos for 14 suites, to another 30 (?) people, does this cause a problem with long lines for the UC loos, or am I worrying about nothing?

Thank you.

Hello Firsttimer, I travel frequently on LGW UCS and never really had to wait for too long, and definately not for as long as those who share the 'loos' in Y. As a UC passenger you are always free to use the upper deck facilities. The annoyance is those people who use the 'loos' about 30 minutes before landing and stay in them for 10 minutes applying make up etc. Ooooh that makes me sooooooo mad.

Paul

[HighFlyer]

I might be missing something here, but aren't the UC toilets downstairs for use by the UC pax only? (and perhaps only those two downstairs rows of PE when they get to sneak in there instead of going upstairs?)

Economy passengers in the first few rows are right next to a toilet IIRC so i wouldnt have thought they would get away with trundling up to the UC loos. Surely the FA's tell them to go back?

Anywam as Paul says, there are two toilets upstairs which can be utilised by PE and UC

Its always a nightmare just before landing though, when everybody wants to use the toilets - and you have a dozen or so (more ex-LHR) UC pax wanting to change back out of their sleepsuits!

And for the record - i dont apply make-up in the loos, so imnot one of those, but i know what you mean!!

The two WCs at the rear of Zone A on LGW 744s are for UC use only. The cabin crew should watch out for people from PE/Y trying to sneak in there, just as they should stop PE pax stealing crisps from the UC bar. I have seen both happen though!

BC

Sarah, I agree with what you are saying, but I have found that the UC loo rule only applies, or is enforced, on the LHR routes. I quite often take the day flights to/from NYC and in these case opt for PE. The sign clearly states to use the loos in Y and I have tried to use the UC loos only to be turned back but I can confidently state this is most definately NOT enforced on the LGW routes.

Glad to hear I won't be waiting for you to apply your makeup and perfume Sarah .

Paul

Originally posted by p17blo
I can confidently this is most definately NOT enforced on the LGW routes.

Another difference in LHR vs LGW product consistency? [}:)]

BC

[HighFlyer]

I am sorry to hear that Paul, hopefully this will be an issue addressed by VS, as BC says, its part of the continued discrepancy of UC between LGW than LHR

I should be doing a trip from LGW later this year in UC so i will keep an eye out and see what the state of play is. As you say, 2 loos for 14 suites is very nice, but add the overspill from PE, and even worse, potentially from EC then its not really fair and dilutes the UC product IMHO.

As you'll see from my sig I am off in just over a week. I will try to keep an eye on what is going on, but it may be difficult from 6A!

Paul

[HighFlyer]

Your our eyes and ears then Paul (have a good one at the House of Mouse BTW) ... just dont let those eyes and ears become to muffled due to Laurent Perrier

I agree with Paul's observations, based on my own from LAS-LGW a week ago. I'm fairly certain there were PE pax hanging around and using the downstairs toilets, and possibly Economy pax too.

I got tired of waiting to change back from my sleepsuit and headed upstairs, where I didn't have to wait at all. Similar story on the flight out as well.

my last lgw to vegas, nearly all the ucs pax were queuing for the loos because the pe pax ( noteably mothers taking kids in to get changed ) and brush thier teeth etc. Eventually I told one mother who was guarding the door so her three kids could get in and finally her to go use some other loos. The fa just grinned at me.

Some in the downstairs pe have a bit of a chip on their shoulder
and make a point of standing in the way of the ucs pax.

This is what I was worried about, I've not paid my money to fly UC to have to stand in line to use UC loos whilst other non UC passengers hog the loos. I hope that doesn't make me sound awful, it's just I've experienced the long lines for the loos in economy (and sometimes in PE), so I don't want to have the same problem in UC.

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by firsttimer
This is what I was worried about, I've not paid my money to fly UC to have to stand in line to use UC loos whilst other non UC passengers hog the loos. I hope that doesn't make me sound awful, it's just I've experienced the long lines for the loos in economy (and sometimes in PE), so I don't want to have the same problem in UC.

No I agree 100%,on one of the BA flight's I took last year the FA's made it clear that the pax in WT+ could not use the bathrooms in club [y].

Again as I said in another thread,VS could make the UC on the LGW route very nice by changing a few things in the UC cabin,this being one of them.

Originally posted by jetwet1
No I agree 100%,on one of the BA flight's I took last year the FA's made it clear that the pax in WT+ could not use the bathrooms in club [y].

Again as I said in another thread,VS could make the UC on the LGW route very nice by changing a few things in the UC cabin,this being one of them.

I have previously suggested to VS that they do the same as BA and have a more physical barrier between UC and PE to get the point across. BA use a red rope which won't impede egress in an emergency but does make the point.

I think it's also fair to point out that the staff on BA seem to be more rigid regarding these kind of rules whereas I've often found the VS crew to be rather ineffectual -- on one LAX flight I had to tell someone in PE that the bar area was not for the enjoyment of his children when the FA would not.

Having read this back to myself I do seem rather curmudgeonly, don't I!

BC

[HighFlyer]

Having read this back to myself I do seem rather curmudgeonly, don't I!

Not at all BC, i think this is an area we all agree on.

The UC loos (and really, any UC feature, such as the bar) are for UC passengers , and should be for their use only.

I have no issue with an UC passenger quietly asking the FSMs/FAs permission to bring a friend from W or Y up to the bar for a drink, i dont think many of us do, but it is not fair for W and Y passengers to avail themselves of the bar/loos at free will. Its not being curmudgeonly, its ensuring that UC passengers are getting what they have paid for and not diluting the brand.

I think the BS 'rope' idea is a fine one, and would be happy to see it myself. A lot of other airlines are verry strict on stopping non premium passengers from entering their First & Business cabins, so i think VS need to follow suit here, and not just on ex-LHR flights. LGW UC should be treated the same as LHR UC.

[Scrooge]

No you don't,im one of those people that think's along the lines of youget what you pay for,if you want to use the bar pay for UC (or upgrade)I do wish VS would get this sorted.

On our last flight to LAX we sat at the bar for the majority of the journey (there's a shocker?) and most of the time there was a very pleasant chap sat chatting with us, at one point we all had steak sarnies and then ice cream. Towards the end of the journey one of the FAs asked the man if he was in UC and he said yes, then the FSM came and spoke to him and asked him to return to his seat and that the bar was for UC passengers only, and questioned why he had said he was in UC previously, he said that he thought they had asked if he was on the upper deck (yeah right!) He winked at us as he left and said well you can only try! [V]

Hmmmmmm cheeky!

We are on a LGW UCS flight at the end of Feb and I was hoping it would feel even more exclusive with there being so few seats. I do hope that's the case and there are no queues for the loo. As Highflyer said it's bad enough towards the end of the flight when everyone is trying to get changed out of their sleepsuits. I've had visions of me trotting through LHR in mine before now when I've slept late and there have been queues (perish the thought)

For the record I can do my face in 10 minutes with a compact mirror sat in my suite Steady hand and years of practice is all it takes

Shaz

[HighFlyer]

On the party bus home from SFO i was at the bar when a young lady came and sat down and had a glass of bubbly and a few crisps, she was there about 15 minutes when a crew member asked if she could have a word - turns out it was a PE passenger and she was duly sent back upstairs - without her bubbly and crisps!

I've had visions of me trotting through LHR in mine before now when I've slept late and there have been queues (perish the thought)

On my last flight to LAX i was woken by the CSS saying we were landing in 15 minutes!! I was seriously thinking that any minute now the seatbelt sign would go on and i would have arrive at LAX in my Ninja suit!!

For the record I can do my face in 10 minutes with a compact mirror sat in my suite Steady hand and years of practice is all it takes

Ditto that! Im like Wonder Woman in the last half hour landing - get changed out of my sleepsuit in an incredible tight space back into survillian clothing - and reapply the 'face' whilst sat on my ottoman!

Shaz - Dont you notice how all the male passengers watch you as you reapply that eyeliner? LOL

Originally posted by shazam
On our last flight to LAX we sat at the bar for the majority of the journey (there's a shocker?) and most of the time there was a very pleasant chap sat chatting with us, at one point we all had steak sarnies and then ice cream. Towards the end of the journey one of the FAs asked the man if he was in UC and he said yes, then the FSM came and spoke to him and asked him to return to his seat and that the bar was for UC passengers only, and questioned why he had said he was in UC previously, he said that he thought they had asked if he was on the upper deck (yeah right!) He winked at us as he left and said well you can only try! [V]

Very cheeky - a definite "chancer".

There was an attempt by someone from PE to sit at the bar on the V-flyer party flight back ni November, I think, but Bazz was there and probably better comprehended what was going on than me! I think the crew caught on very quickly in her case.

The thing about the LGW config is that it's difficult for a W/Y passenger to waltz into the UC cabin, sit at the bar and not be noticed by the crew and the UC pax (assuming the crisp-thief quickly left after nabbing the snacks, BC?). The main issue is with the use of those downstairs loos.

I'm wondering if the policy is that UC and PE pax downstairs can use them, and it would be great if any of the crew who post here could clarify? BC, where have you heard that the policy is UC only?

[preiffer]

Originally posted by HighFlyer
On the party bus home from SFO i was at the bar when a young lady came and sat down and had a glass of bubbly and a few crisps, she was there about 15 minutes when a crew member asked if she could have a word - turns out it was a PE passenger and she was duly sent back upstairs - without her bubbly and crisps!

Hey - when did that happen???

Originally posted by HighFlyer
On the party bus home from SFO i was at the bar when a young lady came and sat down and had a glass of bubbly and a few crisps, she was there about 15 minutes when a crew member asked if she could have a word - turns out it was a PE passenger and she was duly sent back upstairs - without her bubbly and crisps!

Ahh, you have beaten me to it Sarah! I didn't realise she was there for 15 mins, I only caught her being removed!

Shaz - Dont you notice how all the male passengers watch you as you reapply that eyeliner? LOL

Ladies get up to all sorts in their suites...it beats the Nova entertainment...[:I]

Hmmmm, this difference between LGW and LHR is one of so many - the seemingly non-existent priority boarding, lesser IFE and now this.

I have to say though, that the seatmaps on here do give the impression that the toilets are shared with PE, though having not flown UC from LGW I'm not sure where the divide actually is.

It's that word 'consistency' yet again...

David.

Originally posted by David_Doyle
Hmmmm, this difference between LGW and LHR is one of so many - the seemingly non-existent priority boarding, lesser IFE and now this.

I have to say though, that the seatmaps on here do give the impression that the toilets are shared with PE, though having not flown UC from LGW I'm not sure where the divide actually is.

It's that word 'consistency' yet again...

David.

There is a curtain between the loos and the PE section.

Originally posted by AlanA
There is a curtain between the loos and the PE section.

(in the voice of Liz I in black Adder III)I'm very pleased to hear it! If I were traveling UC I would hate those lesser people in PE seeing me when I was on the loo. Urgh!;)

Whats wrong with all you people??

I can't remember the last time I walked off a VS plane (having travelled in UC) NOT wearing my Ninja Suit.

Paul