Pickles
Mar 21, 02, 9:41 am
Good morning. Part two of trip report. This one is LHR-JNB-LHR (or JHB if you are from SA). After a few days in London (rain-cold-rain-cold), headed down to Johannesburg, SA. While in London, called the VS UC number to get picked up by the limo, since my LHR-JNB-LHR leg was on a full-boat VS UC ticket.
Pickup was scheduled for 6:45 for a 9:30 PM flight. Late model Merc shows up at door at appointed time, uneventful ride to airport with some traffic. The driver called in my info on his cell, so as to expedite the drivethrough check in. He said that if you take the limo, they are pretty laid back about your arrival time, since they KNOW you'll show up once they call you in. Good point. Arrived at drive-through check in, where ticket agent approached the car and gave me my boarding pass and invite to the VS lounge. Car dropped me off inside the parking lot, by the arrivals gate. With my FastTrack card, I was in the lounge in 15 minutes flat.
As an aside, security outside the US orbit (defined as North and South America) is pretty low-key. None of this tweezer confiscations, check shoes, be a PITA stuff. I actually prefer it that way. If flying entails risks, and one of them is the very small probability of being blown up by some nutcase, then so be it. I'll take my chances.
The LHR lounge is not too bad, but is not as snazzy as the LGW lounge with the big picture windows facing the tarmac. Also, there is somewhat of a walk between the lounge and the gate. At LGW, there is a special elevator that leads directly to the gate.
At the LHR lounge I checked my e-mail and had some food and drink from the buffet, but not enough for a full meal.
The plane was a late-model 747-400 with the Odyssey AV system (anybody been on the plane with the v-port? What is it like?)
The plane was very full overall, including UC and PE. Being "experienced" in the J2000 seat system, I was not as bewildered by it, and I am now getting used to it. I kind of like it. The after-takeoff drinks came with either crackers or pistachios. Pistachios for me. I love them. I was really tired, so I just went to sleep right after a quick meal of soup and cheese. Woke up a few times in the night, so I watched pieces of movies, including most of K-Pax, which I couldn't get to finish because we were arriving. I really would like to see the end, but that will have to wait until Saturday when I fly LHR-SFO.
In JNB I was picked up, so I was unable to test out the arrival lounges or the limo. Too bad. The return leg was a few days later, and I was driven to the airport so I was unable to test the JNB limo pickup. At the airport, all lines were fairly busy, and it took me a few minutes to get to the front. Interestingly, nobody asked me for my passport except the immigration guy and the guy right before boarding. At that point, he was the only one who even verified that I didn't need a visa to the UK (I don't travel with a US passport).
At check-in the agent asked me if I needed limo service to the address I had been picked up at a few days back. Very impressive. I said yes, but told her I wanted to use the Revivals lounge first. She said that there was no problem, however long I wanted to be at Revivals, they would take me from there to my destination. A nice touch. Got to the lounge, a brand new one in JNB. By the way, the secured area in JNB is very nice, with some great stores and lots to do. Not bad way to spend time in an airport. Walk into lounge, which was decorated in an African motif. The lounge was not very big, and it was a bit crowded, since the plane was full, but it was pretty comfy. I had a good dinner of Thai noodles and then some caramelized bananas, so I could dedicate my time on the plane to sleeping. Checked out the bathrooms, which have some very nice showers with wood-slat floors, Asian-outdoors style.
Halfway through my stay in the lounge, there was some commotion and Sir Richard appeared out of nowhere speaking in a cell phone. He went to a corner of the lounge and proceeded to make a bunch of phone calls. He was alone, without entourage. At some point, the lounge manager took him around and pointed to some of the features of the lounge. My guess is that this was his first visit to the lounge since it opened, and was checking it out.
Boarding was called, and proceeded to get on a bus, no jetway for us. I didn't mind, because it allowed me to spend some time outside in the cool night air, and to board a 747-400 from the ground up. Really gets you to see how BIG this thing really is, and to ponder that it actually gets off the ground and self-propels itself through the air. Sometimes we take technology for granted, but I try not to lose my sense of wonderment over such things.
I was sitting up in the front, Sir Richard was a couple of rows back, in a window seat. After takeoff, Sir Richard walked around the plane a bit, to check out his customers. I sat down at the bar with a couple of other people, hoping to catch his attention in a low-key way. This time the snacks were either macadamia nuts or some kind of South African beef jerky. Had the nuts again, not warm. Everybody (at least in UC) was behaving nonchalantly about Sir Richard, very easygoing. I don't know what kind of a reception he got in coach. Of course, we were right in sitting at the bar and assuming he would eventually head there. After a while, Sir Richard moseyed up to the bar and we spent some time talking to him and about the airline. He was traveling alone, and seems like a disarmingly friendly guy, just having a normal conversation with the owner of the airline you are on. That's all. Not a big deal, right.
Anyway, after a while, Sir Richard excused himself and went to sleep, and so did I. Put on my Virgin jammies, and watched "The Last Castle" before passing out. Woke up 20 minutes before arrival, just enough time to change out of my jammies and into clothes. Upon arrival, Sir Richard was at the door greeting all the disembarking passengers. Nice touch.
With FastTrack, proceeded out of the arrivals area in five minutes, and went straight to the Revivals lounge. The place is not very big, but it is quite nice. They were expecting me, and confirmed my limo transport into the city, "whenever I wanted". Was taken to one of the shower rooms, which was spotless, and had some of the biggest bathtowels I have ever seen. The room also had this neat double door, where you could hang up a suit and close the door. Then housekeeping could open an outside door, retrieve the suit, and have it pressed. I tried being sneaky, and put two suits in the space. But no dice, housekeeping was apologetic, but they could only press one. Oh well. Took a nice long shower, got dressed in some clean clothes, opened the suit trapdoor, and voila! My suit, pressed and zipped in a Virgin suit bag. As I was leaving, was about to return the suit bag, but the housekeeper said I could keep it. Cool.
Went to the lounge, where I had some breakfast, and this yogurt drink I've never had before, name brand "Innocent". This stuff was delicious, especially first thing in the morning. I am hooked. It tasted like a dense, smooth indian sweet lassi.
At 8:30, went to the front desk, where my driver was already waiting for me to take me into the city in a late-model Volvo station wagon.
All in all, I'd have to say VS UC has the nicest business class I've been in, hands down. I think my only remaining test will be CX and the Wing. I have high expectations, but can they be met? Anybody care to comment or compare?
[This message has been edited by Pickles (edited 03-21-2002).]
Pickup was scheduled for 6:45 for a 9:30 PM flight. Late model Merc shows up at door at appointed time, uneventful ride to airport with some traffic. The driver called in my info on his cell, so as to expedite the drivethrough check in. He said that if you take the limo, they are pretty laid back about your arrival time, since they KNOW you'll show up once they call you in. Good point. Arrived at drive-through check in, where ticket agent approached the car and gave me my boarding pass and invite to the VS lounge. Car dropped me off inside the parking lot, by the arrivals gate. With my FastTrack card, I was in the lounge in 15 minutes flat.
As an aside, security outside the US orbit (defined as North and South America) is pretty low-key. None of this tweezer confiscations, check shoes, be a PITA stuff. I actually prefer it that way. If flying entails risks, and one of them is the very small probability of being blown up by some nutcase, then so be it. I'll take my chances.
The LHR lounge is not too bad, but is not as snazzy as the LGW lounge with the big picture windows facing the tarmac. Also, there is somewhat of a walk between the lounge and the gate. At LGW, there is a special elevator that leads directly to the gate.
At the LHR lounge I checked my e-mail and had some food and drink from the buffet, but not enough for a full meal.
The plane was a late-model 747-400 with the Odyssey AV system (anybody been on the plane with the v-port? What is it like?)
The plane was very full overall, including UC and PE. Being "experienced" in the J2000 seat system, I was not as bewildered by it, and I am now getting used to it. I kind of like it. The after-takeoff drinks came with either crackers or pistachios. Pistachios for me. I love them. I was really tired, so I just went to sleep right after a quick meal of soup and cheese. Woke up a few times in the night, so I watched pieces of movies, including most of K-Pax, which I couldn't get to finish because we were arriving. I really would like to see the end, but that will have to wait until Saturday when I fly LHR-SFO.
In JNB I was picked up, so I was unable to test out the arrival lounges or the limo. Too bad. The return leg was a few days later, and I was driven to the airport so I was unable to test the JNB limo pickup. At the airport, all lines were fairly busy, and it took me a few minutes to get to the front. Interestingly, nobody asked me for my passport except the immigration guy and the guy right before boarding. At that point, he was the only one who even verified that I didn't need a visa to the UK (I don't travel with a US passport).
At check-in the agent asked me if I needed limo service to the address I had been picked up at a few days back. Very impressive. I said yes, but told her I wanted to use the Revivals lounge first. She said that there was no problem, however long I wanted to be at Revivals, they would take me from there to my destination. A nice touch. Got to the lounge, a brand new one in JNB. By the way, the secured area in JNB is very nice, with some great stores and lots to do. Not bad way to spend time in an airport. Walk into lounge, which was decorated in an African motif. The lounge was not very big, and it was a bit crowded, since the plane was full, but it was pretty comfy. I had a good dinner of Thai noodles and then some caramelized bananas, so I could dedicate my time on the plane to sleeping. Checked out the bathrooms, which have some very nice showers with wood-slat floors, Asian-outdoors style.
Halfway through my stay in the lounge, there was some commotion and Sir Richard appeared out of nowhere speaking in a cell phone. He went to a corner of the lounge and proceeded to make a bunch of phone calls. He was alone, without entourage. At some point, the lounge manager took him around and pointed to some of the features of the lounge. My guess is that this was his first visit to the lounge since it opened, and was checking it out.
Boarding was called, and proceeded to get on a bus, no jetway for us. I didn't mind, because it allowed me to spend some time outside in the cool night air, and to board a 747-400 from the ground up. Really gets you to see how BIG this thing really is, and to ponder that it actually gets off the ground and self-propels itself through the air. Sometimes we take technology for granted, but I try not to lose my sense of wonderment over such things.
I was sitting up in the front, Sir Richard was a couple of rows back, in a window seat. After takeoff, Sir Richard walked around the plane a bit, to check out his customers. I sat down at the bar with a couple of other people, hoping to catch his attention in a low-key way. This time the snacks were either macadamia nuts or some kind of South African beef jerky. Had the nuts again, not warm. Everybody (at least in UC) was behaving nonchalantly about Sir Richard, very easygoing. I don't know what kind of a reception he got in coach. Of course, we were right in sitting at the bar and assuming he would eventually head there. After a while, Sir Richard moseyed up to the bar and we spent some time talking to him and about the airline. He was traveling alone, and seems like a disarmingly friendly guy, just having a normal conversation with the owner of the airline you are on. That's all. Not a big deal, right.
Anyway, after a while, Sir Richard excused himself and went to sleep, and so did I. Put on my Virgin jammies, and watched "The Last Castle" before passing out. Woke up 20 minutes before arrival, just enough time to change out of my jammies and into clothes. Upon arrival, Sir Richard was at the door greeting all the disembarking passengers. Nice touch.
With FastTrack, proceeded out of the arrivals area in five minutes, and went straight to the Revivals lounge. The place is not very big, but it is quite nice. They were expecting me, and confirmed my limo transport into the city, "whenever I wanted". Was taken to one of the shower rooms, which was spotless, and had some of the biggest bathtowels I have ever seen. The room also had this neat double door, where you could hang up a suit and close the door. Then housekeeping could open an outside door, retrieve the suit, and have it pressed. I tried being sneaky, and put two suits in the space. But no dice, housekeeping was apologetic, but they could only press one. Oh well. Took a nice long shower, got dressed in some clean clothes, opened the suit trapdoor, and voila! My suit, pressed and zipped in a Virgin suit bag. As I was leaving, was about to return the suit bag, but the housekeeper said I could keep it. Cool.
Went to the lounge, where I had some breakfast, and this yogurt drink I've never had before, name brand "Innocent". This stuff was delicious, especially first thing in the morning. I am hooked. It tasted like a dense, smooth indian sweet lassi.
At 8:30, went to the front desk, where my driver was already waiting for me to take me into the city in a late-model Volvo station wagon.
All in all, I'd have to say VS UC has the nicest business class I've been in, hands down. I think my only remaining test will be CX and the Wing. I have high expectations, but can they be met? Anybody care to comment or compare?
[This message has been edited by Pickles (edited 03-21-2002).]