London Heathrow

I arrived at the airport much earlier than necessary, but I had to pick up money at the American Express office and also wanted to enjoy the Virgin Atlantic Club House. After I collected the money and earned some Avios and Heathrow Rewards Points as well as American Express Membership Rewards I approached the Virgin Atlantic Check in facilities located on the ground floor. Two business Class counters were manned and while the agent at one the two desks were busy, the other desk was empty. I was checked in quickly and asked if this was my first time or if I knew the facilities. I mentioned that I was actually flying Virgin Atlantic for the first time and so the agent thanked me for trying Virgin Atlantic and gave me directions to the dedicated private security channel / checkpoint for passengers in Upper Class and explained where to find the Virgin Club House.

I took the elevator up to the upper floor and entered the private security line. This is also the area where the private check in is located if one is using the Virgin Chauffeur Service or arriving by car. I walked through the long hallway and approached the security check point. No One was in front of me and so I was able to pass security quickly. I passed the duty free shops and followed the signs to the lounge areas. The Virgin Atlantic Club House is located in area H above the AA Admirals Club. I took the escalator up to the upper floor.

I approached the desk at the entrance and was welcomed. I was again asked if I knew the lounge and as I answered no to the question was given a brief introduction in the facilities and was told how to access the internet.

If one is used to the usual airline lounge facilities, the Virgin Club House is quite a change – and a positive one. Virgin Atlantic opened its first lounge back in 1990 at London’s Gatwick airport and it was the first lounge in which food was provided to the passengers. In February 1993 Virgin opened its first lounge at London Heathrow. In 1997 there was another new in the airline industry: “Virgin Touch”, the spa brand with passengers being able to enjoy treatments in the air (unfortunately no longer available) and on the ground.  Eight years later – in 2005 – it was time for a new lounge at LHR The new flagship lounge called Heathrow Clubhouse opened in two phases, 2005 and 2006. In the same year, “Virgin Touch” was rebranded as Clubhouse Spa introducing a new partnership with Cowshed and Bumble & Bumble. Even after eight years, the lounge still looks modern and up to date in terms of design, interior style and layout.

I immediately liked the modern and open design of the lounge with different areas. There was a restaurant style area; an area was designed lounge style while another area was dedicated to those who want to work with working desk and there was also a library and a billiard table.

I could also have had a haircut or get a treatment at the Spa, but since I had a few things to do and was not quite in the mood for a massage and not the need for a haircut. So I simply took a seat close to the bar. The guests are served and a menu on the table let you know what is available. The menu changes and there are different options depending on the time of the day. I did not have to wait long, less than a minute, before a friendly waiter approached me and asked if I like to have something to eat and to drink. Since I had skipped breakfast in the hotel, I went for eggs Florentine and ordered a glass of Prosecco but was convinced by the waiter that a glass of champagne would be more appropriate and of course he was right.

So I celebrated my first flight on Virgin Atlantic with no less than a glass of champagne. Both were brought soon later. I used the time to check mails and later moved to an area with more relaxing chairs and read in the paper and just relaxed and made a few notices for new projects which I had in mind. The time in the lounge passed quickly, too quickly. To be honest I like the Virgin Clubhouse very much. And while the lounge was busy, one had never the impression that it was overcrowded. There were no lines of passenger queuing at buffets or waiting for the coffee machine to become available, it was much more relaxing. I hope this does not change with the introduction of the codeshare agreement between Virgin Atlantic and Delta.

A few minutes before the scheduled boarding time of 10:45 I walked down to the gate, which was open since 10:15.

At the entrance to the gate three counters were checking the flight information and the usual questioning for US bound flights were done and also boarding passes were checked similar to for example in Singapore where one boards the plane and then is waiting in a gate area before finally boarding the plane. There was a dedicated line for passengers in Upper Class, Premium Economy and holding Gold Status in the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. There is no security check but the usual questioning for US bound flights, which was very quick. The line for those passengers was much shorter and after a short wait, a quick questioning, I found myself in the gate area which was quite full. The plane had arrived late and there were not yet ready for boarding, but hoped to speed up things. An announcement was made, that boarding should start around 11:00. Newspapers were available in the boarding area as well as some magazines.

Two aero bridges were used, one attached to the front door for passengers travelling in Upper Class and another one to the second door for all other passengers. This was nice, as this means passengers in Upper Class had their own aero bridge. Boarding started with Passenger traveling in Upper Class.

03 October 2013
LHR – LAX
[London Heathrow – Los Angeles International]
VS 7 (Virgin Atlantic); Boeing 747-400 (G-VROC / ‘Mustang Sally’)
Gate 16
11:30 – 14:40 [effective 11:35 – 14:34]
Business Class
Seat 18 K

I was the third passenger to board the plane and turned right. I already had noticed the registration of the plane and I had used the time in the lounge to do a quick research about G-VROC named ‘Mustang Sally’.

The 747-400 of Virgin is equipped with 44 flat-bed-seats in herringbone style. The front cabin in the nose of the 747-400 has only 14 seats at the windows, there are not seats in the middle of the cabin. The second part of the Upper Class Cabin is between the first door and the second door and configured 1 – 2 – 1. The Upper Class bar area is also located here. This makes the last two seats in the upper class the less desirable seats. There are also 10 Upper Class seats in the upper deck.
The seat pitch is quite good with 79 to 82 inch (the latter is the pitch of the seats in the upper deck) and a seat width of 22 inch. All seats could be converted to a 78 inch long flat bed.

The 62 Premium Economy Seats are located right behind Upper Class on the lower deck and offer a seat pitch of 38 inch and a seat width of 21 inch. The 261 Economy Class seats are in the lower deck but also on the upper deck. They offer a seat pitch of 31 inch and seat width of 17.5 inch.

All seats are equipped with an Audio Video on Demand System (AVOD), called VERA On Demand which is onboard most 747-400s and all A340-600s. It has a small 10.4 inch screen in Upper Class (9 inch screen in Premium Economy / Economy) and offers round about 300 hours of Video on Demand content, 14 Audio channels and a CD Selection with more than 45 CDs ranging from Classical to Pop and Rock.

The seats in Premium Economy and Upper Class offer at least Empower Outlet, not all 747 have an AC Power outlet. This 747 was only equipped with Empower Outlets and an indication, that the Upper Class Cabin and especially its seats are quite old. Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to introduce a Premium Economy Class Cabin in 1992 and in 2003 the Upper Class Suite was introduced. Currently the second generation of the seats is introduced and some planes (mostly A 330) are re-fitted with the new Upper Class Suite. There is a list on the Virgin Atlantic Homepage (http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/us/en/the-virgin-experience/inflight-connectivity/laptop-power.html), where you can see which airlines is equipped with which type of power outlet.

As mentioned, our plane for today’s flight was G-VROC, the youngest 747-400 in the fleet of Virgin Atlantic and this Boeing 747-41R joined the fleet of Virgin on October 22, 2003 after it made its first flight three week earlier on October 03, 2003. The plane is named “Mustang Sally” and leased from BCC. It is equipped with four GE CF6-80C2B1F engines with a thrust if 58000 lbf. Virgin Atlantic has ordered some of their 747-400 themselves (Boeing customer code is 1R) but took also some 747 originally ordered by Alitalia (Boeing customer code 43) or some which have been bought by the leasing company ILFC (Boeing customer code Q8). In the past they have also bought used planes from different other airlines, in so far, it is quite interesting to see on airfleets.net which planes have belonged to other airlines or which planes have been sold to other airlines. A few airlines use the planes their entire life before they are scrapped, but other, especially those planes, which are leased, change ownership / airline quite often.

But back to this flight …

I stored my belongings in the overhead bins above my seat. The amenity kit was placed on the food rest, while blanket, mattress and pillow were placed on the space behind the seat. All seats face the aisle, so the window is in the back of the seat, which is not so nice if you want to look out of the window.

Pre departure drinks were offered and it was a choice of champagne, orange juice and water. I took a glass of Champagne – Virgin is serving Lanson Black Label in Upper Class. A flight attendant offered to hang my jacket in the closet next to seat 19 K. The flight was full in all three classes and it took some time until all passengers had boarded the aircraft.

Pre departure drink

Lanson Black Label Champagne

While we were still waiting at the gate, the captain came over the microphone and informed us about the flight time (10:40) and the weather in Los Angeles. He also expected a smooth ride.

We were pushed back around 11:35 and the safety video was shown during push back. The safety video was also in true Virgin Style with figures different form the stereotype “Average Joe” Person appearing in the most airline safety videos. We taxied to the runway and took off in Eastern direction on runway 09R at 11:54 and left rainy London behind.

We made a few turns during take off and passing the city of London offering nice views to London from different angles.

Once the fasten seat belt signs were turned off approximately ten minutes after we left London, the crew went to their stations. Information about the service done on this flight was given by the inflight manager. The entertainment system was already running, but it was not working properly for all, so it was rebooted later.

Twenty minutes after we left London a hot towel service was done and soon later the printed menus were distributed. 10 minutes later and after the towels were collected orders for aperitif were taken by the crew. The ordered aperitif was brought individually by the flight attendant and we received also a small pot with salt and vinegar chips, no packed pretzels or other snacks, it was a ceramic bowl. I choose an orange juice as aperitif since Campari was not on offer and a Campari Orange therefore not available.

Aperitif

orange juice
salt and vinegar chips

While I enjoyed my aperitif orders for the meal service were taken. Time to have a look at the menu
(click on menu to read it, opens new window)

I decided to go with the Leek and Potato Soup as first course and take the herb-crumbed filet of British Beef as main course. My choices were available. I did not notice any particular order in which the orders for the individual courses were taken. I would say is was row by row. The tray table was laid with line and the cutlery, napkin and the cute salt and pepper shakers were also brought individually.

First Course

Organic Leek and Potto Soup
Sundial Chardonnay Feter, California 2011

Main Course

Herb crumbed Fillet of British Beef
potato rösti, carrot purée, thyme shallot jus

Dessert Course

Rich Chocolate Marquise
Graham's Port Wine

Chesse Course

Cropwell Bishop Stilton, Coastal Cheddar

The first course was served individually by the crew and they did not use a cart for the meal service, which was nice to see. The flight became a bit bumpy while the first course was served and the fasten seat belt signs were turned on, but the service did not have to be interrupted. The beverage service was also done individually. One flight attendant had a bag with the three available red and the three available white wines. I decided to have a glass of the Californian Sundial Chardonnay from Fetzer winery with the meal. Another flight attendant offered still and sparkling water, and I asked for a glass of sparkling water.

The used bowl and plates from the first course were cleared individually after the passenger had finished the course. The main course was served a little bit later also individually rather than all together from a cart. This gave a more relaxed atmosphere. Unfortunately no additional beverage service was done at this time, which somehow was a pity but the only down during the meal service. It was offered later while I enjoyed the main course. And the food was good, the beef not try but soft and very good for airline food, even in a restaurant on the ground it would have been good.

After the plates from the main course were cleared, dessert was offered. The flight attendant taking the used plate away asked if one like to have dessert and what one would prefer to have. I asked for a glass of Port with the chocolate Marquise which was brought immediately. Later a selection of cheese was offered from a tray (brie, stilton and cheddar) with fruits and crackers. Port was also offered with the cheese and later tea and coffee.

Round about twenty minutes after the meal service was finished and approximately 140 minutes after we had left London, the lights were dimmed and a few passengers converted themselves or with the help of a flight attendant the seat to a bed, while other stayed awake, reading or working.

Unfortunately the seats only offered an empower power outlet, no AC power outlet for a standard plug. I had not charged my laptop in the lounge and thus meant I would not be able to work all the remaining flight time. There were empower adapters on board, but there were used by other passengers. At least this gave me the opportunity to watch a movie or listen to music in the inflight entertainment system of our plane.

Two hours after the meal service was finished – around four and a half hour in flight the crew offered Ben & Jerry Vanilla Ice cream to those passengers, who were awake and wanted a sweet treat. In the front cabin this was the majority of the passengers.

Soon later I shut my laptop down and made a visit to the bar in the back of the lower Business Class Cabin, at the stairs to the upper deck and before Premium Economy. The bar was not manned and self-service. A few passengers were sitting or standing there and chatting with each other. I got me another glass of Chardonnay which I enjoyed at the bar. It was nice to have the possibility to walk around and stay at a place without feeling that one was disturbing the crew, which is often the case when being in the galley.

I also visited the upper deck which was half Economy Class and half Business Class. Virgin has also 747 which have an Upper Class only upper deck. I could imagine that in regard to Economy Class this was the nicer part with a smaller cabin with 3 – 3 seating. The Business Class Cabin is also small and intimate, but there is no advantage as these Economy Class passengers are ahead if it comes to leaving the plane. Both cabins have smaller overhead bins than those in the lower deck.

Graze

Falafel
Arabic-inspired salad, minted yoghurt

In the remaining flight time I watched a movie and listened to music. I also ordered a falafel from the snack menu, which never appeared as I ordered it so I asked an hour later again and this time it was served.

Two hours before expected arrival time in LAX, the afternoon tea was served. Time to have another look at the menu
(click on menu to read it, opens new window)

Hight Tea

A selection of Freshly Prepared Sandwiches (egg mayonaise, cheese and onion marmalade, ham and mustard maysonaise)
Warm scone (clotted cream, strawberry jam)
Choice of Cakes from Cake stand (citrus fondant fancy)
 

This time a cart was used for the food as well as coffee and black tea while other teas were served individually. The crew used an étagère for the sandwiches and scones which was very nice. I opted for a green tea and later switched to coffee. The sandwiches were very tasty and so were scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream and pastries. The dishes from the afternoon tea service were cleared half an hour later by the crew. The afternoon tea service was quite good and I prefer this over another warm meal service before landing, given the fact that it is not that late for Los Angeles time and many passengers would have dinner later in the evening.

40 minutes before expected arrival time we started our descend and the captain gave us an update about the weather situation in the Greater Los Angeles area. He expected some minor turbulence while we approached LAX from the north. Soon later the crew began to prepare the cabin for the arrival in LAX. The inflight manager thanked the crew for their “hard work” (sic!) which I thought was a bit strange.

We approached LAX from the North flying over the coast before we made northerly of LAX a turn to the East and descend while flying into direction of the San Bernadino Mountains. We then made a U turn and descended into LAX and finally touched down on runway 24 R at 14:25. We had to taxi quite a bit before we arrived at our gate in terminal 2 of Los Angeles International Airport.

Only the second door was used but we could disembark quickly through the second door and I was on my way to immigration. There were only short lines and I entered the US in less than 15 minutes after I left the plane and was on my way to terminal 3, where my Virgin America flight for Seattle was leaving.

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