On my way to London, Gatwick from Kingston, Jamaica I sat in the lower deck section of the Upper Class Cabin. On the return trip (LGW-KIN) I sat in the upper deck of the Upper Class section and noted some significant differences.  The seats on the upper deck do not feel nearly as wide as those on the lower deck.  In addition you are much closer to the passengers across from you on the upper deck.  Most importantly, it is nearly impossible to see out the window on the upper deck.  The windows are well below eye level, making  laying flat on your back the only way to look comfortably out the window.  And even then, you will be looking into space as opposed to looking at the earth.

One more reason not to sit on the top deck: This plane, Lady Penelope, features an economy class section in the rear of the upper deck, which can seat at least 48 passengers. This makes de-planing a very slow process. Not all of Virgin’s 747′s have this economy section on the upper deck; some have more Upper Class seats, some have Premium Economy seats.  For all of the other reasons (and maybe or maybe not the last one) choose the lower deck, Upper Class Cabin on Virgin’s 747′s.

The rest of the 8 hour and 50 minute flight was uneventful. I was 1 of 2 passengers seated in the upstairs, Upper Class cabin. In total 304 passengers and 8 babies were on the flight.  This was announced before departure.

I was perplexed by the food choices. While there may have been some English delicacies, I found the menu choices dull, although the food was flavorful. 

We deplaned at a remote stand vs. at an actual gate and were bused to the terminal. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic alternate using the only gate that can accommodate (apparently) a 747 or 777. I will post my pictures from the Virgin Clubhouse at Gatwick shortly. Thanks.

salmon

ham hock

bar view, walking down stairs from upper deck

movies, tv, music

personal t.v.

rear economy section of upper deck; exit row

Thankfully my virgin, Virgin experience took a 180 degree turn as soon as I stepped on to the plane. (Not 360 degree, that would mean it stayed the same) I posted my pre-boarding experience here. I was not showed to my seat, but rather followed by a flight attendant who offered me a drink as soon as I sat down. I chose to sit on the lower deck of this 747 thinking I would have a great forward looking view from the forward most seat on the plane.  The view was just O.K. The two front seats are very close to each other, but the seat across form mine was vacant, giving me some extra privacy. There are some significant differences between the upper and lower deck that I will talk about in another post.

The first thing I noticed was that the seats felt noticeably wider than Delta’s and Cathay Pacific’s which also offer an angled business class seats. Not sure if the actual seat is wider or the angled bulkheads are more spread out. The seats did look somewhat tired. There were some smears, smudges, crumbs and hair on the television and the adjustable armrest.  I attributed this to the weak ground staff in Jamaica.

Shortly after departure, a flight attendant introduced herself to me and offered to demonstrate the seat functions. She said to let her know when I was ready for turn down service. Like Singapore’s 777 business class seats, there are limited positions to put the seat in as the entire back folds down in order to make the bed. The tray table is large enough to have a companion eat facing you while seated at your footrest. Despite having a great night’s sleep, complete with duvet sheet/pad and pillow, I think I would still rather have a seat that does not require me to stand up to lay down and vice-versa.

The quality of food was outstanding, as was the quantity. Note the mountain of back bacon with breakfast. I couldn’t come close to finishing my breakfast as I was still full from dinner.  The enetertainment selection was fairly standard, with the exception of music and documentries which were above avergae.  Virgin America and Virgin Atlantic have a better music selection than most airlines.  There were a least a dozen different documentaries, good for folks with short attention spans, on Virgin Atlantic.

Prior to landing, Laura, the flight attendant, came by my seat and asked if I had enjoyed my flight (indeed I had) and wished me a pleasant onward journey.  This type of interaction is just one example of the exemplary service I experienced on Virgin Atlantic.

Stay tuned for a post on the return flight. I will show the upper deck and tell you all the reasons not sit up there.

upper class forward cabin

12A & 14A

my seat 12A, with table extended

amenity kit contained toothbrush & paste, eye mask, ear plugs and socks

pajamas which I have yet to wear

seasonal leaf salad with chicken

delcious & tender braised beef in gravy

obligatory cheese plate

bed!

lower deck, from the nose, facing rear

premium econonmy section looked pretty comfy

bar between upper class and premium economy

“mustang sally” from the jetbridge at gatwick

A few weeks back I took a look at Virgin Atlantic’s UK website and found that Upper Class (Virgin’s Business Class) fares to Havana, Cuba and Kingston, Jamaica were on sale from London Gatwick.  Not exactly Virgin’s most desirable destinations, but like I’ve said, I’m not much for sightseeing.  Also working in my favor, the sale fares were available in both directions: Kingston to Gatwick and vice-versa.  I don’t even know (or care) if Americans are allowed in Cuba, so I chose the Gatwick route.

Virgin’s website would not allow me to book online so I called their reservations desk. After a 20 minute wait on hold, I was connected to a very pleasant and helpful agent who not only booked my flight, but said she would make a note in my reservation to have someone show me around the Clubhouse in Gatwick in order for me to “get the most for my money”

Check in at Kingston was comical. Three hours before the flight, a large queue formed at the check in counters and gate agents showed up shortly thereafter. The only agent that was missing was was the one that was supposed to be working the Upper Class desk.  As I waited and stared into space, economy passengers began being checked in by the oblivious agents. After a 5 or 10 minute wait a gal hustled up to the upper class desk and apologized for being late.  I accepted her apology and suggested the other desk agents should have noticed me.  After she checked me in, she asked if I was aware that the configuration was different.

I asked: “Different than what?”
After staring at he computer and not answering me I said: “What type of plane is it?”
She said something to the effect of oh jeez, don’t ask me those tough questions.
Then she said: “737 maybe?” (Virgin has no 737′s nor would a 737 make it to LGW)

I told her not to worry, I would figure it out. I proceeded to make my way through security to the lounge.  I was surprised by her lack of knowledge because she appeared to be an actual Virgin employee as opposed to just one of the hired hands that most airlines use when they have 1 flight per day from an airport.

Boarding was more frustrating and less entertaining than check-in. Like the past experiences I have had in Jamaica, nothing is planned on this island, things just happen. It’s UNorganized chaos. Passengers need to show their boarding pass in order to take the escalator to the gates located on the lower level. The challenge was that security was not sure in what order passengers should be allowed to the lower level in order to make the long walk to the gate.  This made for much confusion.

In the boarding hall, there was a secondary security inspection, but the security personnel did not speak, they just stared at me. I asked them several times what they wanted to inspect and/or what they wanted me to do.

When I finally made it to the boarding area, there was a long line where someone was checking boarding passes. I asked if there was a business class boarding line and was told that there was but the signage had been removed because they did not “see” and business class passengers.  Travel aggravation at it’s best! More to come from the flight…

norman manley international airport (KIN)

random

the other flight to london gatwick

our 747 pulling up to the gate; BA and Virgin alternate between a gate and a stand