Introduction

I spend a whole week in the US, and that includes a day trip to Washington. In New York I attend the LTRC conference, which is one of the bigger events in applied linguistics research. I also take the opportunity to go to the Met Opera, where I see Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer, and Puccini’s La Bohème. Of the three, I think Die Zauberflöte was the best performance, simply because the cast was very good. The other two were okay.

And today I’m heading home.

Getting from the Sofitel to JFK Airport

In New York I stay at the Sofitel, which is located on 44th street between 5th and 6th avenues. My flight to Heathrow is not leaving until 18h00 this evening. So in the morning I take the ferry from 34th street to Brooklyn and then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back over to Manhattan.

I check out of the hotel at 14:20 and walk the two blocks to the subway station at Rockefeller Centre on 6th avenue. From there I have a direct E train to Sutphin boulvard in Jamaica. To access the subway, you can either buy a metro card or tap your credit card at the turnstiles.

At Jamaica there is a quick transfer to the JFK Airtrain. You have to purchase a new ticket for the Airtrain – it’s not included in the subway fare.

From Jamaica, the Airtrain calls at all terminals except Terminal 1. The Delta Terminal 4 is currently the terminus. On its way you pass the fabulous TWA hotel near Terminal 5, and get to do some good plane spotting.

The journey takes me 75 minutes door to door.

Check-in

Delta Airlines and Virgin check-in on rows 1 to 4. Virgin has its own dedicated Upper Class check-in with three counters. The counters are kind of hidden away, so they’re rather quiet.

From check-in there is a fast track access for security. The airport is busy, but the queue moves quickly.

The Virgin Atlantic Club House at JFK

Virgin has its own lounge in JFK. I didn’t check, so I don’t know if Virgin passengers could also use the Delta lounge. The decor is a bit old fashioned, and trying a bit too hard to be hip, to be honest.

I haven’t had lunch yet, so I order the vegetarian gyoza and the vegetable curry.

The food is okay, but not as good as in the Heathrow lounge. The service though is seriously questionable. Three of the staff are having a beef over who is working which section. They’re arguing at the top of their voices and talking over the heads of the seated guests. At some point, one of them comes to clear away the dishes and a paper napkin . As she clears everything away, she asks me, “you haven’t been blowing boogers into the napkin, right? Because that’s gross…”. I am literally left speechless.

Boarding

Boarding starts at 17h15 from gate A7. There are two more Virgin aircraft parked next to us at gates A5 and A3, and there’s a further Virgin opposite at gate A6. They’re all heading for Heathrow.

The Cabin

On the A350-1000 Virgin has installed a reverse herringbone seat in a 1+2+1 configuration. At a glance it looks rather nice.

Upon closer inspection though, there are quite a few issues with the seat. First of all, it’s filthy with a combination of new dirt and old grime. Second, although I don’t know how old the aircraft is, the cabin hasn’t aged well. There are signs of considerable wear and tear everywhere. Third, the seat is impractical and with little storage space. And last, it’s not at all comfortable to sleep in.

The photo below basically shows all the storage space there is.

The tray table is also a very odd design. More importantly, you can’t adjust the table. So once it’s open, you’re basically trapped in the seat until the end of service.

Amenities

The amenity kit is basically made of paper, which I’m guessing is intended to show how incredibly green the airline is. It contains the usual combination of toothbrush, eye shades, earplugs and a lot of really useless stuff.

A pyjama and bedding are also provided.

There’s also a can of still water, which is hidden behind the tray table.

The Crew

The crew are one of the clearly very positive aspects of this flight. They’re the perfect combination of professional and friendly. Their manners are excellent and they chatter effortlessly with passengers. Their service is efficient.

The Meal – First Service

The flight time is 6h15. So as soon as the fasten seatbelt sign is turned off, the crew start their service.

To start there is a small bowl of salt and vinegar crisps.

With that I have a ginger ale and sparkling water.

Next, the crew put down place mats ahead of the meal service. No wonder the cabin is in such a filthy state. I’m really not quite sure what they think they will achieve with this little piece of round fake leather. At least with a proper table cloth they could prevent crumbs getting everywhere.

The overall inpression you get, is that they’re just trying really hard to appear to do things differently to set them apart. But they haven’t really thought it through.

To start, I have what is described on the menu as cauliflower mousse, but turns out to be mostly fennel with two florets of cauliflower. It’s a tasty dish.

For the main, I have the chicken breast with a rich tomato sauce, warm potato salad and grilled lemon. This dish is very nice too.

And then for dessert, I have the pineapple, coconut and chocolate bread pudding with cream. This is real comfort food, but it’s way too sweet, and I’m already full. So I don’t finish it.

With that, I have a tea before I go off to noddy land.

Second Service – Breakfast

Eighty minutes out of Heathrow, the crew see me awake and ask if I’d like to have breakfast.

I have the English breakfast with scrambled egg and all thetrimmings.

A bowl of plain yoghurt.

And a plate of orange and mango with mint and chilli. The coffee is dreadful.

Transfer in London Heathrow Terminal 3 to Terminal 5

We land in Heathrow at 06h05 and slowly taxi to our stand at Terminal 3. Transatlantic eastbound flights are never much fun. At least in this case the flight time wasn’t too long. I disembark and follow the signs for transfers to Terminal 5.

Conclusion

As I already mentioned above, the overall impression I got of Virgin Atlantic is that they’re trying just a little too hard to be different and trend – but without really succeeeding. More than anything, the whole experience comes across as being rather pretentious. The seat is as impractical as it is uncomfortable. The cabin could also really do with a good scrub. What I will say though, is that at least on this flight, the crew were outstanding. I wouldn’t actively avoid Virgin based on this experience, but they’re certainly not going to be my first choice.