Destinations

Leaving for Europe from San Francisco Airport’s International Terminal is easy, smooth and comforting.  I was able to experience the best of Virgin’s Upper Class service on this nonstop journey and came away feeling that some airlines still know how to give their clients/customers the very best of treatment.   Check In was smooth and easy.  Just be aware that carry-on luggage in Upper Class is limited to 10 kilos (22 lbs) weight.   One bag and one personal carry-on like a purse, laptop case or similar is allowed.  Checked luggage for Upper Class appears quickly on the other side of the Atlantic at the end of your journey.

Onboard meals and beverage service was of very good quality; the entertainment options are so numerous that you could in theory be occupied for the whole 10 hour flight and need to take 5 more journeys to see all the offerings.  Comfy “sleep suits” in various sizes are provided to make your flat bed, duvet-covered and mattress- padded horizontal overnight completely comfortable.  Angled single seats face forward and inward on the side aisles downstairs and on the upper deck.  Downstairs on the main deck there are a number of side-by-side seats with a drop-wall for couples or friends traveling together in the center section.  Unusually, the seat flips over and is converted instantly into the flat bed.  The bed side of the seat has its own seatbelt for placing around you as you sleep.

Maybourne Hotels London:

All three of the Maybourne Hotels are known by their reputations and long history.  The Connaught - Claridges - The Berkeley.  Each hotel occupies a unique niche within this family of hotels. 

Claridges was the “adjunct” hotel to Buckingham Palace as the place VIPs, diplomats, and guests of the Queen were discretely and elegantly housed if they were not staying at the Palace itself.   She is renewed and refreshed, maintaining her long history.  The restaurants, bars and dining facilities are updated but still maintain their traditionally elegant energies.  Staff wear morning suits or dark outfits to discretely serve the top flight guests who stay here.  We were able to visit a number of suites and rooms redone by Lord Linley using his design talents with furniture using fine woods to create classic decor done to a new standard.   And as the new standard in England is “nonsmoking”, the former “Humidor” has recently been transformed into an intimate cocktail bar where a select number of guests can fill its private spaces while enjoying the very top quality liquors or liquers as they wish. 

We had a very special treat at Claridges.   Below the ground floor, in the Claridge kitchens, we were greeted by The Chef who asked his younger colleague to guide us in the art of creating appetizers.   With hilarity and good humor, the chefs guided us amateurs in creating a selection of sushi rolls, pipetted horseradish-cream smoked salmon cones as well as getting to taste fois-gras nibbles and other specialities.  A complexity of kitchen work-stations work together to produce just about everything from scratch for the discerning palates of those enjoying the fine cuisine at the hotel..

The Connaught is completing its major rennovations with the addition of new suites in a co-joined building to the original Grande Dame hotel.  Skirting the façade on the south and east sides of the hotel is the marvelous ‘conservatory restaurant’, Espelette, serving many of chef Hélène Darroze’s lighter menus.  The redone lobby “lounge” is done in subtle colors and welcomes both hotel guests and visitors from Mayfair to stop for tea in the afternoon or drinks pre-theatre or pre-dinner.  Relaxed and inviting, it is the perfect place after a day spent in London.  Soon to open its doors more widely to the neighborhood is the very trendy, happening Connaught Bar, done in cool blues and aluminum highlights and featuring new cocktails and inventive nibbles.  If a more quiet yet intimate drinking area is desired, the Coburg Bar and its dynamic staff will ensure a place for excellent conversation and laughter.  A new grand apartment is in the making.  Today you can enjoy the marvelously distinct “Prince’s Suite” where all the wood carvings and décor are hand-crafted as part of support for the wood-carving artists in Afghanistan.  This unique room is a special treat for the most discriminating guest.

The Berkeley just off Belgravia and Knightsbridge across from Hyde Park is an elegant retreat.  She is the newest of the buildings in the group but is home to Boxwood Café, entered from the street on the side of the hotel, Marcus Wareing’s amazing 2* Michelin restaurant, the bustling and very happening Blue Bar for late night drinking and discussions, and the charming Caramel Room where lunch, afternoon tea and breakfast are served with style and panache.   As London attracts people from all over the world, the staff at the Berkeley reflects this multi-national flavor, ensuring all guests will have someone who specially is attuned to their wishes.   The Spa and the rooftop pool are particularly appreciated here.  You can splash about overlooking Hyde Park and retreat into the Spa for a wide variety of treatments.   And the bathrooms are universally spacious with excellent Asprey Purple Rain amenities.   Showers with either rainheads, massage or full spray facilities, deep tubs for soaking and marble marble everywhere.   Service is attentive throughout the hotel and decor in the rooms is subtle and generally done in muted tones.  Several large suites have balconies and one of the top suites has a large ’solarium’ leading out to an expansive balcony which overlooks the Belgravia neighborhood.

All in all, the trip to London gave me an opportunity to once again re-connect with some old hotel friends and learn for the first time the pleasures of Virgin Atlantic.  You should “check out” the Upper Class lounge in London …. you almost don’t want to come home because it is such a great place to hang out!!!

The future of commercial aviation has arrived in California. It’s a Qantas Airlines kangaroo with wings that can take hundreds of people on a big, speedy hop across the Pacific. The A380 Airbus is in service, and I just made the trip on the inaugural flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne.

For many reasons, it was more than just a delightful, fascinating experience. This revolutionary aircraft changes the definition of getting from point A to point B.

The timing couldn’t be better. Right now, Australia is one of the few places in the world where the buck still gets a bang. In this case, it’s a big bang. The U.S. dollar exchange rate with the Oz dollar is at its most favorable level in years. And lovely Australian summer weather is just around the corner south of the equator. If that isn’t enough, there are ecologically good reasons for choosing this flight.

The A380 Airbus uses about 25 percent less fuel than previous superjets, and has far less carbon dioxide emissions. It is quieter both inside and outside the plane, and is smoother and more comfortable than any other plane in the sky.  Additionally, it has 50 percent more floor space than a Boeing 747.

Big airplanes have been in a holding pattern for years. There’s been nothing new since the 747 came into service almost 40 years ago. Boeing’s new challenge in the superjet category is expected next year, when the 787 takes to the skies. That plane also is big but not nearly as large as the Airbus A380.

If the Airbus is configured only with economy seats, it could put 800 passengers in its double-decked cabin. But Qantas had comfort and spaciousness in mind by configuring the plane for “only” 450 passengers.  There are 332 economy seats and 32 in premium economy. Business class has 72 seats and 14 first-class suites. Tickets in economy are priced the same as on other planes. Luxury business and first seats are pricier.

If you’re headed to Australia, make your reservation early because Qantas now has only one A380 in service. Nineteen more will come later, and for good reason. The expectation is that Australian tourism will continue to grow as a vacation attraction. In addition to the Airbuses, Qantas has 65 Boeing 787s on order. Delivery of the Boeing big birds is
scheduled to start next year.

Qantas’ Airbus looks the same on the outside as other A380s but is different inside. Comfort and convenience were the Qantas watchwords. Its seats are unique. In business class, they recline into a fully-flat sky bed. In economy, newly designed seats offer a bit more leg room. The economy cabins also offer the ease and convenience of self-service snack
bars. It’s not so much size, but what you do with it.

With Qantas, it’s non-stop from Los Angeles either to Sydney or Melbourne depending on flight days. Both cities are modern, charming and loaded with visitor attractions. Ballooning over Melbourne is a must. Bondi beach on the outskirts of Sydney shouldn’t be missed, especially now when it’s swimming weather in Australia.

A tip for passengers flying to Sydney is to take the time to see a great exhibit Qantas has set up in the Sydney Airport domestic terminal. The Qantas Heritage Center is free, and features the history of commercial aviation as seen through the eyes of Qantas, the world’s most experienced airline. Qantas has been in uninterrupted service since 1920, longer than any other airline currently flying.

Suffice it to say, Jumbo used to be the name of an elephant. As of now, Jumbo is a wizard of a kangaroo flying to Oz.

(Article originally printed in the Contra Costa Times 11.04.08)

Ed Arnow can be reached at BrentwoodBuzz@aol.com

Recently I was invited to attend the inaugural flight of Virgin America from San Francisco to Seattle. While a brief trip at only 1.5 hours, this proved an excellent opportunity to learn more about the latest entrant in the low cost carrier community.

Overall I was impressed by the carrier and the service. All inaugural launches suffer from their own challenges, the most notable on this one being that the much vaunted and hyped entertainment system was on the fritz and unavailable for inspection. It was fixed in time for the return so I did get a chance to mash the buttons and play some Doom on the way home.

The Good

1. The Virgin brand is known for fusing Hip with Service, and I have found that to translate into VA as well. The flight attendants and ground crew are cheerful and helpful, two things sadly lacking these days in the airline industry. Like SouthWest in the days of yore, they make the inflight announcements entertaining and are known to crack a few jokes throughout the flight.
2. 120V power outlets beneath the seat. No adapters and no converters are necessary as you can plug in your laptop or recharge your phone with the minimum of fuss. I really wish other carriers would copy this.
3. On demand food service. A few clicks of the buttons on the intuitive to use entertainment system and food was delivered to my seat when I wanted it. Food was nothing special but I do like the convenience factor.

The not-so-good

1. The live TV service still has bugs in it. Frequently the satellite connection is lost or the digital service is scrambled.
2. Fix the bins for the bulkhead seats. I made the mistake of putting my cell phone and music player in there and they were nearly lost for all time as the bins are deep and quite narrow.
3. Internet Access on the plane is visibly lacking, given all the attention to entertainment and connectivity. The good news, though, is that this is scheduled for deployment later this year.

Making travel enjoyable is a tall task to expect of any airline, but it is a worthy goal to have and a goal that many carriers seem to have forgotten. Virgin America is showing that it is fundamentally stretching to achieve that goal and for that reason I recommend it for business travel, vacation travel, as well as for family travel.