Last week, we looked at the journey that many have taken on a trip to London as witnessed through the lens of the new Samsung Galaxy S3.
So it turns out that Virgin Atlantic have what they call Premium Economy. A boon for those who are looking for something extra without shelling out the full price of a business class ticket. Also for many a frequent flier and traveller this is what you would get upgraded to depending on the level of miles accumulated.
I had the pleasure of flying Premium Economy for this trip and it was quite something. The leather seats, more leg room and charging ports within the console all are different to that of the regular economy cabin which I know fairly well. The seats themselves recline much better, include a foot rest, are wider without the occasional elbow bump as there’s decent rest area in between.
Premium Economy passengers get to board along with business class which is a relief as there’s hardly any queues and the service tends to be swift. Once the aircraft door closes and passengers are settled, the crew greets Premium Economy passengers with sparkling wine or orange juice as well as a selection of British newspapers and publications.
As soon as we’re at 30,000 feet the food is served; a delectable 3 course meal with accompanying drink or a paired wine. Served on ceramic dinnerware with stainless steel cutlery, a far cry from my typical window seat longings of the regular economy cabin but a most welcome one. Perhaps it was just my flight but there was several rounds of drinks served afterward including Courvoisier for those with a penchant for a good cognac.
This is followed hours later by an afternoon snack savoury or sweet depending on your taste. Shout-out to them for using Fairtrade sugar*
The arrival at Heathrow amidst the Olympics was hardly as busy or hectic as I anticipated, though a lot less sunny.
I quickly got through arrivals and #TeamCarryOn means no bags to wait for or no moments at the conveyor belt before moving on.
A smart bit of advice is to take the Heathrow Express from Heathrow Airport to Paddington Station.
This saves a world of time as a commuter and I was lucky to be staying not too far from Paddington as well. It costs £34 for a return ticket to be used within one month if you buy it from the machine or an attendant and £39 if you buy it on the train itself. It is £19 for a one-way ticket (£5 added on if you chose to buy on the train).
There’s free WiFi (in exchange for your name and email address) on the Heathrow Express and this was a pleasant surprise as it gave me the chance to catch up on work and get acclimatised with the city. As well as the customary foursquare check-in. With the Olympics many companies were going the extra mile to make sure that guests and tourists had a great time in the city. A lady from Vodafone was on the train giving out free SIM and microSIM cards. They also had with them a map of the London Underground – useful for any traveller. Upon adding £10 to the SIM card I would get +60 international minutes and a host of international texts and some data.
I arrived at Paddington and set straight for the Vodafone store there to get some airtime. Once there I got chatting with Idris, a super usefl attendant there and in the end since I was keen on data, he organised for 500mb data, a microSIM for the S3, £10 of talk time and a number of texts. All this for a flat fee of £10. I was amazed and also bought an Incipio case (with a kickstand and screen protector) for the S3 in the process. Leaving with a lot more than I bargained for and much happier for it thanks to Vodafone.
And so the real journey began. Navigating the city of London with a suitcase and a backpack…
Next time on Journey to London – getting lost only to be saved by GPS. The hotel, an evening stroll through London and a chance encounter with one of the fashion and art world’s most iconic designers…see if you can guess who.
* – Full disclosure: Fairtrade (Africa) is a client.