SB - thanks for taking the time and making the effort to reply.
I fully appreciate that a full 744, especially the MCO-LGW Saturday night flight must be a real handful for the crew, especially with such a high % of children.
Let me add a little more background for you - I have travelled many times across the Atlantic on all sorts of tickets, including many non-rev staff. Additionally, I worked at LHR for 2 years with BAA so I am all too familiar with the pressures that ground and aircrew are under, especially in the current climate.
However, my comments still stand as I posted them from the perspective of a passenger and whether I would spend £x again with VS. As a passenger, it matters little to me what the crew take home and even less what the impact of childrens' meals have - only what service I get for my £x.
Again. please put this in perspective, I have not criticised anybody's professional ability to deal with an emergency, in fact I am very well aware of the Airbus incident that Pnooze referred to as I was part of the team debriefing with the BAA ADM some time later.
Regarding my comments on the crew being "scruffy" - SB, I accept your comments on priorities and I would not expect them to look like they were just stepping onto a catwalk after 7 hours on a full 744.
Specifically I was referring to their appearance at the start of the flight. Maybe it was bad luck; but of the 2 closest crew to our seats (row 50) - one male, one female - he had food on his trousers that looked like it was from a previous flight and when she removed her jacket, her blouse was in need of an iron - and please don't tell me it they get creased in the heat under the jackets, you can tell the difference between one that has been creased and one that wasn't ironed in the first place.
Add to this the immature and curt attitudes displayed to the non-upgraded passengers in the row in front of us and the constant sighing, tutting or muttering heard from behind the galley curtains whenever a call light went on then it doesn't create a great impression. I understand the attitude - I just don't want to see it.
Again, let me try to keep some balance - I am aware of the issues that all the airlines currently face; but it is also a competitive industry and my experience as a paying passenger indicates that, for a scheduled airline, I found Virgin wanting in comparison.