Suzanne

Planning a trip to London for June 2002. I was thinking about flying British Airways until I found out about their very restrictive carry on regulations. I don't particularily want to fly on a domestic carrier to London unless I get a really good deal. <BR> <BR>What do you consider to be the best carrier to London? What do you think of Virgin Atlantic? What US cities can I get the best fares to London - Newark, Boston, New York, Atlanta, or any of them? <BR> <BR>

bettyk

I would suggest that you try www.orbitz.com and some of the other Internet travel websites and plug in the different departure cities you are interested in and see what fares come back. There are many choices and many variables such as when you can travel (month and day of week), etc. Do a little research and you'll see what choices are best for you.

traveller

What do you consider "restrictive" for carry-on luggage? Personally, I wish that all the airlines would begin to enforce the rules regarding carry-ons. If you pack wisely, it is amazing what you can put in a bag that is in line with current carry-on rules for most airlines. <BR> <BR>Nothing makes me more cross than to get on a plane and open my overhead storage to find strollers, garment bags, duffel bags, etc. etc. etc. and not a single place for my one very small piece of luggage. It is , IMHO rude and very inconsiderate of other passengers. <BR> <BR>Now, before you get too worked up, I was not saying that you personally would do that but do you not think that restrictions are a good thing?

Suzanne

No, I am not upset because I have flown so much, I usually only have a backpack and one checked bag. I was thinking about going to Europe with a small backpack ( the bookbag sized backpack) and a small rolling carry on - perhaps a 20", which fits US restrictions. I used to fly with a small rolling duffle and a small backpack and both easily and quickly fit under the seat or in the overhead. And I loved the fact that I didn't have to wait for bags and play "baggage roulette" - did my bags make it or did they not. <BR> <BR>British Airways limits you to one 13 pound carry on. This is barely a small ruck sack. <BR>I agree, people do not need to carry everything but the kitchen sink into a plane - too many people are too slow getting on the plane anyway. <BR> <BR>I quess what I was wondering about was quality of the flight experience. Which airline has given you the best flight experience? I thinking about Virgin Atlantic, but what have been your experiences on domestic lines or other international lines?

gmk

I used BA from LA to London Heathrow in August 2001 for $901 USD. The ticket was purchased from Travelocity, but I later found similar pricing on BA website (timing of purchase seems to determine pricing on the BA website). Lower fares can be found, if you can be flexible about date/time of travel. <BR> <BR>About BA, the flight was about 10 hours between LA and LHR, but comfortable for coach. If you can afford it, the new World Traveller Plus fare on the BA website was (at one point in my planning) only $500 more than coach and it was also the lowest price I found on the web for that service. After seeing the new WTP seating on this trip, I will somehow find the additional $$ next time I visit the UK.

anna

It's been my experience that every non-US carrier imposes weight restrictions instead of size-only (like in the US). In general terms I'm afraid that means you fly a US carrier, or deal with weight restrictions. I've flown several carriers to London, and BA does seem to have the best service in general. I usually fly from Raleigh or Charlotte, NC and when I plan in advance, I'm almost always able to get a coach ticket for less than $400.

LoriA

We've flown BA from LA to London about a dozen times - all were very good flights, even in coach. Their carryon policy in coach is one bag, cannot weight more then 13lbs. It's not hard to manage this and they don't throw you off the plane if you have 14 lbs! Get a nylon bag, they weight nothing and use that, it's what we do. I expect BA will enforce their rules more now, but prior to Sept. 11 we frequently saw larger then 13 lbs brought on, even 2 carryons in coach sometimes, - but it depended on the flight and if it was full or not how restrictive they were. They are within their rights to weigh and measure your bag tho.

Meg

I've flown Delta (London to Norfolk VA via Atlanta), BA (London to Charlotte, NC) and Virging (London to San Francisco). <BR> <BR>In terms of pricing they were much of a muchness (approx £300 or $450) but obviously it's preferential to fly direct. <BR> <BR>I found Delta to be far the poorest of the 3 in terms of comfort, food and attitude of the staff. The latter point absolutely shocked me - let's face it, the US is always thought of having the best customer relations in the world. I certainly didn't think that British airlines would be better. <BR> <BR>Both BA and Virgin provide a high quality of comfort (even in economy/coach), the food is excellent (Virgin even bring round after dinner liqueurs) and the crew really friendly (obviously that is no guarantee - we all have off days!). <BR> <BR>But the winner is definitely Virgin. The bag of provisions given to you as you get to your seat is really helpful - with a great pack for kids especially. There is a brilliant entertainments system with about 14 tv channels (screen on back of the seats) and nintendo systems to (again, great for kids). <BR> <BR>Try booking your flight by phone and ask them for the best seats. I found them to be very, very helpful. <BR> <BR>Good luck & have fun!

Carol

Just returned from Athens. We were in Greece 9/26-10/10. Flew Virgin from Miami - wonderful service, better than average food, great flight attendants. <BR>The goody bag was great, and I observed what they gave the kids - they definitely have the right idea. I had heard that leg room was limited, but I didn't find it any worse than any other carrier I've used to Greece or Europe. Only problem is the idiot who always seems to be in front of me who feels it is his God-given right to recline his seat into my chin. Second only to improving security, I wish they'd make seats that don't recline.