| Kate_W |
Mar 27th, 2003 08:30 AM |
I think the deciding factors should be: (1) whether either of these airlines is linked to frequent flyer plans that you collect points on (or want to collect points on), because they're fairly similar and good quality; and (2) price. BA pairs with American; Virgin pairs with Delta. Overall, I'd say that BA's airline partnership is better than Virgin's.<BR><BR>Perhaps the best way to distinguish them is their attitude. Virgin treats Premium Economy as "Upper Class minus a few things", while BA treats you as "Economy plus a few things". In terms of space and physical comfort they're similar. But you get somewhat better check-in privileges on Virgin, whereas BA makes you check in with Economy (unless you hold their Silver card). Virgin serves you a "better than Economy meal". BA serves you an Economy meal. Neither gives you lounge privileges. Last time I checked, Virgin was more flexible in the way it awarded Points (which count toward determining whether you get a Silver or Gold membership card) and miles for discounted fares. In other words, Virgin will give you some points and miles for discounted fares, but you have to be careful with BA because many of their deeply discounted fares don't give you any points or miles. Perhaps, of greatest importance, Virgin gives you a toothbrush with a tiny rubber ducky charm attached (you get one in Economy, too). BA gives you nothing. Fundamentally, Virgin wants to make the experience "fun" (it's safety video looks like a cartoon drawn by someone who went to the same art school as the animators for South Park). BA is proper and believes it doesn't have to try hard.<BR><BR>Another factor to consider is whether BA offers any good hotel deals because you book a flight with them. They do offer a lot of hotels, but they're not always great deals. So it's worth checking this out, but make sure you do your research on hotel prices before letting an airfare/hotel deal cause you to choose BA.
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