NY to London/Economy
Aug 24th, 2003 | 12:10 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 342
Likes: 0
NY to London/Economy
I realize that most economy service is terrible these days but does anyone have any thoughts on which might be least terrible for a flight from New York to London. I used to fly Virgin all the time. It was cramped but the food was good and the service friendly and caring. Lately I've read quite a bit of negative feedback about them -- not just here. I tried American in June and could say nothing good about the entire experience from ground staff, to comfort, to air staff to food. Maybe the thing to do is go with the cheapest and grin and bear it... Has anyone tried BA or Continental? How do they compare? Any serious, realistic feedback, particularly about Virgin, would be appreciated. Many thanks.
Aug 24th, 2003 | 11:20 PM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,271
Likes: 0
Just got back from LHR using Virgin yesterday (Sunday 24/08).
Comments..was on 747-400 and space was cramped. Luckily flight was not full so adjacent seat was empty (10 across 3-4-3) on one 3 side. But they're all cramped in economy.
Food...okay. Had roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Food was actually very edible. Of course portion was very very small and they now give plastic utensils rather than silverware but I guess you chalk that up to 11/09. Served an ice cream in mid flight and sandwich about 2 hrs before landing at JFK. Unlike AA and UA, they don't charge for wine with meal (nor for booze during beverage service) but now instead of giving you a little bottle, they pour the wine directly from a large bottle into a small glass on your plate. BA was not pulling that last time I flew them in February and were still offering the bottles of wine (actually had 2 one with pre dinner beverage service and 1 with dinner..also note I saw an article today claiming red wine is good for you and one of the reasons French life expectancy is higher than US despite terrible diets!). Downside...they don't serve coke and diet coke but rather their own foul tasting virgin colas (in read and silver cans naturally).
Flight entertainment was superb. New system had choice of 25 films, even in economy. Watched Die Another Day and Catch me if you can at my own pace. Could stop the movie to go to the toilet and when annoucements came on (always at a most unopportune time) movies stopped but came back to exact spot they were at. Almost as if you had a VCR at your seat even in economy. Screens were much larger than I remember.
Bad side....plane arrived at Terminal one at JFK at 4 PM just as four other flights arrived. Baggage service, they made us wait close to 45 minutes for baggage. Excuse was 3 cannisters were improperly installed at LHR but somehow I think that they just got a low priority from the baggage handling staff. BA has its own terminal at JFK and would not have that problem.
The tally: Food B+, Entertainment A+, Roominess C-, baggage handling F-. Friendliness and efficiency of staff (despite the commercial pleas several times for your coints to support Richard Branson's charities) B+.
BA past experiences..food same, not so cheap with wine. Entertainment nowhere near as good, roominess about the same, baggage handling far better.
AA and UA charge $4 for the small bottles of wine and for beer during beverage services.
Now CO, you have to be careful about. They code share with VS so you could book a CO flight and actually be on VS or they run some of their own flighs with the $4 charge for wine and am highly doubtful that food is any better and entertainment nowhere near as good.
My advise....VS by a narrow margin over BA and by a wide margin over AA, UA and CO; but note they haven't installed the new entertainment system on all their planes yet as my flight to Europe was on a 747-400 and had the old system (only 11 movies in coach but no ability to stop movie or when annoucements came on, you lost whatever was happening on the movie).
The opinions posted above are strictly those of the author and are not meant to imply the author is a know it all.
Comments..was on 747-400 and space was cramped. Luckily flight was not full so adjacent seat was empty (10 across 3-4-3) on one 3 side. But they're all cramped in economy.
Food...okay. Had roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Food was actually very edible. Of course portion was very very small and they now give plastic utensils rather than silverware but I guess you chalk that up to 11/09. Served an ice cream in mid flight and sandwich about 2 hrs before landing at JFK. Unlike AA and UA, they don't charge for wine with meal (nor for booze during beverage service) but now instead of giving you a little bottle, they pour the wine directly from a large bottle into a small glass on your plate. BA was not pulling that last time I flew them in February and were still offering the bottles of wine (actually had 2 one with pre dinner beverage service and 1 with dinner..also note I saw an article today claiming red wine is good for you and one of the reasons French life expectancy is higher than US despite terrible diets!). Downside...they don't serve coke and diet coke but rather their own foul tasting virgin colas (in read and silver cans naturally).
Flight entertainment was superb. New system had choice of 25 films, even in economy. Watched Die Another Day and Catch me if you can at my own pace. Could stop the movie to go to the toilet and when annoucements came on (always at a most unopportune time) movies stopped but came back to exact spot they were at. Almost as if you had a VCR at your seat even in economy. Screens were much larger than I remember.
Bad side....plane arrived at Terminal one at JFK at 4 PM just as four other flights arrived. Baggage service, they made us wait close to 45 minutes for baggage. Excuse was 3 cannisters were improperly installed at LHR but somehow I think that they just got a low priority from the baggage handling staff. BA has its own terminal at JFK and would not have that problem.
The tally: Food B+, Entertainment A+, Roominess C-, baggage handling F-. Friendliness and efficiency of staff (despite the commercial pleas several times for your coints to support Richard Branson's charities) B+.
BA past experiences..food same, not so cheap with wine. Entertainment nowhere near as good, roominess about the same, baggage handling far better.
AA and UA charge $4 for the small bottles of wine and for beer during beverage services.
Now CO, you have to be careful about. They code share with VS so you could book a CO flight and actually be on VS or they run some of their own flighs with the $4 charge for wine and am highly doubtful that food is any better and entertainment nowhere near as good.
My advise....VS by a narrow margin over BA and by a wide margin over AA, UA and CO; but note they haven't installed the new entertainment system on all their planes yet as my flight to Europe was on a 747-400 and had the old system (only 11 movies in coach but no ability to stop movie or when annoucements came on, you lost whatever was happening on the movie).
The opinions posted above are strictly those of the author and are not meant to imply the author is a know it all.
Aug 25th, 2003 | 05:28 AM
#4
Original Poster
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 342
Likes: 0
Thank you so much xzy123... That was a great report. Basically you reinforced my thoughts exactly. American was so dismal start to finish that the two inches of extra legroom just doesn't seem worth it. Thanks again!!
Aug 25th, 2003 | 12:07 PM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 478
Likes: 0
Two years ago I took AA from NY to LHR and I really thought the two extra inches of legroom made a big difference, especially since it was a daytime flight and I did not need to sleep. For the "relatively" short international flight, I thought the extra room was preferrable to better movies and food the others might offer. (For the flight, you could bring your own books and magazines, as well as some of your own food.) I returned from London to Chicago in business class as it was a longer flight.
