Best Airline from US to London?
 

I'm planning a family trip to London for next March. Will be travelling with my husband and two kids (11 and 14). Since we have never travelled out of the country, I'm wondering which airline is the best for trans-Atlantic travel as far as comfort, in-flight entertainment, meals, etc. We probably will fly into Heathrow unless there's a huge advantage to flying into Gatwick. <BR><BR>Thanks in advance for any helpful info. This site has helped us plan many vacations!

I prefer American.

I've used American, US Airways, British Airways, United, Delta and KLM. Of all these, Delta is the only one I will NEVER use again. With Delta you will be in agony - the others can be tolerated. Of course, if you are able to fly first-class this doesn't apply. :)

I flew on United from NY to Heathrow and had a good experience overall (except they ran out food on my return flight!) I've heard Virgin is a lot of fun and sometimes you can get good deals with them too.

I like American. Give me extra legroom everytime.

American!<BR><BR>

We flew Delta last May and the flight was fine. Of course, we go for the best ticket cost and Delta was the best at the time. They all seem pretty much the same to me with the exception of Air France which I prefer. I am just happy to get to my destination safe and sound!

I fly on Virgin Atlantic--it is a neat fun airline- the kids will love it!

I flew British Airways in June this year Seattle / London (also Amsterdam and Geneva). There overnight flight that leaves west coast USA ~6PM and takes the polar route was nice (as nice as 9 hours can get anyway!). This route avoids an extra U.S. airport transfer/stop.<BR><BR>The choices probably depend somewhat which city you are departing from (east coast vs. west coast USA or Canada?).

Whether you fly into Heathrow or Gatwick might depend on which airline you use -- for example, I don't think USAirways flies into Heathrow.

Virgin Airlines, period.

Hi,<BR><BR>Where are you flying from as this will determine which airlines offer a non stop flight or where you have to connect in the US.<BR><BR>BA is good but I would choose Virgin Atlantic as they are fun to fly with , have good food and service, have good deals on Premium Economy ( seats with 38inches of pitch) and I have been upgraded twice to Upper Class (excellent flight).<BR><BR>American does offer More room in coach (34inches) which is apparently one of the most generous seats in economy/coach.<BR><BR>If flying from Los Angeles, consider Air New Zealand (daily to Heathrow) as they are supposed to be good)<BR><BR>Regards<BR>Gregory

We're flying from Ohio, so will probably go through New York, Dulles, etc. I had been wondering about the comfort of the seats on Virgin Atlantic.<BR>Somewhere I read a review from someone who said that the seats in economy (which is probably what we'll have to fly!) were not comfortable at all. Has anyone found that to be true? Your posts so far are extremely helpful--thanks!

I've taken the NYC-London flight several times on American and have had a pleasant experience each time.<BR><BR>I've taken it three times on British Airways and have regretted it all three times. (I don't think they pay their workers very well because I've encountered some very rude BA staff).

You want to know the truth...you just never know. On the JFK-LHR route, we have American, United, BA, Air India, Virgin. I've never taken Air India...the rest I've had good flights and bad flights. The services provided are about the same; although Continental is now charging for booze in economy if that is important to you. The others do not. The big 4 now all seem to have the little screens that enable you to watch more than 1 movie....none of the movie choices seem to be all that current and I spend the entire flight watching the map of just where we are....<BR><BR>I prefer BA and/or VS. Why? Well it seems fewer Americans travel on these two and that make the queues at JFK much shorter for the American line as Immigration. Of course, even if you get through immigraton quickly you still have to wait for your baggage! <BR><BR>My final comment is I prefer Terminal IV to Terminal III at Heathrow. At least at Terminal IV there is a McDonald's and a Pret a Manger to get a sandwich while waiting for the flight. It almost seems that distances to the gates are shorter. For that reason, my final vote in this matter goes to BA as they fly into and out of Terminal 4. But the reality is the two prime consideratons should be price and time.

If money if important, US Air goes into Gatwick and I routinely find their fares to be the best. I fly out of Charlotte so I don't know if this factor would affect you or not. Have a great trip regardless.

As a west coast USA traveler to Europe, I will do ANYthing (well almost) to avoid the JFK airport (therefore my preference to the BA nonstop to London), as it can be a real nightmare.<BR><BR>I have found the BA crew efficient, polite and attentive (again maybe different on the longer runs than trans-atlantic only?).

Anne: With two exceptions, all of the airlines have very little legroom. American has 3 to 4 more inches pitch for ALL seats in coach. United offers extra legroom ONLY for the first few rows of economy which are sold as much more expensive Economy Plus tickets.<BR><BR>Unfortunately, neither offers the best service/food. That honor goes to Virgin - but Virgin is cramped.<BR><BR>Service is best on Virgin, BA, then AA, US, USAir<BR><BR>Don't let the airport (LHR or LGW) be the deciding point. Both are very convenient to London. Choose based on fare, legroom and service in that order (unless legroom is your most important criteria)

Without a doubt, Continental! Great service, clean aircraft, and I think they fly nonstop from Cleveland. <BR><BR>

Weer-gin, hands down...

As indicated by the various responses, there is no resounding majority in favor of any specific airline. When you ask for the "best airline" you will get opinions based on what is important to other people. Even a parameter like "comfort" could mean knee room, toilet cleanliness, pillows and blankets, individual video screens, new movies, and a host of other things. And if having a great movie is your idea of a "best" airline, then you need to check out the video and movie provisions.<BR><BR>As for meals, well, unless you are in the business or first class seats, you probably wouldn't see a whole lot of difference among all the airlines. Some people say a certain airline has good meals, but how many times have they flown and how many other airlines have they flown? And is their standard of food quality the same as yours?<BR><BR>All I'm getting at is that unless you have very specific and strong feelings about certain aspects of a flight (for instance, knee room) you probably wouldn't go wrong with any major airline or with the preferred smaller ones such as Virgin. And although some will say that courtesy and helpfulness vary from one airline to the next, I will maintain that they vary from one crew to the next on every airline, and to some extent from one aircraft type to the next on any specific airline.<BR><BR>Sorry to be long-winded, but I just don't think there is any "best" airline in the entire world unless you fly in the upper classes. Once you get to first class, there are some unique distinguishing features among different airlines, and you might want to consider those. And if cost is really a consideration, which it apparently is, then just go for the lowest cost combined with the best connecting times, and you won't go wrong with any airline that has been named. Personally, I look at the flight to Europe as a few hours of agony to be endured in order to enjoy a couple of weeks of pure pleasure. As one poster already noted, if you get there and back safely, it was a good flight and it was a good airline, by definition.

But remember Carrie, Continental as of now is the only one charging $4 per drink in coach supposedly to improve the meals!

If you fly from Orlando...skip Virgin...unless you really love tired ,whiny kids, loaded down with Plutos!They have the best group tour fares ..but BA is a lot quieter!

Virgin absolutely. <BR><BR>I did not find it cramped at all! Great food, excellent wine, wondeful service, individual tv's with movies, news, cartoons, individual Play Stations or Nintendo for the kids. And all in coach!<BR><BR>Plus they give you a neat kit when you board with an eye mask, socks, toothbrush/paste, lotion, etc. They are a great airline!

My only complaint about Virgin but enough to send me to BA<BR><BR>They don't serve coke or diet coke. They serve a very vile tasting virgin cola conveniently packaged in red and grey cans to make you think you're getting coke or diet coke. I found the taste of the diet virgin cola to be disgusting.<BR><BR>That sent me back to BA.

Ha, thats hilarious - you're changing airlines coz you didn't like their cola? Ummm, why not just bring your own?

has anyone ever noticed, when they are trying to point out that they think the person is stupid (on email/chat) they always start out their point with, "um"?<BR><BR>interesting...

If you are flying from CVG, you can take Delta non-stop to Gatwick. <BR> <BR>Best tip..get a credit card that accrues miles and start using it for EVERYTHING!

A good web site for airline reviews is Skytrax (www.airlinequality.com) - tehy only have 2 airlines on 5 stars at the moment, cathay pacific & singapore which are probably not an option for US to UK (unless you want to go a really long route! :-) ). But within each airline they grade it on specific topics such as economy class seats, food, enterttainment etc which may help you decide.

Jill<BR>I travel with two young teens and before I book overseas travel, I check to see if they have individual tv screens in each seat. I always check the type of aircraft to figure out seating arrangement whether it be 2x5x2 or 3 seats together, etc. Also some screens allow for video games to be played. It sure keeps my kids less antsy. BTW, we're taking Swiss in Novemeber.

While there may be a lot of variability among crews, I think there is a company culture among the staff and this tends to show. For example, you will rarely be treated disrespectfully on some of the more service oriented foreign airlines such as Singapore. BA tends to have disinterested, peevish staff . Some of the American airlines, particularly Delta have some arrogant and overtly callous employees on their transatlantic routes. I am sure that this behavior is not unknown to the management but it is tolerated, nevertheless.

Sounds like Jane and I were on the same Delta flight from hell. I prefer AA, but Delta is the only airline I will never fly with again.

Anne, I think you mentioned that you are departing from Ohio. Depending on what the airfares are when you book, you might consider comparing the fare that you are interested in to what Hotwire has to offer, and then making a bid on Priceline.<BR><BR>I only mention this because I am going to London in November, and there haven't been any bargain airfares advertised for low season yet. I think that March flights are considered shoulder season. <BR><BR>Anyway, although I would normally fly direct from Boston, the best fare I could find was $500. Ended up bidding on Priceline, and got a ticket for $279, but I am flying on Air Canada and I have to fly through Toronto. Not that this would necessarily be your scenario, but I am leaving 2 hours earlier than I normally would have had I flown direct from Boston, but I arrive at Heathrow at the same time.<BR><BR>So, you might want to check into this as an alternative. Granted, I didn't know what airline I was flying until my bid was accepted, but Air Canada has a good reputation, and there is no harm in exploring other avenues.<BR><BR>Regarding my favorite airline, well, if I can't get upgraded to business class, then my favorite airline is the one that I actually have little or no memory of the flight. It's really only the bad service that I remember.

Hey Dallas, I must have been on that flight with you and Jane! Delta brought new meaning to the phrase "the flight from hell"! I'm not sure even a great rate could entice me to use them again.

Hi Anne -<BR><BR>I've flown to Europe half a dozen times in premium, business and economy classes.<BR><BR>Just returned from Europe via Virgin Atlantic in Upper Class. Have flown Virgin a few times and have always found their services/amenities to be as good as it gets on a transatlantic flight. <BR><BR>I've flown American a few times as well and the little bit of extra space in coach is noticeable. Found American's seats in First Class to be the most comfortable of all.<BR><BR>Heathrow is closer to London than Gatwick, but Gatwick is a little easier to handle. There are express trains from both airports into the city (though you can take the Tube from Heathrow if you wish). The Heathrow Express takes 15-20 minutes and arrives at Paddington Station. Gatwick Express takes 30 minutes and arrives at Victoria Station. There's not really an advantage of choosing one over the other unless the proximity of the airport to the city is important to you (cheaper cab fare with Heathrow than Gatwick).<BR><BR>Since you are traveling with your family I'd recommend Virgin. The amenities and services make the time pass quickly which makes the journey more enjoyable and comfortable.<BR><BR>Have fun!