Which is better British Airways vs. Virgin Atlantic from us to uk
 

Hi
I have been posting about my upcoming trip to the uk and paris this march I am about to book my flight and found direct flights on both BA and Virgin about the same times and prices. I will be flying economy. I was wondering if anyone had any reccomendations of which airline I should choose.
Thanks

virgin is very cramped, BA less so, and american even more roomy. i usually use BA to go to the US. i'm not a fan of virgin for the lack of space and the disorganisation of their staff.

i like British Air a lot. it is cramped in coach for sure, but they have those seatback video screens, decent food, good music, reasonably friendly attendents, etc.

never been on virgin to compare.

whichever just make sure you get a seat reservation when you get your ticket so you don't get stuck in the middle!

I'd choose AA over the other 2..but I can fly direct from MCO on BA or VA. So if I don't have FF tickets on AA , I'd go for BA..it is a slight bit roomier...and from here ,has a lot less kiddies , who are all wired up from a week at Disney!

Wouldn't go any other way but Virgin!!!!

the space at the back of the bus is about the same on both. In my experience, service and staff tend to be nicer/friendlier on Virgin. The entertainment systems - at least on the planes I've flown - are better on Virgin. But I haven't flown BA in a couple of years so things may have changed.

But really 6 of 1/ half dozen of the other. My vote goes slightly to Virgin.

If miles are important - you won't get full miles for a coach ticket on BA - and if you get a discounted ticket you don't get ANY miles.

I haven't used these airlines in a couple of years and I do know that you are asking about economy but my information might be useful.

We flew Virgin Premium economy to the US and BA First Class back I preferred Virgin. The plane was newer and the service was better, the BA return flight was an older flight and needed a serious re-furbish. We were in first class and my TV screen was broken, They tried to mend it with Duct tape but it kept falling to the side so I had to share with my son, the flight was an overnight flight and the attendants seem to assume that everyone is asleep so we had to request service, Why did I feel guilty about requesting service that I would not think about on a daytime flight? We didn't pay less?

On the upside I saw the Northern Lights from the air and that was a wonderful experience :-)

I've had great experiences on Virgin Atlantic economy, better than any other airline while heading over to europe.

If I am flying in economy and it's between BA and Virgin, I just pick the flight with the best times and price.

Those things equal, I will pick Virgin. My experiences have been better with Virgin and I dislike the BA service but there are probably as many people out there that will pick BA for the same reason! Coach is coach between these two.

This very subject seems to re-emerge periodically..same topic, same airlines, same answers.

Our own experience was about a year ago, Virgini Premium Economy which "allowed" us to board with the Upper Class passengers, afforded a slightly larger seat which did NOT have the advertised "leg rest" but rather a foot rest, a mimosa upon boarding and a very nasty glare from the FA when I tried to take a second one....and the exact same food as in regular Economy.

I like Virgin's entertainment system which I think is one of the best in the air; I would NOT spend the extra money for "premium economy" however.

In general, the Virgin planes are newer, but some BA planes are newer than others. With kids, I think Virgin is much better. Without kids, it's a toss up although recent Virgin food has been awful. You might want to take note of the type of aircraft on the various flights you're considering and have a look on seatguru.com for info on comfort, legroom etc. Both airlines have more than 1 type of aircraft.

Thanks for the feedback, my friends that have been all say virgin. Like someone posted though coach is coach. Virgin and BA fairs are about the same and if I go nonstop, which I prefer. I will be purchasing the ticket next week. I am tall 6 ft 3 so hopefully I can get and exit row seat!
Thanks

What you need is to be upgraded. Dress nicely for the plane and ask on check-in whether an upgrade might be available given your height. If you're traveling alone, even better.

I just checked both the fares again, Yesterday they were both about the same, today Virgin went up $80.00 and BA went down $20.00, so if it stays like that I guess that will make my decision easier!

Thanks for the tip mclaurie I never would have thought of that!

I'd go with Virgin everytime but BA is a close second.

Personally i think Virgin are MUCH better than BA. BA still trade on a former rep, i find their FA rude and not nearly as helpful as the Virgin Atlantic ones and the Virgin planes feel more spacious. Service has ALWAYS been better for me on VA. I would always fly VA over BA even if the price diff was $100

Hope that helps

mclaurie,

we (4 travelers) were upgraded by Virgin from Premium Economy to Upper class while we were all wearing sweatpants (comfort fliers), 2 of our party were 12 and 18 yrs old.

There was a problem with 2 of our tickets (we were using ff miles for those tickets) but we just smiled and went with flow. I think our attitude helped, although these were one way tickets (emigrating) and I assume Virgin wanted us to have a good experience.

rd1, it helps if you're a member of the airline FF program, sign up asap.

If prices and times are the same, I'd probably choose Virgin. I detest BA and think they are one of the worst companies flying. It isn't true as someone said that BA gives you more room in coach. I've flown both and all airlines give you little space in coach, but BA's space is at the minimum available, as I recall (17" wide seats, maybe 31" pitch). Virgin may be the same, but BA is not more spacious. I hate BA's head rests and can't sleep on them, for one thing, but I just think they have worse service. AA used to have more room, but I thought they got rid of it so now they are like any other (not that they are in the running here).

I fly BA regularly for business and personal reasons. On business, I'm almost always in business class and no complaints whatsoever with checking, seat or service. On personal travel (i.e., when I'm paying), I fly Premium Economy and again, no complaints (the route I fly--Gatwick to Orlando--tends to use newer planes). However, if you do fly PE on BA, don't take a seat in the bulkhead row. In addition to not having anyplace in front of you to stow carryon luggage you don't want put in the overhead compartment, you don't get the footrest. On flights between London and Orlando, that's row 12.
If I had to go economy transatlantic, I would first choose the airline that offered me the shortest flight time (direct flight). Otherwise, I might pick AA or whichever airline happens to be using the newest planes (although there's no guarantee they'll actually fly that particular plane on your route).

I had heard AA had newer planes and the seats were slightly larger, but all my friends and family say I am better off with a european airline. How can I tell what plane will be used for a particular flight?

I just checked AA since seeing posts about it here and the fare is about $40.00 less than BA making it the least expensive of the 3, the planes for the AA flights are 777. Does AA have decent in flight entertainment? The longest I have ever been on a plan at one time before this was 5 hours, so I just want to make sure I am as comfortable as possible for the flight over the atlantic.
Thanks again to everyone@

AA's coach in-flight entertainment (in 777s) and BA's are pretty equivalent; neither is great, but there's enough to consume several hours. BA's coach service is slightly better than AA's, but the coach seats on AA's 777s are slightly wider; legroom is the same.

rd1, you don't say where you're traveling from, but if by chance your transatlantic portion is out of JFK, Chicago or Boston, I highly recommend either the BA or AA morning departures (or Virgin's out of Newark), which get you into London around dinnertime locally. The combination of coach seats <i>and</i> an overnight flight is a real recipe for jetlag and several groggy days. We find that sleeping in a bed is way preferable than sleeping on a plane.

The abbreviation for Virgin is VS by the way.

Hi Gardyloo
I am flying out of miami and all the direct flights are overnight flights. I would have to fly from miami or fort lauderdale to New york and then london, which would be daytime flights, but then I would be travelling 12 to 17 hours depending on the lay overs. I guess I need to make up my mind soon about the airlines. I hope the prices don't go up anymore by next week. Virgin went up $80.00 from yesterday to today when I called customer sevice they said the flight was still pretty open so they did not know why it had gone up so much in one day.
Thanks again to everyone!

I've never flown on Virgin Airlines, but have BA many times. We floew last summer and were somehow upgraded to the coach plus. There was more leg room and you were served before the rest of coach. The food on the flight over was godd, but they changed things while we were in Europe and lousy food on the return. We flew regular coach on the return and the Plus section was better. Both sections have seatback TVs with about 18 different choices of entertainment. It worked out great as we travelled with our 2 kids. We all were able to watch different entertainment. The staff was great on both legs last summer on BA.

Travelatte

Have you checked the price for upgrading to WT+ on BA? Sometimes it is quite reasonable.

I have found AA flights to LHR on the 777s to be as comfortable as coach gets.

I agree with the AA 777's they are a great way to travel. I will even include a connection in the US to get on a 777 to fly across the pond.

I am an American Airlines faithful, so I have no experience with BA or Virgin.

The days when one could get upgraded on a smile and wearing smart clothes are long gone. Upgrades, when available, are given first to top-tier frequent flyers and to those whose bookings have been messed about in some way but who remain polite about the situation.

My husband is 6 foot 6 inches tall (2 metres) and we have never been able to get an upgrade simply by dressing nicely and asking nicely.

The occasions when we have been upgraded, which aren't legion, have been in response to very polite and understanding but clearly disappointed reactions to our bookings being messed up and not in response to asking for them but finding out at the gate that the supervisor has arranged it in response to our politely explaining the issue and our disappointment but leaving it at that.

Oddly enough, all my upgrade experiences (which I think number 3) have been on British Airways, once to first class, once to business and once to world traveller plus or whatever premium economy is called. But perhaps that's because Virgin haven't (yet, cross fingers) messed us around in the first place!

Flying from Florida to London in Virgin's premium economy recently was an unexpectedly pleasant experience. Instead of locating the section on the main deck they located it on this plane in the upstairs deck. Because that deck is narrower than the regular cabin, originally designed to take 4 old-style business or first class seats but unable to accommodate 5 premium economy seats there's a lot of space width wise to use up. Virgin have taken full advantage of this by creating personal storage bins at seat level by both window seats. Being able to store items you may want to access during the flight in these bins is so much more convenient than having to rummage in the overhead bins for them each time, though those bins are, of course, available too. Comfy seats too.

FAs have been excellent on all the Virgin flights I've taken over recent years and almost without exception they have been rude, lazy and imperious on BA.

That, combined with BA's approach to customer service provision, is a clincher for me. I will only book BA now if it's _significantly_ cheaper, offers flight routes or times unavailable with preferred airlines or is included in a pre-packaged holiday.

Kavey, those bins are pretty much standard - the fuselage curves too sharply for seats to be snugged up against the windows upstairs. The overhead bins are significantly smaller than downstairs, for the same reason.

rd1, I feel your pain. If you have to ride overnight, then I'd let price be the clincher. No, actually, I'd ride AA, mainly because I'm an AA mileage AAdict, but also because the AA 777 seat (from MIA) is a skosh wider than BA's 747 chairs, and at midnight who cares if the food is lousy or semi-lousy. You'll get full mileage credit on AA coach, vs. zilch on BA (you'll need to join AA's FF program if you haven't) and AA miles are way more useful to Americans than BA or VS miles.

Gardyloo Thanks again for the advice at this point AA is the cheapest fare thus fare and leaving mia the time is the the same the only problem is that on the way back the plane leaves london at 945 am which means I have to get to the airport by 745 am but like a friend of mine said the day you leave to come home one is usually not up to doing much anyway, plus I won't have too much extra time to think about the end of my european adventure! I can't book the ticket till next week so I will see what the fares are like. To double check AA has the same type of tv screens in the seats as BA right and the 777s are newer planes? Thanks again to all!

Yes, the 777's have individual TV screens.

Also, There are 2 seats on each side of the plane and 5 seats across the middle. In the back (around row 40 something) the middle becomes 4 seats across. When we fly as a family, we put the two kids in their own row and mom and dad in the row behind. My kids think flying on a 777 makes the start of the vacation a great one. When I flew with 3 friends we chose the row of 4 behind the last row of 5 although our TV screens were in the armrest, we had extra space because of the extra seat in front of us.

You can choose your seating assignment on line.

Another AA mile addict.

L.

Personally, I like Virgin better, pretty much for what others have said (positively) above.

That said: if the prices are comparable, the flight times and duration are equal I would choose Virgin, if the price or times were significantly better on either of the other two I would choose one of the others. I mean really - how long are you flying? 6-7 hours? It's not a lifetime, and you're not buying the plane, you're flying for a (relatively) short period of time. If you think you're going to be hungry, bring a snack. If you're going to be cramped plan on getting up and stretching (it's a good idea anyway), if you don't like the in-flight entertainment, bring your ipod.

And as far an upgrade, I agree with McLaurie, dress decently! Also put down the cell phone, speak in full sentences, take the gum out of your mouth and the hat off your head. Be polite and smile - it goes a long way. Whatever flight you decide on, have a great trip!

Thanks agian everyone! The flight times direct are 8h 15 minutes going and 9 hours coming back, I am not sure why coming back is ,onger I guess teh route, the 3 airlines have the same flight times. I appreciate all the tips and advice. i will be booking next week and will make sure I let everyone know what I choose
Thanks

There are 4 non-stops MIA-LHR a day, 2 on BA, one on AA, one on VS.

AA uses the 777. It no longer has &quot;more room throughout coach&quot;, so its seat pitch is comparable to other airlines - 31-32&quot;. But the 777 in general is more comfortable than a 747, because most airlines (including AA) only puts 9-across, and it's just slightly narrower than a 747, which sits 10-across. You either have a slightly wider seat, wider aisle or wider armrests. Any is a positive. Boarding/deboarding is also faster, and there's more overhead luggage space per passenger. Downside of AA is that you pay for alcholic drinks. Just make sure you don't get a &quot;middle middle&quot; seat (i.e. seat &quot;E&quot;) in the 2-5-2 layout.

BA flies 747 twice daily. As noted, you don't earn any FF miles on most discount economy fares.

VS doesnt have a set plane for this route. Few weeks ago, it was using the 340-600, right now 340-300, but in March I see the 744. As you can see in the response, some people love VS; while others who have sat in a 29-30&quot; pitch ancient 742 or other leased 744 will swear they will never fly VS again. Based on info on seatguru.com and v-flyer.com, I think their product is more consistently good now.

All three airlines have individual screens in coach.

Eastbound flights have shorter flight time because they ride the tailwind over the Atlantic. And you get headwind coming back. The 747s will have marginally shorter flights because of higher cruise speed than the 777, but on a 7.5 hour route, the difference is minimal. Conversely, an Airbus 340 will be slightly slower.

Right now, I see most flights in March have scheduled eastbound of 8:10 or 8:25, and return of 9:40 or 9:45. Actual airborne time should be about 30-40 minutes less.

Thanks rkkwan for the great info! I guess I really will have to go with which is less, at first they were all about teh same, now AA is 480, BA 530, and VS 640. It would be nice to get free wine, but I am not much of a drinker anyway. and the frequent flyer miles with AA is a good thing. I will definately make sure not to get a middle seat, what I did like about AA is that on the sides it is only 2 seats together and If I get an aisle seat I will be in pretty good shape, hopefully the flight will not be full. I am glad that they all have the individual screens! I am not so nervous about flying it is more about being in the enclosed space for 8 hours at night! I am sure I will be ok! Ahh these decisions! Thanks again!

Well, I can't resist chiming in with my caution about Virgin after the horrible experience we had with them last year. I think the bottom line about Virgin is that if it's a normal flight, they're fine, but if there's any kind of problem, they do not handle it well. You can read about our experience here:

http://rozault.com/london-not/virginletter.html

and here
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34582645

Here's another thread related to the original question:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34703414

On BA , you still do earn miles on discounted economy tickets..just not the 1 mil/mile . On discounted economy tickets, you earn 25% of the actual miles flown. NOt much, but not zilch either

jody - BA doesn't even let you join their program until you buy a &quot;qualifying flight&quot;, which is &quot;full fare economy or above&quot;.

I doubt the OP's a Executive Club member already, so he earns zilch.

Hello thanks for the tips of VA that sounds terrible. No I am not an executive club member and saw that I was unable to join when I tried, But I have now joined AA's frequent flyer club in case I end up flying out with them.

You can book discount coach BA flights to Alaska Airlines FF accounts; they earn 25% of miles flown. WT+ earns 110%. Alaska Airlines might be a good FF program for Florida residents, since Alaska grants reciprocal credit, including elite-qualifying credit, and allows awards on both AA and Delta (as well as NW.) They'll dance with everyone for the moment, or so it seems.