BA or VA for London flight

[rocklinmom]

We will be flying roundtrip from SFO to Heathrow next June for a cruise and I am trying to decide between British Airways or Virgin Atlantic. Both are direct flights, in economy (there are five of us), and similar in price (though BA is a bit higher since you have to pay to select your seats with them). BA would be on an A380 double decker and Virgin would be on a B787 Dreamliner. I am tracking prices and know when to pounce on a great fare but mainly need to decide which airline. I would appreciate any insight or advice :-)

[fbgd]

IMO, Economy is Economy is Economy.

 

Yes, Singapore Airlines in the cheap seats is a bit better than Ryanair but you're largely looking at the same kind of thing. Full service airlines, cramped seats, new planes with likely similar departure and arrival times.

 

If the price is almost identical then maybe if you collect miles with a BA partner (AA, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Alaska etc.) then pick them. If you collect with a VS partner (Delta, Skyteam airlines etc.) then pick them. But the miles you earn on discounted longhaul economy are pretty paltry.

 

Virgin also charge for seat selection, BTW, unless you pick Economy Classic or Economy Delight.

[klfrodo]

If it were me,,,

I'd probably choose BA.

Why? I'm an Alaska Airline frequent flier and would want the miles and also I'd love to experience an A380.

 

Neither of which are that big of a deal at the end of the day.

[Flymia]

In economy there is really not going to be a big difference. Between VS and BA in newer airplanes I don't see a huge difference.

 

Personally if they were the same cost, I would pick BA. One, I never been on an A380 (though no 787 either). The A380 is a massive plane. Also the upperdeck economy class has 2-4-2 seating. Given in your group the ability to have four people in 2 seat rows and one person across in an aisle. By far the best type of seat when traveling with another person in economy is a 2 seat row.

 

Virgin will be all 3-3-3. Which for a group of 5 can still be fine too.

[rocklinmom]

Yes the economy seating in pairs on the upper deck of the A380 would be nice. It does cost more of course but would be worth it. I know BA can strike (and did in 2017) but the chances of that again next summer are slim. The reviews of both airlines on Trip Advisor are pretty even.

[Gardyloo]

Aside from mileage-earning issues, I'd pick the VS (VA is Virgin Australia, by the way) 787 because while both the A380 and 787 offer higher air pressure in the cabin (which can reduce fatigue) than on older planes, the 787 also allows higher humidity in the cabin, which can markedly reduce dryness (and also fatigue) on long flights like SFO-LHR or especially LHR-SFO, which is up to an hour longer due to headwinds. The 787 has bigger windows, too.

[Zach1213]

I really don't see a difference if you have no loyalty. BA's A380-800 and Virgin's 787-9 even have the same seat pitch and seat width in economy. I would choose based on price and schedule, again, if I didn't have loyalty.

 

 

If you have, say, AA frequent flier miles, I would choose BA. If you have Delta frequent flier miles, I would choose Virgin.

[rocklinmom]

Thank you Gardyloo, I didn't know that. Good point since the flights are so long.

And yes I don't have any loyalty or points with either so it really is a toss up. Will probably just come down to price I guess.

[Zach1213]

Thank you Gardyloo, I didn't know that. Good point since the flights are so long.

And yes I don't have any loyalty or points with either so it really is a toss up. Will probably just come down to price I guess.

 

Don't forget, United also flies that route

[rocklinmom]

Yes we flew United to Heathrow a few years ago and it was fine. But they are priced way higher than the other two and have been for weeks now, so unless they drop their prices dramatically I will focus on Virgin and British.

[TruckerDave]

Even better (assuming you are not chasing miles or status)....check prices and see what the one way on each comes out at. That way you can experience both the A380 and 787. One over and the other back, if prices allow. :D

[paulh84]

I'm not familiar with Virgin's fees, but in economy with no concerns about status or miles just go with the cheaper and/or most convenient option. A more premium cabin would have some differences but economy is essentially a wash.

[Globaliser]

I am tracking prices and know when to pounce on a great fare but mainly need to decide which airline.

Yes we flew United to Heathrow a few years ago and it was fine. But they are priced way higher than the other two and have been for weeks now, so unless they drop their prices dramatically I will focus on Virgin and British.

If your choice will be primarily price driven, I don't understand why you are keen to rule out any airline now.

 

If the purpose of doing so is to continue looking at prices only on a single airline, then you will miss out if one of the other airlines (which you have by then ruled out) suddenly files a very low fare on which you would have immediately pounced if you had seen it. If you've already ruled out that airline, then you won't see that fare.

 

But if you are going to continue looking at all airlines, then why rule out any of them at this stage? The fact that UA's prices are a bit higher now doesn't mean that that will always be the case. It's so easy to compare the prices across all airlines on the route in a single search. Then you can see each day which airline is cheapest for your travel dates.

 

If you're interested in low fares, then don't forget the other airlines which also sell tickets for non-stop flights on this route, including American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Delta, Finnair, Iberia and Lufthansa. The operator will always be one of the three airlines that you've already identified, but (at least in theory) any of those other airlines could offer a fare on your travel dates that undercuts all other airlines' fares.

[brian1]

My one and only flight on VS cattle,service and food,dismal.BA a lot better IMO.

[rocklinmom]

Thank you Brian, I do read a lot more positive reviews of BA over Virgin.

And thanks all for your input! I appreciate it. I will continue watching fares for the three (VA, BA, and United).

[pcur]

I always fly BA on European flights to/from the West Coast. I've flown Air New Zealand from LHR to LAX, but that was in premium economy "pod" seating, and they've discontinued them.

 

Since you have time, you might want to consider getting a Chase Sapphire credit card (or two), paying off the cruise early to qualify for the bonus points, and seeing if you can use those points toward your BA flight. If not, you can at least use them as a statement credit, and get $400 - $500 per card off your airfare.

 

I like BA's service. I've flown Premium Economy twice (this would be a good way to use those Sapphire points to reimburse for the extra cost of PE seats), and was quite comfortable. I flew Business from LHR-LAX last year, and that was a great flight. We used points from BA credit cards this year to book Business again for our flight home in 2019.

[Zach1213]

My one and only flight on VS cattle,service and food,dismal.BA a lot better IMO.

In my experience, the people who love Virgin Atlantic really, really love Virgin Atlantic. But I'm kind of like you - I have had a couple of experiences in Virgin Atlantic economy (ORD-LHR and, I think, DEL-LHR?) and remember them being...okay, I guess.

[wowzz]

My choice, and I've only flown PE in BA and Virgin, would be Virgin every time. Just an all round better product. Virgin also have a dedicated PE check in at LAX, unlike BA. Plus, you get to book your seats for free, unlike BA.

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Forums mobile app

[rocklinmom]

It would be nice to do premium economy at least one way, if the prices drop a bit. But with five of us the economy fares always win out.

[pcur]

It would be nice to do premium economy at least one way, if the prices drop a bit. But with five of us the economy fares always win out.

 

Yes, I can see that could get steep. I still recommend you look at the Chase Sapphire card. Pay for the cruise, and pay for the flights with it, and you'll have at least a $600 credit on your statement to help pay for it. The cruise and flight payments get double points, too:

 

https://creditcards.chase.com/rewards-credit-cards/chase-sapphire-preferred

[Diver2014]

I've flown from Miami to London on Virgin Atlantic roundtrip 6 times.  They are my airline of choice.

[rocklinmom]

Thank you, that's good to know!  I'm still watching airfares for Virgin and BA.  And recently United dropped their airfare as well, so now there are 3 contenders...

[LuckyStar]

On 10/3/2018 at 7:46 AM, rocklinmom said:

We will be flying roundtrip from SFO to Heathrow next June for a cruise and I am trying to decide between British Airways or Virgin Atlantic. Both are direct flights, in economy (there are five of us), and similar in price (though BA is a bit higher since you have to pay to select your seats with them). BA would be on an A380 double decker and Virgin would be on a B787 Dreamliner. I am tracking prices and know when to pounce on a great fare but mainly need to decide which airline. I would appreciate any insight or advice 🙂

We flew BA to London.  It was a wonderful flight.  The flight attendant spoiled us rotten.  He was just awesome.  It was a very large plane and we were in Economy with only two of us next to the window.  There about five seats across in the middle aisle. 

[rocklinmom]

Thank you Lucky Star!  I am so happy to hear that because I literally just booked BA.  We will also be on the A380 and in 2's by the window (on the upper deck).  Glad to know that you were pleased with it because I had to spend a bit more than I wanted.  

[LuckyStar]

On 10/20/2018 at 7:44 AM, rocklinmom said:

Thank you Lucky Star!  I am so happy to hear that because I literally just booked BA.  We will also be on the A380 and in 2's by the window (on the upper deck).  Glad to know that you were pleased with it because I had to spend a bit more than I wanted.  

 

They served us food on plates and gave us free wine.  We felt like we were in first class.