BA vs VA experiences and loyalty schemes

[Huntergreed]

Query about the loyalty schemes/frequent flying programmes with both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

I'm looking to plan a US trip next year, and as a result I plan to fly with one of these two airlines - I was wondering if someone with significantly more experience than myself could shed some light on:

1) Out of these airlines, which is the better to fly with (will likely be flying premium economy both ways) - which has the superior cabin/service?

2) Which loyalty scheme is more beneficial to sign up for (i.e, if I were to start building points, which one would I get better value with? Fully aware that BA is part of OneWorld and VA will be joining SkyTeam but does either offer anything significant over the other?

3) On VA, which is the most comfortable aircraft to fly? (I presume 787 but have no experience on any of the three so am curious!)

4) On BA, which is the most comfortable aircraft? (I presume A380 or 787, but again no experience!)

I flew VA last time on the 747 before it was retired (very sadly!) - and I'm looking to find the best one to commit to and use in terms of comfort and benefits.

Thanks!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think with BA the non Gatwick 777 is probably the best for comfort - with the rare 3-3-3 layout seat width is great and there are fewer middle seats than the A380.

While the seats on the 787 are narrower, though, I wouldn't undertalk the difference the higher cabin pressure and humidity made possible due to it being made of plastic* makes to how much better you feel on arrival, though. The 787 is the only aircraft to offer this. Plus the windows are massive and you can still see out even when dimmed.

* OK, some sort of carbon fibre composite, but there's still plastic involved!

 

[Snow1964]

It varies quite a lot by route.

Both have newish Boeing 787s and even newer Airbus A350s (but numbers in service are still low, as still being built). Older aircraft are on lots of routes, and it is lottery as to when they last had a refurbishment/refit.

On BA they have now done most 777s, but the Gatwick fleet were fitted with 10 abreast seats in economy, but Heathrow planes only have 9 across. Premium economy gives more space and is becoming more popular. BA are now upgrading business class on some planes. Not sure about Virgin.

Both have tie-ups, BA with American, Virgin with Delta, and some flights and connections are operated by these airlines instead.

Never used premium economy on Virgin so can’t comment on cabin service, but service levels on all airlines changed during pandemic, and only recently that some things have fully returned. Some older experienced staff left during covid, the airlines have been ramping up cabin crew numbers, but I would say currently there are some less experienced staff around, which tends to affect the cheaper cabins more. Never had bad cabin crew on BA premium economy.

Regarding loyalty, rather depends on your destinations and ability to reach tiers, if your next trip to somewhere else is only served by a different airline group then becomes obvious that it is not easy to build up loyalty points, you can’t really base it on one trip. Rather easier to decide if you are going regularly to same place because you have family there, or a holiday home there etc.

 

[ld0595]

1) I've never flown Virgin in premium economy but my impression is that they're slightly better in PE. That said, I've flown PE on BA several times and have had no issues. Ultimately I'd say you should choose on price.

2) Depends on where you go. I stick a with BA who are in One World as they are the most convenient option for me to go to Newark or Philadelphia on my yearly trip there.

3) For regular economy, I'd choose the A330 8 abreast layout which feels much more spacious since you'll only have 1 person to your side. I'd avoid the 787 in economy as it's tighter than the A350. Premium Economy is going to be the same between the A350 and 787 - I've flown PE on both types (albeit on BA and Cathay Pacific) and they were very spacious.

4) For regular economy, the A380 upper deck is 8 abreast but these are pricy. However even the 10 abreast on the A380 downstairs is very spacious. For Premium economy, I'd say the product will feel the same across them all, though I'd choose the A380 for its overall comfort.

Just to note that BA are refurbishing all it's 777s with 10 abreast - it's not just limited to the Gatwick fleet. My flight to Newark next month is showing 10 abreast in Economy. Only unrefurbished 777s are 9 abreast but I think the 777 refurbishment programme should be finishing the final one soon.

 

[RJ]

The loyalty schemes are only worth looking at if you fly frequently and can build up enough points to do redemptions.

The reward schemes can be gamed - you can generate the points without flying and the points can be useful as their own currency. Avios for example can be redeemed for flights, hotels, car hire and among other things, Nectar points which can be used at Argos or on ebay. Virgin Flying Club miles can be redeemed for sausage rolls at Greggs.

 

[XAM2175]

Query about the loyalty schemes/frequent flying programmes with both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

You say Virgin Atlantic here but the rest of your post seems to be about Virgin Australia?
(Virgin Atlantic has IATA designator VS )

3) For regular economy, I'd choose the A330 8 abreast layout which feels much more spacious since you'll only have 1 person to your side. I'd avoid the 787 in economy as it's tighter than the A350. Premium Economy is going to be the same between the A350 and 787 - I've flown PE on both types (albeit on BA and Cathay Pacific) and they were very spacious.

4) For regular economy, the A380 upper deck is 8 abreast but these are pricy. However even the 10 abreast on the A380 downstairs is very spacious. For Premium economy, I'd say the product will feel the same across them all, though I'd choose the A380 for its overall comfort.

Just to note that BA are refurbishing all it's 777s with 10 abreast - it's not just limited to the Gatwick fleet. My flight to Newark next month is showing 10 abreast in Economy. Only unrefurbished 777s are 9 abreast but I think the 777 refurbishment programme should be finishing the final one soon.

Yes, for travelling in standard economy I always try to seek out 2-4-2 configurations like the A330 and A380 upper-deck. It's disappointing that BA are going to 3-4-3 on all their 777s, but not surprising.

In fact I'm such a weirdo about seat width, and not being buried in a 3-deep window seat, that I'd even be considering the US airlines still flying 767s to the UK

I can't provide any opinions on premium economy between BA and VS as I've only ever sampled the offerings from Qantas and Aeroflot, hah.

 

[nlogax]

The reward schemes can be gamed - you can generate the points without flying and the points can be useful as their own currency. Avios for example can be redeemed for flights, hotels, car hire and among other things, Nectar points which can be used at Argos or on ebay. Virgin Flying Club miles can be redeemed for sausage rolls at Greggs.

My personal preference is a BA Premier Amex which gets you either a two for one on any BA ticket or a hefty discount on a solo ticket. Whether it's worth the required £10k annual spend + annual fee is a personal decision. That's either a lot of Greggs sausage rolls or it can be almost invisible if you're canny about how you pay your household bills.

 

[Mojo]

I personally prefer BA, I find their economy seats on the longhaul fleet some of the most comfortable. As others have pointed out, even on the same planes it can be a big difference depending where you sit and what ticket type you have.

Personally I find Virgin's brand quite tacky and cheap, whereas BA's Cabin Crew by and large are very friendly.

As to which alliance you wish to build your status with, I personally go with Oneworld purely for the good variety of destinations for places that I regularly travel to direct from Heathrow, which is not very far from where I live. However on a global level, Oneworld probably doesn't offer the most destinations, but it suits me.

I don't bother with Premium Economy however, personally I'd rather save money and go economy, or spend more and go business for the flat seat. If you are particularly tall or wide however you may value the extra space.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

For my first business trip to the USA I chose Delta, as it was the only airline which flew to all the places I needed to visit, and I could use a Visit America multi-ticket to get a weekend side-trip to Yellowstone National Park for next to nothing.
On the way over (Tristar from Gatwick) I signed up to Delta's frequent flyer scheme (Skymiles), which has since coloured almost all my flying outside Europe.
Delta specialises in 2-x-2 seating in economy (Tristar/767/A330) and I like the 2-abreast option.
Their Skyteam alliance includes Air France and KLM, so between them I can get anywhere bar Australia/NZ.
I now fly from Manchester and avoid BA/LHR/LGW like the plague, normally going on KLM via Amsterdam.
My last US flight was on KLM to Salt Lake City (787) - try doing that on BA.

Virgin Atlantic is 49% owned by Delta, and is about to join Skyteam after a decade of prevarication.
But I haven't used them so far (I have used Virgin Australia but they are about to leave Skymiles, having partnered with United on their USA flights).
Their flights from Manchester are limited, especially if you exclude beach destinations.

 

[Darandio]

I'd imagine @AlterEgo can give some great insight into the questions raised here?

 

[AlterEgo]

Query about the loyalty schemes/frequent flying programmes with both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

I'm looking to plan a US trip next year, and as a result I plan to fly with one of these two airlines - I was wondering if someone with significantly more experience than myself could shed some light on:

1) Out of these airlines, which is the better to fly with (will likely be flying premium economy both ways) - which has the superior cabin/service?

I'd say Virgin, overall.

2) Which loyalty scheme is more beneficial to sign up for (i.e, if I were to start building points, which one would I get better value with? Fully aware that BA is part of OneWorld and VA will be joining SkyTeam but does either offer anything significant over the other?

British Airways has the best reward scheme in the business but be aware that the scheme is soon to change to a revenue based one (that is, based strictly on cash spent buying your ticket and not necessarily arbitrary bands of Avios unrelated to the fare component) - and your best chance of racking up miles is through partners and credit cards.

3) On VA, which is the most comfortable aircraft to fly? (I presume 787 but have no experience on any of the three so am curious!)

In premium economy, it's the 787, closely followed by the A330-300. The newer A350 and A330-900neo have a denser and less comfortable seat.

4) On BA, which is the most comfortable aircraft? (I presume A380 or 787, but again no experience!)

In PE, they are all mostly similar but the oldest 777s are garbage. There is huge variation in BA's fleet and even among the 777s themselves, which they have in no fewer than EIGHT configurations.

I flew VA last time on the 747 before it was retired (very sadly!) - and I'm looking to find the best one to commit to and use in terms of comfort and benefits.

If you intend to fly very frequently and invest yourself in the "game", BA is the way to go. But Virgin is just...nicer, and in my view a little more geared towards the more casual flyer. They do transatlantic trips very well and I've yet to have a poor experience, in business, premium economy or economy.

 

[Bald Rick]

I’d say Virgin overall. In my experience the crew are better than BA and the overall experience is, well, less ‘staid’.

However if you are flying a route where BA use the A380 (Chicago, Dallas, Boston, SF, Miami, DC) then do consider that and go for a window seat in the 2-4-2 config upstairs in economy. It’s almost as good as PE. And the aircraft is magnificent.

While the seats on the 787 are narrower, though, I wouldn't undertalk the difference the higher cabin pressure and humidity made possible due to it being made of plastic* makes to how much better you feel on arrival, though. The 787 is the only aircraft to offer this.

A350s have the same principle (And similar construction methods).

 

[Cdd89]

(will likely be flying premium economy both ways) - which has the superior cabin/service?

Premium economy is a poor product on both BA and VS and usually quite overpriced (in part because the higher APD kicks in). You still have someone next to you and share an armrest. The meal is the same as economy (except you get a main from Biz on BA). My honest suggestion would be to go all the way to Biz, or stick to economy.

If you want economy but more space, I’d recommend economy, plus a blocked seat — which is cheap to add-on as you don’t pay taxes or fees (there is a minimum of £300 round trip, and that’s usually all you pay).

 

[Butts]

Premium economy is a poor product on both BA and VS and usually quite overpriced (in part because the higher APD kicks in). You still have someone next to you and share an armrest. The meal is the same as economy (except you get a main from Biz on BA). My honest suggestion would be to go all the way to Biz, or stick to economy.

If you want economy but more space, I’d recommend economy, plus a blocked seat — which is cheap to add-on as you don’t pay taxes or fees (there is a minimum of £300 round trip, and that’s usually all you pay).

Not necessarily my son and I had the whole bulkhead row of four to ourselves - could have swapped to an adjacent 2 that was also empty. This was a 777 from LHR - MCO this summer.

By contrast the Business Cabin in front looked like sardines the way they were packed in.

Also we had the pleasure of visiting 3 Lounges in T3 BA, Cathay and Qantas prior to boarding and there was a £400 saving (return) on not having to pay for the seats.

BA is better than Virgin if you have status and regularly travel from Scotland to Europe and beyond often via LHR.

 

[Cdd89]

I did a trip in Virgin Upper Class yesterday and, to be honest, I think they are slipping behind BA:

• With the moving of Gatwick flights to Heathrow, Delta flights to Terminal 3, and access being granted to US/FB elites (Delta Platinum status in particular is trivial to earn with minimal flying), the clubhouse is extremely crowded at certain times — I couldn’t find a seat that wasn’t immediately adjacent to someone else.
• The on-board menu was quite weak — portions fairly small, no steak option, too much cheap curry on the preorder menu, and the second meal was incredibly small

I suspect this may be a real problem for Virgin as their superior soft product is what makes up for their highly limited route network. They need to cut clubhouse access to partner elites and spend an extra £10/pax on the onboard food, IMO.

As a BA GGL cardholder I’d certainly have preferred to be going from Heathrow T5. Maybe comparing the Clubhouse to the Concorde Room isn’t entirely fair, but that’s always how they pitch themselves.

 

[telstarbox]

Semi on topic Are there any airlines worldwide which do a "no frills" flat bed service - would the economics stack up?
On the couple of economy long hauls I've done I would have loved to get horizontal but I don't necessarily need the associated champagne and ten types of salmon which all costs money of course.

 

[AlterEgo]

Semi on topic Are there any airlines worldwide which do a "no frills" flat bed service - would the economics stack up?
On the couple of economy long hauls I've done I would have loved to get horizontal but I don't necessarily need the associated champagne and ten types of salmon which all costs money of course.

Air Asia X have such a service which is quite popular.

 

[XAM2175]

Are there any airlines worldwide which do a "no frills" flat bed service - would the economics stack up?
On the couple of economy long hauls I've done I would have loved to get horizontal but I don't necessarily need the associated champagne and ten types of salmon which all costs money of course.

Air New Zealand's couchette option?

Economy Skycouch™

For solo flyers & young families alike, Air NZ's Economy Skycouch makes space for everyone as your row of seats becomes a couch in the sky after takeoff.

www.airnewzealand.co.uk