Business Class Question

[munmun]

If BA change to Heathrow you may have tha advantage of the new club class configuration and seat which is better than the Gatwick version.

[loldis]

If you're doing a split cabin fare I prefer Club/Upper on the return for the bed. Slight preference for the Upper cabin layout, but would go with either on a night flight. Even though I rarely sleep on flights anyway, the extra comfort to at least try is nice. But I would go Virgin PE on the daytime flights, before they started phasing out the 21" seats anyway. Have to reassess now.

I've never been that bothered with the service from either as both are middle tier carriers - you won't see them in any top 10 list. I get better service even in economy from the top tier carriers I fly on other routes, e.g. Emirates, Singapore, etc. So it's not a factor for me on this route.

Neither is business lounge access, don't find them as amazing as others rave about. I like that they're quieter than the main departures area, but that's about it - can get that with any paid lounge. Guess I'm just hard to impress.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by loldis

Neither is business lounge access, don't find them as amazing as others rave about. I like that they're quieter than the main departures area, but that's about it - can get that with any paid lounge. Guess I'm just hard to impress.

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Oh come on - the Virgin Clubhouse at T3 is streeeeets ahead of the standard paid lounges! Ive not flown on any of the main asian carriers but ive been in the British airways and American airline lounges and the Clubhouse is way better!

As they always say - each to their own!

[loldis]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Oh come on - the Virgin Clubhouse at T3 is streeeeets ahead of the standard paid lounges! Ive not flown on any of the main asian carriers but ive been in the British airways and American airline lounges and the Clubhouse is way better!

As they always say - each to their own!

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Better, yes. Just not in ways I find value in. The ONLY thing I'm looking for in a lounge is peace and quiet. But the main reason I fly business is for solo trips so I don't have to sit next to someone else, rather than any of the other perks.

Very much each to their own.

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by pchivvy

Its a big birthday next year and my dad has kindly gifted us his BA Avios account (or use of anyway) to use as we wish. This means that we can book business class out/return with BA and similar with VA on my own account.

Would you have a preference which way to do it?

Also, is business class worth it on the return? It seems like it would still be a fair amount of money just to sleep! (which I probably won't do anyway, although hubby would) Or would i be better just going PE on the way back?

Interested in your thoughts.

Thanks

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Hi Pauline, re PE, Virgin also operate, predominantly out of Man, four A330-200's (former Air Berlin aircraft). PE on those four, IMHO, is nowt more than extra legroom, 36" pitch, width 17.7" (vs 21" on other Virgin aircraft bar the A350 which is 18.5").

I appreciate width may not be an issue for you Pauline, it definitely is for us, circa £1k for PE to Atl shoe-horned into 17.7" for 9 hours is a no-no after being used to 21". When we next head to Bokeelia it'll be business class, unlikely to be with Virgin unless we bag some reward seats.

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by loldis

I would go Virgin PE on the daytime flights, before they started phasing out the 21" seats anyway. Have to reassess now.

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Hi loldis - phase out of the 21" of width on the A330-300's may be a bit (lot!) longer in the pipework until Virgin are back on their feet You may still need to consider where/which routes Virgin service with those 200's tho

[ABZDisney]

Our preferred route to the States is from London to Dublin then on from there with Aer Lingus in business class but we will fly BA as & when we have Avios to use.

Whoever you choose to fly with, BA, Virgin or Aer Lingus, their business class products all provide a major step up from economy and or Premium Economy & don’t let anyone tell you anything different.
Once you have flown in the pointy end of the plane you will not want to go down the back again.

We agree with the poster who rates the Aer Lingus Business Class service above that of BA.
Yes, you have the connecting flight to Dublin on the way out & back (If you come back with them) but it's really not a hardship as you will have access to the Aer Lingus lounge in London if you fly from there, I believe there are lounges in Manchester & Glasgow if you are starting your journey from there.
You also have access to a lounge in Dublin on the way back that has showers & nice quiet area upstairs, we spent 4 hours there last December on our way home.
Once you get to Dublin & clear US customs & immigration on the way out you have access to the 51st & Green lounge which although not a patch on the BA or Virgin lounges is still a nice enough place to relax for a couple of hours.

The on-board service & cabin on Aer Lingus is way ahead of BA's in our opinion, the cabin is smaller, the seats all face the same way (Although we don't mind the BA ying & yang setup), & the food & beverage & service is far superior to BA's & is way more personal.
Walking off the plane in the States & not having to queue for customs & immigration is the best feeling in the world.

Not having flown with Virgin for a while, I can’t comment on what the service is like but we will be trying them at some point once this crazy situation is behind us.

You find yourself with a nice dilemma to have, I would definitely recommend Aer Lingus on the way out if you can get Avios flights however I have heard anecdotally that it’s not that easy to get them.

With regards to the flight home, do not be tempted to book PE if you can get business / upper class, we usually have a big lunch before we head to the airport, get to the lounge & have a couple of drinks & once you are on board you can decide if you want to eat or not, they usually offer a lighter meal with a quicker service so you should still be able to get a few hours sleep on the flat bed.

You are not going to have a bad flight whichever airline you choose to travel with, do your research though, there are loads of videos on YouTube which will show you what the service & cabins & seats are like & go with what you like.
You will have to be on the ball with booking them though as the reward seats go quickly when they are released.

[ERICSMUM]

You can’t beat a few hours decent sleep on the flight home. I’m usually woken by the hubbub of breakfast being served. Coffee and croissants, wash my face and brush my teeth, ready to get off the plane.

[loldis]

Originally Posted by ChrisS

Hi loldis - phase out of the 21" of width on the A330-300's may be a bit (lot!) longer in the pipework until Virgin are back on their feet You may still need to consider where/which routes Virgin service with those 200's tho

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Thanks Chris. I won't fly their PE in anything less than the 21" seat. That's what I'm paying for, still upset they updated the cabin product with 18" seats to keep the seat capacity on the narrower aircrafts.

Although I'm not flying west for awhile now, have cancelled the next two trips. My next planned flight is heading east to Australia again so I'll be back on my lovely Asian carriers. Possibly Singapore as fancy checking out Changi Jewel but being Sussex based, it's hard to go past Emirates with their LGW A380.

[salmim]

We had a good fair share of Business and occasional First over the years, all of which were on Points.
Didnt like Upper Class really and would have been very disappointed if we had paid, although the new offering out of Heathrow looks much better. Hated the narrow seat and layout, service and food were mediocre. Had maybe half a dozen trips and none stood out.
BA business maybe 3 times was good.
Only lottery win would convince me that paying for these is worth the big price difference.
Economy is fine for us, we have a few drinks, watch a few films and Bob's your dad's brother we are there. Both directions.
Best of the lot have been Aer Lingus and a trip over to Chicago with AA in business.
I think it's going to very different for us in the North over the next few years. Had a good recommendation for TUI PE so may treat ourselves one day.

A nd actually if I did win that lottery may look at a private jet charter! 😊