I would endorse Greg's comments [although my wife is less worried about the number of engines and more concerned about the wine choice!]
Having flown with all the carriers mentioned, I would say that BA and Virgin would be my preferred choice, even for £30 or £40 more. I know that both can have off-days, but normally the service levels, choice of food and free drink, plus IFE are superior to the US carriers.
OK - purely subjective, but isn't that the point of this forum?