Virgin or BA

[aaaaa]

In your view ....... which is the best business class to HKG. I believe they both have the flatbeds in upper/business class.

This is an important question for me as I haven't been too well recently and I have waited a year to be able to make this journey. At long last I have been given the ok to travel but I do need the space offered in business class.

aa

:D :ok: :ok: :ok: :D

[Fernando_Covas]

To me, BA has the "it factor" plus if you are traveling with a partner you can sit next to each other. Don't get me wrong, Virgin offer a good product but I'd fly BA anyday.

[Wannabe Flyboy]

If I had a pound for every time this had been asked...!

Once this has all been debated you'll get the response that, overall, both are excellent airlines with comparable products.

VS have better IFE.
BA have recently improved their Club World seat.
The upper deck on BA's 747s is very nice in CW, very private feeling.
If you like window seats then the VS seats can make it awkward to see out.
I don't know about the VS lounges but the BA Terraces are quite acceptable.
BA flies to HKG from T1 at LHR which has the fantastic Zone R check-in area with a dedicated security queue away from the masses.

At the end of the day it will be the crew who make or break it. Both airlines have superb days and awful ones. If you want more info then do a search on this forum.

[aaaaa]

Thanks for your responses, I appreciate the time, and I have to admit that BA is my first choice (daughter is about to start as an FO with BA, so should be loyal) but I was just looking for peoples' views as I have also had great flights to the States on Virgin.

WFB I am aware that this has probably been asked many times but I have to admit at this immediate moment I don't have the time to seach through all the BA and Virgin threads and I was hoping for responses from people who have recently done this journey.

It is really the flat bed seating I need on such a long journey. Gone are the days when I could fly for 16 hours from MNL/LHR on PAL in a virtually upright seat.

I do agree that it is the CC who make or break a flight but I would imagine comfortable seats, especially those that convert into flat beds make a tremendous difference, especially as I hardly ever sleep on a long haul flight, so maybe they might help.

Cheers
aa

[PAXboy]

The problem is that, what I consider to be a good seat layout, width etc. is different to what you will think is good. So consider the hard facts, the web sites of both companies give extensive details about their cabins, seats and features.

I have not done the HKG in BA club for (cranks the brain) January 1991, so cannot say what it is like today! The last time I did the route with VS was in Y (Client would not pay. :*

However I would agree that, unless you have an overriding factor (cost/FFMs/etc) then either will do the trick. When you have done the trip, please do stop by and tell us your decision and what it was like!

[ojs]

This might be a question that's better directed towards the flyertalk.com forums (BA board located here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=446) )

However, just wanted to point out that you will always be able to find someone who finds BA the best ever over VS and vice-versa.

Totally agree w/ wanabe - it''s the crew that make/break. And so because of that human factor I don't think it's really fair to comments one way or another...

(Sorry to be negative: I'm not really any help am I?!)

[419]

As the general opinion is that there isn't a great deal of difference between the two airlines, when it comes to comfort, service etc, have you also considered the airmile rewards?

Upper class to HK, should give you a fairly large chunk of airmiles from either BA or VS. If you are considering flying again in the near future, this might be worth taking into account. If you don't plan on another flight, don't forget that these airmiles can be used for hotels, car hire and in Virgin's case, wine.

[Jordan D]

Just a note about window seats in Club - was flying back from BOM, got upgraded to top deck and the window seats face backwards, so if you're keen on the view and want to face forwards then try VS ... but the BA Club Breakfast is tops.

Jordan

[apaddyinuk]

But just remember, with VS...You can barely see out the windows without getting one hell of a pain in your neck!!!

[shortm]

Can't give you any info about BA but a couple of things which might be advantageous to you about VS are :-

seat can be reclined during take-off / landing

able to move around the cabin and sit at bar so not confined to your seat area

Hope this might have helped

Shortm

[The_Banking_Scot]

Hi,

Also VS offers on the HKG flights;

AVOD ( 50 movies/50 CD's all on demand) , in flight beauty therapist, on board bar, the LHR clubohuse is very good with a selection of hot and cold food ( BA Terraces for Club would only have sandwiches and snacks) and a sleep suit on the over night flights with a duvet.
Both the BA and VS seats are good although I am not that tall but thought the BA CW seat too small and too narrow.

Regards

TBS

[Leezyjet]

The seat on VS once converted into bed mode also has a proper mattress rather than being the actual seat, just flat so it is much more comfortable. It is also much bigger in bed mode than BA's club World seat, it's even bigger than BA's First seat.

Also don't forget if you are on full fare J with VS, you get the limo's at each end too - not even BA First offers that.

[strake]

As has been previously mentioned, in Biz there really is little to choose between the two carriers on the aircraft. It's the crew who make the difference. BA still have the ability to provide a "classic" quality service. Virgin can be relaxed and fun. However, Virgin sometimes get a bit too relaxed. Young crew can go into "party" mode and if you are trying to sleep in the "snooze zone" the chatter is a bit OTT. BA crew can also slip into "I've been doing this for too long and I'm bored" mode. Regular business travellers might feel that both are treating you like idiots when reading the safety announcements. On the whole though, in nine out of ten trips, you will have an enjoyable experience.

[Wannabe Flyboy]

This may help:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=451255

[sixmilehighclub]

I just flew back in BA Club World yesterday.

13 movie channels plus further channels of sitcoms, cartoons, an active map and sports. 12 Audio channels. Choice of games.

Dinner menu with choice of three starters, three mains, two desserts. All my choices I'd happily order again. Proper mugs of tea! Very nice Champagne, Port and a great Chablis amongst others!

Then theres sarnies, crisps & dips, chocolates and biscuits and fresh fruit whenever you feel peckish.

The breakfast is great, I had the choice of fresh fruit, kedgeree, continental or full english.

What else did I get? Washbags with Molton Brown Products, Champagne on boarding, Hot towel, papers and magazines, cashew & macadamia nuts, bottles of water.....

The crew on the way out were a little more conservative but friendly enough, but on the way back they were great, maybe they had bonded better whilst away. I wasn't disturbed once. The crew even pulled all the shutters down to allow everyone to sleep without morning light breaking through later in the flight.

The seats are slightly reclined for take off and landing just enough to be safe.

I had a rear facing window seat both ways and had a great view, better from the upper deck, and the personal lockers I had were really handy as I could reach ino them without standing up! I'm a light sleeper and slept well both ways.

Me? Lazy??

[Globaliser]

I flew back in BA Club from HKG last night. A great flight: A glass of champagne on boarding, another one when the bar trolley came around after takeoff. Then it was off to sleep. I had a refitted bed with the new softer seat cushioning, and I was able to get a position that stretched the graunchy bit of my back enough that it felt better getting off the aircraft than when I got on. Apart from a quick loo stop about 3½ hours out of London, I was asleep until the 20-minute call and the fasten seat belts sign. The arrivals lounge provided all the post-flight refreshment and sustenance needed.

As I understand it, the seats are locked in that slightly-reclined position for take-off and landing; it's a very specific position indicated by a green LED near the head of the seat.

I was interested by sixmilehighclub's observation about the cabin crew. On most of my BA long-hauls, the outbound crew seem to be better than the inbound crew. I'd always attributed that to partying too hard at the destination but I can see how the opposite effect might occur.

[Hotel Mode]

BA crew partying too hard at destination.... very funny one. Probably more most BA flights are inbound LHR during the night uk time and we all feel tired.

[aaaaa]

Thanks all of you for the information, there is a lot to digest and a difficult decision ahead, pity I can't go out BA and come back VS!! That just has to be the best of both worlds.

aa

[PAXboy]

But if you are going J-calss, you probably can. Typically, these fares are sold in such a way that the Return is simply double the Single. If this proves to be the case, buy two singles and then you can report back to us!

[Globaliser]

It depends in part whether aaaaa wants a flexible fare or not.

There are now some cheap business class fares which are intended for the leisure traveller: They have advance purchase restrictions and are generally not flexible, but they are deeply discounted from the normal full fare business class fares.

Even for the full fares (booked into full J class), there are two types. There are slightly cheaper fares that are limited to the selling airline (and partners, if applicable), or slightly more expensive fares that are endorsable to all airlines. On the HKG route, it looks like the former are identifiable as J2 type fares, and the latter as J1.

If aaaaa is wanting only the cheapest and least flexible type of business class fare, there will be a significant price difference between that and the fully flexible fare that allows travel out on one airline and back on the other.

In fact, as the lowest discount fare is £2263 and the J1 fare is £5182, one could actually do one round-trip on each airline for less than the price of the ticket that allows flying out on one and flying back on the other! :D

[spannersatcx]

Of course the other alternative is fly Cathay, far better!:ok:

[aaaaa]

I have flown CX J class before and it was pretty good but looking at the seat guru it looks as if they don't do fully flat beds in business.

I will need to be going for the cheaper fare which obviously gives me little or no flexability, it would be useful if I could change the return. I know I can do that on Emirates, but no beds as yet to my final destination which is MNL.

Oh decisions decisions :confused:

aa

[Captain Rat]

Please correct me if I'm mistaken as I have never actualy seen them, but are the BA CW seats in pairs, one facing fwd and one back, so that the person sitting by the window has to climb over the other person if they want to move about the cabin. With VS the layout means everybody has an ailse seat, easy to get in and out and go to the bar for a midnight snack and drink! No need of a window seat on the HKG route as both ways are at night!

[Wannabe Flyboy]

That is correct but if you pick your seat carefully you don't need to climb over your neighbour.

[Jordan D]

Captain - only the first bit of the LON-HKG flight is night, as you are flying into the day .....

Jordan

[Globaliser]

Jordan D: Captain - only the first bit of the LON-HKG flight is night, as you are flying into the day .....In fact, at this time of the year, practically none of the LHR-HKG is at night. Only about the first couple of hours, and then the aircraft is into bright daylight for the remainder of the flight. Also, there is some good viewing of Hong Kong to be had from the air at this time of the year, and you miss all that if you can't look out.

The HKG-LHR also has surprising amounts of daylight at this time of the year. Coming back last weekend, I woke up for a loo break at about 0100 London time, when it was bright daylight outside. Funnily enough, it was darker by the time we landed, because we dipped back into the shadow when we returned to lower latitudes than those at which we'd been cruising.

[Jordan D]

Globaliser - thanks for that clarification ... my bad.

Jordan

[Globaliser]

No "bad" in it at all, Jordan. You were absolutely right; I just had some fresh experience to add.