London first class which airline?

[theboy85]

im going to be 20 when i take the trip. The only reason im leaning more towards british right now is because united wont let me drink alcohol. Lol..Which airline has a better first class from the U.S to London and oh yea its going to be a window seat:ok:. If you all can give me an idea of which first class is better united or british i would appreciate it;)

[763 jock]

If you're a beer drinker, buy a "coach" ticket and spend all the money you save on proper warm ale. :cool:

[parabellum]

For a youngster like yourself I would have thought that Virgin Atlantic Upper Class would have filled the bill admirably! Said to be a lot of fun.

Failing that BA First Class.

Unfortunately, these days, United don't even rate.

[FairlieFlyer]

In the words of Father Ted 'Biscuit or Cake, hmmm'....

Virgin all the way, at least you'll be older than most of the cabin crew

[radeng]

BA First is FAR superior to AA First. With seating of one - two - one, window seats are easy to get.

[theboy85]

British or Virgin?

[PAXboy]

It has to be VS. You will fit in with the crowd more easily. There is no doubt that the BA experience is fabulous but the VS is probably better suited to a younger person.

Sounds like a treat of a trip and I wish I had been able to travel F when I was your age. That said, it will spoil you for life and you will always want to get back to that cabin!

[Senior Pilot]

I've used Virgin UC for a few years now, and it is excellent value for the money :ok:

I had a trip BA just recently, and found their First Class to be quite average: the cabin was quite "tired" and was certainly no better than Virgin. The service on both is excellent, but overall the Virgin experience is my recommendation :cool:

[radeng]

My choice would be BA.

PAXBoy is right - you will never want to fly economy again. Even less most low cost airlines

[gdiphil]

Got to be VS. I have reached an advanced age that I get occasionally asked to write references for the younger generation including on occasions those who wish to train as cabin crew. Without a doubt I strongly recommend VS from the eye candy point of view, not that I am implying VS are operating a discrimination policy but when I fly United some of the cc are old enough to be my mother. But, as has been indicated earlier, you will be severely disappointed in all future traveling by air if it is economy. As for the booze, ignore those who say it dehydrates you or tastes funny at altitude, it is just great in First. Enjoy!

[strake]

In service terms, I would suggest First is streets ahead of Virgin Upper Class but then they are completely different products...First is also considerably more expensive and exclusive.
If I had the choice, BA First every time.
The real decision comes when comparing Club with UC. For my money, 747 Upper Deck BA Club (seat 64K or 64A) beats VS Upper Class. On a 777, possibly VS has the edge if you consider the Clubhouse at T3..until you get bored with it.
All very subjective of course....

[James 1077]

I would go Virgin Upper Class every time.

The times that I've managed to wangle myself an upgrade the other pax were all youngish (under 40s and quite a few in their 20s), the cabin crew were all gorgeous, and a great time was had at the bar on board throughout the flight.

BA First may technically be better in terms of service and comfort (I don't know) but Upper Class has got to be more fun!

[hotmetal]

My vote is for BA.

[The SSK]

If you're going to make the most of the experience, fly daylight eastbound. Once you're asleep (assuming you're comfortable), it's hard to tell the difference.

[raejones]

BA in either 1A or 1K would get my money.

[Fargoo]

Depends on your destination - do Virgin fly to the destination you are going to?

Depends what you want from the flight, as mentioned above there is a huge difference in price and service between the two. Never flown Virgin but I have flown BA first and it was a great service but definately not occupied by the younger generation (which is a good thing sometimes).

[rogerg]

I have flown Virgin Premium Economy a few times, its great value for money. A comfy seat in the top deck of a 747.

[clareprop]

To answer the question originally asked and having experienced both, I think BA First is considerably better than the United offering.

[Senior Pilot]

BA in either 1A or 1K would get my money

Those seats aren't as good as first appears: the closet is on the front bulkhead between them, and intrudes into the seat space when opened. And can be noisy when opened in the middle of the night!

5A or K are much more spacious than the other rows, due to the offset imposed to accommodate the seat behind the one that you're in. No seat behind Row 5, so more room :ok:

[raejones]

Hi SeniorPilot ! - I guess you are referring to the Jumbo ? in which case I shall bow down to your superior knowledge on that as I was talking about the 777 which obviously has a slightly different config.

As an aside, does anybody else find they spend the 'takeoff' in F trying to stop pillows, blankets, slippers, pj's etc from flying off the footrest/storage area in front and disappearing all over the cabin !!!!

[strake]

As an aside, does anybody else find they spend the 'takeoff' in F trying to stop pillows, blankets, slippers, pj's etc from flying off the footrest/storage area in front and disappearing all over the cabin !!!!

Yes. However, it dosen't seem to matter because soon after the crew are cleared, one of them comes and clucks comfortingly as they replace everything and offer drinkies to help you overcome the distress...

That's why VS UC (or for that matter any other western carrier) will never be as good as First. It's calm, understated service.

I fly VS most of the time but they don't do S. America so I have just taken the Club out First back "package" to Sao Paulo and was most impressed with both sectors on a 747.

[raejones]

Yup, thats exactly what it is..."Calm and understated." - Freud springs to mind... "The more you know, the less you need to show"

That said...I've got enough points to take an UC flight with Virgin Airlines so I feel as if I should experience it....purely so I'm qualified to compare them of course :ok: gosh its a tough life !

Though again to be fair, I dont think VS Upper are trying to compete with BA First.

[profot]

Rather than pillows and slippers I find parts of the seats come adrift on take off on Ba 744, very tired cabins in my experience. I'd go with 2A or K if i were on the 744 personally.

More recently i've enjoyed club upper deck to be more peaceful and as I don't bother with food or drink onboard am happy with the service there 62A or K gets my vote on that one.

VS more fun for sure but i prefer to be able to look out the window every now and then

[theboy85]

Im not flying united due to all the bad reports ive heard. The virgin seats were just wayyyyy to close together for my taste. So it is going to be....drumroll:ok:...British airways 1 or 5 a or k for the win!:}

[raejones]

I think you'll enjoy it !!! (in fact I think you'll be spoilt for life!) your only decision now is......BA Classic Fleet...err I mean the 747-400....or the Cripple sorry I mean Triple Seven ;)