britsh airways

[rjn1976]

BA seem to have some good deals at the moment, though they rarely get a mention on these boards. Any reason to avoid them?

 

[SammieG]

we always travel BA... personally I much prefer them to VIrgin on the Orlando flight!

 

[kristieuk]

Not at all. We fly to Tampa with BA every year, because only BA have a direct flight there. Nevertheless, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them, especially if they are offering a good deal.

 

[Hilary]

I've always said that, any other considerations aside (such as price, date, availability, etc.) BA would always get my vote over other airlines we've used.

I prefer their seats (head rests have adjustable support and there are retractable footrest) and have had no other problems with them any more than anyone else.

 

[Richard Bruvofetc]

Booked my holiday for next year through British Airways yesterday. They were approx £400 cheaper than Virgin who I normally go through. with my Virgin frequent flyer discount they ended up being £10 more expensive, but I did get a free one way upgrade for my family which is the equivalent value of £450.

I'm feeling very happy at the moment

...well, that was until the taxman sent me a letter this morning telling me, due to an error, I owed them £730

 

[rjn1976]

well, i`ve taken the plunge and booked with BA this afternoon. Just accommodation to sort now!

 

[icydog]

Booked my holiday for next year through British Airways yesterday. They were approx £400 cheaper than Virgin who I normally go through. with my Virgin frequent flyer discount they ended up being £10 more expensive, but I did get a free one way upgrade for my family which is the equivalent value of £450.

I'm feeling very happy at the moment

...well, that was until the taxman sent me a letter this morning telling me, due to an error, I owed them £730

I booked a flight on BA from Newark to London in November. How did you get this upgrade? We bought the higher coach rate and I hope it was worth it? I hate to fly to Europe. I am always squished in and I never sleep. I swore I would never fly to Europe again unless it was on a first class ticket. Well less than one year later I am doing just that, flying in coach again.

 

[julie.uk]

Hi Richard
did you book this with British Airways themselves or through British Airways Holidays?
Either way did you have to book 7 nights accomodation in order to get the "free" upgrade?
I have been offered this upgrade but I am trying to work out whether it is worth losing out on our AP rates for our hotel for 7 nights

 

[Richard Bruvofetc]

Hi Icy-Dog, Julie,

I booked through British Airways Holidays. Because we booked early, and for 2 weeks, we were offered the upgrade as part of the package.

 

[Mad 4 the Mouse]

Having flown with Virgin 3 weeks ago we will definately be booking with BA in future. I thought the Virgin in-flight service was very poor and although there were plenty of cabin crew they weren't actually very effective !! The seats also seemed very squashed in.

BA also fly from the North Terminal at Gatwick which is less busy. We found the South Terminal absolutely manic and not a very relaxing start to your holiday.

The only advantage Virgin has over BA is the Downtown Disney check but I can live without that. I think BA has something similar to twilight checkin, is this correct ?

You have definately made the right choice !

 

[Mumof2]

Hi ya

As far as I know BA do have a twilight check in - we plan to use it for our trip next month!

I have a question too - has anyone flown with BA into Tampa and driven to Orlando? If so - roughly how long did it take to clear customs, pick up your car etc? and how long was your drive?

Thanks.....

 

[TraceyL]

We switched from VA to BA a couple of years ago and would fly with whoever was cheapest We're 'doing' Virgin next year - first time since 2000 !

Had a really bad flight back with BA in December - worst service I have ever experienced on a flight (scheduled or charter) but this was a one off and it wouldn't put me off flying with them again, even though I have booked with VH this time lol !

 

[icydog]

We're flying to Heathrow from Newark at the end of October. We upgraded our seats a little to Coach Plus or whatever it's called. There seems to be a little more leg and body room but is it appreciable, and are there any other perks for this fare. It did get us into the Executive Club, whatever good that will do. This is our first BA trip so we are hoping it will be better than Air France, I hate hate hate this airline, Delta or VA? Is it??

 

[Red-Snapper]

The reality is there is very little difference between economy class travel with BA or VA. I would travel with either.

I do however think Virgins premium economy is a lot better than BA's world traveller plus.

With Virgin it is in the upstairs cabin with is very peacful, separate check-in, bags (and you) off first. With BA its a separate cabin i.e separated by a curtain !!. No separate check in and your bags come off with economy.

Seats/legroom etc seemed about the same with both. BA did have games though but these I found to be old and very unresponsive (not to mention hair tearingly frustrating).

 

[Richard Bruvofetc]

The reality is there is very little difference between economy class travel with BA or VA. I would travel with either.

I do however think Virgins premium economy is a lot better than BA's world traveller plus.

With Virgin it is in the upstairs cabin with is very peacful, separate check-in, bags (and you) off first. With BA its a separate cabin i.e separated by a curtain !!. No separate check in and your bags come off with economy.

Seats/legroom etc seemed about the same with both. BA did have games though but these I found to be old and very unresponsive (not to mention hair tearingly frustrating).

Where do Virgin's first class customers sit? The last time I flew premium economy with Virgin (quite a few years ago on a business trip) the seating was very similar to BAs World Traveller +, basically separated by a curtain at the front of the 747. The First Class travellers were upstairs, being entertained by Danny La Rue (he just happened to be on the flight).

I ended up behind him at immigration. Had a very long chat (it took about half an hour to get through). A very charming character, he was visiting his friend Earnest Wise - that shows how long ago it was.

 

[Frances999]

I agree that Virgin's PE service is far superior to BAs WT+ - to me WT+ simply feels like an extension to the WT cabin, with the same service. In upstairs PE you have dedicated attendants which is great considering the limited numbers of passengers.

Where do Virgin's first class customers sit? The last time I flew premium economy with Virgin (quite a few years ago on a business trip) the seating was very similar to BAs World Traveller +, basically separated by a curtain at the front of the 747. The First Class travellers were upstairs, being entertained by Danny La Rue (he just happened to be on the flight).

I ended up behind him at immigration. Had a very long chat (it took about half an hour to get through). A very charming character, he was visiting his friend Earnest Wise - that shows how long ago it was.

Upper Class is at the front of the plane. Then there are two rows of Premium Economy seats behind the Upper Class area. Upsatirs is all PE and the rest of the plane in economy. This is correct for the Orlando route, but some other routes used to feature PE downstairs and UC upstairs (although I think this has changed now).