Virgin vs BA - any preference?

[Trespassers William]

I have been pricing up flights for next year from Gatwick and Virgin and BA have come out pretty much the same. We have always flown Virgin before so couldn't comment on BA although last time we went with Virgin we thought it wasn't as good as the previous 4 times and 1 of our TVs didn't work.

On the face of it what you get for your money seems much the same.

Have any of you more experienced flyer got any view on which is best for the same price?

Thanks

 

[orangetiggs]

I love virgin, ok thier service has gone down hill but im a bit biased having worked for them so am brainwashed!

I have cabin crew friends that work for ba and if the price was right i would try them but im always drawn towards va as im a frequent flyer with them so get miles etc

 

[swift]

We had the same dilemma and we chose VA because of the DTD check in and the new Airbus. On my last flight with Virgin (in 2007) we were delayed 4 hours coming home from Las Vegas so hopefully it will be better this time.

 

[mackay_j]

for us its virgin every time, not only do they fly direct from man which is easier from scotland than london, but their service is so so much better. We have to use BA to go to one of our other holiday destinations (as the only direct arline from UK) and they are woeful, we dread the 12hr journey, on one flight all tvs off then each of the toilets went out of action one by one. Also several times no hot food - diff reasons each time.

On our next orlando trip we are flying thomson for the first timeno idea what they will be like but they where coming in over £1000 less for the 4 of us than virgin and at least they are direct- so could not justify paying so much more for virgin, thought about holding off for ff miles plus money, but as flying in july holind out in hope for this would be too much of a risk as the thomson ones would be gone or much higher by then- I'm a bit nervous about thomsons as never used charter before for long haul.

 

[zippy99]

I think the answers you get will vary - we have flown with both:

Virgin
+Positive
We could select our seats in advance at no cost
-Negative
Entertainment system was poor - on a loop
DTD Check in systems were down - spent 3 hours queuing outside in the heat - was awful
We had a 20 hour delay flying out

BA
+Positive
Excellent service on board
Very good entertainment system - loads of films and was on demand so could play, pause, rewind etc..
-Negative
Cannot select seats without paying

 

[paulh]

simple for us we go for the cheapest this tends to be indirect, haven't used virgin for years
Have had virgin in the past for £99 and £199 (even got £200 back for non reclining seats)
But those days are well gone now with all the code sharing they do nowadays
If the price is right would book any
Paul

 

[Kevin Stringer]

I agree with Paul, I'd go with whoever is cheapest.

I used to use Virgin wherever possible, but I don't think there's much difference in the service these days. I actually prefer BA on the Gatwick - Orlando route as they have video on demand.
I think Virgin definitely had a much better product than the other airlines 10 years ago, but they all seem very similar these days. I guess cost cutting has a lot to do with it.

Kev

 

[stubb]

Hi
We tend to sway towards Virgin.
One time our flight was delayed by 7 hours on the way back, we were given food vouchers and 2 hotel rooms in the airport, so glad we had the rooms and were able to sleep.
Our son has downs and we are able to use the special assistance queue.
But in the end our choice will be governed by the price, we were lucky in the post and got some dirt cheap indirect flights.

Ultimately the flight is a means to an end and the more money we have for the actual holiday the better.

 

[Elise79]

For the same money we would choose VA over BA.

For us the DTD check in is invaluable and saves so much stress at the airport. I like just having to carry the cases across the road.

IFE systems don't bother us as we tend to take our own things anyway as we have iPads/iPhones etc

 

[Kath2003]

Flown both; think they're equally good/bad as each other (although did get a bad batch of food once on a Virgin flight which resulted in some of our party - who made the wrong choice of meal! - spending the first day on the toilet But, I'm pretty sure most airline food comes from the same plastic factory, so it could have happened on any airline) so I'd just fly the cheapest.

I actually don't think the service is any better than any of the indirect airlines but people do get their knickers in a twist if they can't fly with their preferred airline - personally I'm willing to give my money to whoever will get me there cheapest without too much faffing about in the meantime.

For us, one of the huge bonuses of flying indirect is that you wind up on a plane with a 2-4-2 or 2-5-2 seating arrangement most of the time. As we're a couple, this means we don't have to sit next to anyone else. (I know the back of the Virgin/BA planes sometimes have this but it seems like a scramble for seats on those planes - and BA charge for you to choose a number and a letter ). That and the 50% savings on flying direct, anyway...

Oh I will say that Virgin and BA do sort you out with a (very) token gesture of some cheap airport fast food if you get delayed. The US airlines couldn't care less if you're delayed. But I'm not about to make my judgement based on the potential of being forced to buy a McDonalds. We learnt a long time ago to eat a decent meal BEFORE we arrive at the airport

 

[Alex's Mummy]

We have flown on both VA and BA but i like Virgin the best. Like PP's have said, i'd go with the cheapest option. All the more money to spend when you get there

Rachel

 

[#1MMFan]

I usually fly BA but flew VA on our recent trip. I liked the trip out on a clearly newish plane with a good entertainment system but on the way back it was clear the 747 had not been updated and even the headrests did not adjust to allow me to rest properly so I'd have to say that was a negative. I have not had that experience on BA yet. I have had not so great flights but mostly for me BA probably wins simply as I felt the VA staff made me feel like I was on a chartered flight. Also I felt their extra baggage charges were marginally greater than BAs.

 

[wdw_nutz]

Hi,

I've always flown BA before and have never been let down. We're going with Virgin this time though so we'll see!

I'm flying from Gatwick, can someone who has done this route tell me if the Economy seats have power supplies? I'm guessing not but my SO thinks yes so please settle the argument! Lol.

Thanks all! Dxx