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London
to New York is the Shibuya Crossing of long-haul routes, with seven airlines operating around 200 flights between the two cities every week.
It’s one of the most commercially significant routes on the planet and one of the most competitive.
Which makes the economy offerings from the two UK players serving the route,
British Airways
and
Virgin Atlantic
(which has five daily services from
Heathrow
), absolutely crucial.
This is the journey for millions of people that defines what a long-haul flight feels like.
So, what do BA and Virgin bring to the party? Travel experts from
The Points Guy
set about finding out, filming their experiences in economy on a BA Boeing 777 from London Heathrow to Newark Liberty International Airport and a Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 from Heathrow to JFK.
It’s a tale of ‘super comfortable seats’, ‘fun’ crew members, ‘dodgy’ Wi-Fi and an entertainment screen that feels ‘outdated’.
Read on for the full verdicts.
BRITISH AIRWAYS, BOEING 777. CABIN CONFIGURATION – 3-4-3
Putting
British Airways
to the test was TPG senior marketing manager
Liam Spencer
, who paid $393 (£304) for his ticket to Newark.
Liam was impressed with the ‘fresh and clean’ cabin, the ‘comfy, adjustable’ headrest and the ‘decent’ legroom.
He also told MailOnline Travel that the Wi-Fi was cheaper than Virgin’s (£14.99 vs £20.99), that the food was ‘really good’ and that the cabin crew service was ‘brilliant’.
Any downsides?
A few issues were noted – the seating felt outdated, the in-flight entertainment screen seemed antiquated, and the wooden utensils failed to make an impression.
The pillow also received no praise, with Liam calling it ‘slim.’
On the video, after landing in the U.S, Liam concludes: ‘On the whole, it was a pretty solid economy flight. The service went above and beyond today to make me feel welcome. They were quick with food and drink – it was more than just service with a smile. They were really personable throughout the entire flight.
The seating seems somewhat dated, especially the IFE system on the 777. However, overall, I was quite pleased — plus they arrived at my destination 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Extremely efficient and swift.
VIRGIN ATLANTIC, AIRBUS A350-1000. CABIN CONFIGURATION – 3-3-3
Putting the
Virgin Atlantic
economy cabin to the test was The Points Guy Editor at Large,
Nicky Kelvin
, who paid $245 (£189) for his ticket.
He loved the ‘comfortable seat’ with adjustable headrest, noted the two USB charging points and was delighted with his ‘big’ IFE screen.
Any other plus points?
Yep, we’re not finished just yet.
Nicky told MailOnline Travel that the legroom was ‘good’, the over-ear headphones a positive and that the crew were ‘brilliant’.
Any negative aspects to the trip?
Nicky said his meal could have been bigger and noted that the Wi-Fi was more expensive than the BA service.
After landing at JFK, Nicky tells his viewers in conclusion: ‘That flight was pretty brilliant. Well done, Virgin Atlantic. I found the seat to be super comfortable. I liked the adjustable headrest. I liked the adjustable tray table. The IFE was brilliant. The Wi-Fi was a bit dodge. But overall, a great place to be sitting for six or seven hours.
‘The food was the slight let-down for me. It wasn’t bad but it should have been more. I wanted a bigger, fresher salad. I wanted a bit more in the main meal. A bit more of a dessert. But what was there was pretty good.
‘But then [there were] the snacks they had in the galley for the taking and the afternoon tea was really cute – and really hit the spot.
‘But let’s talk about service. Virgin Atlantic brings it every single time with its cabin crew. And that’s what made this flight for me. The crew were so fun, so friendly. They made everybody feel that little bit special. They really are the jewel in Virgin Atlantic’s crown.’
Thanks, The Points Guy.
For more from The Points Guy visit
thepointsguy.com/uk-travel
. To watch the full video click
here
.
Read more
