She also directed us on how to find the lounge. I figured it would be a shared lounge, as DEN isnt exactly a hub for BA. We went through security. Again, no Fast track to be seen, but the lines were short and moved very quickly. We headed to the lounge area and were surprised to find that BA has its own lounge in DEN. It was small, but pleasant, with some snacks and sandwiches as well as a decent selection of magazines and newspapers. The woman at the desk told us she would let everyone know when it was time to head to the gate, but we left before it was announced as most of the other passengers were leaving and there was no real reason to stick around. There was priority boarding clearly marked at the gate, and no line whatsoever. They also had two separate jet ways, one clearly marked for rows 1-11 (CW) and one for the remaining rows. I think that people were still boarded through part of CW, as plenty of people went past us while we were seated, but it was still a nice touch to avoid backups on the jet way.
Service and seat stuff no comments too different from the outbound. I had a gravlax starter and a pasta main. Both were ok. The pasta was far too creamy. The tray tables are a real pain in the neck to get out of the armrests. I think these have been improved with the NNCW seat, but I am not certain. Lily OBriens chocolates were served, and while good, were not nearly as delicious as the Artisan du Chocolat chocolates I was hoping to see again!
Worth noting the man across the aisle from me was a BA AU and various CC came by to have a chat with him. That is something they definitely got right.
Shortly after the trays were cleared I brushed my teeth and got settled in for bed. As the seat next to me was empty I took an extra blanket and laid it down on the seat to try to add an extra layer of comfort. I though the beds were ok not great. The seat is much better as a seat. I did not like the built in pillow, either. Despite my whinging about the seat, I guess I slept, as next thing I knew, the lights were on and breakfast was being served. The announcements were made properly and we landed a bit early.
As we were early we deplaned remotely and I do think that BA fell a bit flat in this regard. CW of course deplaned first and got onto the bus. Instead of sending us on our merry way, we then sat and waited while three quarters of the rest of the plane crammed onto the bus with us. This way, when we reached the terminal all of the Y and Y+ passengers got out ahead of the J passengers, and lined up at immigration. A bit annoying
There is just 1 Iris booth in T4 and it was really acting up. Man in front of us had to try three times. Woman after him was sent back out of Iris, but fortunately I got through on the first try & MrStars on his second. I was nervous as the woman who was sent out was told to go to the end of the immigration line, which was getting long at that point!
We then headed into the baggage hall where we waited..and waited.and waited.while bags came out 3 at a time. It was ridiculous. Even more ridiculous were the nonsense the passengers coming in from Toronto were experiencing. Some of the announcements we heard while we waited for our bags Passengers on flight BA whatever, arriving from Toronto, thank you for waiting, we have located 10 more bags and they will be coming out soon. Passengers from Toronto those 10 bags are going to come out on a different belt, so please head over to carousel 1A on the far side of the hall. Passengers from Toronto we have located a couple more bags, but these will be coming out on baggage carousel 6, on the other side of the hall. Passengers from Toronto, we have located 10 more bags, but these will be coming out on carousel number 3 in Terminal 2, so please make your way to another Terminal. Ok, so I made the last one up, but seriously, that might have been the next announcement. We waited about 40 minutes for our two bags before enduring the traffic enroute to home.
In summary, VS vs. BA
Check-in: VS wins weve had some less than stellar check-in agents, but none so daft as to give us both the same boarding pass.
Lounge: VS wins I dont really need to explain, do I?
Boarding: Equal priority boarding works in some airports, not in others, occasional use of two separate jet ways experienced with both airlines.
Seat:
Storage space: VS wins there is a serious lack of storage space in the ONCW seat and the placement of the magazine/emergency card pocket around the corner from your seat is just silly.
Seat, while seated: BA wins the greater range of recline positions was appreciated.
Seat, as a bed: VS wins the BA seat is just not that comfortable as a bed, and the footrest does not integrate that well. Additionally, there should be a mattress pad to help with the hardness of the seat. The built in pillow, was also a negative for me.
Seat, for travelling with a companion: Equal if you get the right seat combo on BA you can be seated side by side with your companion, which is nice. However, I do like the companion seat and dining together on VS.
Seat, tray table: VS wins armrest stowed tray table on BA was hard to get out/stow and was flimsy.
Amenity kit: BA wins by a hair b/c I dont like the smelliness of the Cowshed products, and there have been times when no one has brought around the extras basket.
IFE: VS wins I have been fortunate enough to mainly have V:Port on my flights, and it is superior. The NNCW seat is supposed to have AVOD, so that may equalize this category. The VS screen is larger/better however, and I dont recall whether it will change with the NNCW.
Service: Equal I truly did not feel like the service was any better or worse on my BA flights. Some individual CC were better than others, but that happens everywhere.
Food: Equal I think the food, from both a taste and presentation standpoint, were about equal. I have heard people say that VS food is awful, and others say it is great. I have heard some praise BA food, and others say it is awful. We all have different palates. I think food on both airlines, in J, is better than your average Y meal, but no comparison to what youd get in a fine restaurant.
Baggage Handling: VS wins overall, in my experience, my bags have received priority handling. I dont think BA even offers this service.
In summary, as long as VS is serving our route, and the fares are in the same range, we will stick with VS for now. Of course, if we encounter drama over the holidays if a strike happens then all bets are off.
