WT+ v PE and CW v UC

be interested to get the views of anyone who has used both classes (either combiniation). I am going to start collecting avios via the BA credit card and the fact BA flies from TPA will be a big factor.

my priorities when flying are
1. comfortable seat

2. speed of disembark at US end
3.food & drink

to be honest IFE and lounges dont really matter. i tend to travel with hand luggage and arrive as late as possible at the airport. IFE well there are so many options.

so in terms of 1,2 and 3 who wins in the PE/WT+ and UC/CW classes ?

Having last week flown BA from JFK to NYC in club I would say that the seat and on-board service were very good indeed and more than a match against the VS UC offering.

Having last week flown BA from JFK to NYC in club I would say that the seat and on-board service were very good indeed and more than a match against the VS UC offering.

But you flew from LCY didn't you Tonty, and that's not representative of the whole fleet or BA's older 777s in use at LGW? Look forward to the TR BTW.

I have done WT+ to Orlando a couple of times and much prefer VA. I think the seats are more comfortable (especially after the refits) and I also had issues with the IFE on the BA flights. I also like the priority boarding, glass of fizz before take off. I always feel that PE for VA is a separate class - where WT+ in BA just feels like an extension of Economy for those who can't afford CW (which I suppose is true - but it is enough for me to book VA first!). I don't think there was much difference in speed in disembarking.
Now when it comes to CW and UC I think BA has the edge. I found the seats much more comfortable in BA and found it more "private" than the VA UC offering. Food and wine offering much better as well. Now the down side is that I was travelling with work so it wasn't me paying for the ticket! But if I could fly CW again rather than UC I would!
Hope that helps.

Hi Flabound,

Having flown both PE and WT+ recently I would say (in my opinion) PE is just a little better. WT+ seat is good with lumbar support being a little better. Both cabins are good but feel that PE is just that little bit better in all the other areas. I felt better attended and more able to ask for what I wanted.

Whilst I have not flown CW I have flown UC. Not rally fair to offer a comparison as only seen CW from a distance.

From a reward use for upgrade point of view isn't it the case that you can only go up one cabin on BA? So you couldn't book economy and upgrade to CW? Or am I just making that up?

From a reward use for upgrade point of view isn't it the case that you can only go up one cabin on BA? So you couldn't book economy and upgrade to CW? Or am I just making that up?

That's the way I read it,thought it was same or VA as well

From a reward use for upgrade point of view isn't it the case that you can only go up one cabin on BA? So you couldn't book economy and upgrade to CW? Or am I just making that up?

That's right - contrary to VS.

From a reward use for upgrade point of view isn't it the case that you can only go up one cabin on BA? So you couldn't book economy and upgrade to CW? Or am I just making that up?

That's the way I read it,thought it was same or VA as well

On BA you can only use EC miles to upgrade one cabin maximum. On VS you can upgrade from economy to Upper if there is availability.

For me where VS beats BA by a mile are CC, all aisle access in UC, better PE service on the ground to onboard (loos on the Airbii for PE as well as dedicated service etc.), clubhouses (obviously), miles earning and upgrade options, service from Crawley, and much more (I am still a great fan of the bar). VS is still much more likely to make me want to travel than BA ever could be.

BA beats on routes (natch), wine in CW (but not food), CW food in WT+ (following NZ example but much more limited and I think VS could easily follow suit here), partner earning and redemptions as part of OW, option to upgrade to First (not something VS can be compared with) - and it seems you are more likely to get steadily good on board service (though never, IMO, as good as VS at its best).

Really it's good that we in the UK have the ability to compare, and continue to hope that both BA and VS don't race to the bottom like US airlines did over the past ten years. Rather the competition helps to keep up standards. Compare what option we have to those in France, Germany, Spain, Italy or The Netherlands for example - miles better and still better than many Middle East or Far East experiences.

With BA you can book a sale PE fare and upgrade to CW with miles though. How much is that upgradeable Economy fare on VS?

From a reward use for upgrade point of view isn't it the case that you can only go up one cabin on BA? So you couldn't book economy and upgrade to CW? Or am I just making that up?

Well, this one is a loaded question. It's true but when you think about it its much less simple.

For Virgin it needs to be an upgradable fare, so in a sense, you are virtually paying for what would be a sale fare on the next cabin up (Not always BTW, but sometimes). So you'd perhaps see PE at 950, and if you wanted an upgradable Economy fare, it would be 900 (I've seen them as low as 650 on JFK fares though).

So yes, its one cabin for BA, but the reality is that a BA fare for WT+ is much easier to justify with a view to upgrading if the space becomes available. You can't really do that so much with Virgin.

With BA you can book a sale PE fare and upgrade to CW with miles though. How much is that upgradeable Economy fare on VS?

Quite - taking NYC as an example:
For a BA WT+ MFUd to CW I was just quoted £926.45 + 20k avios. And you earn WT+ avios and TPs.
For a VS Economy (M) upgraded to UC, I am normally looking at something around £900 + 40k miles. And you earn the equivalent of a K PE TPs, can't remember the miles situation.

So BA offers a better deal in this respect, plus of course AG is easier to obtain than VS AU (the equivalent).

However, I find that availability is usually better on VS for the routes and dates I want to fly. And I'd rather end up in UC...

I used to travel this route quite regularily with just hand luggage as I had a second home in Tampa Bay. If you not bothered about lounges and minor differences in cabins / service then the convenience of BA into TPA is the winner

Having last week flown BA from JFK to NYC in club I would say that the seat and on-board service were very good indeed and more than a match against the VS UC offering.

But you flew from LCY didn't you Tonty, and that's not representative of the whole fleet or BA's older 777s in use at LGW? Look forward to the TR BTW.

I flew out from LCY but back - as I said in my post - into LHR. It was on a 777 and very good it was too. TRs to follow!

Having last week flown BA from JFK to NYC in club I would say that the seat and on-board service were very good indeed and more than a match against the VS UC offering.

But you flew from LCY didn't you Tonty, and that's not representative of the whole fleet or BA's older 777s in use at LGW? Look forward to the TR BTW.

I flew out from LCY but back - as I said in my post - into LHR. It was on a 777 and very good it was too. TRs to follow!

But you said you flew JFK to NYC. No mention of LHR.

But you said you flew JFK to NYC. No mention of LHR.

i saw that too ---shades of 911 !!!!!!!!! :0 :0 or maybe it was the plane that landed in the Hudson ?|

I must admit the LCY trip also caught my eye for a difference. its very close to where I stay in Kent , and the immigration clearance in Shannon also appeals. plus it works pretty well with the Jet Blue flights down to RSW. i can do a one way for 40k miles and £340 , seems a bargain to me. also I like that the first 241 voucher comes once you hit $30k and you dont have to wait the full year

With BA you can book a sale PE fare and upgrade to CW with miles though. How much is that upgradeable Economy fare on VS?

Quite - taking NYC as an example:
For a BA WT+ MFUd to CW I was just quoted £926.45 + 20k avios. And you earn WT+ avios and TPs.
For a VS Economy (M) upgraded to UC, I am normally looking at something around £900 + 40k miles. And you earn the equivalent of a K PE TPs, can't remember the miles situation.

So BA offers a better deal in this respect, plus of course AG is easier to obtain than VS AU (the equivalent).

However, I find that availability is usually better on VS for the routes and dates I want to fly. And I'd rather end up in UC...

Fair points all.

I admit that I'd be tempted to try CW for us as a couple.

Paul

So on the LCY-JFK service, is it possible to pay for WT+ and upgrade to CW using Avios given that there is no WT+ on that flight?

So on the LCY-JFK service, is it possible to pay for WT+ and upgrade to CW using Avios given that there is no WT+ on that flight?

No - sadly not! You can however do a straightforward redemption on the LCY flight.

These comparisons are so difficult, mainly because the pros and cons are so subjective. So much so that a pro to me may be a con to someone else.

That said, having flown in all of these cabins, my take would be...

Assume a "standard" level of service from the airline in the cabin in question - not dire, not sparkling, just "what you'd expect".

Then, VS PE has the edge, just over WT+ in my oppinion, but particularly so when in the bubble, I personally feel the downstairs PE product is reduced on VS. It's a very close thing though, seats are different, the BA seats have more lumber support and suit me better, but I think the armrests are wider on VS. The glass of fizz before takeoff? Does that make a huge difference? Just a tiny nudge in VS direction. Food - not very much to choose, although the BA offering is improving.....

UC vs CW - now here, we enter interesting territory. Ignoring the "dream" suite for a moment which is a backwards step for VS with UC (IMHO), I personally get more legroom in PE or WT+ than I do in UC. If you like the privacy afforded by the suite, this is a big plus (but as I travel with my family typically, this is a bit of a disadvantage to me). CW is great - there's bags of legroom, the seat is very comfortable, and the bed I find less restrictive and cooler to sleep in. The VS cabins usually have a more "exclusive" feel to them (what ever that means), but there is definitely a feeling of something different on VS. The CW cabin is less "different". In terms of service offerings, on an average day, there's very little to choose. I feel the food and wine on BA is better than VS (these days), and the service differentiator is probably whether you want to chat to younger FAs or not. Personally, I like both, but at the end of the day, I want efficient and friendly service, and I find BA to do this very well indeed.

We all know, that when a VS crew really put it together, the flight experience is great, and that level of attentiveness probably edges VS above most other airlines. But my comfort is important, so I'd edge the CW suite above UC, and call PE equal with a tiny bit above WT+ in overall experience.

Beware the service inconsistency though - VS (in my expereience) are highly variable. I've had extraordinary service (the best ever in economy, actually!) from VS, but I've had 2 flights where the service was little better than EasyJet. BA on the other hand, have consistently given good service to me, and I have never really experienced the "coldness" oft quoted of BA crew.

The other aspects - upgrades, FC/BAEC and so on have been widely discussed, so won't enter that one here.

But, all things are relevant when choosing your "airline of choice" as you're probably looking at the whole deal - comfort, service, rewards, availability, route network and so on.

Long ramble, and just my oppinion, but hope it helps a little!

concorde, i appreciate your thoughts and they are certainly very helpful.

seat comfort being the main concern it certainly seems BA are as close to VS as to make little difference. I concur PE in the bubble is the best but as recent TRs and posts have shown its getting harder to bag a spot upstairs AND then you have the cabin split debate. also the love/hate 330 debate.
my next trip is PE bubble on a refit back to the UK and then PE on a 2 class 330 so I will get to try the new products.

as my VS miles are diminishing and I will be the proud owner of at least 50000 avios a CW trip -even one way- beckons. I am waiting on the LCY-JFK TR to see how that fairs but it is definitely tickling my palate