COMPARISON – British Airways World Traveller Plus versus Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy
For anyone thinking of travelling either British Airways World Traveller Plus (BA WTP) or Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy (Virgin PE), I’ve drawn up a quick reference comparison table – the information is from the respective airline’s websites and my recent experience of both products. Greater detail is given below the table.
(Can’t seem to post the table so have broken it down into a list instead.)
Dedicated check-in desk
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Checked baggage allowance
WTP – 2 x 23kg
PE – 2 x 23kg
Priority baggage
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Priority boarding
WTP – No (in fact WTP is very last group to board)
PE – Yes
Seat pitch
WTP – BA website does not specify but SeatGuru says 38”
PE – 38”
Cabin layout
WTP – on 777, 2-4-2, 3 or 5 rows
PE – on 747, 2-2 upstairs and 2-4-2 downstairs; 2-3-2 on A340 and A330
Dedicated toilets
WTP – No. On 777, where 3 rows WTP, toilets are in middle of Economy cabin; where 5 rows, toilets are in Economy cabin but immediately behind WTP
PE – depends on aircraft and configuration
Entertainment (IFE)
WTP – varies according to aircraft
PE – varies according to aircraft
Dedicated cabin crew
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Pre-departure drink
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Different meal to Economy
WTP – Yes; to/from LHR and LGW, not clear for other routes
PE – Yes
Food extras
WTP – No
In our experience:
One drinks run on 8½ hour flight, then a few water/juice runs during flight
One drinks run on 7½ hour flight, no water/juice runs
PE - Yes
Help-yourself fresh fruit
More food on the tray (eg cheese and biscuits)
Ice cream (all classes, not just WTP)
Other snacks (sweet and savoury) offered during flight
In our experience:
Drinks readily available – crew either do drinks runs (offering water/juice or actually asking what you want) or you could go to galley any time
Bottle of water provided
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Reading material
WTP – No (except BA in-flight magazine)
PE – Yes; newspapers and magazines as you board, newspapers offered onboard
Extra mileage points
WTP – 25%
PE – 125-150%
I have flown Virgin PE numerous times and have just completed my 4th transatlantic flight in BA WTP.
I am not impressed with BA WTP. It is not a good product, especially when compared to Virgin PE, even though it is a similar cost and is marketed as being comparable. In reality, a more accurate comparison would be with United Airlines Economy Plus, ie just extra legroom. Unlike Virgin, there is no separate check-in desk, no priority boarding (in fact, just the opposite!), no priority luggage, no dedicated cabin crew and no pre-departure drink.
The BA website says WTP is, “given priority when leaving the aircraft”. Personally I do not believe this is a specific benefit for WTP but simply a result of WTP being located between Business and Economy. What the website does not tell you is that BA’s policy is to board by row number from the rear forward which makes perfect sense but means that WTP boards last of all, which doesn’t quite fit with the idea of a premium product.
Despite the BA website mentioning a complimentary newspaper, none were offered at all on my 2 recent WTP flights. The “complimentary bar service … throughout your journey” consisted of one drinks run and I was only given one small can of soda. Other than wine, no drinks were offered with the meal. Some water/juice runs were made on one flight, none on the other. Bottles of water were not provided. I saw no evidence whatsoever of the advertised “snacks”; and I think the “3-course meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner” is a figment of the BA marketing people’s imagination, certainly where my special meal (fruit platter) was concerned.
By comparison, on my most recent flight in Virgin PE, by the time I took my seat I had been given 2 newspapers, a Hello magazine and a bottle of water. Before departure I had been offered sparkling wine, orange juice or a mixture of the two, and more newspapers. Drinks were offered regularly, by the dedicated cabin crew who came around and asked as well as being available in the galley, and who always gave 2 of the small soda cans. A full bar service was offered with the main meal; there was an ice cream run and several water/juice runs; a fruit bowl was available to help yourself from; and other snacks were offered during the flight (including hot savoury snacks). The meal was the usual appalling airline food but there was more of it, including cheese and biscuits, so more chance of finding something vaguely edible.
I think the seats and legroom are comparable, although Virgin PE upstairs on a 747 wins hands-down every time. Unfortunately the exclusivity of the 747 ‘bubble’ is being phased out with the current refitting of Virgin’s Gatwick/Manchester 747 fleet. I have not yet flown in the new ‘purple’ Virgin PE seats, nor have I travelled in the new WTP cabin. The IFE varies from aircraft to aircraft with both airlines.
Given a choice, I would always choose Virgin PE over BA WTP. It is a much superior product, distinctively different from Economy, and far better value for money. BA should either improve their WTP product to bring it in line with Virgin PE or re-brand it as extra legroom only and reduce the cost accordingly.
However, Virgin’s routes are far more limited than BA. I do not want to travel Economy and cannot often afford Business, so BA WTP is sometimes my only option. No doubt this effective monopoly is why BA can get away with providing an inferior product at an inflated cost.
For anyone thinking of travelling either British Airways World Traveller Plus (BA WTP) or Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy (Virgin PE), I’ve drawn up a quick reference comparison table – the information is from the respective airline’s websites and my recent experience of both products. Greater detail is given below the table.
(Can’t seem to post the table so have broken it down into a list instead.)
Dedicated check-in desk
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Checked baggage allowance
WTP – 2 x 23kg
PE – 2 x 23kg
Priority baggage
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Priority boarding
WTP – No (in fact WTP is very last group to board)
PE – Yes
Seat pitch
WTP – BA website does not specify but SeatGuru says 38”
PE – 38”
Cabin layout
WTP – on 777, 2-4-2, 3 or 5 rows
PE – on 747, 2-2 upstairs and 2-4-2 downstairs; 2-3-2 on A340 and A330
Dedicated toilets
WTP – No. On 777, where 3 rows WTP, toilets are in middle of Economy cabin; where 5 rows, toilets are in Economy cabin but immediately behind WTP
PE – depends on aircraft and configuration
Entertainment (IFE)
WTP – varies according to aircraft
PE – varies according to aircraft
Dedicated cabin crew
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Pre-departure drink
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Different meal to Economy
WTP – Yes; to/from LHR and LGW, not clear for other routes
PE – Yes
Food extras
WTP – No
In our experience:
One drinks run on 8½ hour flight, then a few water/juice runs during flight
One drinks run on 7½ hour flight, no water/juice runs
PE - Yes
Help-yourself fresh fruit
More food on the tray (eg cheese and biscuits)
Ice cream (all classes, not just WTP)
Other snacks (sweet and savoury) offered during flight
In our experience:
Drinks readily available – crew either do drinks runs (offering water/juice or actually asking what you want) or you could go to galley any time
Bottle of water provided
WTP – No
PE – Yes
Reading material
WTP – No (except BA in-flight magazine)
PE – Yes; newspapers and magazines as you board, newspapers offered onboard
Extra mileage points
WTP – 25%
PE – 125-150%
I have flown Virgin PE numerous times and have just completed my 4th transatlantic flight in BA WTP.
I am not impressed with BA WTP. It is not a good product, especially when compared to Virgin PE, even though it is a similar cost and is marketed as being comparable. In reality, a more accurate comparison would be with United Airlines Economy Plus, ie just extra legroom. Unlike Virgin, there is no separate check-in desk, no priority boarding (in fact, just the opposite!), no priority luggage, no dedicated cabin crew and no pre-departure drink.
The BA website says WTP is, “given priority when leaving the aircraft”. Personally I do not believe this is a specific benefit for WTP but simply a result of WTP being located between Business and Economy. What the website does not tell you is that BA’s policy is to board by row number from the rear forward which makes perfect sense but means that WTP boards last of all, which doesn’t quite fit with the idea of a premium product.
Despite the BA website mentioning a complimentary newspaper, none were offered at all on my 2 recent WTP flights. The “complimentary bar service … throughout your journey” consisted of one drinks run and I was only given one small can of soda. Other than wine, no drinks were offered with the meal. Some water/juice runs were made on one flight, none on the other. Bottles of water were not provided. I saw no evidence whatsoever of the advertised “snacks”; and I think the “3-course meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner” is a figment of the BA marketing people’s imagination, certainly where my special meal (fruit platter) was concerned.
By comparison, on my most recent flight in Virgin PE, by the time I took my seat I had been given 2 newspapers, a Hello magazine and a bottle of water. Before departure I had been offered sparkling wine, orange juice or a mixture of the two, and more newspapers. Drinks were offered regularly, by the dedicated cabin crew who came around and asked as well as being available in the galley, and who always gave 2 of the small soda cans. A full bar service was offered with the main meal; there was an ice cream run and several water/juice runs; a fruit bowl was available to help yourself from; and other snacks were offered during the flight (including hot savoury snacks). The meal was the usual appalling airline food but there was more of it, including cheese and biscuits, so more chance of finding something vaguely edible.
I think the seats and legroom are comparable, although Virgin PE upstairs on a 747 wins hands-down every time. Unfortunately the exclusivity of the 747 ‘bubble’ is being phased out with the current refitting of Virgin’s Gatwick/Manchester 747 fleet. I have not yet flown in the new ‘purple’ Virgin PE seats, nor have I travelled in the new WTP cabin. The IFE varies from aircraft to aircraft with both airlines.
Given a choice, I would always choose Virgin PE over BA WTP. It is a much superior product, distinctively different from Economy, and far better value for money. BA should either improve their WTP product to bring it in line with Virgin PE or re-brand it as extra legroom only and reduce the cost accordingly.
However, Virgin’s routes are far more limited than BA. I do not want to travel Economy and cannot often afford Business, so BA WTP is sometimes my only option. No doubt this effective monopoly is why BA can get away with providing an inferior product at an inflated cost.
