ldavies

Trying to decide between business class on BA, United and VIrgin SFO-LHR-SFO late August-Early September 2024. Prices are about the same on each so that is not a factor. Have more accumulated/invested with United but their mileage program is not up to much these days so don't consider that much of a factor either. Welcome all opinions. Looking for a comfortable seat where I can sleep well.

guv1976

I have no opinion as to your basic question, but have you factored in what BA (and maybe VS, too?) will charge for advance seat selection in Business Class? UA does not charge extra for that.

Kacee

The experience on BA and VS will differ significantly depending on the specific aircraft flown.

On BA, if it's the 772, 77W, 351, or 787-10, that will be their club suite, which is very nice; if it's the 380 or 789, that will be their old club world seat, which is to be avoided.

On VS, if it's the 351, that will be their new state of the art suite; if it's the 789, that will be the old herringbone seat, which is to be avoided.

Unfortunately, both BA and VS are prone to aircraft swaps, so regardless what aircraft is currently shown, there's no guarantee which seat you'll get. On UA, you'll get the Polaris seat, which is decent, regardless of the aircraft type operating the flight.

On soft product, BA is similar to UA in that the service and food are inconsistent, though overall I slightly prefer BA over UA. VS is better, but there's still that uncertainty over the seat.

angetenar

Some thoughts:
1. Do you have a time preference?
2. How much lounge time do you anticipate?
3. One of the BA flights is on the A380 which has club world and not club suites so not every seat has direct aisle access. The other flight is on a 777, not sure if it's 200ER or 300ER but both plane types have both club world and club suites
4. How tall are you? Do you have a preference for side sleeping?
5. Are you traveling along or with others?
6. Both Virgin departures are on 787s on which Virgin has equipped a herringbone product where your feet face the aisle. These tend to be quite controversial and lots of people hate these seats.
7. Do you have a plane preference? The A380 is quite a comfortable plane, and lots of people note that with the 787, they experience less jet lag.

WheelsUpGal

I agree. For hard product it depends on the jet, which can change. I did a RT with Delta out and Virgin back (pre Covid). Both had those skinny slanted herringbone seats which I did NOT like. You should look up reviews and seating charts for the possible jets. I will say, at the time, Virgin had very good flavorful food and a great lounge in London. I have avoided BA out of Nashville because of the shared foot space on the jets they use from here.

porciuscato

The new BA seats are way better than Polaris. I actually like the old virgin seats for sleeping because they are wide and smooth compared to Polaris seats which have ridges and are narrow. Of course the the service on both BA and VS is vastly superior too

The Man in Seat 9A

I'm in total agreement with Kacee and have to differ with porciscato a bit. I'd say BA fluctuates from say 3-7 on food and service, while UA goes 2-6 (maybe an occasional 7 on service but never on food), not much difference and neither one is worth staying up for. VS food is better and more consistent.

I'm looking forward to checking out both BA and VS new seats. I think Polaris (especially odd rows) is way better than either Club World or old VS, mostly for privacy and personal space.

Lounges are all pretty good, though I have a soft spot in my heart (head?) for VS lounges from the days when they were the only ones doing anything much beyond snack mix and well drinks.

guv1976

How price sensitive is the OP? BA's advance seat-selection fees can be steep.

Does the OP currently have elite status in Mileage Plus? If so, he can apply for a BA status match which would give him free seat selection on BA.

If the OP opts to fly BA, there are (stackable) discounts available with an AARP membership ($16/year), and a Chase/BA credit card.

ijgordon

Lots of very recent discussion in here, in the BA forum. Is BA the best in business for LHR-JFK and back?
Should mostly be relevant even if not NYC.

DataPlumber

As others have indicated BA is clearly the winner in this race.

I also enjoy boarding directly from the backdoor of BA lounge to the plane at SFO. No gate lice, no unwashed masses, and it's really civilized.
This is only available if you're on the 777. The A380 uses a different gate which is across the hall from the lounge.

Club suite, which you would have on the 777, kills Polaris. Last check VS is the old hospital ward config.

By the time of your trip the final old Club config 777 should be in the shop receiving the club suite cabin, so you don't have to fear that swap. Avoid the A380s for not only the old club config, but they're very delay prone.

dkc192

If your priority is sleep frankly I'd pick UA for a comfortable seat, excellent bedding, and a very high chance of individual air vents (only the pmCO 772s and 764s don't have them).

Kacee

For all practical purposes, the LHR 777 fleet (both 772 and 77W) are fully converted to club suites.
Yeah, BA is super variable, a little better at both the top and bottom ends than UA, but my last two long-haul BA flights (both 2024) were pretty mediocre, particularly the food. My sense is they've cut the catering budget this year.
It's really not. BA has a slight advantage on soft product. The Club Suite is more spacious than the Polaris seat, but they're both good seats. The biggest issue for me is that BA still flies the 380 to SFO, so that is always going to be a risk (and BA won't allow free changes off the 380 following a swap). UA would also win on lounge options at both SFO and LHR.

I'm no UA fan, but there's a pretty decent case to be made for UA here.

PLeblond

Which one have you not tried yet? That would be my pick.

DataPlumber

It probably boils down to preference on the seat. The Polaris seats staggered closer to the aisle feel less private, and I've had a disgustingly stinky neighbor while sitting on the inside pair, that partition wasn't helping. I tend to book later, so I dont have the luxury of getting the best seats along the windows. With Polaris I find there are better rows than others, BA club suite they are all the same.

I couldn't agree more about avoiding the A380, but the fact they have now moved the 777 to the later flight makes it a no brainer, for me anyway.

porciuscato

BTW, if you have an AARP membership (which anyone over 18 can have), you get a $200 discount on British. I

f you get the BA Chase card, you get another 10% off (the two discounts are stackable).

I priced out some flights with those stacked discounts, and they were consistently cheaper than United. BTW, flights from LHR to JFK and LAX are ALL new club suites. Little chance of getting swapped on either of those.

One more thing: BA still has a First, which looks like it can be an affordable buyup -- or an upgrade.