Delta Vs British Airways vs American

alwaysskint96

becominganobsessivesaver wrote: »

If you're flying economy I would suggest you avoid BA if the route uses a 787 as these are supposedly very cramped and pretty uncomfortable.

If thats the dreamliner then yes- much less comfortable than the 777. I had the misfortune of LON-DELHI on one earlier this year

MiraculousM

You guys are probably right and the difference in economy wont be that large. Unfortunately i will never be able to afford business class so i will just walk through with envy haha

- this leads me to the next two questions-

* the dimensions of American / Delta are smaller than the ones of BA for cabin baggage. Is this something checked? I dont remember ever having the size of my cabin bag checked when i went away on american but would like to know as i have just bought this (http://www.tesco.com/direct/it-luggage-worlds-lightest-2-wheel-small-black-suitcase/307-2511.prd?skuId=307-2511) and i dont think it will fit on those. Has anyone taken this on and had a problem?

* the european rule is that if you are delayed on an european airline you get compensation- does this also apply for flights leaving the UK if its a US based airline? I am one of those people that wants to cover my back with everything.

Doshwaster

MiraculousM wrote: »

You guys are probably right and the difference in economy wont be that large. Unfortunately i will never be able to afford business class so i will just walk through with envy haha

I have flown business class lots of times but have never paid for it. The secret is getting to know how to get the best out of the airline's frequent flyer scheme.

jackieblack

MiraculousM wrote: »

* the european rule is that if you are delayed on an european airline you get compensation- does this also apply for flights leaving the UK if its a US based airline? I am one of those people that wants to cover my back with everything.

Leaving the UK, yes
Returning from outside the EU, no

malkie76

becominganobsessivesaver wrote: »

If you're flying economy I would suggest you avoid BA if the route uses a 787 as these are supposedly very cramped and pretty uncomfortable.

Are there any airlines who don't have 9-across at the back of a 787?

richardw

malkie76 wrote: »

Are there any airlines who don't have 9-across at the back of a 787?

Yes, ANA https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/ANA/ANA_Boeing_787-800_B.php

Nick_C

I would say the most important thing is seat configuration.

If you are flying economy, I would avoid the 787 on any (non Japanese) airline because of the cramped seating.

A BA 777 with 3-3-3 is more spacious than an AA 777 with 3-4-3

An AA Airbus [STRIKE]300[/STRIKE]330 (former US airways) with 2-4-2 is good.

So check what sort of hardware each flight is scheduled to use and chose the one with the most comfortable seating.

AA allow you to reserve seats FOC at the time of booking, and you can see what seats are available before you buy a ticket.

BA charge a ridiculous amount for seat reservation.

In terms of cabin crew and service, I don't think there is any difference between AA and BA. I have witnessed some extraordinarily rude and threatening behaviour from AA cabin crew in economy in the past, but I have found if you are polite and courteous to them it will be reciprocated. I've found BA cabin crew to be a bit aloof and unhelpful. They are instructed not to help you to stow you hand luggage, and I have been on a flight where the plane pulled back from the gate while passengers were still standing and trying to get their bags into overcrowded overhead lockers while the FAs merely shouted at them.

Check https://www.seatguru.com/ for cabin layouts and individual seat reviews.

Check http://www.airlinequality.com/ for general reviews of the airline.

What route do you fly?

Nick_C

malkie76 wrote: »

Are there any airlines who don't have 9-across at the back of a 787?

Even ANA are retrofitting their 787s from 2-4-2 to 3-3-3

The only airline in the world that has 2-4-2 across it's 787 fleet is Japan Airlines.

The 787 "Dreamliner" was designed and marketed by Boeing as a spacious comfortable plane with a 2-4-2 economy configuration.

Every other Airline in the world has chosen high density cattle class seating, turning the Dreamliner into a nightmare.

Same with the 777. I used to chose to fly AA because their 777s were in the original 2-5-2 configuration. You could book a window and aisle pair, and even in the centre block of 5 the middle seat was often empty. AA and most other airlines are going for 3-4-3 and people are accepting it. Emirates are a prime example. People rave about what a good airline Emirates is, but they squeeze them in in economy.

The best economy experience on a 787 is probably with Thomsons. It's still 3-3-3, but they give more legroom than BA.

MiraculousM

Thanks Nick.

My usual route is London-Philadelphia. BA used to have the stronghold on this route from here (the option was BA or USAirways which was terrible but BA owned- this switched to AA about a year ago i think?). Delta have now also gotten the route which is great because at least there is some sort of competition but BA have also gotten rid of the later flight back to the UK which is my preferred flight.

Previously, i never even considered delta or AA but now im thinking i might switch

Nick_C

AA and US Airways merged about two years ago, so the AA flights to Philly are the old US Airways planes and crews.

Personally, I would chose AA because

(i) I prefer LHR T3 to T5
(ii) The AA Airbus (A330) has 2-4-2 seating; you can book a pair of seats together, window and aisle, and AA don'tcharge you for seat reservations.
(iii) The BA flight is on 1 747, so 3-4-3 seating, which means if you are travelling as a couple you will have a stranger sitting next to you. You would also have to pay to reserve seats on BA (unless you have status)


Seat pitch is 31" on either flight. BA seat width is 17.5 against 17 on AA, but if you are travelling as a couple I think that would be fine.

Of course, BA and AA code share, so you could fly one way on each airline to compare.

I've not flown internationally with Delta, but I did read recently that are considering going down the "no frills" route on long haul. See http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2024234&c=setreg&region=3&cat=19

(Of course both AA and BA have also gone downhill from 10 years ago).