British Airways or Virgin Atlantic

I think Virgin Atlantic has a slight edge over British Airways. I don't know about their upper classes, as I fly economy, but BA seems to have more problems with IT meltdowns, and their website is not the best. BA lost my luggage for an entire trip and customer service was rather awful, so I have soured on them. However, I still have faith in the crew and pilots of BA. I notice BA has dropped some prices as of late on some of their cross-Atlantic trips so if the price difference is considerable, I would be OK with flying BA.

I have not flown transatlantic with BA, but the most uncomfortable experience I ever had was on a BA flight from Heathrow to Edinburgh. The AC wasn't working and they ran out of the water they were selling in Economy Class. We usually fly Virgin to Heathrow, have flown in both Business and Premium Economy and they are our first choice airline for flying to Heathrow. Best part: if you fly Business, you can take a shower when you get to Heathrow.

Hands down Virgin Airlines. My preferred carrier to London for decades. Premium Economy seat. Staff, food, entertainment options, gift bag.

“Lost” luggage is more the fault of the airport baggage handling system than the airline itself, but you do have to communicate with the airline about it. It is far more likely to occur when you have a connecting flight, not just a single one like the OP is taking; and generally a result of a short connection time.

When our daughter flew BA from SFO to Rome to meet us, her bag did not make the connection, but BA delivered it to our apartment in Rome 2 days later.

I don’t think missing luggage is a concern on a non-stop flight from Orlando to London. But if it were, flying business class greatly reduces the chance of that happening, as your bag is flagged with a bright green “Priority” label when you check it. At least we have seen that every time we fly overseas.

We have flown BA almost exclusively since 2010 for our 1 or 2 trips a year to Europe, in business class. And have never flown virgin, so I cannot compare them—-but I do know my son prefers Virgin for his overseas travel. The last few trips, in 2022 and 2023, we experienced a few of the usual post-pandemic problems—-flight delays or cancellations—-but they were handled to our satisfaction by BA and we received $$$ compensation where it was appropriate. Their wesite, where obviously I have spent a lot of time, can occasionally be a bit glitchy, but that has always been resolved within hours. I do not find it at all difficult to navigate.

One thing you need to know about BA is that they charge extra for choosing your seats IF you want to do so in advance of check-in. At that time, 24-hours in advance, they will assign you seats, but you can move yourselves to any open seats for free if you want. The problem is there may not be much available at that time.

The fee for choosing seats in advance applies even to Business Class and it is fairly high—-somewhere around $170-200. I should know exactly, because I always pay it, but it seems to change. And if the plane has the new Club Suites, with 1-2-1 seating, it is pretty much moot, unless you want window seats. BA will seat most couples together in the center pair of seats automatically. Or you could end up with one window and one aisle, I suppose.

But for the return in PremiumEconomy, where the seating is 2-3-2, I would definitely pay to choose seats to get the pair by the window.

Agree with Claudia "hands-down" Virgin Atlantic.

If I was comparing BA's old business class to Virgin's Upper Class then I would say Virgin was the better option however with the new Club Suite on BA it is a whole new level above Virgin. Virgin's Upper Class bed has an uncomfortable curve to it meaning that I, at 6'3", am unable to lay straight and have to contort my body to fit into position which is uncomfortable for an extended period and I am unable to sleep much in their beds. The Club Suite in comparison is superb, plenty of room to spread out and I don't feel confined at all. There's also a lot more storage in the Club Suite than Upper Class and you're less likely to experience issues with broken IFE systems, power outlets, seat operation etc because it's a newer product than Virgin's.

Food wise there's not a great deal in it. I prefer BA's offerings. Virgin seem a bit too obsessed with their afternoon tea offering which isn't that great and is a bit carb heavy for my liking, it seems they're more interested in the theatrics of providing it on a tiered stand and making a big deal out of the 'Britishness' of it all. The bar at the rear of the cabin is quirky and has the potential to be a nice gathering spot but I've always found it to be underused and therefore not staffed properly. Both airlines provide a snack selection either at the front or rear of the cabin where you can help yourself if you're feeling a bit peckish (my kids enjoy this a bit too much!) and both offer the option to have your meal served when you want it however I've always found that the crew don't really want you to have that option and that they'd much prefer to serve everyone at the same time so if you do want to eat at a time of your choosing you have to be quite explicit about it. Personally I've always gone along with the timings that they prefer. The food is typically better when departing from London as the airlines have spent a lot of time and money developing menus and chef collaborations in the UK. When flying from non UK airports the catering is outsourced and there's little to no control over the food. It can be very hit and miss, I've had some excellent food on my return flights to the UK but I've also had plenty of poor offerings.

Both provide amenity kits and are fairly similar in quality. BA First kits are very good however the business class offerings drop a bit in quality. Virgin provide pyjamas in Upper Class whereas BA only provides them for First. Either way I don't bother wearing the pyjamas as getting changed in the toilets (both cramped on either airline) is too much of a faff.

Staff wise I much prefer Virgin. I find BA staff, mainly the older, longer in service staff, tend to have a snooty and dismissive attitude. Virgin staff are friendlier and more attentive. The younger staff on BA have a better attitude but they can sometimes lack experience.

It's a shame that you're not flying business on the return as you'll miss out on the lounges of which Virgin's Clubhouse is amongst the best. BA's business lounges are good (they used to be better) but they do become very busy during morning and early afternoon. Virgin's Clubhouse is a quirky, fun lounge and it benefits from table service and a staffed bar which is in contrast to BA's self serve buffet and bar. To experience table and bar service with BA you need to be in the exclusive Concorde Lounge. Unfortunately Virgin no longer offer complimentary haircuts or beauty treatments in their in-house salon, instead they've installed a few Peloton bikes which doesn't really have the same appeal.

Having checked the routes that offer the new club suite it looks like the Orlando route doesn't have it yet as it's not considered a premium route in which case I would opt for Virgin's Upper Class over BA's old business class product. Either way I wouldn't get too excited about the lounges whichever airline you decide upon as the lounges at Orlando are pretty awful and not a patch on those at Heathrow.

Another Virgin Atlantic fan here. When I checked BA for last year’s trip the seat selection fee was over $300 USD for the outbound business class leg. If BA fare plus seat selection was close to VA I might consider them. Otherwise they just priced themselves out of consideration.

Regarding virgin PE. They have 2 aircraft B787 and A350. The last I checked the Airbus had one extra seat per row and online seat references showed them to be narrower.

I book my VA flights via delta’s website. Delta offers fee free changes and cancellations. If you cancel your flight you receive an ecredit valid for one year from the original date of booking. Policy does not apply to basic economy. I could never figure out if VA policy is similar

We fly BA premium economy to Heathrow every year, but that's because they have a daytime flight from Boston.

I just paid for our BA Club World (business class) seats for our September trip. I don’t mind too much, as we get the flights with BA miles and a 2-4-1 voucher. The cost ranges from $151 to $176 for the seats—-less than it used to be. These are on a 787-10 with Club Suites, which is a nice plane with good seats.

But if we weren’t locked in to BA with all the miles, I would look at VA and compare the prices.

Without a doubt Virgin! Food, service, seat room, entertainment. I have only flow Economy Delight and it was a delight. :)