Virgin Atlantic or United from SFO

I don’t think Delta flies nonstop between SFO and LHR. I suspect you are looking at a Delta codeshare operated by Virgin Atlantic.

Do you use Frequent Flyer miles at all? Do you fly with other airlines in each of their alliances? Sometimes these small differences can make a difference with almost identical fares.

Delta is Skyteam. United is Star Alliance.

Since you are West Coast, do you ever fly Alaska? They are One World Alliance. Alaska has non-stops from SEA to London. It is a new route they are promoting. Depending on pricing, flying to London via Seattle may be worth it.

Yes, I would book with Delta but the partner Is Virgin Airlines. Verses United.

Just wondering about any possible considerations between the two. No milage program involved. It is actually a ticket for our son who lives in San Francisco.

I think OP clarified that the flight would be booked through Delta website but on Virgin Atlantic flight which is direct.
Delta itself does not have direct flights from SFO to Europe.

Delta is my main airlines but I can't speak about Virgin's planes or flights.

I think your question should be "Virgin Atlantic or United" and I don't fly either so I can't help, sorry.

Thanks for helping me clarify Joy.

Yes, I would book with Delta but the partner Is Virgin Airlines. Verses United.
Just wondering about any possible considerations between the two. No milage program involved. It is actually a ticket for our son who lives in San Francisco.

It sounds like you are trying decide between a non-stop flight on United or a non-stop flight on Virgin Atlantic. Is that correct?

If so.
1) Does your son belong to either frequent flyer program? The person who is flying gets the miles, not the person buying the ticket.
2) I would choose a flight that arrives in London as late as possible.

3) I prefer to book with the airline that is operating the plane (e.g., I ‘d buy a ticket from Virgin Atlantic rather than Delta). It makes it easier to do things like select a seat.

I mostly fly with United and haven’t had any particular issues. Virgin Atlantic used to have a better reputation for inflight service but I don’t know if that is still the case.

One thing to consider, I think Virgin only has one daily flight while United has a few daily flights to Heathrow.
Also look at the plane configuration as some are better than others.

I fly both airlines frequently, especially on the SFO-LHR sector in Economy. There are very minor differences between the two, so you cannot go very wrong either way.

If your son is thinking of joining either of the airline miles programs, the United program is more useful. Virgin is good, but less useful within USA (unless you do Delta miles) and has higher fees.

I like the food slightly more on United, but Virgin does have good snacks. And Virgin has an afternoon tea on the LHR-SFO flight, if this is going to be a round trip.

Everything else varies from flight to flight, and some of it depends on the type of aircraft.

My preference is Virgin Atlantic Airlines. I fly the overnight LAX to LHR yearly. Premium Economy.

If I still lived in the Bay Area Virgin Atlantic would be my preference.

I like the food, entertainment options and the attentive staff. Only thing I don’t like on arrival at LHR is the long trek on foot or moving walking way to security. On good days security can be swift….on bad load the AirPods to keep you entertained.

Unless you are going after miles with Delta, why not just book Virgin Atlantic directly with Virgin Atlantic. Why use a middleman?

A key consideration is that with United, as long as you don’t book a basic economy tkt, you will be able to change the ticket as well as get a credit if the price goes down. I find if I’m booking well in advance, I can frequently get better routings than my original as well as there are times when the fare gets cheaper. My guess is that VA will charge to do this, though I’m guessing the same will apply if you book through Delta (I.e. needs to be on Delta ticket stock)

We fly PE when we fly Virgin from the east coast and they are a great airline. On one flight, their configuration of the Airbus was so roomy that I could get out of my seat without disturbing the person who was next to me!

Thanks everyone for your ideas on this topic. They have been helpful. It looks pretty certain we are going to buy a United ticket for our son. It was good to know of others’ experiences with the two airlines.