Type of plane, departure/arrival time considerations

I just avoid this one small plane I know AA uses from Omaha to Chicago because it's so small there's no overhead space. And I don't want to check my carry-on. We had to do that going to Rome last year and I didn't anticipate checking it so I missed some of my items.

My thoughts:

First, the bus to Oxford appears to run so often that there is no difference between those two arrival times.
Regarding the two flights, I always prefer the 787 to the 777. Because the 787 Dreamliners can pressurize to a lower altitude I arrive much( fresher mentally and physically. I would only take the earlier flight if I wanted an earlier connection onward. The physical seats on either will be equally non-appealing.
I always consider the day after flying to be a wasted day to persevere through with nothing serious planned. The later arriving at my destination means that much less time to manage my bleariness until I can turn in for the night. And noting that London means one more hour to get through as opposed to the continent. I am now 72, I started these trips at age 56, in better shape and healthier. Gets harder each time now.

MLD, my last 3 of 4 rt to Europe have been with American Airlines on their Boeing 787-9 (not the newest 787-9p) Apparently it has special features like increased cabin humidity, lower cabin altitude and quieter engines to reduce jet lag. I have found it makes a difference for me. I don't know how that compares with British Airways planes.

Also, since there is no longer a day flight from Chicago to London, I prefer to depart as late at night as possible. My arrival day goes much smoother for me with an arrival that is not at 6am. Arrival at 11am would be ideal. If I did have an early arrival, I would book my lodging for the night before so I'm not wandering around "killing time".

Larry, I totally understand how you feel in terms of the effects from flying hitting harder! But, my oldest child said he felt it more this last trip, too, and he’s still a young man, so we aren’t alone. Lol

Jeanm, that’s the kind of feedback I was interested in. I read on another travel site about the improvements in pressurization of the 787s. If that helps with jet lag, that’s definitely a nod for that option, as well as the little later departure. I wonder if dinner is served on that flight w a 7:25 time out. I think if I could get a good meal before boarding ( I wasn’t impressed with the BA dinner on the last flight) then settle in without interruption after takeoff, it might be nice.

Thanks for everyone’s thoughts so far.

All the major carriers flying from the US to Europe will serve something laughingly called a dinner, starting 60 to 90 minutes in. And also a breakfast snack 60 minutes out. I don’t think highly of the food loaded in PhIladelphia (comes courtesy of Aramark) so generally we bring a hoagie or such to split and eat after we pass security. Returning home, dinner is again served an hour plus in, which we find kind of silly because this is not much after lunchtime based on where we were, and in in essence 7AM or so based on returning to our time zone.

I’ve taken the late British Airways flight (the one after 10pm) from Dulles to Heathrow, returning on the 12:00pm-ish flight this year and last. For both trips, it was the Airbus to LHR and the 777 (I believe) returning. I don’t like how landing feels on the big Airbus, but it’s not enough of an issue in and of itself to force a different flight time for me. The reason I take the late flight is the arrival time at LHR makes more sense for my body clock.

I’ve flown premium economy on these, and I like the BA dinner served in that class. If anything, I think they serve too much food, but I find it to be decent quality. The breakfast, though? It’s a Gregg’s-type sausage roll thing I could live without. Just serve a croissant and a cup of coffee and call it a day, IMO.

My situation is different since I fly from the Inland Northwest so always have at least one flight to an international hub then a 10-hr or so International leg. I do prefer a later arrival time so it’s closer to my hotel room maybe being ready. Your ride to Oxford will take up some of that time but I’d go for the later flight. I might be able to get more sleep especially if you get up early that day.

Plus as alluded to you could skip the “dinner”, lol.

Any difference in your traffic TO the airport? My brother is my transit, lol, so I try not to make him drive thru Spokane in rush hour…which is nothing like the DC Metro area rush hour!

I fly from a small airport on the west coast, and it’s usually a 24 hour travel day to get to Europe. I don’t sleep a wink on flights. My nightmare is arriving in Europe in the early morning, after being awake for 24 hours, then trying to stay awake until 8-9pm. No thanks. Ideally my flight leaves home around 11 am or later, so I can get a decent night sleep and not have to leave for the airport at 3:30 am. It arrives in Europe around 2 pm. By the time I get to the city, it’s 4 pm and I can check into my hotel. Drop my bags and explore the neighborhood. Go to dinner and try to stay awake until 8-9. Fresh as a daisy the next day, usually up early and ready to go.

I like to arrive mid morning as my trips generally involve going directly to transportation out of the airport city. My upcoming trip I arrive at LHR at 10:40am and get the Airline bus to Oxford. This will probably get us to Oxford earlier than ideal since it is such a short distance but there will be plenty to keep us occupied I hope. I noticed the Oxford Folk Festival will be happening when we arrive.

As to type of aircraft, I was excited to see we were on an airbus with two-seat rows in economy delight. I was very happy with our seats and our price. However, the plane has since changed to a 787 and the only two-seat rows are in premium so I am thinking of upgrading to that.

Pam, the DC area traffic is an absolute nightmare, even with Dulles being out a bit from the center. The first time we went, my husband drove me up to drop off, then returned, but it’s an over 2 hours even if the traffic is lighter, which is in the midday only really. So I got to the airport way too early to try to help him avoid getting in it going home. My newest solution this past time was to drive myself, use a hotel for their park and stay deal, and spent the night on the backside before driving home the next day. That worked well, although it was an additional $225-250.

So I’m thinking maybe we will try the 7:25 pm departure. It gets us to London a bit later, (and of course Oxford a bit later), landing at 7:45 am if on time. What time could you all see us getting into Oxford with that option? I briefly checked the Airline website and it looks as if there are buses out every 20 min. I put in a request with the Oxford hotel we booked for an early check in if they had a room ready, so potentially could we get there before noon?

Thanks again for everyone’s contributions to these questions!

For me it’s which airline flies nonstop to where I want to go. Aircraft doesn’t matter as it can change right up until departure.

From BWI I fly British Airways to London. When I fly from IAD it’s usually to Madrid. From either airport the flights depart evening or late evening.

I don’t find economy seats to be comfortable at all because the rows are so close together. That’s why we pay for premium economy seats. The extra leg room and not having the person’s seat in front of you, in your lap when they fully recline makes premium economy worth the extra money.

If you can sleep in a flight, good for you.

...the DC area traffic is an absolute nightmare, even with Dulles being out a bit from the center.

Dulles is now reached by the Metro, yes? Have your husband drop you at an Amtrak station, take the train to Union Station, then Metro to the airport. Or Amtrak to Alexandria, depending on where you're coming from.

The bus from LHR to Oxford runs so frequently that I can't imagine you not reaching Oxford at a reasonable time after a 7:45 arrival.

mark, I travel Amtrak up to DC quite often so it is a transportation option into either Alexandria or Union Station. I wouldn’t consider it on the day of a flight, though. It’s also two hours just to there if the train is on time, but unfortunately that hasn’t been consistent recently. We’ve had trips both north and south that were delayed by up to two hours. Too risky for me if I had to fly out. For people who live in NOVA, DC, etc. the Metro Silver line out to Dulles has been awesome, though.

I've not flown BA, only ever United. Prior to my accident I'd flown on 757, 767, 787 & 777 and I really didn't see a difference between the planes in economy - its was pretty consistent across the board. Though was the 767 with its 2x3x2 economy seats was my favorite.

I do prefer departure in the 5/6o'clock hour. It makes it rather seamless arriving at Union Station on Amtrak from Williamsburg, and then the Metro to Dulles. Relying on public transportation, a 5/6pm departure is a much short wait time in the lounge and not needing to kill so much time until a 10pm departure. Evening departure, not marking time during the flight, and napping on the plane makes transition to new time zone a breeze. Landing in the 6am hour, I'm just not in a hurry I can be slow and relaxed and not run a race. I'll go to the Nero in T2 get a coffee and decompress. Then make my way to a train station and onward journey. Last year to Euston and on to Ironbridge.

With that early morning arrival I just don't start in London. I always go onwards. I'd rather use that time between landing and check-in on a journey out to a starting point.

VAP, I am glad you have been able to use the Amtrak/ metro connection to Dulles. If I hadn’t been soured by a few recent delayed trips on Amtrak, I would reconsider. I wouldn’t want to do the latest flight to LHR, either. I’m intrigued by the 7:25 pm departure one though. If I am remembering correctly, that flight wasn’t offered on one of our trips and I opted for the earliest one on another. BTW, had you heard the Richmond airport is considering adding a non-stop to LHR? They are waiting on a carrier to commit, so it may be awhile, but that would be a great option for a lot of travelers.

I do not care too much about the type of plane, except I do like the seat layout where there is 2 seats by the window, so an aisle and window together, perfect for my wife and I, we have our own row, only have each other to bother. Not sure of the seating arrangement on those two craft, I doubt seat comfort is much different (they all suck). The 787 has some features for better comfort, better humidity control, quieter, and the cabin is pressurized to mimic a lower altitude.

As for arrival and departure times, I focus on a morning arrival, but not too early, that can make for a very long first day in a new time zone. Heading to Oxford is not much different timewise than heading into London, so 1-2 hours to get to your hotel. I would probably opt for the later flight.

For my flight back to the States, I do like a direct flight if possible, mainly because that means I can get a late morning or even early afternoon flight. I see on here too many times, people get tickets, then wonder how they will get to the airport before public transport is running. I always have my transport to the airport figured out before committing to a flight. It may mean arranging your itinerary to be near a larger airport to fly home.

BTW, had you heard the Richmond airport is considering adding a non-stop to LHR?

Yeah, read the articles this past summer. I don't think it'll happen anytime soon and at the moment its barely just a wish list sort of thing.