best business class airline Heathrow to LAX

P_Cash

just wondering if i should chose one over the other, I'm heading to LA, business class in May, just wondering is there a favorite airline out there?

Flying out of Heathrow.

househero

P_Cash wrote: »

just wondering if i should chose one over the other, I'm heading to LA, business class in May, just wondering is there a favorite airline out there?

Flying out of Heathrow.

Are you paying for it?

Best may mean cheapest for someone dipping their hand in their own pocket. If your not paying there can be a very big difference between the hard products on offer. Virgin don't have lie flat seating, but they do offer good service.

I assume you have no status with any airlines?

P_Cash

househero wrote: »

Are you paying for it?

Best may mean cheapest for someone dipping their hand in their own pocket. If your not paying there can be a very big difference between the hard products on offer. Virgin don't have lie flat seating, but they do offer good service.

I assume you have no status with any airlines?

Not paying for it
No status

Was thinking BA on a A380 but it doesn't get the best reviews, the seating plan is suppose to be terrible, hopping over people etc.

BuffyBot

P_Cash wrote: »

Not paying for it
No status

Was thinking BA on a A380 but it doesn't get the best reviews, the seating plan is suppose to be terrible, hopping over people etc.

American's 777-300's are pretty nice, but the best would probably be Air New Zealand.

P_Cash

BuffyBot wrote: »

American's 777-300's are pretty nice, but the best would probably be Air New Zealand.

Funny u say the 777, great seat arrangement

Marcusm

househero wrote: »

Are you paying for it?

Best may mean cheapest for someone dipping their hand in their own pocket. If your not paying there can be a very big difference between the hard products on offer. Virgin don't have lie flat seating, but they do offer good service.

I assume you have no status with any airlines?

Since when has Virgin dumped lie flat seating in Upper Class on any route? As a counterpoint, I have always found the service and on board F&B product to be fairly average.

P_Cash

Marcusm wrote: »

Since when has Virgin dumped lie flat seating in Upper Class on any route? As a counterpoint, I have always found the service and on board F&B product to be fairly average.

F&B ?

Marcusm

P_Cash wrote: »

F&B ?

Food & Beverage.

LHR to LAX is pretty well served across UA, BA, DL, VS and NZ. VS and NZ have broadly comparable seats. AA's 773 ploughs this route which should mean it's new 1-2-1 business class seat which is very comparable to some of UA and DL's oferings (all based on the Cirrus standard seat). UA and DL are the product of a number of mergers which mean a number of different products. One of the issues with Cirrus is that your feet are effectively in a box when laid flat. If you are particularly tall or have large feet, this can make it uncomfortable (I am 6'5"). BA's offering is very much of it's own yin-yang type (head to tail) which doesn't suit everyone.

househero

P_Cash wrote: »

Not paying for it
No status

Was thinking BA on a A380 but it doesn't get the best reviews, the seating plan is suppose to be terrible, hopping over people etc.

I would always choose an A380 over a triple 7, if putting your butt in somebodies face bothers you, choose AA.

The A380 is a far nicer cabin to travel in IMO, more space all around. The plane is noticeably quieter and because of its humongous size is a smoother ride.

It also feels nice to be on the upper deck... if this ship goes down Leonardo, your getting locked in downstairs #Titanic

househero

Marcusm wrote: »

Since when has Virgin dumped lie flat seating in Upper Class on any route? As a counterpoint, I have always found the service and on board F&B product to be fairly average.

Virgin have the old style 'lie flat' seats and have said they wont be upgrading them, like every other flag carrier has over the last few years. They recline to 180 degrees but stop going 'flat' they are at an angle to the floor and I just cant sleep in them, lots of people have the same trouble. Flying between meeting is often my bed time, sad I know but being totally flat feels so much better in the new style seating.

Here is the difference in pictures http://www.seatguru.com/charts/longhaul_business_class.php because im rubbish at explaining stuff

Marcusm

househero wrote: »

Virgin have the old style 'lie flat' seats and have said they wont be upgrading them, like every other flag carrier has over the last few years. They recline to 180 degrees but stop going 'flat' they are at an angle to the floor and I just cant sleep in them, lots of people have the same trouble. Flying between meeting is often my bed time, sad I know but being totally flat feels so much better in the new style seating.

Here is the difference in pictures http://www.seatguru.com/charts/longhaul_business_class.php because im rubbish at explaining stuff

I don't know what class you were in but clearly not Upper Class over the past 10 years or so - the seat moves rather than reclines when you sit in it. When you turn it into a bed you have to get out of it as it flips over and you sleep on the back of it rather than the part you have been sitting on. Additionally, they are rolling out a New Upper Class Suite although it's the same layout.

Are you sure you were on Virgin.

By the way, I'm not shilling for them, I hate the Virgin product and would not recommend it. However, it's better to provide an accurate representation.

househero

Marcusm wrote: »

I don't know what class you were in but clearly not Upper Class over the past 10 years or so - the seat moves rather than reclines when you sit in it. When you turn it into a bed you have to get out of it as it flips over and you sleep on the back of it rather than the part you have been sitting on. Additionally, they are rolling out a New Upper Class Suite although it's the same layout.

Are you sure you were on Virgin.

By the way, I'm not shilling for them, I hate the Virgin product and would not recommend it. However, it's better to provide an accurate representation.

Thanks for explaining how the seat works. I travel long haul at least twice a week, have done for the last 8 years.

The virgin 'business class' (upper) does not lie flat like the new lie flat seats.

If you didn't follow the link I posted take a look at what I am referring to, as I said. I'm not great at explaining things.

The virgin seat leaves your head higher than your feet, which I find uncomfortable. It is 'flat' as in its in a straight line if you could look at it side on. But it is not horizontal to the ground. It is NOT the same as the new lie flat seats.

The difference is about 18 degrees from horizontal, if you were an infrequent flyer or not very perceptive it probably wouldn't make much difference... But then again why would all the major airlines be refitting their cabins with the new proper flat seats if it didn't matter.

Its not a proper fully flat seat. Even though you lie flat. I avoid them whenever possible, but sometime a badly planned schedule forces me to take them and my sleep suffers.

Check it out next time your on a virgin transatlantic flight.

househero

Hahahahahaha I meant Aer Lingus ffs. That will teach ya for asking a tired man a simple question.

@ the op. Go ask your question on fkyertalk lad.

Marcusm

househero wrote: »

Thanks for explaining how the seat works. I travel long haul at least twice a week, have done for the last 8 years.

The virgin 'business class' (upper) does not lie flat like the new lie flat seats.

If you didn't follow the link I posted take a look at what I am referring to, as I said. I'm not great at explaining things.

The virgin seat leaves your head higher than your feet, which I find uncomfortable. It is 'flat' as in its in a straight line if you could look at it side on. But it is not horizontal to the ground. It is NOT the same as the new lie flat seats.

The difference is about 18 degrees from horizontal, if you were an infrequent flyer or not very perceptive it probably wouldn't make much difference... But then again why would all the major airlines be refitting their cabins with the new proper flat seats if it didn't matter.

Its not a proper fully flat seat. Even though you lie flat. I avoid them whenever possible, but sometime a badly planned schedule forces me to take them and my sleep suffers.

Check it out next time your on a virgin transatlantic flight.

househero wrote: »

Hahahahahaha I meant Aer Lingus ffs. That will teach ya for asking a tired man a simple question.

@ the op. Go ask your question on fkyertalk lad.

I'm confused now; I guess that you mean your complaint is about the EI seat? I've never flown EI busienss class - living in London wouldn't make it in anyway sensible. Personally, my longhaul flights capped out at about 40 a year - I would only class it as longhaul once it went above 8 hours - NYC wouldn't count. Of the Virgin style seat, Cathay's version was by far the best but its hated "coffin" status means that it only last 3 years before they commissioned a Cirrus version.

Personally, I have only flown Virgin when forced to (BA's strikes etc) and wouldn't choose either their hard or soft product.

househero

Marcusm wrote: »

I'm confused now; I guess that you mean your complaint is about the EI seat? I've never flown EI busienss class - living in London wouldn't make it in anyway sensible. Personally, my longhaul flights capped out at about 40 a year - I would only class it as longhaul once it went above 8 hours - NYC wouldn't count. Of the Virgin style seat, Cathay's version was by far the best but its hated "coffin" status means that it only last 3 years before they commissioned a Cirrus version.

Personally, I have only flown Virgin when forced to (BA's strikes etc) and wouldn't choose either their hard or soft product.

Yes I'm back and forth between here and Asia on a regular basis to come home to see my family as much as humanly possible. My sleep time is on the plane... I'm that odd man that sleeps through the full flight. Probably snoring too... Sorry haha yes it was a Freudian slip blaming virgin as it is EI that has the 'jimmy savill' seats (Google a picture of how he was buried).

Yamanoto

househero wrote: »

Virgin have the old style 'lie flat' seats and have said they wont be upgrading them

If by Virgin you still mean EI, they're introducing lie-flats on the A330's this month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx3oJI9jAwg

househero

Yamanoto wrote: »

If by Virgin you still mean EI, they're introducing lie-flats on the A330's this month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx3oJI9jAwg

Yes aer lingus. I had a professional brain fart yesterday.

Good to know they are ditching the jimmy savill seats.