Originally Posted by PVDProf

How old are the kids?

I find, even when flying alone, east coast-LHR is too short a flight to really "enjoy" BF. The time in the air is short, and even if I express dine (where you're not getting the best of service), I don't have long enough to sleep/metabolize an ambien. By the time I get to LHR, I'm not more rested than if I'd slept in coach, especially on a longer flight.

Personally, I'd do the nonstop and save the miles for a future trip with the wife, perhaps to book on a *A carrier with a really good J on a longer segment. The kids can go earn their own miles; our job as parents is to make sure they're citizens of the world, and maybe pass on a love of travel for travel's sake, not to make them too comfortable while we're doing it.