Kimmitzi

Any thoughts on which might be better route? Considerations include passport control, ease of connection, on-board experience, lounge access. Will be traveling business class. Departure and total travel time is about the same.

jtav559

Toss up.

LHR has better lounges than PHL, but you are subject to BA fake intra-EU biz class on the first leg. And the possibility of the old J cabin on the TATL - not sure what AC they are running LHR-ORD these days.
If you want to bring duty free back, this would be a better option as well.

AA hard product is going to be better on the whole, but PHL can be a wild card.

Is this a paid fare or award?

S80

I would connect on AA through PHL.

Passport Control / Ease of Connection:
Through LHR you will have to clear transit security both ways. Through PHL you will only have to clear immigration/security on the way back. It sucks up a lot of time connecting, particularly if changing T3-T5.
PHL is all in one physically connected terminal, where as BA in LHR is spread out over several terminals and concourses.

On board:
BA is better in this regard in terms of service, and I prefer the new club suites, as it offers a bit more privacy, but the A380 has the older forward/backward seats that most people don't like. You don't say when you are traveling, but KF (Air Belgium) is running one of the ORD-LHR flights daily, some prefer the seat, some don't.
AA has a mixed bag in terms of seats, so it just depends what aircraft is operating on the day. Currently PHL-LIS is operated by the 789, which all have the better AA business seats.
On the short leg, AA will be domestic F, where BA just has blocked middle economy seat with no extra legroom (presuming it's not booked into economy).

Lounge:
PHL does not have a flagship lounge (currently), but does have an Admiral's Club (access with intl business class) and Centurion Lounge (only if you have the Amex Platinum card). BA has several business lounges, which are better than the AA Admirals clubs IMO.

Operational Reliability:
BA is a mess of operational reliability issues (hence wet leasing aircraft and crews from other airlines for their flight). If anything goes wrong with BA, you'll be scrambling to find an alternate flight. AA has had some issues, but they pretty much always operate the flight (even if its delayed overnight), rather than cancelling, so you won't be scrambling to find a seat.

Kimmitzi

It will be a paid fare. Prices are the same. Still a few months out from booking - early in the understanding my options and watching prices stage. I would also have access to Centurion Lounge in PHL.

S80

How far out are we talking? - Aircraft swaps far out are subject to change, especially with the network shakeup with the AA/B6 separation, so from a seat perspective it's hard to say, as each airline has aircraft with good and bad seats that they fly on these routes.

Antarius

As bad as LHR is, PHL is worse.

Furby

I would go BA through LHR for the simple reason that I would much prefer to get the short haul out of the way at the start of the trip. Connecting domestically after a long haul is not for me. Would much rather be home immediately at the end of the long haul. If it’s a paid fare you can likely choose AA operated flights even if booked on BA, just choose an option with a decent connection time and not too short.

salut0

Definitely BA. Food is better than AA, lounges are much better, airport experience is nicer. If you like, you could even split the difference and book yourself on AA LHR-ORD with a long connection after arriving from LIS so you can use LHR T3 and enjoy the CX, QF and BA lounges.

In the other direction you should fly on BA metal ORD-LHR so you can benefit from EC261 compensation in case of delay/cancellation in both directions.

Not sure why people complain about CW on the A380 — just took it from LHR-BOS and loved it.

FlyFreakquently

I just flew long-haul with both AA and BA in business, so I'd love to weigh in.
Flew AA from ORD-LHR on a redeye last week.
-The Flagship Lounge is a very nice lounge (not that you'd use it on arrival) with self-pour alcohol, solid food, showers, and is a relaxed setting to wait for a flight.
-On board, the food was inedible. The (lone) starter option was a disgusting tomato tartare, both my main (salmon), and my girlfriend's main (steak), didn't taste good at all and were completely overcooked.
-Service was above average
-Excellent IFE with lots of movies/shows
-The 787-8 they use on LIS-PHL is different than the 787-9 they use on ORD-LHR, but the seat itself is still comfortable. You may get the reverse/forward 787, in which case there is less privacy and the consensus is that this layout is not great.

I also flew BA from LHR-PHL (777-300) a few days ago.
-BA Galleries First Lounge is very nice. It is a massive lounge, but there are numerous alcohol stations, lots of snacks and coffee, and a pretty comprehensive buffet. I would say this lounge does certain things better than the Flagship Lounge, but the Flagship Lounge also does some things better than this lounge.
-The food was substantially better than on my AA flight. Multiple starter options (my salmon tartare was sensational), the main of beef cheek was great, and better wines. They also have a food pantry full of snacks and drinks which is a great touch. The pre-arrival meal was sorta boring (tea sandwiches), but I was so full from my lunch and all the snacking that it didn't matter.
-Service was okay. It is a huge business class cabin with maybe 20 rows of business class, which definitely is a noticeable difference from the 20 seats you'll have on the 787-8.
-Poor IFE. Found stuff to watch but nothing I cared for/hadn't seen already.
-Seat is basically the same seat as the 787-9 on AA, but it has a sliding door (which does create an illusion of privacy). Plenty of space, feels high tech, comfortable. If you are on an A380 from LHR-ORD, you'll get the ying-yang layout which is very poor, but if you are on a 777-300, you're more than likely going to get the new seat I had.

If I were you, I'd do BA. The ground experience as a premium passenger at PHL is pathetic, and the food is just so hit or miss. At the very least, you'll get a better meal and a premium ground experience.

salut0

The salmon tartare was fantastic — I also ate it. Pictures of it and a few other things in this post:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/35382429-post579.html

and a copy of the July menu from LHR to USA destinations:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/35382415-post578.html

and the whole thread for more photos and details:
Long haul in-flight catering 2023 | Club World

wrp96

Unless the OP is OWE they'll only get access to the galleries club lounges.

S80

LIS-PHL (AA259) is currently a 787-9, however that is always subject to change.
I also echo the point about the large cabin on the 777-300, sit as far towards the front as you are able to. I sat in the back of the cabin once and it took them about an hour to get to my row after they started at the front. (Unless you would prefer to eat later, of course).
Unless you have Oneworld Emerald (AA Platinum Pro or Executive Platinum), you won't have access to the First Class lounge in LHR, only the Business Class Lounge. It's not as refined as the First Class lounge, with less of a spread of food offerings from what I can recall, but still better than the Admirals Club.

Also of note that arriving Internationally into ORD (any airline), you'll have to exit at T5 and take the ATS over to other terminals, where as arriving domestically on AA you'll be at T3, which is more convenient for Uber (if that is your method of transport).

SamOF

I know you didn't ask this, but any reason you're not going with the TAP nonstop? It's really well-timed 5pm departure/8pm arrival, and while TAP may not be Singapore I don't think it's far behind AA/BA (if at all)

Catbert10

I would take BA through LHR over PHL through PHL. The transatlantic leg LIS-LHR-ORD is 1 hour longer than LIS-PHL-ORD. Maximize your time in international J.

pauleeepaul

My view exactly. I am comatose after a 7+ hour flight.