Doc Savage

What is the common factor on those flights you took?

Joely

Are you suggesting that I'm being too picky? I would say not, generally I am pretty forgiving on such things and it doesn't really bother me and I'm certainly not a stand up and wave my hands in complaint type person. The funny thing is that when flying AA domestic I find the service much better in general. I just don't find AA long haul attendants very professional, I've had CC putting their feet up at the front of the cabin another flight where they CC were complaining about how horrible it was down the back, various things like that.

V10

American carriers.

That is what you were insinuating, right?

SoggyDollar

AA90 definitely gets my vote - I think the day flight is more of a consideration than the differences between AA/BA in Y

bernardd

Same for me. I can cope with Y much easier in the daylight than at night.

muishkin

If you are going to fly in Y, in terms of service (food & drink quality counts here), the best TATL option is still Air France. Of course that is not option for you because you don't want to fly into CDG.

In terms of comfort in Y, well that is just not going to be possible.. My best experiences in Y were on BA or AF flights.

If IFE is important, then I suggest you avoid the AA 767s.

GordyM

I've had some recent experience with both BA and AA's Y products. Here are a few thoughts:

BA LHR - JFK on a 747: Seats are comfortable, for economy. Bagged the 'twin' seats towards the rear of the WT cabin for some extra storage space between the seat & fuselage (frees up the space under the seat in front for some much appreciated leg room). Service was excellent, attentive crew who weren't shy with the drinks. Food was alright...nothing amazing, but certainly edible.

AA LAX- LHR on a 77W. Paid extra for seats 31J/K at the emergency exit. Unlimited legroom, which was good, although this area is used during the meal service by cabin crew to park trolleys. Congregation of passengers during the flight could sometimes be troubling. Food was pretty poor, even for economy. The worst aspect was the seat width. It was much notably narrower than the BA Y seat. If we hadn't been sitting on the exit row, I think it would have been very claustrophobic.

Hope that helps.

ElmhurstNick

AA90 is my go-to flight for redemption, albeit in J. I'd much rather get six hours' sleep at a Heathrow-area hotel and then trundle back and fly onward on BA with a 0930 departure.

A few thoughts:

1. OW Sapphire gets to pick MCE for free at booking. OW Ruby does not, they have to pay for it.
2. AA90 is often very sparsely filled in the back of the plane Tue-Thu. Looking at tomorrow (Wednesday) for example where OLCI has already started, it seems that there are many rows where the 3 in the 2-3-2 are not yet assigned. So some aggressive seat selection and willingness to change your selection a couple of times before the flight could mean having the center seat next to you empty.

rajsbasi

I have done the AA90 run a fair few times, as well as other AA TATL runs out of ORD and just did the AA90 run this Thursday. Getting in at 10.30pm is great instead of doing the overnight trek. Just bear in mind that as Heathrow has a curfew at 11pm this flight does have a greater tendency to be cancelled as has happened to me a few times!

I typically go for 11C and do a kiosk upgrade but this Thursday despite a loads of free seats in J I was out of luck so 11C in MCE it was. Firstly, the 767 they use is affectionately referred to as the "ghetto bird," doesn't have IFE and has titchy overhead bins and is held together with sellotape.

Provided you are in an MCE seat it should be reasonably comfortable, provided you bring a tablet (the computer kind) with loads of films, and provided you bring a small sized roll on as your hand luggage to fit in the overhead you should be good to go.

In terms of food bearing in mind it is WHY it wasn't too bad. To give you an idea, just after take off they came around with a breakfast option of pancakes or eggs with potatoes served with fruit, a croissant and a snack box thingy for you to keep. Just before landing a pizza, salad and brownie thingy were offered. By way of comparison on the BA WTP flight back the pre landing snack was a sandwich and a kit-kat stuffed in a box and in J on BA from ORD you get a bacon roll.

FA's on AA TATL routes can be hit or miss. I have had some of the surliest and some of the best FA's regardless of the cabin I have been in but sadly this disparity appears to ring true for pretty much most carriers, including BA, these days.

Either way have a great trip!

Geordie405

My recent experiences with US were mixed. I did EWR - PHX - FAT and FAT - PHX - PHL in First and the service and food was really good. The hard product was a bit basic but OK. The single cabin crew member looking after F was really attentive, and worked hard - never once needed to ask for anything.

PHL - BRU in J on a 767-200 was dire. Food was barely lukewarm, service was slow, curtains between the galley and the cabin open for the majority of the flight. The crew did their best and were professional but there was something missing. AA on the 777 ER from LAX - LHR was great from the POV of the hard product, and the food was excellent. The crew were similar in temperament to US. I wouldn't go so far to say surly, but not exactly service with a smile.

Can't comment much on Y but when I've done domestic Y with AA it's been fine. I think having status helps - I was addressed by name and wasn't charged for alcohol. I also find being a little more effusive with the please and thank you helps too, as does the English accent

pipsi

My worst ever flight was DFW-LHR with AA. The food was horrific to the point of being inedible, which meant I was famished by the end of the ten hour flight. I was lucky enough to have the only spare economy seat next to me as my neighbour moved after take off to be closer to his companion. The inflight entertainment was rubbish, I only remember one of the movies and it was dire. In comparison domestic AA flights I've been on have been really good minus the fact that booze is paid for in economy, however to maximise TP I usually opt for first on domestic routes unless the cost is prohibitive. All that being said though my recent MCO-LHR flight with BA was pretty bad too. However, I've always thought US-UK routes aren't the best irrespective of the airline. Next week I'm flying DUB-JFK with AA so I'll soon find out whether going in the opposite direction is any better. I plan on having a big breakfast in the hotel before the flight and may even buy a sandwich to take on the plane just in case.

Shareholder

To think anyone who has flown BA within Europe in either business or economy can complain about AA or even US, or any other legacy airline, is quite amazing. BA's (and most other European airlines) so-called business class is an economy seat with the centre one left empty. No additional pitch. The food and drink may be better than in the rear of the plane, but can't compare with a real lounger seat with additional pitch and a decent meal and drink selection. And in the back cabin, for elites there are seats with 36" pitch. True not much more in the back, but I've suffered BA enough in the back to see little difference (except on AA as a top tier elite I get free booze and something from the Buy on Board). Don't know of any BA flights within Europe that have inflight TV, which most US carriers now have even on narrow body planes. The new ones, multichannel video or even satellite TV and wifi! Things are not really that bleak on this side of the Atlantic.

Across the Atlantic, BA may have the edge, if only because they don't charge for alcohol, but for me the curry meals are a big turn-off for me in WT. I'll see how CW is next month.

Joely

I think the curries are excellent and actually have some flavour compared to AA meals which are usually chicken in some non-discript sauce with rice or a solid block of pasta. The AA 77W hard product is good in MCE, I've never flown in the main cabin but 3-4-3 looked pretty hellacious, every other thing about BA is better IMO.

Arsey00

Last summer, I managed to compare AA and BA in both Y and J. No idea if anything has changed since, but here my two cents in relatively old money:

BA J v AA J: I had old J on AA, so angled seats. Other than that (and a ridiculous issue with my child and a pair of headphones), had a comfortable flight, good service, decent choice of entertainment and acceptable food and drink. On BA, fully flat seat, great choice of entertainment (not mine, though, it was broken), better wine but fewer drinks offered (had to ask), slightly better food, ambivalent service. On balance, pretty equal if a day flight, BA if one needs to sleep.

BA Y v AA Y: BA 772 seats are made for Barbie dolls. I'm only 5'5", and could not cross my legs. Great choice of entertainment and more flavourful food, but only noticeable when one can redirect the mind from the numbness of the thighs. AA Y on 77W feels exactly the same, but the ORD flight (762?) was a tad more comfortable, though sorely lacking in the entertainment department. MCE counts for a lot. As OWS, I'd choose AA even after today's news, which might mean I'd be flying without my own entertainment. But then, I'd rather watch a lousy movie in comfort than a great one in a cramped seat.

MillionMileMarker

I've flown BA, AA and US Airways this year and I have been genuinely impressed with the AA 77W travelling in business TATL. I think it's a much better offering than BA these days since you get a much nicer space and the footrest is permanent. Also the window seats are angled away from the aisle so it feels more private (obviously not as private as the window seats on BA). The fact that there is only 1 seat at the window is another bonus though too.

US airways didn't impress me too much. The aircrafts are much older and the seats are just not quite as good as AA (since the arrangement is identical I'm comparing it to AA specifically).

I do enjoy the food on BA and AA equally, again US is a little bit behind here.

In terms of the staff I do tend to agree that BA does have the best trained staff but I have had mixed experiences on all three.

In my opinion if you travel in business TATL, try one of the 77W's, other than that I would fly BA.