Transatlantic Coach - AA or BA?
 

It has been a few years since I had to travel on business internationally. My company was recently sold and now I must fly coach for all travel :mad: . Just heard I need to go LAX-ZRH.

I could fly LX direct, but if I take AA (via JFK/ORD) or BA (via LHR) , the miles will get me to Platinum on AA. So that is of some benefit.

Question, who has the better coach service transatlantic? I am tall, so legroom is a key factor.

Thanks

Which to take depends on what you want, miles or quality. Personally I prefer BA and there is a better chance of getting an exit row on BA due to the restrictions in pre-seat selection and the lounges are nicer and I find BA service and in flight entertainment to be better

If wanting to earn AA miles however there is a drawback. If you fly on BA from the USA to Europe, you will earn zero miles since AA restricts mileage earning on BA such that nothing is earned on those routes

You can fly from Canada to Uk and earn miles , though be aware if booked in less than H class you will earn only 25% miles

If tall, I would suggest checking seat maps and if 1 has an exit row seat available and the other doesnt , I would take that regardless of miles earned.

Going on AA or BA will have the drawback of having to connect en-route rather than got non-stop which would be a boig negative to me.

Since the OP has not yet attained AA Platinum (OW Sapphire), and will be travelling in Economy, I question whether lounges should be an issue to be deliberated (as I doubt that they will have access to them).

fwiw, in this circumstance, I would choose the direct, nonstop service. Unless you believe that you will be travelling longhaul a good deal in the near future, the trade-off of convenience vs. AA miles would be an easy choice for me. [It also helps that the alternative, LX, is a fine airline, probably better than either of your two OW choices....]

You won't earn any AA miles if you take BA from LAX to LHR, so attaining Plat is out. In Y, BA has less legroom and a narrower seat than AA's 777s (LAX-LHR) plus BA is set up 3-4-3 on their 747s while AA is 2-5-2; the 2-sides are more comfortable IMO.

If the miles will get you to Plat, does that mean you're currently Gold? If so, then you can pre-select the exit row on any AA flight, which would go a long way to resolving the legroom issue (unless, of course, a Plat or EXP or another Gold has beat you to it.) Flying Y on BA without status means no seat selection until T-24, unless you want to pay for it.

Otherwise I'd be tempted to try LX - I know their J product is fine, presumably their Y product is tolerable.