Is there really any difference in the ECONOMY CLASS flyer experience between airlines
 

On an upcoming trip to Europe in 2015 we had the choice of a number of airlines to fly to London. Our friends and relatives all had their suggestions which one we should go on. Many of them really liked one airline over another.

I told them we would be flying coach and have no status or airline miles on any of them so a upgrade was out of the picture. Each of the choices were about the same price and had 31 inch pitch and 17.5 inch width. All offered food and video monitors and wide body planes.

So do you think our experience will be any different on one airline or another in economy class non stop from NYC to London?

You may find that the FAs and attitudes vary by carrier. Many people prefer the folks on VS over US-based and other UK-based carriers. There are many places to check for travel experiences in economy on all of the carriers, including YouTube...take your time and do the research. It'll be worth it

There are many things to take into account - aircraft type, service, and the nationality of the airline itself. Different airlines have different seat widths on different aircrafts. The one configuration to look out for is 10-abreast 777s e.g. the new AA 777-300ers. BA still operates their 777s 9-abreast, and this configuration is substantially more comfortable. In terms of the nationality of the airline, a EU/EEA/Swiss airline would offer much better protection in case of delays/cancellations as per EU legislation. Service-wise, airlines have vastly different service routines on transatlantic flights, from the most pared-down (no free bar, bad food, no entertainment) to full-service (food, wine and spirits, entertainment). It pays to look around. It may not be a bad idea to come back to Flyertalk once you have specific options in mind.

The biggest difference will be staff and the food you get. and in economy that makes or breaks it for me (after AVOD).

Some differences? Sure.

But none large enough that would make me spend a lot more for the ticket, or take a less desirable routing, etc.

The one thing to consider would be seating configurations. If you are a couple, an airline that flies a 2-3-2 or 2-4-2 would be a better than a 3-3-3, etc. that might help guide the selection. Also consider that many airlines now have a an extra seat in their 777s, which many people hate.

You indeed covered the most important aspects.

When comparing Y products the most important aspects IMO are:

1) seat width
2) seat pitch
3) seat configuration (e.g. I find a 2-x-2 config much more bearable than a 3-x-3 config and will even include a connecting to avoid the latter)
4) AVOD
5) free alcoholic beverages
6) ability to pay for a preferred seat (if relevant)
7) quality of food and drinks
8) service

7 and 8 obviously are rather subjective. None of the airlines that fly NYC-LHR offers great food or service in Y IMO.

Definitely avoid 10 across configurations. After that, I'd look at the seat maps and see which flight had the best availability for preferred seats. For example, if you are 3 people, then where could I get three seats together that are not next to the lav or galley. After that, I'd go for the emptiest flight, hoping for an empty seat next to me etc.--though knowing that much can change til flight time.

I wouldn't worry about food, etc.--it will keep you going (think frozen dinner quality) but will not be good no matter what.

No. Your real dilemna is whether you want to fly out of JFK or EWR. You do have more airline options out of JFK unless you really want to fly United in which case you're stuck with EWR. BA and VS fly out of both.

Check out seat map sites like seatguru.com. Seats themselves vary, even within one airline, depending on the exact type of plane you are flying. For a long flight, particularly one overnight, that extra inch of seat width or leg room can make a big difference. As for things like meals and such, I tend to find them so inconsistent it is hard to say one is consistently better than another.

One thing to think about, though, is the time. A few airlines offer morning flights to London which get in in the late evening. depending on your specific plans, this may be a great thing - no overnight flight and jet lag, or terrible - you arrive too late to really do anything and it is harder to get back to the city.

In my opinion when you are talking about DOMESTIC travel on US airlines, not only is there very little difference between economy service but there is less and less difference between economy and first/business as well. I am talking about all the major carriers. Honestly the best economy experience domestically is on a discount carrier - JetBlue.

Take a west-European airline, rather than a North-American carrier.

North-American carriers lag behind the (developed) Europeans for service in Y as well as attitude of airline employees. North-American ones are also (generally) more paranoid compared to their European counterparts.

but we aren't talking about domestic.

http://www.routehappy.com

Far better than something like SeatGuru for comparing flights.

Is there really any difference in the ECONOMY CLASS flyer experience between airlines
 

Check out Skytrax
http://www.airlinequality.com
It's like the Yelp of airline travel experience.

What you said. There's no point in pondering this question in the abstract. Usually a potential itinerary comes down to two to four realistic options, and those options are specific as to seat configurations.

Once you know those options, then come back to FT and you'll get useful opinions on the choice.