Comparing various premium cabins SFO to LHR
 

Hi FTers, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster.

What are the relative merits / quality of SFO to LHR on Virgin Upper Class, BA F / J, UA F / J, or DL BusinessElite via SEA? Not just best in general, but best bang for the buck given the hard and soft product (see est. prices below). I'm mostly after flat bed seating and a relaxing experience, but I'm willing to pay extra for a special experience just to try it.

Pricing out various options (some are "priced" based on estimating point redemption values + fees + top-off points purchases), I'm coming up with:

* DL BusinessElite via SEA (award ticket ~$2.5-3k pp)
* VS Upper Class direct ($4,334 pp w/ extra stopover in Paris)
* BA F direct ($6,146 pp w/ extra stopover, $5,504 pp no stopover, $5k in J)
* UA F direct ($5,504 pp no stopover, $5k in J)
[The extra stopover is something I want to do but could buy a la carte.]

My first instinct is VS Upper Class because it's direct and I'm not sure the extra money for others would be worth it. The extra $1.2k for BA F might be worth it to me IF I got "New First" but that's not a given. I haven't heard anything to convince me that UA would win out here. But maybe that's out of date. And how does DL BE compare to those?

Thoughts? In 2014, can someone give me a reasonably good ranking of these products? Thanks!

BA F> UA F> VS J> DL J(varies based on config)> UA J> BA J would be my ranking. But that is not exactly what you need here.

I would do VS Upper Class with the stopover you want (not sure who you connect on) even though on connection you will not get VS benefits. If it were me I'd do VS SFO-LHR-PAR (open Jaw) LHR-SFO with a train ride back from PAR-LON.

SFO to LHR premium cabins
 

There was an identical thread a few weeks ago in TravelBuzz, search there as well for more info.

@Yoshi212 Thanks for the ranking. It still gives me a good data point.

But I'm interested why you ranked UA the way you did. I've seen some pretty damning commentary on the quality of UA's premium cabin general experience that people might fly it on upgrades / awards for convenience but they wouldn't want to pay for it when the $ difference between another carrier is minimal. Is UA's relative mediocrity over-stated?

@LondonElite Thanks. I saw that thread and it had some good info but the poster was first asking about F cabins and then J cabins but not really comparing the value between F vs. J (except with Virgin Upper Class since they don't have F). Maybe a bit to squishy though to make those kind of tradeoffs. [Now that I think about it, this post probably belongs in that forum too.]

Actually I should rephrase what I posted. PMCO UA J>BA J>PMUA UA J. I do not like the setup where you're in a Business Class and looking at your neighbor when not reclined. Service can be much better on BA but my main focus is on the seat & setup.

Put up the divider, it's a lot better than sleeping next to a stranger (on UA J).

As always, it depends on you. On an eastbound flight to LHR, I would seek to maxmise sleep over anything else. The F cabin will have better wines and give you pyjamas and all that jazz, but what you really want to do is sleep. I have said it on FT many times before, I have turned down upgrade offers on BA from J to F because a good seat on the UD on a 747 has more room than the relatively cramped F cabin downstairs. Don't get me wrong, I really like BA F, but on a flight like that I would choose the best sleeping option over anything else. Daytime return I would definitely go BA F. Both are significantly superior to UA F or J (and I know both).

Fair enough; thanks for the info! It sounds like you're very familiar with this route.

What about Virgin Atlantic? Any experience?

Also, one thing I forgot to mention is that I'm traveling with my SO. Sometimes that makes a difference (when talking about staring at a strange or awkward neighbors).

All DL 747/777/767/A330 a/c are the lie flat seats in J with direct aisle access. I'll take this over a middle seat (as available on on some UA a/c) anytime. The 763's used SEA-LHR are 1-2-1 and the middle two seats are good for companions traveling together.

The VS J product is known for being very good, although I know some who do not like their herringbone design.

Also, it may be cheaper if you fly SFO-LHR and CDG-SFO on the return; just an option to look into.

It has been a while since I've flown VS, but the hard product is pretty good for sleeping. I'm not a huge fan of the herringbone design, but VS has the best one out there (and AC the worst.) I personally would go BA J given the choice, but that is a personal opinion. The Virgin Clubhouse in LHR is probably the best lounge at the airport.

Treating London as the stopover and commencing the return journey in Paris (with < 24 hours in the UK on the way home) would very likely be less expensive because you wouldn't get stung for APD (UK departure tax).

I'd take VS, all things considered.

Then again, I have such strong antipathy towards US airlines due to the horrible lounges of US carriers that I am strongly biased. I find it wrong to pay $,$$$ and then be charged $7 for a Sam Adams. I would add an exception for anyone flying AA F with access to a flagship lounge.

Thanks all! This gives me some good data points.

Any comments on the Virgin bar? Is that a big annoyance for people who want to sleep? Is it less of problem / less utilized on longer / overnight routes?

Yup; that's what I found too when pricing these out.

UA F has actually what could be the best domestic lounge by a US carrier for SFO F pax. That said, anyone who has been in the SFO VS lounge has just loved it, and could be one of the top lounges in the USA by any carrier.