OV9

Such as Delta and American - are they as bad as they used to be compared to the European carriers??

Going to New York in October and our choice is

BA or Virgin with 4 star hotel

Or

Delta or American with 5 star hotel

For the same money

I figure we’ll spend far more time in the hotel than the plane but the last time I flew with an American carrier, it was very Ryanair ish - basic

Delta are pretty decent in my limited experience.

I'd choose based on the hotel and where it is in NY more than the airline, though I have to say I prefer Virgin to BA flying to NYC. Been so long since I flew any US airline (which was United anyway) that I have no idea but I can't say that BA were all that great.

Virgin. If you're going to New York, you'll probably be sleeping in the hotel and not much else. Would the difference between 4 and 5 star be that noticeable?

Star rating is a way of comparing facilities, not how good the hotel is. It’s possible to have a fantastic 3 star be far better than a terrible 5 star. Look at reviews rather than star ratings

jamcg wrote: Thu Aug 17, 2023 10:01 am Star rating is a way of comparing facilities, not how good the hotel is. It’s possible to have a fantastic 3 star be far better than a terrible 5 star. Look at reviews rather than star ratings

This, stayed at the Sheraton in Times Square before Covid (4 star) and I think it would struggle to get more 3 stars in reality. Crap service, usual problem with bathroom draining, quite dirty overall. Also what is it with hotel toilets which block if you dare to have a slightly above average dump?! Seems to be a universal thing... I'm on holiday, I'm gonna eat more, let me take a crap in peace without the anxiety of thinking about needing a safety flush or how to explain this creation to the concierge.

Jobbo wrote: Thu Aug 17, 2023 9:56 am I'd choose based on the hotel and where it is in NY more than the airline, though I have to say I prefer Virgin to BA flying to NYC. Been so long since I flew any US airline (which was United anyway) that I have no idea but I can't say that BA were all that great.

BA are pretty rubbish IME and also very variable depending on which cabin crews you get. We flew out Premium to HK with BA recently and it was staffed with an Asian/Aussie crew who were pretty good despite they fact they delayed us for 4 hours and missed one of the meal services to be able to complete the flight with the same crew within the legal working time limits... We also paid more specifically for that flight so we got in early enough to have a first evening there so basically we woz robbed.

Business on the return with a UK crew was awful - not a patch on Emirates business which we flew on for a 7 hour leg last year. Crewed by what you'd think of as typical UK staff. A veneer of pleasantness which quickly rubbed off and a signifcant percentage of personnel that looked like they'd been recruited from the local shotputters meet. Plus the food was shit

We'll be back flying Cathay on future trips to the far east (Virgin sadly no longer an option) and @dinny_g, as Jobbo says, unless its Virgin I'd fly with the US airlines if its in exchange for a better hotel.

ETA: Also agree with what's been said above re star ratings. Factors which go into star ratings including things like whether the concierge is available near 24 hours - basically not stuff you often care about and many boutique hotels will be far better than a dated 5 star hotel.

BA and American codeshare and so does Virgin and Delta.. so buy a Delta ticket, fly Virgin and stay in 5*

In all seriousness, unless you’re flying First Class, Virgin has a better product, better OTP, cabin crew are comparable these days so aren’t a factor. US side: Delta is better imle than American, but not by much.

Just make sure you’re not flying on a 767, that ship is slow as fvck!

ETA: also, avoid T5 at LHR if you can.. seems to have more IT/baggage issues than others.. plus at JFK, they’ve closed T1/2 which is where BA/AA park (rebuilding into a more modern shape), so they’re having issues that end also! JFK T4’s not much better tbh as they’ve moved a lot of aircraft there but hey JFK doesn’t seem to do anything well.

P.S. I hope my post didn't offend @IanF though IIRC you don't fly for BA?

Star ratings for NYC hotels also don't take into account room sizes. We stayed in a hotel in Greenwich Village in June and had to reject the first room; it was simply too small. And none of their rooms had anything bigger than a 5ft (UK kingsize) bed; I expect a superking in any hotel, particularly in the US. It was a 4 star and a good indication of why stars mean fuck all.

Also, BA having lots of flights meant that at JFK on the way home, there were three BA flights to Heathrow leaving within about 40 mins, one of which was delayed so they all boarded at pretty much the same time from pretty much the same end of the terminal. It was a fucking nightmare of disorganisation because two of the flights (fortunately we were on the other one) switched gates at the last minute. I don't know if this type of disorganisation is likely or even possible with other carriers but it put me right off BA. Also didn't much like T5 which is not quite BA only but still mostly BA.

GG. wrote: Thu Aug 17, 2023 10:31 am P.S. I hope my post didn't offend @IanF though IIRC you don't fly for BA?

I don’t and it didn’t.. Virgin will fly east once the Russians slot Putin

Thanks for all the feedback - seems US Airlines aren't as ropey as they were, albeit 15+ years ago.

It's a good point on feedback too, rather than just star rating but this is a good first filter. We're travelling with a 17 year old so decent sized room is important and while we will be out and about for most of the day, we do tend to spend some time in the hotel when we're away so somewhere half decent would be nice.

Any specific hotel recommendations you can make ?

Cheers

Jobbo wrote: Thu Aug 17, 2023 10:58 am Star ratings for NYC hotels also don't take into account room sizes. We stayed in a hotel in Greenwich Village in June and had to reject the first room; it was simply too small. And none of their rooms had anything bigger than a 5ft (UK kingsize) bed; I expect a superking in any hotel, particularly in the US. It was a 4 star and a good indication of why stars mean fuck all.

Definitely!!

We were in the Doubletree in Greenwich last weekend and I looked at 2 other rooms as whoever took the room pictures was a wizard with making them look bigger.

Dave!

We’ve gone with a recommendation from my sister who travels to New York regularly with work.

Flights with BA in the end.

Thanks for all your input - really appreciate it

I've just been booked on business class BA to Miami in december. It's on an A380 so I hope it's decent, given the cost (to someone else lol)

tim wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2023 9:17 am I've just been booked on business class BA to Miami in december. It's on an A380 so I hope it's decent, given the cost (to someone else lol)

A380 is a brilliant plane. So quiet and smooth. Flew to New Zealand in one with Emirates and it was excellent.

Boring old 777 for us...

tim wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2023 9:17 am I've just been booked on business class BA to Miami in december. It's on an A380 so I hope it's decent, given the cost (to someone else lol)

A big part of it will be whether it has the upgraded cabin or not. Check the seating plan and if it is a herringbone formation its the new one. If it has some seats facing forward and some back then its the older (very dated) BA business class.

From my experience last month I wouldn't expect much from the food... or the service... so hopefully the seat is the nice new style At least your trip is free

I haven't been over there for 5+ years, however my experience was that flights in were much of a muchness, internal flights however are a different story.

This reminds me when I booked a last minute trip to Lisbon - outbound my only choice was BA business but it was only £40 more. Obviously it's a short haul flight so it's no different to economy apart from no one sitting next to you. This couple in front of me didn't realise this and were absolutely fuming, kept asking various cabin crew if there was a mistake. "No Sir, that's how all short haul flights are"