Which Product Is Best For A Transatlantic Flight- American, British Airways or Delta?
This week TPG follower @TravelChaz tweeted:
"Flying from US to London, which product is best - Delta, British Airways or American?"
Without considering frequent flyer miles or anything of that nature, the best product for a transatlantic flight in my opinion is the new American Airlines First Class, which I recently flew from JFK to Sao Paulo in April. I thought it was pretty similar to Cathay Pacific's fully lie-flat seat, although on AA they are "open suites" that offer a little less privacy but were still very comfortable. In business class, the new American 777-300's are pretty much the same as Cathay Pacific's business class with a kind of reverse herringbone configuration where the side seats face outwards and the middle seats face each other, which makes them nice for couples traveling together. I flew that service back from Sao Paolo and also really enjoy it, though the seat was a tiny bit too short and narrow for me.
In terms of the service and food on AA, it's definitely not the best but if you're just basing your decision on the seat, I recommend flying on their 777-300. This aircraft flies certain routes from JFK, Dallas and Los Angeles to London. Besides their 777-300, their other products - like the ones aboard their current 777-200 and 767 workhorses - are not nearly as good and would be put on the back of my list.
My second choice would be Delta's lie-flat business class product on their 767-400, which basically serves all of their London routes. I flew in the BusinessElite class of the 767-400 from JFK-Milan in May and had a really good experience, enjoying both the service of the flight attendants and the seat. Lying down, I thought the seat had a bit of a "coffin-like" feel to it, but I am also 6'7 so that may have had something to do with it.
This may surprise some people, but British Airways actually comes in as my third choice. BA has had their lie-flat Club World (business class) for several years now and while their lounges are good, their food can be hit or miss and there's nothing really great about their product. On their 747, they have 8 seats across which really makes for cramped seating and very minimal privacy.
To put it simply, my short answer to this question would be American's new 777, Delta BusinessElite, British Airways and then American's old 777. Hopefully you can snag a seat on American's 777-300 and get to experience their new First Class travel! It's definitely an experience you don't want to miss.
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