Virgin vs BA: The Smackdown.
March 21, 2008
Since Virgin Atlantic’s launch in 1984 there has been a (not so) silent war between Britain’s (and previously the World’s) Favourite airline, and Richard Brandson’s young upstart. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Business Class cabin, where both airlines fight for lucrative business travellers: who provide the much needed seat margins, lacking in the knock-down economy cabins.
What’s interesting is how both airlines have approached the needs of the customer, both opting for radically different design and service solutions – which can be seen clearly in the lounge, cabin layout, seat design, food and service. I’ve recently flown both (using my regular pay coach, fly business principle) and have some thoughts on how they differ that I thought I’d share.
Lounge
BA’s lacklustre Business Class lounges at Heathrow is set to be radically transformed by their move to T5 soon, for now though it’s a typical, busy euro-style lounge. If you’re smart you’ll track down the one Terraces Lounge that does a hot buffet, sure beats the cold-sandwich treatment.
Virgin’s Heathrow Clubhouse is a 25,000ft private member’s club, which you can access in less than 10 minutes with Virgin’s new Upper Class Wing, including private check-in and security. I’ve already blogged it previously. For my money, the best Business Class lounge there is.
Verdict: Virgin Wins (until we see what BA deliver withT5)
Cabin
BA’s new Club World cabin features both forward and rear-facing seats, each of which have aisle access. Lots of things have been upgraded here, since the last refresh of Club World, but what’s most apparent is the high level of privacy afforded to window seats. BA recently introduced a snack bar, called the Club Kitchen, located in the galley, where you can help yourself to drinks and snacks during the flight, a nice touch but something of an afterthought it seems.
Virgin’s cabin is laid out in their patented herringbone formation, with seats angled at 45°. The low-slung, curved partitions make for what feels like a roomy, open cabin – adding to the sense of space it seems Virgin were engineering with the Upper Class product. Virgin pioneered mood lighting, which many have now replicated, that makes relaxing or navigating the cabin in low-light, a much more pleasurable experience. The best feature, however, is he Bar – now standard on all VS flights. Essentially an open galley, designed for up to 8 passengers to congregate, drink and chat, the bar is an excellent innovation, well suited for folks who like to socialise on a long flight. If you’re feeling super-rockstar about the whole thing, ask if you can have dinner at the bar, it’s a gas.
Verdict: Virgin Wins, hands down.
Seat
BA have obviously spent some time re-engineering their flat-bed seat, since they introduced the first, some years ago. The result is an excellent, private (the window seat only), experience, that suffers only from it’s lack of length (only 6’3”). Unlike Virgin, the seat reclines back fully into the bed position, making it easy to go from reclining and watching a movie to being fully flat and snoozing away, my personal favourite combo.
Virgin’s seat is as ingenious as it is long – a fabulous 6’7″ on the Upper Deck. When it’s time for bed the flight attendant will come and turn down your bed, flipping over the seat, to reveal a soft mattress on the underside of the seat. Soft pillows and a down duvet follow, making for the best Business Class sleep I’ve ever had. Beware though, widths and lengths vary between upper and lower decks on the 747 and again on the A340, so check Seat Guru for details before you travel.
Verdict: If you’re tall Virgin Wins, if you’re looking for privacy go for a window seat on BA
Food
BA really comes into its own with the food. Excellent muli-course menus and delicious wines combine to make for an excellent all-round dining experience. Top marks.
Virgin’s food is simply terrible. The above meal was the single exception to the rule, but every other meal I’ve eaten in Upper Class has been below par. Poorly conceived menus and stingy portions are the norm, which is remarkable for an airline that gets so much else right.
Verdict: No contest, BA’s food wins by a country mile.
Service
This is a tricky one, as both airlines tend to focus on very different priorities.
Virgin carry the member’s club theme on from the Clubhouse, opting for younger (typically female) cabin crew. This is great if you’re off on holiday, as the style is more chatty and indulgent – ‘another glass of Scotch Mr Moross?’ But lacks in genuine, attentive service: requests are often forgotten and the overall attitude is more blasé.
BA have opted for super-professional, older crew. Always attentive and happy to entertain most requests, they’re extremely competent and considerably more experienced than their VS counterparts. But overall the BA crew miss the trick of making the experience special in any way.
Verdict: A draw.
Thai Airways, Best Airline On The Ground
March 21, 2008
Every airline wants to do something special in the air, but few seem to care about the customer experience on the ground.
Thai is certainly the exception to the rule.
I recently travelled HKG-BKK-HKG. Economy was coming in at around $400, Business was $600 and First just $100 more. Having heard about how good Thai is supposed to be at Suvarnabhumi, I opted for First – resolute that I would enjoy my $300 dollar’s worth of extras to the fullest extent possible.
It’s only a 3 hr flight, but Thai operates a full international grade 747-400 on at least one of the daily scheduled flights, which offers a three class service, identical what you’d experience on long-haul. You can view the plane types when you book to ensure you’ll get the full three-class service. If you want to experience (proper) First Class, this is one of the cheapest ways to do it – at only $300 more than economy.
The Thai First cabin is very roomy, with just 10 flat-bed seats. It’s not very private, but the upside is a very calm and relaxed space, with plenty of room to walk around and socialise – excellent for those travelling in a group.
I chose seat 1A, probably the most private (along with 1K), as it faces forward in a 1-1 configuration, with only the closet in front of you. It’s an excellent First seat, which reclines to a full 180° and a generous 78″ of pitch.
The service and catering for such a short-haul flight were outstanding. I must have had a whole bottle of Dom Perignon and a delicious 4 course lunch followed by cheese and port.
As excellent as the experience had been in the air, nothing prepared me for what I was about to encounter on the ground.
Suvarnabhumi is Bangkok’s new airport and Thai have obviously set out to make the on-ground experience something to be remembered. As I left the plane, I was greeted by a young man in a suit, holding a white board with my name on it. He ushered me, and two other First passengers, into an electric cart and sped off through the airport.
Beeping and swerving past unsuspecting travellers, we drove beyond the huge queues at immigration into a private zone, reserved for First Class passengers. Two desks were opened for us and we cleared immigration in less than a minute.
Once beyond immigration I was greeted by my own personal porter, who guided me to the baggage carousel. The First passenger’s bags were (for once) first off and my porter whipped it onto the trolly and escorted me through immigration and into a taxi. Amazing.
Needless to say, I was quite excited about my return leg. 6 days later I again returned to Suvarnabhumi for my flight back to Hong Kong.
The First Class check in is a private area, sectioned off from the rest of the departure hall. I was encouraged to take a seat in a leather armchair as they pulled up the flight details and checked my luggage. Once checked in I was again invited into the good old electric cart and driven at high speed to the Royal Orchid Lounge. It took less than 5 minutes between arriving at the airport and entering the lounge (which, however, is not airside).
Unlike any lounge I’ve been in before, the Thai’s First Class offering has private rooms, where you can relax, watch TV or socialise in relative privacy – a real novelty.
Again, as seems to be standard for Thai, the service was excellent – I enjoyed several glasses of champagne and some Pad Thai, which was made fresh for me and delivered to my little private cabana.
The rest of the lounge is rather understated but nevertheless very comfortable and relaxed. When my flight was called, I hopped, yet again, into our trusty little cart and was wizzed through security and onto the plane.
Having been extremely impressed with both Virgin Atlantic and Cathay’s lounge and check-in experiences Thai certainly had to deliver something exceptional to stand out. Virgin’s Heathrow ‘Clubhouse’ – essentially an amazing private member’s club is a great place to hang out, whilst Cathay’s ‘Wing’ and ‘Pier’ lounges are minimalist luxury personified (both designed by John Pawson), but neither can reach the celeb-status-inducing buzz of Thai’s amazing service. From chauffeur-driven carts, to personal immigration queues – every touch reinforces your imaginary rockstar status, which is what First Class should be all about. Well done Thai.
