British Airways vs American Airlines
British Airways is my go-to for flights to Europe. Their airfare prices are decent and flying with them is an enjoyable experience. I recently took a flight with American Airlines in premium economy going to Europe (BA premium economy coming back). My experience with British Airways and American Airlines were very different and I found BA to be better.
Airplane Size
I flew from San Diego to Madrid via Dallas on American Airlines. Coming back, I went from Madrid to San Diego via London Heathrow on British Airways. The plane for British Airways is a Airbus A350 versus the airplane for American is a 787.
Seats
British Airways (BA) seats are cloth as oppose to the American Airlines (AA) seats which are leather. BA seats are more comfortable to me and less stiff, however, the AA seats feel wider. BA wins for seats.
Footrest
BA not only has a foot rest, but a leg rest. Their foot rest is lower where your feet naturally fall. AA’s foot rest is very uncomfortable for me. It sits right below the seat pocket and honestly, I do not know what they were thinking putting it that high. BA wins for the foot rest.
Linens
The blanket and pillow on BA is soft and feels like cotton or a cotton blend. The blanket on AA feels a little scratchy, less cozy, and smaller. They both give you headphones which is nice and didn’t feel much of a difference between the two. BA wins in the linen category.
Hygiene Kits
The two kits are pretty much the same except BA gives you lip balm and a full size pen while and AA gives you lotion and a half pen. C’mon AA, you couldn’t have just made the pen full size? I did not feel any difference in the socks or eye mask. Furthermore, BA gives you a welcome drink of juice and water as oppose to AA who does not give you anything. BA wins for Hygiene Kits and welcome drinks.
Food
BA has a better presentation and tastier food. For example, the way their trays are decorated adds color and they even give you printed food and beverage menu. On AA, everything is white and very boring, appearance wise. BA comes down the aisle with the drink cart about 15 minutes before the food service. This is nice because you get to enjoy a pre-meal drink. You can also have another one upon getting your food. On AA, the beverage cart and meal cart comes back to back. Additionally, BA had an after dinner drink service while AA did not. This was particularly annoying as I like to have coffee or tea after my meal and I was surprised they did not have this service. BA wins for food and drinks.
WIFI and Entertainment
The WIFI is $10 cheaper on BA. I have yet to purchase internet as both companies offer decent in-flight entertainment.
Overall
In summary, you can’t go wrong flying British Airlines. From their printed food menu and welcome drinks to the soft blanket and leg rest, its a nice and enjoyable flying experience. https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_us/
