BA v Virgin for longhaul with small children???

[Ab31]

...or is it much of a muchness? Advice please!!

virgin all the way................

I can tell you what BA is like next week. Going transatlantic with them next week with 2 toddlers

only done BA but they were brilliant.

Here to antigua, with an 20 month old when I was pregnant

fairly similar
I've always found Virgin more helpful tbh

i've only gone BA, quite a few times, but they were pretty awful tbh. including sending me to the back of the queue when i was on my own, 8 months pregnant and carrying my 2 yo. there were a few other incidents on that particular flight, i sent a letter of complaint and they just said it was policy.

haven't flown virgin for about 8 years although they were good before.

i'll be watching this thread with interest because i have a strong desire to never fly ba again. unfortunately they've been cheaper

Definitely Virgin. Have taken several longhaul flights with little ones (BA & Virgin), Virgin were so helpful, had activity bags for children (though that was a while ago) whereas BA couldn't fit the sky cot properly, heated my babies bottle to beyond scalding (I had to go and find them to get it back, never mind my crying baby they were far too busy chatting!) and were generally rude & unhelpful on both flights with them. I will always avoid BA in future with the children. Might have just been bad flights but that was my experience.

Never flown Virgin, but have used BA several times.
I will never ever ever fly with them again. I agree with aurora, they were IME, uncaring and unprofessional. Seemingly cared more about make up application than helping me with my DD.
Sounds as if I'm moaning about nothign, but I had awful vomiting and it was too much trouble to bring me cups of water. I did ask for the whole bottle but was told it needed to be rationed. The temptation to simply drop the sick bag on the floor was quite powerful. I didn't.
Although BA was much more convenient with regard to times, from that incicdent onward it was Emirates for us.

Experiences on BA and Virgin depend very much on the attitude of both the ground staff the flight crews and have seen good and poor service (have seen BA running out of kids meals, VA crews handing the kids a basically empty activity pack) on both carriers.

Have used VA since they started so remember what they used to be like. Those days have long gone. In my overall experience of both carriers over the years BA have generally come across as far more professional towards the pax (their crews tend to be older) with Virgin crews (who seem mainly in their early 20s these days) increasingly and seemingly too busy chatting amongst themselves to deal with the self loading freight. Some of them are professional but some I feel use the airline as a means of getting to the next party. Also one drinks run does not make a service; VA expect pax to go to their galleys every time if more water or soft drink is required. Their seats in economy in particular are very poor and they have cost cut across the board over the past several years. It shows in their overall quality of product. Its real a shame because when VA first started 25 years ago they were really good and innovative. Many airlines have caught up and in many cases superceded them. Mr Branson too has ploughed more money into other ventures since then at the expense of his airline (and trains); their glossy adverts do not match the reality. I still have my Virgin frequent flyer card but I look at price too and more often than not BA work out costing less.

I have to say, I prefer BA now (that they have finished arsing around with threats of strikes). Used to fly VA a lot years ago when DC1 and 2 were older, LGW to Orlando every year and they were great but used them last year and seriously underwhelmed. Have flown BA with kids a lot over the past 4 years and they have been pretty good. Only avoided them last year due to threats of strikes but are looking at booking to go to Orlando later this year and will almost certainly be booking BA.