Thousands of passengers are abandoning British Airways. These are the best alternative carriers

Telegraph

3 days ago

A few weeks ago Telegraph Travel asked readers for their verdict on changes to the British Airways loyalty programme, the BA Club, which make it harder and more expensive to earn coveted silver and gold status.
Many of you said you felt that the near £7,500 spend required to earn silver status or the near £20,000 spend to make gold was so far out of reach that you would no longer prioritise BA when booking flights.
Michael Crooks, 60, a translator from Oxford, told us: 'Travelling with BA used to be a 'must' to earn status but now, like many, I'll be on Skyscanner to do a general search for all airlines.'
Mr Crooks certainly isn't alone. Thousands of previously loyal customers will be turning their backs on BA. So how should these refuseniks use their new-found freedom? Which carriers should they choose, for which routes?
I've flown on almost all of the airlines that operate to and from the UK over the past 20 years and here are my recommendations.
Short-haul to Europe and North Africa
Air France and KLM will suit those who will in future choose Virgin Atlantic for long-haul routes, since those three carriers are members of the Skyteam airline alliance.
You earn Virgin Atlantic Flying Club air miles and tier points when you fly Air France or KLM. Sir Richard Branson's airline is tempting disgruntled BA Club members to shift to its Flying Club by offering to match their BA status, giving them the chance to advance up the membership tiers more swiftly than at BA, and making more reward seats available on all flights at lower redemption rates.
Air France has the advantage that it flies from Terminal Four at Heathrow which is the smallest and easiest terminal to use. Air France also flies from Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Newcastle.
To that list, KLM adds London City, Inverness, Belfast, Teesside, Humberside, Leeds, Norwich, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Cardiff.
But be aware that flying Air France and KLM to destinations outside France and the Netherlands means changing planes in Paris Charles de Gaulle or Amsterdam Schiphol.
If you want to fly direct and/or don't care about earning loyalty points in an airline alliance, it's best to choose whatever airline offers you the best fare on a non-stop service from an airport near you. For those living in London or the south-east, this may well be easyJet at Gatwick.
It offers 419 flights a day to and from the Sussex airport during summer to 113 destinations. Pay to choose a premium seat and for speedy boarding, and the service is on par with British Airways' Euro Traveller economy class.
I've found Jet2's service from all major airports across the country to be consistently solid and reliable. Cabin bags are included and families are almost always seated together, without having to pay for seat selection.
Long haul to the Americas and the Caribbean
When it comes to ditching BA on long-haul flights heading west, there is a clear winner: Virgin Atlantic.
If you are on a budget but can't face cattle class, it has created up to 14 rows of Economy Delight at the front of the economy cabin on its new jets. The 28 seats on its A330s have a 34-inch pitch, the most generous legroom of any carrier in economy. All are window and aisle pairs, which makes them great for couples.
There are 45 Economy Delight seats on Virgin's Airbus A350s, arranged in sets of three across the cabin. I always choose the window seat in the second row of Economy Delight in the rear cabin because it has no seat in front of it. By contrast, BA just has a single bog standard economy seat on all its long-haul jets with meagre legroom of just 31 inches.
Virgin Atlantic Premium (premium economy) is broadly on par with BA's World Traveller Plus. But I find Upper Class (Virgin's business class) better than BA's Club World because Virgin's Clubhouses are more exclusive and luxurious than BA's lounges and have better food and service and the suite and service on board are superior – even without the trademark bar which Virgin announced earlier this month is being phased out.
Virgin's code share alliance with America's leading carrier, Delta, ensures easy onward connections to destinations across North America. I should note, however, that BA does offer more direct flights from the UK to US destinations – 25 – and BA is the only carrier to offer first class across the Atlantic. Upper Class is half way between business and first class.
American Airlines, which codeshares with BA on US routes, has improved some of its services but, overall, is outgunned by the Virgin/Delta combo. United is upgrading its cabins but does not codeshare with a UK airline which makes it unattractive.
If you are on a budget, Norse from Gatwick to New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, and Miami has rock-bottom fares, especially in premium economy.
When flying to Latin America, I often find the best route networks and timings are with Iberia, via Madrid.
Long-haul to Asia, Australia and Africa
Flying long-haul east or south, I recommend Emirates and Qatar in economy class, largely because there are a lot of extra legroom seats on their A380s which you can snag / pay extra for. Qatar also has a small – 48-seat – economy-class section on the upper deck of the A380 with two bathrooms. I've flown it on day flights to and from Doha and it is more akin to a premium economy experience than economy. (Perhaps one reason why Qatar Airways does not offer premium economy).
Emirates and Cathay Pacific lead by miles in premium economy largely because the seats are so comfortable and on Cathay the headrests guarantee a little more privacy than rivals. Emirates' food and wine is best in class. If you are going to Australia, Qantas is worth considering since it flies nonstop from London to Perth and has a well-designed premium economy cabin. I've done the 17 hours in premium economy and, with the aid of melatonin (and red wine), I managed to get some good kip.
Qatar Airways is the clear winner in business class with its vast Q Suite, which is better than first class on some carriers. Cathay, Singapore, and Emirates also offer excellent suites, lounges and service. I flew Cathay Pacific's new Aria business-class suite to Hong Kong last month and it is way ahead of BA's Club Suite both in terms of the suite and the service and lounges. (Side note for BA refuseniks: my tier point reward for my flight from Heathrow to Hong Kong was only one third of what it was under BA's old rules).
Iberia via Madrid or Turkish Airlines via Istanbul are also worth a look, especially for cheap business-class fares. Those who fancy a bit of old-school nostalgia should choose Lufthansa and transfer on to an iconic Boeing 747 at its Frankfurt hub. The German flag carrier still operates 27 jumbo jets, many of which fly to Asia.
The Abu Dhabi-based Etihad should be your first choice if you only make one trip a year east or south in any class. Its combination of new aircraft, new airport – Abu Dhabi Zayed International is the best-designed, most hi-tech and comfortable hub in the world – plus free hotel during layover so you can visit the Louvre, is unbeatable.