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I flew in economy class on one of British Airways' busiest international routes — here's what it was like by David Slotnick on Mar 1, 2018, 10:33 AM Advertisement
 - With dozens of flights a day operated by several major airlines, the New York-London route is a high-traffic, competitive route.
- British Airways, together with its joint venture partner American Airlines, is one of the highest-profile operators between the two major financial markets and vacation destinations.
- I flew in British Airways' "World Traveler" economy-class cabin home from London in February to see what the experience was like.
When flying between the US and the UK, there is a gluttony of options available. Airlines representing the three major alliances (Oneworld, Star Alliance, and Sky Team) operate multiple flights a day between major cities, with some cities seeing more dozens of flights a day. The New York City–London route, one of the busiest in the world, sees around 30 commercial flights in each direction on an average weekday flown by US airlines including Delta, United, and American, and foreign carriers including the expected, like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, and the less expected, such as Norwegian Air Shuttle and Air India. Among the many choices, though, the most prolific operators of the high-traffic route are arguably American Airlines and British Airways, with around 15 flights per day in each direction. Operating an antitrust-indemnified joint venture across the Atlantic (along with Spanish carrier Iberia), the two airlines operate virtually as one between the two cities. When you search for flights between London and New York on either airline's website, you'll see flights operated by both carriers, virtually indistinguishable from each other on the results page. That's how, after booking steeply discounted tickets through a British Airways flash sale, I found myself with a round trip between New York and London featuring both airlines. My outbound flight was operated by American Airlines, and was an all-around pleasant trip, while my return was with British Airways departing from London's Gatwick airport. I last few British Airways a few years ago on a 747-400 from London Heathrow, so I didn't have any real expectations — although I knew that the airline had just rolled out some awesome new catering on its long-haul flights. Read on to see what I thought of my flight on British Airways, departing from London Gatwick at 4:55 p.m. for New York's JFK airport, operated by a 777-200. SEE ALSO: I flew in economy class on one of American Airlines' busiest international routes — here's what it was like We took the Thameslink train to Gatwick Airport and went to check our bags — and found a long, snaking queue at the long-haul check-in desk. There were only two agents working the non-first class area — it took us almost 45 minutes to get through the line. It's lucky that we arrived early! 
Once through security, we headed to the No.1 Lounge — you can get access with the free Priority Pass membership that comes with some credit cards. The lounge is popular, which leads the staff to cap capacity sometimes. To make sure you can get in, you can reserve a spot online up to the day before your trip (although this costs £5 per person). 
The lounge is comfortable with plenty of seating, fast Wi-Fi, snacks, and free drinks and some small plates — I ordered this Yorkshire pudding filled with roasted vegetables and chicken, which was tasty. Our gate was announced a little more than an hour before departure, so we finished up and meandered over, taking time to check out a few shops in the terminal. 
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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