Dub - Sfo AA or BA

Rashers72

Travelling 2 adults and 2 kids. Have a choice for same price booked via BA website. Option of Dublin to Heathrow with BA, then a 747 1.5 hours later to Sfo with BA. 2nd option. Same journey time. Dublin to JFK on 757 with AA then same terminal onto Sfo on something like an E39?
With prices the exact same, what would u go with? Nice to clear immigration in Dublin, but then again BA flights seem a higher standard. All feedback welcome especially if you already took these flights. Thanks in advance.

Rashers72

Ps Aer Lingus one way was twice the price. Also return flight much cheaper with BA via Lhr, so happy with that part.

The J Stands for Jay

I flew dub-ord-sfo with AA last year, wasn't the best trip ever. I always try to avoid 757s for anything other than short-haul (going through ord avoided that). I just find them very uncomfortable.

jjbrien

I would choose BA over AA anyday especially when its a choice between a 747 and a 757. I have flowen LHR-SFO with BA a few times and the service has always been first class.

haro124

Flew with both last year: BA are in a completely different league than AA. If I was going stateside again the extra trip to heathrow is worth it for BA

Rashers72

Thanks. Was wondering about the queues for immigration in Sfo, and also what transfer time I would allow for if both flights within T5?

Rashers72

Also, I am assuming no checked baggage charge from Dub to Lhr or return if I check in my bags in Dublin. Lhr to Sfo has 1 bag each included in price. All will be part of 1bbooking.

iusedtoknow

Immigration is fine at SFO. Whenever I've picked up people flying in on either BA flight (there are 2 in the day) they are through immigration, baggage and customs in around 40-50 minutes maxn

If you really hate queueing for immigration, aim for the second BA flight (leaves around 2:30 in the afternoon). It arrives into SFO at 5:25 and is pretty much the only flight arriving into that part of the terminal at that time - however it is *just* before the evening arrivals of the asian flights, so you have a lot of officers for not many people

I arrived in on that flight (granted in Business class) last Friday and was through everything in 30 minutes.

The other advantage to this flight is that by the time is the jetlag. You'll get to your hotel, probably go have something to eat and collapse into bed at 10pm, which is ideal.

tricky D

One important factor is your kids and how they'll do on a 11 hour flight with BA.

Word of warning though on BA. If something goes wrong, customer service is appalling on many levels.

SFO immigration was a 10 minute breeze for me on the earlier BA flight.

iusedtoknow

tricky D wrote: »

One important factor is your kids and how they'll do on a 11 hour flight with BA.

Word of warning though on BA. If something goes wrong, customer service is appalling on many levels.

SFO immigration was a 10 minute breeze for me on the earlier BA flight.

The great thing about SFO is they have 2 international terminals (one for one world..roughly and one for Star alliance) and so have 2 immigration windows.

It's probably on purpose, but i've found that they tend to stagger the european and asian flights arrivals into both, meaning that there is only a backlog if there are delays or in the shoulder time when there are 1 or 2 planes arriving from both parts

You're right though...the 11 hour flight is hard to do for most people, not just kids. With BA though, the entertainment is pretty good for kids so should keep them entertained.

Rashers72

Thanks all. Should have mentioned kids are 11 and 15. Good travellers. Would a 1 hour 15 mins transfer time with T5 in Lhr be enough? Also assume can check bags through from Dublin for no additional cost?

Hanners

Doubt 1hr 15 is enough to transfer in LHR, assuming you'll be arriving in either T1 with BA or T2 with Aer Lingus, its a long trek over to T5 for the SFO flight

iusedtoknow

Rashers72 wrote: »

Thanks all. Should have mentioned kids are 11 and 15. Good travellers. Would a 1 hour 15 mins transfer time with T5 in Lhr be enough? Also assume can check bags through from Dublin for no additional cost?

It's tight, but if you are on the "same" booking (ie you are booked on the same ticket) you should be fine the airline will look after you. The airlines do not sell the flights unless the tranfer is possible.

From experience, you are bussed from the aer lingus airplane to t5 transfers. Your bags will be transferred to the flight.

I've done this from Cork 3 times, and twice I was fine (and you're kept moving, which at heathrow is great as it's an awful place). My connection time was 90 minutes. All the transfers to T5 were told to stay on the plane, we got off and on to a bus and sped across the airport each time.

The one time I didn't make it was due to delay over Heathrow and circling. I was simply put on the afternoon flight out to SFO and upgraded to boot (from premium economy to business)

Jamie2k9

Have you considered United ex Dub, out of all carriers out of DUB AA is probably my last choice all the time.

Rashers72

Hoping to get BA from Dublin to T5 direct. So we are only talking about inter terminal transfer.

iusedtoknow

Rashers72 wrote: »

Hoping to get BA from Dublin to T5 direct. So we are only talking about inter terminal transfer.

then you're laughing

it will be a VERY easy transfer for you

Rashers72

Thanks all. Booked the flights. Ironically flights reduced by EUR500 for a family of 4 since yesterday. EUR2k for 4 of us, next summer. Bonus of going out on A380 (decided to go out via LAX, return via SFO). Allowed 3 hours total transfer time, so plenty of time to look around T5. Got other advice security at T5 is intense, even if transferring within LHR airside, so best to be safe.
1 other question. Cost to select seats was EUR160 on the A380 segment alone, but can be selected for free 24 hours beforehand. Really need to sit close with kids, ideally 2+2 beside windows. Would I have much problem getting these 24 hours beforehand? Thanks.

Jamie2k9

Rashers72 wrote: »

Thanks all. Booked the flights. Ironically flights reduced by EUR500 for a family of 4 since yesterday. EUR2k for 4 of us, next summer. Bonus of going out on A380 (decided to go out via LAX, return via SFO). Allowed 3 hours total transfer time, so plenty of time to look around T5. Got other advice security at T5 is intense, even if transferring within LHR airside, so best to be safe.
1 other question. Cost to select seats was EUR160 on the A380 segment alone, but can be selected for free 24 hours beforehand. Really need to sit close with kids, ideally 2+2 beside windows. Would I have much problem getting these 24 hours beforehand? Thanks.

Window seats will be popular with passengers, best option might be to keep an eye on the seat map (if shown on BA site) to see how its filling up. I would be surprised if you manage to get window seats without paying for them.

Rashers72

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Window seats will be popular with passengers, best option might be to keep an eye on the seat map (if shown on BA site) to see how its filling up. I would be surprised if you manage to get window seats without paying for them.

What if I booked 2 window seats upper deck, and left the 2 beside them empty? Of course I run the risk of someone else booking them...

Jamie2k9

Rashers72 wrote: »

What if I booked 2 window seats upper deck, and left the 2 beside them empty? Of course I run the risk of someone else booking them...

As its for next summer I would hold off until October/November to see how its doing. For the price you paid I am shocked that assigned seating was not included. The cost of paying for seats is outrageous and I can see why you are not paying it.

Its very unlikely you will get such seats. Not sure if it will work but you could try call them and see what they say about it?

Third_Echelon

BA Flights from Dublin to LHR are moving to T5 from October this year, so you should be grand. I've done the transfer from T1 (BA and EI) to T5 a fair few times and 2 hours is tight during summer peak times.

If you have to go through security again into T5 then the queues can be huge in summer time. We had to jump the queue into the business security queue or we would have missed the flight (we did ask :-) ).... Be prepared for a wait there. I think you said you had 3 hours, which should be fine.

Definitely I would fly BA over any american based airline. The american based airlines just don't have the same level of customer service as european based airlines.

I would avoid connecting via US airports as well, especially Chicago O'Hare (nightmare).... If you can, change in UK or Europe.

Rashers72

Same flights have increased from the EUR2k I paid to EUR5k, for next June...it had gone to EUR3k about 2 weeks ago. Now that is some increase...

Third_Echelon

Rashers72 wrote: »

Same flights have increased from the EUR2k I paid to EUR5k, for next June...it had gone to EUR3k about 2 weeks ago. Now that is some increase...

Wow... That's some jump!

circular flexing

For that BA flight I would bring some snacks on the plane with you. The meal service in economy isn't exactly plentiful and it's a very long flight.