I flew the UK's 2 major airlines across the Atlantic. Small touches and better food gave Virgin an edge.

I flew on BA for the first time in years in March of 2024 and on Virgin for the first time ever in July. BA flies out of a newly renovated Terminal 8 and Virgin flies out of Terminal 4.

Both flights left at around 8 a.m. from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and landed at London Heathrow around 9 p.m. local time. I prefer morning departures on Europe-bound trips because I can better battle the jet lag.

The two rival airlines are vying for customers, especially on the busy New York-London route, so it's no surprise they have similarly priced flights.

Looking at flights this fall, BA and Virgin are roughly $600-$700 roundtrip from NYC. The holiday period is more expensive, and I noticed Virgin's fares are slightly higher than BA's around Christmas.

Flights from other airports both airlines fly to, like Boston and Washington Dulles, have similar pricing patterns.

I was happy to get my boarding pass on each airline's respective mobile app, meaning I could bypass the ticket counter if I didn't have bags.

This is unlike low-cost transatlantic competitor Norse Atlantic Airways, which requires passengers to check in at the airport and can be inconvenient for those with just a carry-on bag.

Both BA and Virgin have self-serve kiosks at their check-in counters, meaning customers can get their boarding pass without seeing an agent. When I flew on BA, I only had a carry-on, so I went straight to security.

I had to check a bag on my Virgin flight, and I was happy to find that its luggage drop was also self-serve. I simply printed the bag tags from the kiosk, attached them to my luggage, and scanned them at the bag drop conveyor belt.

BA's economy passengers can't access its new Terminal 8 co-branded lounges unless they have status, but those with Priority Pass — which isn't tied to airline loyalty — can visit Virgin's lounge in Terminal 4.

I have a membership through my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and can use it to visit eligible airport lounges — including those owned by airlines — with a coach ticket, though they are sometimes capacity-restricted at peak hours.

Virgin's New York-JFK lounge is small but comfortable, with à la carte food and a bar. The Priority Pass option in Terminal 8 offers meal credits at a restaurant, but it's unavailable via my Chase-sourced membership. Still, I'd rather have the lounge than the restaurant.

BA rolled out biometric testing at US airports in 2017; my London flight was the first time I experienced it. The technology matched my facial features to my stored passport image, allowing me to board by simply looking at a monitor before walking through the door.

According to BA, the facial recognition system speeds up boarding on long-haul flights by half the time.

Virgin has invested billions of dollars to transform its fleet, including acquiring a dozen next-generation Airbus A350-1000s since 2019. I flew this particular jet for my trip, which the airline has introduced with upgraded business and economy-class cabins.

The British Airways aircraft I took to London was a Boeing 777 with similarly revamped coach seats — though this jet didn't have the airline's new Club Suite business class.

Both BA and Virgin's regular economy seats offer 31 inches of pitch, while the extra legroom ones on BA offer 38 inches. Taller travelers may want the extra legroom seats, though the protruding exit door slightly obstructed the window seat in BA's exit row.

The standard legroom on Virgin was plenty of room for me, though I'll never say no to extra space when it's randomly assigned to me.

I also didn't have to worry about aisle access on BA because of the open space in front of the seats — but, typically, I pay extra for an aisle.

The economy seats were equally well-padded and featured power ports, solid tray tables, good recline, a seatback pocket, and an adjustable headrest — the latter is a necessity for me to sleep on airplanes.

Both sets of inflight entertainment had good movie options and a crisp screen with a flight map. Virgin's had an outside camera, too.

I liked the USB-C port offered on BA.

This layout is only in the bulkhead and exit rows — though I prefer the regular seats, as I flew on Virgin, because the eye-level viewing angle is better.

Next time I fly BA, I'll pay extra for a standard legroom economy seat to get the normal screen. It'll also be slightly wider than the exit row because the armrest is stored on the seatback, not in the armrest.

I got good linens on Virgin and BA, but the blanket on Virgin was made with unique wings that draped over my shoulders so it wouldn't easily fall off.

Further, Virgin's seatback pocket had two smaller ones attached. The exit row on BA had a small slot for the window passenger, as well as one for those in the middle section. Its regular seats each got a big pocket, but it didn't have the same organization as Virgin.

It's these small touches that make me like Virgin just a bit better.

Both flights left in the morning, and the breakfast sandwich on Virgin was much better than BA's unappetizing egg dish that had a plastic-like texture.

BA's did come with packaged goodies like muffins, a croissant, and yogurt that were perfectly good. I was happy there were a few filling sides I could enjoy.

Virgin got brownie points for serving an actual meal before landing — a chicken dish served with cheese, salad, and pudding — that was tasty and filling. BA's, by comparison, was just a tiny, bland pastry that left much to be desired.

The WiFi costs money on both BA and Virgin. I went without on BA, but I paid the $3.95 for messaging on Virgin, which worked fine.

Airlines offering free internet across the Atlantic include JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines, the latter recently rolling it out on select international flights.

Virgin won me over for the food and small comfort details like the blanket and seatback pocket. I also like that I can access its lounge with a Priority Pass despite flying with an economy ticket and having no status.

I thought the BA flight was fine, too, since it checked the boxes of having a headrest and well-padded seats. I'd just bring my own food next time.

Nevertheless, travelers looking for a more elevated economy experience would likely appreciate Virgin's A350 over BA's 777.

Besides cabin comfort, many travelers consider on-time performance when choosing which airline to fly.

BA doesn't have a great reputation for its reliability. In July, the Financial Times cited old technology and its ever-busy Heathrow hub as factors but noted the airline is revamping its operation in London and is improving its year-over-year on-time performance.

Virgin, by comparison, said its 2023 punctuality performance at Heathrow was "10 points ahead of industry average." Further, UK Civil Aviation Authority data shows Virgin was the second-most punctual airline of 2023 and the "top-performing airline that flies internationally." It's a smaller airline than BA, which likely helps.

Nevertheless, both my BA and Virgin flights landed on time — but statistics say Virgin is your best bet to avoid disruptions.