Few airline routes are as cutthroat as the one between London and New York . It is the world 's busiest intercontinental route and -- peppered with business travelers -- one of the most lucrative . There are few lengths airlines wo n't go to in the hopes of getting a piece of the action . We look at how the different carriers stack up . BA : It 's all business ( class ) It may not be the cheapest way to travel between the two cities , but British Airways ' all-business class flight is definitely one of the plushest . Aimed at London 's and New York 's bankers , it is also one of the few flights to leave from London City Airport . Perks include all the standard business class amenities -- gourmet food , lie-flat beds , airport lounge access -- as well as some innovative extras . Instead of a traditional in-flight entertainment system , for instance , customers are given use of their very own iPad . Perhaps the sweetest offering , however , is that passengers get to skip the line at customs . To facilitate this , the plane makes a pit stop at Ireland 's Shannon Airport , which introduced a pre-clearance facility in 2009 . It helps that BA has partnered with American Airlines . Together , the two carriers own the largest market share ( 53 % ) of this route , and offer the most flights -- 17 a day -- between the two cities . Delta-Virgin : When in doubt , merge . Last year , neither Delta Airlines nor Virgin Atlantic held a particularly admirable market share of the London-New York route . Then , they decided to merge , with Delta acquiring 49 % of the British carrier . For Delta , the move meant the ability to offer three times as many flights between the two hubs . For Virgin , it meant access to new , untapped markets in the U.S. `` We are a UK-based airline , and we need to offer a set of flights and services and attractive features to customers in the UK first and foremost , '' admits Craig Kreeger , CEO of Virgin Atlantic . `` We need to expand our network in order to do so , and Delta helps us going in one direction -- but it is the direction that is the biggest for us . '' Since the merger , the airlines have acquired 33 % of the market on that route . Still , the two airlines have retained their separate identity , with separate perks . For Delta 's U.S.-bound Diamond Medallion customers ( the frequent , frequent flyers who cover at least 125,000 miles per year ) , a Porsche will transfer them between gates . Lie-flat beds and gourmet food ( with wine pairings ) are par for the course on business class flights , though Delta stands out by also providing Westin Heavenly in-flight bedding . Delta also offers the Dine & Rest program , an expedited meal that lets flyers chill out for the remainder of their journey . Younger road warriors traveling in business class , meanwhile , are drawn to Virgin 's cool lighting , on-board bar and limousine pick-up service . The London Heathrow Clubhouse -- Virgin 's upper class lounge -- meanwhile excels at offering the unexpected , including free-flowing cocktails , and restaurant-quality meals . There is even a spa to help visitors unwind before a flight . United Airlines : The underdog . United Airlines , which merged with Continental Airlines in 2010 , ca n't hope to compete with the other industry giants , who have invested a lot of time and money on the New York-London route . Though they offer the fewest daily flights ( five ) , the carrier has made inroads . United has set up a plush hub in Heathrow 's newly renovated Terminal 2 . On the New York-end , they fly into Newark , which offers smaller queues than JFK Airport . Jeff Smisek , United 's CEO , also says the airline is working with its strengths . `` Our position is basically that we offer a good service out of New York . It 's not as big as BA 's , but we offer a good schedule and we offer our entire network with a lot of connecting opportunities , '' he says .
London to New York is the world 's busiest air route . Eager to cash in , airlines have devised new ways to attract customers . Airlines will try anything , from Porsche ##s to merging , to win the contract .