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Aurora Atlantic

The overnight crossing, designed by people who clearly hate being woken up: lights down after the second meal, a real mattress in business and a breakfast you are allowed to sleep through.

8/10dependable transatlantic business class with a good bed.

The cabins

Business is a direct-aisle suite with a door on every seat on the aircraft we flew, and the new retrofit adds a proper bed length. Economy has the widest pitch we have measured on the route at 33 inches, and the headrests actually hold your head still.

Seats

The window-side suites are worth the extra: they face the wall, so the aisle traffic never passes your eyes. Middle seats in the herringbone layout are the ones to avoid on a full flight.

Food and drink

Two meals, both served on real china, and a cheese trolley that is genuinely worth the wait. The wine list is short, well chosen and priced like the airline wants you to drink it.

Service

Calm and unobtrusive. The crew dim the cabin after the second meal and do not come back until you ring, which on a night flight is the highest compliment a cabin can pay.

Network highlights

London, Dublin and Boston to New York and Chicago daily, with a daytime flight that leaves late enough for a full working morning and an evening flight that arrives at a usable hour.

Loyalty

The programme is simple and the award seats are real, but the best value is the flat-rate upgrade offer made at check-in on long-haul flights.

Who it suits

Anyone who values sleep over a bar lounge, and anyone flying westbound who would rather arrive having slept eight hours.

Questions

Is Aurora Atlantic good for light sleepers?

It is the best we have flown westbound. The cabin is dark after the second service, the crew do not wake you for breakfast, and the mattress topper in business is thick enough to notice.

Does economy get a proper meal?

Two hot services on the overnight flight, on real plates, with a cheese course. It is a long way above the standard for the cabin.

Is the lounge worth arriving early for?

The quieter of the two at T5 is the one at the far end of the pier. Showers are free and the food is better than most airport restaurants.

Last updated 30 October 2026

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