Leg room to Asia
Jul 12th, 2004, 09:52 AM
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Leg room to Asia
Sorry if this is a really silly question, but I have almost no experience so I'm asking the opinions of the knowledgeable.
My daughter and I will be flying to Thailand in a couple of weeks. I keep reading about how one should do whatever they can to get more legroom on this long flight (upgrade to Business, try to get seats in Economy Plus section -- we're flying on United -- etc.). We are both short (5' and 5'3"
. Will sitting in Economy really make *that* much difference to us?
Thanks!
My daughter and I will be flying to Thailand in a couple of weeks. I keep reading about how one should do whatever they can to get more legroom on this long flight (upgrade to Business, try to get seats in Economy Plus section -- we're flying on United -- etc.). We are both short (5' and 5'3"
. Will sitting in Economy really make *that* much difference to us?Thanks!
Jul 12th, 2004, 10:33 AM
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Will it make that much of a difference to you? It's difficult to predict but you should consider the following:
UA standard economy is tight, about 31" seat pitch. The best way to test it for yourself is to take 2 chairs and measure 31" from the top of a saetback of one to the same spot on the top of a seatback of the other one. Sit down and see how much legroom tou will have, but also consider the fact that the person in front of you may recline his seatback which will make your legroom a little tighter.
Also go to <b>www.seatguru.com</b> and see what they recommend as the best seats in standard economy. There are some exit row seats and bulkhead seats that are prefered by frequent flyers.
Remember that this is a long flight. You will be up in the air for +/- 15 hours. If the plane is packed, it becomes a very loooong flight. If it's not and you could get a row to yourselves, it won't be as bad.
Good luck and have a great trip!
UA standard economy is tight, about 31" seat pitch. The best way to test it for yourself is to take 2 chairs and measure 31" from the top of a saetback of one to the same spot on the top of a seatback of the other one. Sit down and see how much legroom tou will have, but also consider the fact that the person in front of you may recline his seatback which will make your legroom a little tighter.
Also go to <b>www.seatguru.com</b> and see what they recommend as the best seats in standard economy. There are some exit row seats and bulkhead seats that are prefered by frequent flyers.
Remember that this is a long flight. You will be up in the air for +/- 15 hours. If the plane is packed, it becomes a very loooong flight. If it's not and you could get a row to yourselves, it won't be as bad.
Good luck and have a great trip!
Jul 12th, 2004, 12:11 PM
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It certainly makes a difference. But how much it means to you, and how much is that worth, would really depends.
For example, I would rate price, itinerary and inflight entertainment ahead of legroom (in that order). But if you are flying UA, then it certainly won't hurt or cost you to just ask.
For example, I would rate price, itinerary and inflight entertainment ahead of legroom (in that order). But if you are flying UA, then it certainly won't hurt or cost you to just ask.
Jul 12th, 2004, 12:39 PM
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AAFrequentFlyer -- great suggestion to test how comfortable (or uncomfortable) the leg room might be!
Your comment about whether the flight is packed or not is exactly the reason why I have almost no experience. My only other long trip was to China and the plane going there was so light that everyone in our group got to spread out and have an empty seat next to them. Coming back, the flight was packed, but I slept almost the entire way so I didn't really notice whether it was uncomfortable or not.
Thanks again. Will try out your suggestion tonight.
Your comment about whether the flight is packed or not is exactly the reason why I have almost no experience. My only other long trip was to China and the plane going there was so light that everyone in our group got to spread out and have an empty seat next to them. Coming back, the flight was packed, but I slept almost the entire way so I didn't really notice whether it was uncomfortable or not.
Thanks again. Will try out your suggestion tonight.
Jul 12th, 2004, 12:58 PM
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If you want to remind yourself what UA's cabin interior looks like, go to www.airliners.net and search for "United Airlines" "Boeing 747-400" and/or "777-200", and "Cabin View". Most of the photos are of business and first class, but there are a few for economy too, especially for the 777.
Jul 12th, 2004, 03:29 PM
#6
It makes a difference for me, but I am 6' 3". But the issue is knee room, not legroom. I can stretch my legs underneath the seat in front of me to full length (most times: except on LH when my feet got kicked by the person in front).
The test that AAFF described is very clever.
Seat pitch is a good measurement to know, but what I really want to know is what the distance is between the back of my seat cushion and the seat back in front of me when the front seat is fully reclined. By "back of seat cushion" I mean "front of seatback", if that makes sense. When I measure from that point to the end of my knee, sitting down, it is around 26" or 27". If the seat in front of me is reclined 2" or so, then I either have to straddle the seatback or slide my feet under the seat in front.
I guess I have a question, then: does the recline angle in coach vary (much) between airline seats?
Jul 12th, 2004, 06:45 PM
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Most of the seats I've been on recently - 737, 767, 777, A340, etc... have about the same recline in coach, regardless of airline and continent.
Problem is with older planes. I was on a VS 747-200 about 4 years ago, and the seat in front of me had way more recline than what it should be, or what I had. You know I wasn't impressed by that at all.
Problem is with older planes. I was on a VS 747-200 about 4 years ago, and the seat in front of me had way more recline than what it should be, or what I had. You know I wasn't impressed by that at all.
Jul 12th, 2004, 08:02 PM
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Last time I was on a UA 747-400 across the Pacific was 2 years ago. No Economy Plus at that time, and I won't qualify anyways. Nothing particularly memorable during that trip (PVD-ORD-HKG-ORD-PVD), which is a good thing. And no personal video screens in coach on UA's 747.
BTW, I'm only 5'4", but trust me, any extra legroom/kneeroom will be appreciated...
BTW, I'm only 5'4", but trust me, any extra legroom/kneeroom will be appreciated...
Jul 13th, 2004, 05:32 AM
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On United's 747, the seating in economy is 3-4-3. For two people traveling together, I'd suggest reserving the aisle and window seat in a row. If the plane isn't full, you have a good chance of having the center seat be empty, which will make the flight much more comfortable. If the plane is full, the person assigned to the center seat will gladly switch with one of you, if you wanted to sit next to each other.
Jul 13th, 2004, 11:02 AM
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Go to seatguru.com and check out the comments on the seating plans.
UA's 747-400 have row 32-35 in a mini-cabin that's NOT "Economy Plus", but you may like it. And with two people travelling, rows 59-61 on the side are excellent selections.
UA's 747-400 have row 32-35 in a mini-cabin that's NOT "Economy Plus", but you may like it. And with two people travelling, rows 59-61 on the side are excellent selections.
