UA 747 seat question
 

I have just noticed that my April/May ORD to BKK trip now includes a segment on one of the newly reconfigured UA 747's. I will probably "pay at the gate" to fly in business class, but, if I don't happen to do that, what would be a good seat in economy plus? Seatguru doesn't single out any particular seat as being "better" for leg room (I'm about 6'). Any suggestions? There are still lots of seats available.
Carol

You might check out the "Everything you wanted to know about where to sit on the 747" thread on Flyertalk.

We have upcoming flights to/from Japan--one on the old 747 (ORD-NRT) and one on the new 747 (KIX-SFO)--so I've been considering the same. I flew a domestic segment in the new business seat yesterday, so it's going to be particularly hard to go from that to economy (plus) on the old 747. But with three people traveling, cash upgrades are out of the question for us. :(

Our return flight on the new config 747 (assuming it doesn't get switched to old) is on April 6. I'll be happy to look around the cabin and give you my assessment when I'm back...if that's in time for your trip.

Ms_go, please report back. We're debating on springing for the E+. We're flying SFO-NRT in mid-April, and KIX-SFO in late April. I think both flights are the old 747 configuration, but it's hard for me to tell. Any advice on E+ seats would be appreciated. Looks like there are still quite a few available on both of our flights.

With the 747's new config, a LOT of biz seats were eliminated so I wouldn't count on a buy up at the gate, depending on your fare class etc.

That said, seat pitch in NON E+ seats on the 747 are about the worst I've encountered - it was only once 5 years ago and I still remember it. E+ is well worth it esp for a long flight.

I don't have any preferences on the 747 for E+, I just like as far front as i can get for turbulence and movement during the flight.

Thanks everyone for your replies. mztery... I can get the first row behind whatever class is in front of econ+ (is that biz?) BUT seatguru says that leg room in this row is compromised. I would NOT like that. I've opted for an aisle seat in the last row of econ+, thinking that I have room behind me to recline and not be bothering somebody's knees. But, I don't like MY OWN KNEES to be bumping the seat in front of me as well.

I really HOPE to be able to do a buy-up. But this is only one segment of a 4-segment flight, round trip. It's the BKK to NRT segment on my return. The rest of the flights are on the old 747, and I've got my "favorite" (if there is such a thing) econ+ seat at the exit row. Plenty of leg room there.

Ms-Go, I'll be watching for your assessment of the seating situation. Much appreciated.

Carol

I definitely will be taking notes for my own future reference, so I'm happy to report back. I have my favorites on some of the other planes, but I've somehow managed to avoid economy on the 747s in recent years.

FWIW, I originally booked the bulkhead for both flights but have decided to move back a few rows--due both to the leg room and having the video screen right in my face.

For LMGSONIC...

I made a point of walking around the economy cabin today (old config 747). It's been about eight years since I've been in economy on the 747, so I was wondering about which seats to reserve, too.

Regular economy looks pretty tight; I'm not sure I'd want to do that for a 12-hour flight. If you don't buy E+, I'd probably try to get one of the rows of two seats at the back, or something in the mini-cabin that is in front of E+ (rows 32-34; particularly the bulkhead). I don't think the mini-cabin seats are available to non-elite passengers until check-in begins. I saw that cabin go from almost empty to full very quickly on Thursday, so I assume it opened up to all for online check-in.

For E+, I'm not sure it makes a lot of difference, aside from the exit rows (for which you need to be a Premier Executive). The bulkhead row, 36, has a bit more space, but the lavs are on the other side of the wall, and there's quite a bit of traffic. Also the screen is right there in your face.

There are three of us. I ended up picking the two aisle seats and one middle seat in the center section (row 38) and hoped that the other middle seat would remain empty--and it did. So we had four seats for the three of us. Better yet, there was no one in front of or behind me, so no one reclining into my space and I didn't have to worry about reclining into someone else.

For two people, if the flight looks like it's not that full (ours was probably 90% full) I'd probably pick two of three seats on the side section and hope that the third isn't filled. In the middle section, there are four seats but only three under-seat storage areas, so some sharing is required.

I hope this helps. We're supposed to be on a new config 747 (KIX-SFO) for our return.

Ms_go, thank you so much for the detailed reply.

We ended up buying the E+ annual option about 4 days ago, and as soon as we had access to the E+ seat map, I picked our seats. Our timing was good, as our first flight MCO-SFO only had one option in E+ for us to sit together and we snagged it. That flight looks full.

Anyways, SFO-NRT, we are also in Row 38! I picked an aisle and middle seat in the center section. No one is booked yet in the other two seats, we hope at least one stays open.

On the return KIX-SFO, we're in Row 23...again an aisle and middle seat in the center section.

I'm glad we decided to do the E+, and your post confirms it...a few extra inches of legroom will go a long way to helping the journey be a bit more tolerable.

LMGSONIC, I'm not sure if you're traveling on paid tickets or award tickets, but if they are paid, then make sure you register for both the double elite qualifying mile promotion and the exception for tickets purchased prior to March 19 (see mrwunrfl's posts re: these). With this one trip, you'll earn Premier status. It will supersede your E+ annual membership when the DEQMs post (probably in August), but it will last longer, through January 2011 and give you a few additional benefits over E+ Access, including bonus redeemable miles, for future travel.

Ms_go, we are on paid tickets. I just saw Mrwunrfl's post late last night and made a note to call United today and get registered. I didn't realize that we'd get Premier status with this trip once we get the DEQM's - that is so awesome! Thanks for the information!!!

Just got off the new configuration 747 in E+. Thankfully, the seats have new cushions and new covers. As far as leg room goes, your best bet will probably be the exit row. We were offered three seats in exit row 33 at check in, but I turned them down. I don't like being by the lavs, and I prefer to be able to keep my bag on the floor and use it as a foot rest if needed. I'd avoid the exit row seat next to the window (on either side), as the door protrudes into the space--but you probably already know that. The bulkhead (row 19) has a bit more space than the other E+ seats, but with the wall there, you can't stretch your legs out in front of you (although you could probably stretch into the aisle a bit, as there isn't much traffic there). It does not have quite as much space as the bulkhead (row 17) on the 777s. Also, with the reconfig, the old projector screens have been replaced with new LCD panels. The picture is much nicer, but they are very bright. I don't know if I'd like that right in my face, especially during a nighttime flight. Other than that, I didn't see anything that I'd consider a "better" seat in terms of space.

Great info, ms_go...thanks! We're on that flight from KIX to SFO, and picked seats away from the lavs, too.