brubenow

I'm trying to book the new flat bed business class seats on AF 027 from IAD to CVG and I don't want the old angle flat seats. The AF web site says that flight 027 has the new flat bed seats on flights from Washington DC. If I try to book in say, October, and I look at the seat map, the new flat bed seats are available on that flight.

However, if I try to book the same flight 027 from IAD to CVG in July 2016, the seat map shows the old angle flat configuration. What's the deal with that? They are both Boeing 777-200 planes, and both fares are class Z. Why would the same flight next summer have the old seats, but flights this fall have the new ones?

RonZ

What did the rep say when you called the airline?

hetismij2

Because they aren't fitting every plane with the new seats all at once, if at all?

It isn't unusual for the same flight number to use a different layout of plane, or even a different type of plane, from day to day.

Call and ask, it's the only way to get a definitive answer.

brubenow

Thank you, I have called but the agents don't know which planes will get the new seats. They only know what the current seat map shows. And my apologies... I meant CDG not CVG.

KTtravel

Have you flown on the old seats? I did last summer and, perhaps because I was expecting them to be uncomfortable, I didn't find them too bad at all. Certainly much better than my previous trips in coach!

I was particularly worried as I wrenched my back two days before flying and still had quite a bit of back pain. I did manage to get some quality sleep and arrived vowing never to go back to coach again.

brubenow

No, KTtravel, I have not flown the old AF business class seats. I just keep reading reviews about how awful they are for sleeping, and that the flat bed seats are so much better. You are the first person I've heard about that likes the old seats. I'm mostly concerned about sleeping. My kids cannot sleep unless fully reclined or flat.

Did you fly the angle flat seats on the A380 or the B777?

KTtravel

I think it was the A380. I would think a flat bed seat would be better but I, too, was very concerned after reading so many negatives about the old AF seats. I was pleasantly surprised they were more comfortable than I thought they were going to be.

kerouac

No airline can be sure what model of aircraft they will be using in July 2016. They can only say what they 'expect' to be using, except of course for the low cost carriers who have fleets of all the same B-737s or whatever.

brubenow

But then why bother showing you the seat map if they don't know? The seat map for the new seats is 1-2-1 configuration, and the old is 2-3-2, so I'm assuming they know?

KTtravel

This far out I would imagine this is the airline's best guest but I have found planes sometimes change closer to the departure time.

KTtravel

OOps, best guess.

travelgourmet

<i>But then why bother showing you the seat map if they don't know?</i>

Could you imagine the uproar if they didn't have a seat map?

<i>The seat map for the new seats is 1-2-1 configuration, and the old is 2-3-2, so I'm assuming they know?</i>

Typically during a changeover like this, the airline will use the "lesser" of the seat maps in advance until they have some certainty over the ultimate rotation of aircraft. They do this to avoid disappointment and complaints.

That being said, the rollout isn't scheduled to finish until 2027, I don't think, so if you must have a flat bed, you might look at other routings. I will agree with others, though, that the older Air France seats aren't bad. They are probably among the best of the sloped style.

travelgourmet

2027, s/b 2017

Wit_Van_Brug

" I meant CDG not CVG.". Thank goodness. I was trying to work out which city was served by Charles Van Gogh airport

travelgourmet

FWIW, CVG is actually the IATA code for Cincinnati's airport.

Were the OP flying CVG to CDG, this wouldn't be an issue as the planes serving that route all have flat beds in business class.

brubenow

Thank you travelgourmet, that makes sense. I contacted Air France via Facebook, and they told me all the 777s are scheduled to be completed by summer 2016. So fingers crossed!

travelgourmet

<i>I contacted Air France via Facebook, and they told me all the 777s are scheduled to be completed by summer 2016.</i>

Oh, they are still scheduled to finish in 2016? I had seen another article saying 2017, but 2016 is more consistent with the original press release. If AF is still sticking with 2016, I'd go with the finger-crossing route. The only caveat is to make sure to check your seats periodically as it is anyone's guess what will happen to any seat assignments when they switch the seat map to the new version.

mariajohanna

And you might want to check the cabin plan and figure out how and where you want to be seated. Cause with the layout of these new seats you won't see much of the persons you are traveling with, especially when traveling with kids.