Airplanes Vs. Airlines
 

I was curious. We are flying on American in a Boeing 777 from JFK to Paris next month. I know post exist about favorite airlines but what about model of airplane? Does anyone have a preferred airplane when they travel the longer distance? I wonder for example if the coach cabin on an American 777 has the little video screens in the back of the seat. How’s the seat comfort in coach? How’s the food? What airplane to you prefer and why?<BR><BR>Thanks<BR>

Newer planes usually have personal video in be back of the seat in front of you. It depends on airline, of course.<BR>I'm flying B 777 (United) tomorrow from SFO to CDG and later from LHR to SFO, they supposedly have the personal videos. <BR>I know for a fact that newer AirFrance Airbus 340s have personal videos and older 747s don't.<BR>I also look at seat configuration. For example, I like 777, 767, Airbus 340 and even older DC-10s because they offer two seats together on each aisle, vs. 3 in 747. If it's two of us flying, it very convinient. <BR>I don't lile 757s as it takes forwever to get in and out from, I perfer 767s or any other two aisle configurations.<BR>Among the smaller planes, I prefer MD-80 to 737, because 2-3 vs. 3-3 configuration. Also, MD-80 has engines mounted on the back which makes less noice (vs. under the wings in 737).<BR>Also in general, Airbus places seem to be a little better though through, but newer 737s (-500 and up) are also good.

The seating configuration of an aircraft can vary between airlines.<BR>Taking the Boeing 777 , BA configures them 3-3-3 unlike 2-5-2 on other airlines.<BR>The 747 tends to be constant at 3-4-3 (although at the back it goes down to 2-4-2)<BR>

Not only can the configuration for any given plane vary between airlines, it can vary within an airline's fleet -- usually not the number of seats across, but the number of rows, location of galleys and exit rows, etc. This isoften indicated by a suffix, e.g., 737-300, Once you find out the exact equipment used on any particular flight, an airline's website will ordinarily allow you to see the seat map.

I don't like 777s at all, I find them very cramped. I like 767s and Airbuses better. I've flown them when they were 2-5-2 on United and Air France, I think. The video screens don't mean much to me because the visibility and size is so bad and small that I don't enjoy looking at it, anyway. Now American has a little more leg room, not sure if that's on all their planes, but if so, that would be the main benefit to me, not the 777. I just flew American for the first time outside US and the food was -- nonexistent. I couldn't believe it, nothing but some pretzels. One flight was 7 am - 10 am and NO food was served; another was 6:30pm-10pm and again, only pretzels were served, no more substantial snack. the breakfast flight really bugged me as I couldn't believe they didn't serve breakfast on that -- given I had been in line etc since 5 am in the airport with no time to eat, I was starving to death. I like Air France and BA myself to Europe.

As Gregory noted, the seating configuration of an aircraft can vary between airlines. It's the airlines who make the call.<BR><BR>Here's a column answering the question: "Which airlines have the most leg and butt room in Economy?" <BR> http://travel.concierge.com/sections/advice/archive/consumer_arc/consumer010500.html<BR><BR>

Butt room, Capo? I'm thinking if your butt can make it the width of the aisle, designing a seat in which to put the butt is a relative no-brainer! (Although I must confess to having seen flight attendants of both genders who have plenty of "junk in the trunk", so to speak.)

Hey, that was their phrasing not mine! (but I liked it! :~)

You can take the Concord to NYC for a mere $12,700 round trip! And you even gain an hour on your return trip (ie you get home an hour before you leave)--better get a lot of butt room for that money.