Have been reading with interest the comments about the 777s and lack of space. They only plane I have ever taken to Europe is the L1011. Is the 777 more cramped than the L1011? I felt pretty cooped up on it. What about the Airbus 340-300? Am traveling to Paris in June and would like some feedback about these two aircraft if possible. Also, we are traveling on Air France, does anyone have any feedback about this airline? Good or bad, it doesn't matter, we're already booked so you won't hurt my feelings! Thanks a lot for all the help you Fodorites have already given me! This site has helped me far better than reading books or searching the internet!

We like AirFrance. Good food (for an airplane), nice people, and, most importantly, better planes. Airbus seems to have a much better understanding of how to make the interior of a plane comfortable. Everything from the seats to the overhead bins are more accomodating on the A340 than on any Boeing, Lockheed or McDonald-Douglas I've been on. You've made a good choice. You'll also be pleasantly suprised at how much quieter and less rickety the newer A340 is than those very old L-1011s. <BR> <BR>Now, you should go to Air France's web site, and if it's not on strike, you should be able to check the seating maps and see if you have the most desirable seat assignments.

I rode the Air France Airbus flight from CDG to Atlanta last September. We went over on the MD11 flight operated by Delta - Air France code share. The return flight, true Air France, was marginally more comfortable, but neither ride was in an easy chair. But at least the Airbus was not a torture rack like the Delta flight, nor did it moan and groan like the MD-11. (I thought that thing was going die on the runway because of all the howling that it emitted. Enough people were concerned about the noises that the captain made an announcement in an effort to calm the jitters.) However, the seats on the Airbus show their age -- they are a bit butt sprung as the old saying goes. <BR> <BR>I have also ridden the Airbus type of aircraft with Air Canada. Our flights with this aircraft were comfortable, even in tourist class. I didn't have a tape measure, but Air Canada seems to be a little more generous with leg room, perhaps a vital couple of inches. (By the way, AC is my favorite because they do not follow the sardine policy to the limit.) <BR>As for the Boeing 777 stories, it all depends on the seating configuration. The tightness of the seating is more a function of what the airline orders than it is the manufacturer's design. It is unfortunate that some airlines have sought to cram in as many of us "sardines" as possible. I guess the bean counters at the airlines, armed with their yield management algorithms, <BR>figure that demand is high and relatively elastic when it comes to seating discomfort, so the policy is to cram those suckers in. They seem to buy anything. Afterall, there is but one goal for a business: get rich. As long as the coporate executives don't get put in jail, any business practice is fine and justifiable if it turns a profit. <BR>At the rate we are going, standing room with hanging straps is the next logical step. Wonder if the FAA will relax the rules? <BR> <BR>As airlines go, I am not as wild about Air France as some. To me it is just another airline that is perhaps a bit better with in-flight service than the domestics. I will give AF credit for one thing however on luggage transfer. We were scheduled to fly from Zurich to CDG and change flights for Atlanta. As is often the case, afternoon flights in Europe get backed up. We had 95 minutes of scheduled layover time, but by the time we arrived in Paris, the 95 minutes had shrunk to 28. Fortunately, the flight to Atlanta was delayed, too, and we made it. But, of equal importance, our luggage also made the connection! And the food was at least French, with excellent bread and dessert!!

Vanessa, <BR>I've flown both the L1011 cross continent and to Europe a number of times from Atlanta. In every instance I was fortunate to get a bulkhead seat. While I had leg room, the seats themselves were miserable, narrow and hard as a rock. I've flown the Airbus 340 on Sabena and Austrian Airlines. On one flight from Atlanta to Vienna, seats were more than comfortable, head rests were adjustable, leg room ample; not so the return flight and not so on the Sabena flights. I think the outgoing Austrian Airline flight was posh simply because AA was introducing service from Atlanta to Vienna. <BR> <BR>Seating configurations are the sadistic brainstorms of the airlines, not the plane manufacturers.

I don't know what all the complaining is about regarding the 777. My wife and I recently flew to London from Houston on a beautiful 777. I'm a big man and I was comfortable in coach. I especially enjoyed the personal entertainment systems, etc. As usual with Continental, the service was wonderful and the trip most enjoyable. We had bulkhead seats (more leg room but located by a restroom and the traffic was constant). If you haven't flown on a 777 don't pre-judge it by the comments here. Continental's seat configuration is 3-3-3 in coach. That makes for easy exit and entry when one wants to get up and stretch or go to the restroom. Keep those triple 7's coming Continental!

Thanks for the info on Continental. <BR>As I have said elsewhere, it is not the airplane; it the configuration ordered by the airline that buys it. The seats can be packed in as tightly as possible; or the pitch can be reasonable. It sounds like Continental has decided to <BR>be reasonable. Other carriers have not.

I found the comment about passengers standing holding on to straps interesting. Some years back I read an article about airlines in Russia. They included a photograph of just that -- passengers standing in the aisle holding on to straps just like on the NY subway. I thought it so amazing I kept the magazine article until recently.

Hi Vanessa. We flew an Airbus 343 from Montreal to Paris last June - great aircraft, lots more room than the 767. We flew Air Canada and were very happy with the service, meals, etc. Love to do it again! Enjoy your trip. <BR>Mary

The L1011 is better than the A340. <BR>My primary criteria for rating one aircraft over another is ease of sleeping as I fly transcontinental for business frequently. I find it easier to sleep on an L1011 than on an A340. Even better is the B747. I must admit that the recline of the seat is the airline's configuration choice, I find L1011's and A340's flown by the same airline to follow the above rule. <BR> <BR>Paris in June is wonderful, enjoy!

Thanks to all of you who have replied to this post. I have just recently come across this sight (while researching Paris) and have grown to really appreciate all the info offered here by the "people who've been there!" <BR> <BR>Vanessa

We just got back from a trip to Germany on Luftansa. We went to GErmany on an Airbus 340 and flew back on a 747. THe airbus was by far better than the 747. Yes the airbus is a newer design,but 747 was not that old. we had more seat room on the airbus, lots of overhead room. On the return trip, the 747 was only about half full and all of the overhead space was full, we had to put our bags with many others in empty. Our child seat fit fairly well on the Airbus, not even close on the 747. I was surprised that the 747 seemed so poorly in comparison to the airbus.

Let's call it like it is - United packs us into their 777s like sardines. All they think about is how can they stuff one more passenger onto their planes. The seats on the United 777's have to be the most uncomfortable of <BR> <BR>Thank goodness carriers from other countries are a bit more concerned about the comfort of their passengers. <BR> <BR>Dick