I just want to go on record that we recently flew SwissAir from Boston to Zurich round trip on an Airbus A330-200 (330). They were both the (((most))) uncomfortable flights we have experienced to date.
The smaller jets from Zurich to Geneva and Venice back to Zurich were so much better. We had more leg room and the seats were much more comfortable.
I would never fly an Airbus 330 again... well, that is unless we were offered Business or First class, neither of which are an options for us.
Michèle

SEAT GURU . COM!

I am well acquainted with seatguru.com from previous journeys.
While the site is very helpful, it's just not that detailed. I just went back and looked at both flights on their website. I found nothing to indicate that the Airbus 330 makes a sardine can seem spacious (to a sardine).

It isn't the A330, it's the company that has bought them and how they choose to fit them. Seats aren't standard on a particular plane, they are custom-made for the purchaser (number of rows, etc.). I've flown on A330s and don't remember anything unusual in regard to any other airplane, but they weren't Swissair. And I'm used to flying in coach a lot. In the US, smaller jets often have more space, also, it seems to me.

yup, Christina is right. Each airline orders the seats and configures the interior of the plane to their specifications, often to fit a particular route. So, your beef should be with Swissair, not Airbus, which, IMHO, makes a quality plane in general.

and the configuration of ANY aircraft might change at very last minute to the airline's demand (more/less cargo etc.).

so seatguru can only be a guideline but would never rely on it.

div

The worst seat I ever had was directly behind the toilets. The area smelled very strongly of whatever disinfectant the airline used. It was awful.

Icelandair service from Halifax was the worst economy seats I've flown. Seats as hard as bricks and the arm rests wouldn't lift so even though we had an extra seat we couldn't make use of it. I think it was a 757...3-3 configuration.

Next time, try here: http://www.airlinequality.com/Product/Yseats-entry.htm

BTW, Nobody is flying Swissair any more - it went belly up and was replaced by Swiss International, subsequently devoured by Lufthansa.

Pegontheroad, the alternative smell might have been worse!!!

Northwest's new 330's are terrific (Detroit to Paris CDG). We've flown them several times and have become converts due to comfort and the video system.

Different vintages of the same aircraft type from the same airline can have different seat pitches. It can be impossible to be certain what you are going to get if the ailine has acquired aircraft from mergers or just changed things over time.

We will be flying Boston to Zurich and then on to Istanbul in March 2009 on Swiss International. Where were your seats? I always try for the exit rows and have been able to get them on many flights. They also have their downside.

A-ha! thanks for the clarification. I had no idea that airlines have the capability of moving seats around.
I am aware that SwissAir is no longer called SwissAir but it is the name I've always known and easiest for this middle aged brain to remember.
The configuration across the width of the plane was 2-4-2 seats. Our transatlantic seats were 19 J & K which we thought would be great since there would be no one on either side of us.
Now that I know they can make such adjustments, they must have brought in narrower seats and shortened the leg room in order to accommodate the nearly horizontal & inclining wider seats we saw in Business class.

It definitely isn't the plane. The A330, when outfitted well, might just be the best plane in the sky, as far as I am concerned. 2-4-2 beats the heck out of the 3-3-3 on most 777s or the 3-4-3 on the 747 and A380. Only the 767, at 2-3-2 is as comfortable. As for Icelandair and their 757s... Friends don't let friends fly long-haul 757s.

The problem that you ran into, however, is that you were flying Swiss. Indeed, the business class seats you were commenting on are actually incredibly uncomfortable. Easily the worst business class seat I have ever been in. You are lucky you saved you money.

I haven't flown on enough long haul aircraft to make much of a comparison (nearly all my intercontinental flights have been on 747s), but the worst for me was a Qantas 767 between Singapore and Cairns.

In mitigation it was the 15th to 23rd hour of air travel, so I was pretty crabby by that stage, but I couldn't get comfortable.

So if I have a choice of long-haul plane, you're all saying pick the 330 but not on Swiss? (Three of us will be flying SFO-Cairo-London-SFO, either on Delta, British Air, BMI or a combination of those).

Well, if you are going SFO-Cairo-London-SFO, then I would just go with BA or a combination of Virgin and BMI (which is what I guess you mean by BMI). Out of SFO, you don't really have the choice of an A330, unless you wanted to double-connect. And I can't see why that is worthwhile.

BA, FWIW, I've always found decently comfortable in coach. For such a long trip, though, I might spring for premium economy.

Sorry, meant United and BMI, not Virgin, though I guess that is an option, too, if you were willing to split your tickets.

I'm no expert and have not done that route specifically but have always had a good experience with British Air in coach on long haul (Seattle/London overnight). Seats are small but ammenities are good (entertainment, food, etc.).