Best PE seat downstairs and upstairs 747 LGW...

Ok, I've resigned myself to PE for three of us for the first time in 5 years to LAS in December. So this is the first time on PE on LGW new config, which I've not travelled before. We did JFK on a LHR 747 way back and it was pretty crappy, with someone reclining their PE seat so I couldn't even eat my meal, so very wary of downstairs.

However, I realise that getting out first at the US end is a major plus, so upstairs is out on the way over, but it would be ok on the way back (not sure if we will, if its a reduced service up there, I don't sleep so want a few glasses of wine on occasion).

But the overall question, for three of us, what would you choose on the lower deck of a 747 LGW config? I'm not really a recliner, but hate if someone reclines to me. Bulkhead seats are no extra charge on PE, aren't they? But not grabbable until the day of the flight?

Do you know what would have been the best upper deck compromise for the PE/Y split? PE at the back, Y at the front. The 75K row equivalent used to be the best seat in PE... And they'd be able to let PE out first... Missed opportunities, eh? I guess that would have 6 revenue extra legroom seats they've have lost on...

[Neil]

I would personally go for 19. The toilet really isn't an issue, I know you aren't a recliner, but it does mean you don't have anyone behind you with a heavy finger jabbing the IFE. I had a pax behind me who it felt like was punching the monitor while playing games last week and it was really annoying.

I would give upstairs a miss if travelling as a 3.

I know 14 row seats are held back to check in, but are they not better especially with the problem being someone in front of me reclining.

A bit of extra legroom? Is it really that much?

I guess I should have paid attention to the PE seats when swanning through to/from UC in recent years.

But yes, I did wonder if the back seat prod was a problem of the Y seats, or just as bad in PE seats.

Also is there a functional difference between Y and PE screens now? I recall the PE's might have been larger than Y, and the UC bigger than that, but the refit made the UC screens smaller, taking them down from something like 14" to 10 or 12" now, didn't they? Or was there always that big plastic edge around the screen in UC? I might even have photos from a long time ago...

We have just flown Manchester to Orlando and sat downstairs in row 19 which was just in front of the toilets. I found these seats to be very good as there was no one behind us. We were very lucky that the toilets were out of order but I don't think they would have bothered us anyway as there is quite a distance between the seat at the wall. We were off the plane very quick even before the upper class and managed to get through immigration very quick, If fact it was a record for us as we were in our hire car 30 minutes after landing.

Have selected 24K for my flight back from LV in a few weeks. Have been lucky on my last few flights to be in UC and whenever I take a wander back the downstairs PE always looks a little too busy for me, have flown PE in the bubble before and did not get that feeling as well as 30K on a Heathrow 747 which was good, I am sure at the time there was a curtain in the middle of PE between rows 31/32?

Definitely 19A/C as the initial reservation with an ask for 14A/C at the airport (legroom is very good for that pair)

Definitely 19A/C as the initial reservation with an ask for 14A/C at the airport (legroom is very good for that pair)

We had 19a/c this year. No one tapping the IFE and first off the plane. I definitely second this one as my choice.
Dick D

Sadly must be v-flyers on here, I left it to evening on the day booking (I think its 60 days, at 8am right?). 19 row seats were gone by then.

For three it's always a bit of a problem, was perhaps going to split from 2 across the corridor, but now thinking one in front with window seat, and two behind or in front. In which case its a matter of positioning in case the extra legroom seats come up. Can you get those at twilight checkin? There's been a queue for that recently...