Is UC in the bubble worth it with the split cabin layout?

I noticed on my next work trip back from JFK, the plane has that awkward Y/UC arrangement in the bubble. In the past I've stayed downstairs because I quite like the open space in the nose (16/17 A are my favourites).

Problem is that there was a rather noisy dinner service on my last flight when I was trying to get some sleep. So I'm considering moving up the the bubble, but have seen a few negative comments made about the UC/Y arrangement. Is it actually more peaceful up there, or will it be the luck of the draw as to whether or not there are a bunch of screaming kids right behind you? Are there awkward crossing points between classes to negotiate (e.g. down to the bar)? Is the service any worse as a result? etc etc...

thanks
RC

Personally I don't like the mixed cabin concept (remember it use to be a UC/PE combo when the suites were first introduced) and wish they'd get rid of it again ! .Consequently I've avoided it like the plague (save for once when I had no other option).
There is no guarantee that it will be any quieter upstairs either.I would rather stay downstairs regardless.
DL

[honey lamb]

The downsides of having economy in the bubble are that you do have to go past economy passengers to go to the bar and also that you have to wait for them to leave before you can disembark which makes a bit of a hames of priority disembarking

Although if economy is quiet (can be on the NYC route!) they don't always open up the upper deck for EC passengers I believe? May be worth asking that at the airport and moving if so?

I'm not a fan of the split cabin. I experienced it last year when flying UC to Cuba. Though if I'm honest, it didn't bother me having Y passengers behind me. I had no problems / issues walking down to the bar, ( kinda got a buzz if i'm being honest, knowing that I was going to the bar that they couldn't use )

I found it fairly quiet in the bubble, but that could have been down to no noisy / screaming kids in the Y section. I'm flying to JFK in 3 weeks and have already picked seats in the bubble. I'm not too worried about having to mix with Y. Only real issue I have with this set up is that you have to wait for the Y passengers to get off before us UC Passengers can. Not good.

Not flown it on VA, but I have been in Business Premier in the bubble on Air New Zealand in the equivalent of 5a and k, with PE behind (2-3 config from memory - looked quite packed). For me it was too noisy, people sat side by side are bound to talk more. And far more competition for the upstairs loos.

Regards
R3dV

The mixed configuration certainly is an interesting one. When I travelled UC last year to BGI upstairs I really enjoyed it.

I found the service very attentive and personalised - the dedicated loo's at the front really help too, no mad rush wtih Economy passengers when you need to go!!

That said the disembarking thing did cause a delay and it just didn't seem right!! I am now a huge fan of the A zone.

HF

A thought from the other side, as it were. Flew to BGI last Thursday in Y at the back of the bubble. Very pleasant flight, impeccable service. Helped, no doubt, by the fact that that part of the cabin couldn't have been more than half full. Yes, we did get off before the UC passengers upstairs but all other Y passengers were held back until after the bubble had been cleared. Interestingly though I couldn't change my seat to upstairs until OLCI, even thought the seatmap changed about 4 weeks before the flight.

And it's finally stopped raining here!

Thanks for all the comments. I think I'll stick with my trusty 17A for now and as Alex says, see if Y is being used in the bubble when I check in... I struggle to sleep on flights anyway, don't know why I bother trying sometimes!

And yes, I agree that if I were in Y myself, the bubble is exactly where I'd want to be sitting!

RC

I travelled last month in the nose of the 747, really enjoyed as usual however we went for a walky upstairs and commented how quite it was up there and yes Y was full upstairs.
For the return i wanted to sleep/rest all the way home and wanted to move upstairs as it seemed much quieter than downstairs what with dinner service and general movement to the bar etc etc.
Anyhoo upstairs was all allocated so i am still curious to try it next time maybe.

kind regards

alex

The downsides of having economy in the bubble are that you do have to go past economy passengers to go to the bar and also that you have to wait for them to leave before you can disembark which makes a bit of a hames of priority disembarking

So is it an issue walking past 'economy' passengers? They are normal people after all, not all of us can afford to fly UC.

The A-zone does get my vote now, if the crew on the ball the bubble works very well with both UC and Economy, it's when they are not that it can go a bit wrong!

Pleased it has stopped raining in BGI, I was there on 13th April and it was very cloudy and rainy and my Brother and Sister in law got back from two weeks there on Friday and they have had lots of rain!!

Jon

Through the roof levels of snobbery on this thread, v( reminds me of a converstaion that could have happened on the Titanic. "Who are those people down there!??".

I'm staying downstairs at the back for now. *shudder*

The downsides of having economy in the bubble are that you do have to go past economy passengers to go to the bar

Oh God! How on Earth did you manage to walk past those disgusting, subhuman beings?

I had no problems / issues walking down to the bar, ( kinda got a buzz if i'm being honest, knowing that I was going to the bar that they couldn't use )

Yeah. I'm sure they were shaking with jealousy. Because they don't have the ability to call an attendant, who will bring them alcohol to their seat, do they?


I cherish v-flyer because it allows me to find out which bird I'll be flying in and what entertainment options I have etc. But the only reason I joined today, was because of the comments above. I travel FREE OF CHARGE on VA in economy and have been doing so for the last 6 years (I work at a special needs summer camp during the summer, and an agency covers the cost). I love this airline.

I've travelled in First on BA and Emirates and loved it, but can now honestly say I won't ever be paying for Upper on VA... Just so that there's zero chance that I ever bump into your snobbish arses.

[Darren Wheeler]

The downsides of having economy in the bubble are that you do have to go past economy passengers to go to the bar and also that you have to wait for them to leave before you can disembark which makes a bit of a hames of priority disembarking

So is it an issue walking past 'economy' passengers? They are normal people after all, not all of us can afford to fly UC.

The problem with the upper deck, in the Y zone it that the aisle is very narrow, barely room for the food cart narrow.

If the crew are serving, you cannot squeeze by and it's hardly fair to expect the crew to keep moving the cart so a J passenger can head to the bar - a on-board amenity they have paid to use.

The problem with the upper deck, in the Y zone it that the aisle is very narrow, barely room for the food cart narrow.

I'm sure that's what honey lamb meant ii)

If the crew are serving, you cannot squeeze by and it's hardly fair to expect the crew to keep moving the cart so a J passenger can head to the bar - a on-board amenity they have paid to use.

Oh, but you've paid for Upper Class, so surely they should allow you to walk over the heads of Economy passengers?.... No? Man, they need to "up" their level of service. y)

[honey lamb]

The downsides of having economy in the bubble are that you do have to go past economy passengers to go to the bar

Oh God! How on Earth did you manage to walk past those disgusting, subhuman beings?

I am sorry! My response was badly worded and I apologise.

My intention was not to denigrate economy passengers but to respond to the OP that, yes that is the way to get to the bar and also to point out that there is a delay when exiting the aircraft thus losing any priority benefits. That was the downside to which I was referring.

I am sorry! My response was badly worded and I apologise.

My intention was not to denigrate economy passengers but to respond to the OP that, yes that is the way to get to the bar and also to point out that there is a delay when exiting the aircraft thus losing any priority benefits. That was the downside to which I was referring.

Fair enough. I travel for free any way when I'm on a VA flight, so I shouldn't really be complaining. Just thought I'd stick up for my Economy Class brethren!

[honey lamb]

I am sorry! My response was badly worded and I apologise.

My intention was not to denigrate economy passengers but to respond to the OP that, yes that is the way to get to the bar and also to point out that there is a delay when exiting the aircraft thus losing any priority benefits. That was the downside to which I was referring.

Fair enough. I travel for free any way when I'm on a VA flight, so I shouldn't really be complaining. Just thought I'd stick up for my Economy Class brethren!

No, you are entitled to complain if you feel someone is out of line.

Flames aside , I have traveled in the economy section of a Y/J config bubble and found it to be fine.

Many of the comments here are correct.

1) The UC passengers can't get through to their section when the Y passengers are boarding and trying to get their bags into the inadequate overhead lockers. I recall seeing a number of the UC folks waiting at the top of the stairs.

2) The UC passengers do have to wait to get off while all the Y folks gather their belongings. Many of these end up in the rear cupboard because of the small o/h bins.

3) The trolley is an obstacle for anyone trying to get through. That includes UC and Y passengers.

4) Everyone was very civil (we are all human beings after all)

There were a couple of benefits to me as a humble Y passenger.

Firstly, as I had an exit row seat and was chatting to the stewardess who was tethered to the door before take off, she kindly let me put my bag in the UC locker in front of me. (Maybe the FC Au tag helped).

Secondly, the steward who took a tray of champagne for the UC passengers can back with 6 full glasses. Understandably he could not give them out to us in economy, and I was horrified at the thought of it all being poured down the drain :0 .

As I was in an aisle exit row seat and he could not get through (see note above ), I jokingly and quietly asked if I could have one. He politely said no, but whispered that I should come and see him at the rear galley. A discreet time after he went (well at least 3 milliseconds) I headed back and he said I could help myself, it was only going to be chucked away. I knocked one back, then another for good measure - I do hate waste - before going back to my seat. From what I recall it was a very smooth take off. y) y)

A thread has never had an affect on me like this one has. !

Seething.....You people who have problems walking past economy passengers and horror of horror having to endure them speaking to one another should hang your heads in shame......I always thought we had rational, nice members on this site....but I'm seriously wondering now v(

Rant Over

thelaceys

[Neil]

I think some of the reactions to this thread have been a little OTT.

Yes, HL has admitted she worded one part of her reponse badly, but I don't think anyone is trying to suggest anything bad against Y pax.

The OP asked about how having a split J/Y cabin upstairs would affect their UC
experience, compared to the A zone.

Well having Y pax just a curtain away is likely to make it more noisey. Having the crew also serving Y pax upstairs might make them less attentive to me. Having to wait for Y pax to disembark first will take away one of the benefits of the UC first. Having to wait while the crew are serving the Y meals if I want to pop to the bar might be frustrating.

None of it is a negative against pax who fly Y (I do it myself). However when I'm paying top dollar for a UC seat, I want to recieve a UC experience and a UC level of service and compared to the A or B zones, the upstairs UC cabin on the 747 with the Y pax behind is less likely to offer that.

Neil

Whilst I have said in an earlier post that I kinda got a buzz about walking past Y to get to the bar, this was not meant to offend anyone, so apologies if I did. It was just my feeling at the time. It was all new to me. I'm happy to chat and mix with other passengers on board, regardlass of the class and do.

I personally do not feel that the split layout is the best, however this is how it is and I still enjoy my experience and the ability to mix with other people. with the split layout, I'm just not able to enjoy the full UC benefits that I have paid for.

As for me, clearly I somehow instigated a rather more robust discussion that I had intended... Suffice to say that I think Neil has encapsulated things neatly here - I fly Y rather a lot more than I fly UC, but when I do get the opportunity of a decent seat, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't also expect a suitable level of experience... it's not intended as a slight on anyone here, even to those that might have an ideological hatred of the whole class system!

There is a lot of snobbery on ths thread, but the majority of it is inverted-snobbery! I never knew so many Economy passengers had so much hatred for the people in UC - who are subsidising their low Economy fares in the first place.

Just because someone who has paid top-dollar for an UC seat (or burnt their hard-earned miles) doesn't want to get caught up in the Economy cabin during service, or doesn't want noise etc, does not make them uber-fascists you know!

I fly Economy 90% of the time and never once in any of those flights do I feal jealousy towards an UC passenger or their benefits - I'm saving 90% of the fare after all, and that's enough for me. And the 10% of time that I do fly UC I REALLY enjoy those same benefits. If you perceive my priority boarding/bar access/increased space/increased peace etc etc as snobbery; well, that's your problem and certainly not mine.

And I guess, thinking about it as I now am, that's why I'd only ever choose to fly in the shared cabin as an Economy passenger.