V-Flyer

Afternoon all, I'm new here :-)

I'm travelling with family (total 3 adults, 3 kids of varying ages) to MCO in March, ex LGW on a 744.

I'm seeing conflicting opinions about the UD seats. Currently we have row 76 reserved out and back, and some have told me the UD Y seats are a pleasant place to be due to the small cabin, more personalised service from the CC as a result, and the fact we get to disembark before Y main deck.

I've posted about this over on FT but there's only been a couple of comments so hoping the more active community here will share their views..

it's quieter in the bubble and less hectic

due to the exit doors, there's a big gap between the front row (75) of EC seats and the back of PE

this is really the only place to stretch legs (though if you're sat in row 75 it can be a bit annoying if people wander into your legroom!)

storage space can be a bit limited, but depends on how much stuff people bring onboard

if you can swing it, i'd consider adults in 75 with kids in the row behind, then the adults have several feet of legroom which can act as play/sprawling area for kids

When did you post of Flyer Talk? There haven't been any 'best seat' posts for a few weeks

I would always choose the upper deck if flying in Y. It has a much calmer, more peaceful feel about it, you get much better service as the crew look after much fewer pax.

But do bear in mind that the arm tests don't go all the way up on the upper deck seats only about 3/4 of the way due to the seat design

Agree with Neil, only managed to get a seat in the upper deck once and absolutely loved it. Would choose it every time whether in PE or Y.

G-VROS....

They have been known to close the upper deck if loads are low - although now that people are paying to choose their seats I am uncertain if this will continue to happen. I;ve booked the upperdeck exit row seats for my flights in Nov/Dec - I hope they don;t close the bubble if loads are low.

Also noticed that row 25 A and K are now regarded as extra leg room seats- bit naughty as they offer a lot less room due to the door slide eating into the space. They used to be normal seats.

If loads are low the upper deck economy section is often kept empty to ensure the weight distribution on the aircraft is correct for take off but you should be able to move up there once in the air

We flew UD to Las Vegas and on the return from SFO in May 2014 and it was the best thing we could have done. Friendly and quick service and so quiet. Enjoyed it that much I've already booked UD for our holiday to Mexico this May.

Virginboy

How is that going to work with paid seating- if the bubble is full and most have paid for their seats in Y up there, are they really going to just re allocatee seats at check in on the lower deck, and then have some free for all after take off?

What about those who have paid for Exit seats, if they cant be accommodated in an Exit row down stairs there will be some unhappy customers!

I know they say seats can be changed for operational reasons, buy maybe if this is really the case they should not open up the upper deck for paid for reservations until they are convinced the plane will be full.

Funny how when the bubble was all PE - we never heard of it being closed, I don't buy the weight distribution thing personally!

sungod wrote:if you can swing it, i'd consider adults in 75 with kids in the row behind, then the adults have several feet of legroom which can act as play/sprawling area for kids

That would be marvellous sungod but I doubt it would be permitted - all 3 kids seated in a row on their own for taxi and takeoff (they are 2, 5, and 11)? And would we be allowed to swap around once in the cruise? If so then that could be a game changer, the littlest one would certainly appreciate the floor space..

tontybear wrote:When did you post of Flyer Talk? There haven't been any 'best seat' posts for a few weeks

Thread is here (although to be fair it didn't say "seat advice" in the title... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/virgin-atlantic-airways-flying-club/1636586-lgw-747-inflight-disembarkation-questions.html

virginboy747 wrote:If loads are low the upper deck economy section is often kept empty to ensure the weight distribution on the aircraft is correct for take off but you should be able to move up there once in the air

I hope that doesn't happen! We are flying a few days before the schools break up for Easter so imagine the load will be heavy with people like us grabbing the Disney bargains..

OxfordBlue wrote:That would be marvellous sungod but I doubt it would be permitted - all 3 kids seated in a row on their own for taxi and takeoff (they are 2, 5, and 11)? And would we be allowed to swap around once in the cruise?

oops, i didn't think of that, and with those ages you couldn't swap around as 75 is an exit row, one of the kids would need to be 16 for VS rules

sungod wrote:

OxfordBlue wrote:That would be marvellous sungod but I doubt it would be permitted - all 3 kids seated in a row on their own for taxi and takeoff (they are 2, 5, and 11)? And would we be allowed to swap around once in the cruise?

oops, i didn't think of that, and with those ages you couldn't swap around as 75 is an exit row, one of the kids would need to be 16 for VS rules

That was my thinking too (age 16+ in that row at all times) but thanks for the suggestion anyway!