PE Downstairs on 747 should I ?

Been lucky enough to travel PE in the bubble many times and once downsatirs but that was some years ago and didnt like it one bit.
Just thought with the new refits has it changed much ?

Your views welcomed

PS Like to nab a isle seat as I generally travel alone

The general consensus seems to be yes, downstairs has changed for the better although that may be more down to the fact that PE no longer has exclusive use of the bubble.

Kabuta007,
Personally I would still prefer to travel in the PE upstairs. Even though there has been so many discussions about the split cabin not being so exclusive now, extra passengers using the loos and the disembarking being slower - I still felt more comfortable recently being in the smaller 'bubble' cabin.

However it has been pointed out that the bigger PE downstairs cabin might appeal to families more but if you are on your own, then an aisle upstairs (away from those front row seats ): )would seem more beneficial for youself.

Definately!! I have just landed from the flight from hell. I was upstairs and a few disruptive people make that smaller cabin a misery, that wouldn't seem as bad in a bigger cabin

[buns]

Another vote for downstairs - the taking down of the partition that used to be between the two rows of PE and three economy rows has totally transformed the look and feel of the cabin

buns

Definately!! I have just landed from the flight from hell. I was upstairs and a few disruptive people make that smaller cabin a misery, that wouldn't seem as bad in a bigger cabin

OMG poor you, where were you flying in from?

Definately!! I have just landed from the flight from hell. I was upstairs and a few disruptive people make that smaller cabin a misery, that wouldn't seem as bad in a bigger cabin

Oh dear! We were in 18/19 A/C downstairs on our outbound last week and they were great seats. But I was persuaded to go for the bubble on the way back as my cherubs wanted the 'thrill' of going upstairs... Hope that's not going to be a bad move!

Yes, sit in 19 A or C. Great seats.

Oh dear! We were in 18/19 A/C downstairs on our outbound last week and they were great seats. But I was persuaded to go for the bubble on the way back as my cherubs wanted the 'thrill' of going upstairs... Hope that's not going to be a bad move!

I would be quite surprised if you have any issues returning from Antigua.
However a flight returning from Las Vegas could be a whole different scenario, IMHO ii)

Oh dear! We were in 18/19 A/C downstairs on our outbound last week and they were great seats. But I was persuaded to go for the bubble on the way back as my cherubs wanted the 'thrill' of going upstairs... Hope that's not going to be a bad move!

I would be quite surprised if you have any issues returning from Antigua.
However a flight returning from Las Vegas could be a whole different scenario, IMHO ii)

Oh deary deary me Hev, how wrong you are. But you'll have to wait till later when I have time to recount how the cheeky sods tried (and failed) to bump me down to economy because the flight is horrendously overbooked. Apparently 18 too many in PE alone!!! Downstairs now, but at least on board. Hopefully.

Wow that is serious overbooking - over 25% of the cabin. I always thought it was more like 10%.

End of the Easter school holidays I guess.

Ratechaser. Sorry to hear that - sounds really out of order. v( Neil mentioned "being involuntary downgraded a couple of weeks ago" on his flight. Perhaps this is due to the busy Easter holiday period, sounds like they getting in as much revenue as possible even though there are not enough seats. The customary "sorry for the inconvenience and please accept 3,000 air miles" is on its way to you

What a change from the flight we took on 8thMarch to Los Angeles. In this instance there was only 136 passengers on board. I think the economy passengers enjoyed a whole row across the aircraft to themselves! Overbooking would have been a dream for VS on that occasion.

Every airline does it, not just VS.

Both the internal flights I took in the US over the past month were overbooked (one on United, the other Delta). In both cases enough volunteers came forward to take the money but I guess if that doesn't happen they have no choice but to bump people.

Yes it was Vegas, most of the problems were children, shouting,banging side cupboards constantly, screaming, running up and down, kicking my seat, climing over seats nearly falling over into my lap.

The crew were about as organised as a piss up in a brewery- the service downstairs ran so much quicker and smoothly from what I observed.

Yes I was spoilt going UC outbound so a bit of a comedown but I traveled EC in December and that was fine, however if the funds don't stretch to UC both ways in future I won't be going long haul ever again. Too many inconsiderate people in the lower cabins.

[Neil]

Yes I was spoilt going UC outbound so a bit of a comedown but I traveled EC in December and that was fine, however if the funds don't stretch to UC both ways in future I won't be going long haul ever again. Too many inconsiderate people in the lower cabins.

Oh believe me, there are many inconsiderate people who fly UC also. I have encountered some of the worst 'bad fellow pax' when in UC and some of the nicest when in Y. Unfortunately you can control or do anything to decide who you will be travelling with on the a/c, you just have to hope if there are some inconsiderate ones, you have a free who and willing and capable to deal with it.

This is making me reconsider my request for bubble seats to Vegas this summer. Having never flown upstairs I quite like the novelty of doing so, as well as the extra wide aisles.

Downstairs sounds like a much safer option now!

Thanks all for your views.
Looking at a seat map for downstairs the PE seats on the left A/C would they use the UC toilet directly infront of them ? ?|

Yep, yiu share the loos with UC

Yes it was Vegas, most of the problems were children, shouting,banging side cupboards constantly, screaming, running up and down, kicking my seat, climing over seats nearly falling over into my lap.

The crew were about as organised as a piss up in a brewery- the service downstairs ran so much quicker and smoothly from what I observed.

Now that's what happens when people take kids to Vegas ): ):

Those kids probably didn't get chance to burn off their energy whilst in the confines of LV and they witnessed 'adults' shouting, screaming and generally having no inhibitions - so when they got on a flight home they behave in the same manner ii) ii)

It is not down the the crew to deal with this, the parents are accountable for this type of disruption. Could easily happen in UC

My flight back from Vegas a few weeks ago was the best we've ever had and that was being seated in the bubble area

The bit about the crew meant was meant to be seperate, nothing to do with the poorly behaved adults or children. the management of the flight was very sloppy and not customer orientated upstairs. The CSS I'm charge of PE/Economy just wore his jumper and shirt -no tie for the whole flight... Very shoddy.

The problem with the bubble, is that upstairs there is only two cabin crew no senior or CSS to oversee things. Great if you get two passionate crew like I have in the past but not this flight. I know you could get equally bad CSS/FSM downstairs who would let things go south equally as bad but in my experience it is less likely

The bit about the crew meant was meant to be seperate, nothing to do with the poorly behaved adults or children. the management of the flight was very sloppy and not customer orientated upstairs. The CSS I'm charge of PE/Economy just wore his jumper and shirt -no tie for the whole flight... Very shoddy.

I must admit the crew were not that customer centred either on my flight into LA recently.

There was very few of us on board. We was in PE row 19. The seven passengers in row 18 certainly received alot of attentive attention. They were probably relatives or off duty cabin crew

The UC meals some of them received, along with an endless supply of champers in nice stem glasses, certainly made us plebs in PE quite envious ): ):

Seriously, VS got us from A to B and that's all I ask for my money

Didn't have a problem with other PE pax in the "bubble" when we flew to LAS last month. We were right at the front and we didn't have a stream of pax wanting to use the toilet.

There was a group of lads who were excited because they managed to upgrade to PE, however as they were only in Vegas for 3 days, they all had a sleeping pill on the plane so they could hit the ground running when they arrived, they slept for 4 hours.

The problem with the bubble, is that upstairs there is only two cabin crew no senior or CSS to oversee things. Great if you get two passionate crew like I have in the past but not this flight. I know you could get equally bad CSS/FSM downstairs who would let things go south equally as bad but in my experience it is less likely

Very good point re passionate crew y) , if you get good ones it really doesnt matter wear you are on the plane I suppose.

Im thinking along the lines now of PE downstairs outward for customer service (fingers crossed) and bubble for the return as its normally dead quite and may get some much needed kip