PETER01

I'm off to the States soon (ish) and I have quite a few trips planned elsewhere throughout the year across the globe.

Anyhow, I'll be on the A380 and 747 in the J and (mainly) Y cabins so for a change I think I am going to go for the lower decks.

I also travelled on the lower deck front mini cabin on the 747 previously and I did like that but the main cabins do give that feeling of spaciousness.

Do we have any members here who prefer the lower deck on the 747 or/and the A380?

Fruitcake

Not me.

But, especially as you have lots of flights ahead, good idea to do it.

Purim

Upper deck of the a380 in Y should always win out. Side bins for window seats create much more space (no bins on bulkheads). Some folks like the small 4 row Y cabin right at the back. Jet bridge attaches to the upper deck first, so you'll likely get off the plane a bit faster.

Lower desk a380 is 10 across on a 11 or 8 row cabin vs 10 across on a 13 row 747. IMHO take every opportunity to sit in neither.

I understand (tho don't agree) with the folks nostalgic for the 747, yes upstairs is great, yes, the nose has cool views and no foot traffic in row 1. But otherwise, would you prefer to go for a long drive in a 2 year old car with new seats and good air or a 20 year old car, albeit refurbished?

HIDDY

Peter...the lack of replies to your question is interesting. I can only assume no one wants to admit to flying long haul economy in case it lowers their street cred or most BAEC Golds on here fly QR J for the cheap tier points.

For the sake of bumping the thread I shall offer you my opinion which I should warn you is worth sod all judging by FT member feedback.
Only the 747 I'm afraid but here goes. I found the upper deck on a long overnight flight was much more enjoyable against a long overnight flight on the lower deck in the middle middle seats. Although my wife thought the middle middle seats were 'great' for a couple.

However my most enjoyable CW flight was to YVR on the lower deck. The wife was in the window seat while I was relegated to the aisle. It was all very relaxed due to the 'holiday feel' which prevailed amongst the passengers and superb cabin crew. A great experience all round.

esspeebee

For the A380 in Y I'd be going for the window seats at the back of the upper deck. The side bins and the extra lateral space that you get as a result of the sloping cabin walls make a pretty big difference. It's a smaller cabin, too, making it rather easier to get crew attention.

For my money, the spacious feeling, while nice in an empty cabin, doesn't really make up for the extra noise that comes with it on even moderate loads.

brokenspirit

I've always wondered about this, however I've found that if you're at the front of the lower deck it can be faster getting off as you don't have the WT+ cabin in front.

The problem I find with the uppder deck is thr overhead bin space.

Egoldstein

For the 380 in economy, I try to see where it is likely to have an empty seat next to me. If the plane (rarely) is not too full, I try to get a seat on the upper deck Y in one of the 2-seat side areas. It is correct that the overhead bin is much narrower, but to the left of the arm rest there is room for small handbags.

If the plane is completely packed, I will choose the lower deck close to the front as the time it takes to unload so many passengers becomes tedious after a 10 hour flight.

To the US, interestingly, my last trip a couple of weeks ago was the first time that I encountered not full flights (into ORD, back from JFK). So I would pick an aisle seat (my preference) in an economy row where the window seat was already taken. On both legs, the middle seat in between was empty for the flight. Not sure if this is a sign of tourism dropping to the US which I've been hearing about, but have seen no data.

bhomburg

A 380 lower deck (in WT) is fine if you can place yourself into 25D.
Other than that, the upper deck is better. Quieter, the side bins, just one seatmate, smaller cabin usually means better service.

JAXBA

A380 lower deck window seats in World Traveller have a gap between the wall panel and the seat; not much use for leaning on. I haven't been on the A380 upper deck in Y but I did do 747 upper deck Y back in the 90s; the storage bins were useful, just as they are in J now.

I like upper deck in J for A380 and 747. Mrs. JAXBA prefers 747 lower deck rear bulkhead middle seats; avoids stairs and lets us sit side by side.

But why not get a different perspective?

nk15

For J on the 747 the best seats are 64A/K upper deck, followed by 62A/K. Other than this go for window seats for more privacy on either deck.

DirtyDavey

Hi OP

I regularly fly to SFO on the A380, and also frequently (unfortunately depending on cost) do the slog in Y.

I have a huge preference for the upper deck in the A380 if flying Y and always try to take window seat so that I can use the huge bins that are great for storing iPad, headphones, drinks, jackets etc.

Only downside is because of this space you can't lean your head comfortably against the side of the cabin for a nap, so you need to be able to sleep sat up.

The cabin feels a lot more intimate, and also because its smaller, not so busy and so feels more tranquil.

Pascoe

I recently came back from HKG in J on the 380 and as I couldn't get the rearward window seats I did the rear, just in front of bulkhead, 'E' seat on top deck (i.e. the middle in a 3 not in a 4). Flight was entirely at night so no huge miss in terms of not having the window seat, and I have to say I quite liked my little hobbit hole.

That said, I'm not super tall otherwise I think I'd feel differently, but I might go with that again in future.

Echo the earlier comment about J on the 747 - 62 / 64 A&K upstairs easily the best seats outside of F

Not sure about WT / WT+ - has been a while. Only flown the A380 economy once and it was with Singapore. Was ok but the flight was pretty full. We were main cabin downstairs I think.

cgtechuk

Did my first UD on the 747 last week loved it, got a great sleep too very quiet in the cabin

We did SIN and HKG in Y on the A380 and recommend The rear Upper cabin as very quiet and I enjoyed it (Exit Row) seats 80 / 70

PUCCI GALORE

It depends totally on who's driving it Darling!

apollo00

They are undoubtedly the best seats space and privacy wise but once you factor in the quieter cabin and better air quality, I'd rather spend 10+ hours in an average J seat on an A380 / 787 all told (and there are some better than average options on those aircraft). Certainly I'd feel better when I got off the plane and that's what matters at the end of the day.