hillrider

I am considering flying AY for the first time, on a paid-J itinerary Asia-Italy, with the long haul on the horizontal lie-flat configuration of their 343. After the 12 hour flight I would have a 3+ hours on a 319, and on the way back the trip starts with the same 3+ hours on a 321.

I can't figure out if the seating on the 319 or 321 is proper regional business class seating or economy class with a blocked middle seat.

If it's glorified economy class, after a 12 hour flight they're extremely uncomfortable especially given the price (I just did BA and won't do it again): even if QR's schedule isn't as good with no long flights and and a stop in the middle of the night, it's still far better than spending more money for AY's long flights just to get crammed for 3+ hours each way in glorified Y and ending up with a back ache.

intuition

It is economy seats with middle seat soft-blocked. Some configs has slightly better pitch in the J section.

AFAIK, most airlines fly intra EU with narrowbodies and the same seats in both cabins. If you need proper J, maybe QR or another ME airline is the only solution.

SPBanker

If one wants to fly intra-Europe with better seats (i.e. not econ seats with middle blocked), SU and TK are probably the only alternatives with extensive networks. And even on TK this is not guaranteed.

hillrider

Thanks.

I am definitely starting to see why Europeans are so attracted to the ME3s.

These are not intra-europe trips, but feeder flights to 12+ hour long hauls; stepping off the 12 hour flight and spending the next 2 hours in the pseudo-Ryanair BA flight after paying for business class was a shocker (it was so tight I couldn't even open a paper to read it). Looks like AY is an even worse option (flight would be 50% longer) -- I read that Asia was their strategic future, but am not sure how they intend to compete with such a poor offering.

deissi

The offering is not poor at all relative to their biggest competitors. The ME3 aren't that big of a threat to AY, whose Asia network mainly composes of China and Japan. The geographical handicap for the ME3 is much larger for those destinations. With LH, AFKL & co offering the same intra-Europe J, they don't really have any reason to upgrade the product.

Purjelentaja

I think you are being a bit too harsh on European airlines offering the connections. At least to my opinion AY J in Europe is not too bad, the seat pitch usually is a bit better than in the rear end of the plane, and I haven't ever had the feeling being too cramped.

Of course the ME carriers have the advantage of offering same hard product from origin to destination, but then the disadvantage is that you have to change plane in the middle of the journey, often in the middle of the night. You can very seldom get a proper continuous night sleep when transfering in ME, whereas European carriers don't have that issue. But then the first/last leg of the journey is onboard narrow body jet with no such comfort. It's a question what you appreciate, and at least in my case most often I have preferred to use the European ones, as I hate not being able to get good sleep on the night flight.

nsr

Do the bulkhead rows in J have immovable armrest on the 319/320 (row 1 on one side & row 2 on the other)?

intuition

I a dreamworld I'd love to see the A320's go 2+2 in the first few rows. The blocked middle seat "reserved for my comfort" is just sitting there mocking me: 'Hey, here is perfectly good space you could be sitting in, but we decided to waste it on a seat we promise to never sell *)'

Have had a few CA domestic flights with 2+2, and while limited in recline they are very comfy. (They are labeled 'First', though)
But I can't see any airline in Europe moving in that direction. No one is selling well of J at nominal fares. Most seats are feeder traffic where not a lot of the total fare comes from EU-leg.




*) Not really a promise, they will seat people in the middleseat if needed

intuition

Yes, armrests are "solid dividers", containing the tray table.

Flythe96flag

If there is a light load in J, I would go for my own row of 3 and spread out. I like to lift the armrest, place a blanket and a pillow on the armrest by the window and put my legs up on the adjacent seats. Perfectly comfortable for watching a movie on a tablet on the middle table, or reading etc.

On a full flight I would probably choose the bulkhead window on the right hand side. (1F or 2F)

Compared to BA, Finnair is perfectly comfortable IMHO on a 3, even a 4 hour flight. The seats are more comfortable and the pitch/legroom is significantly better.

loimu

I'm flying HEL-LHR tomorrow on C on 321. Do you have opinions - would you dare to pick seats on row 8 or 9 (as in http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Fin...irbus_A321.php) as they appear to be available in check in. Row 8 looks tempting as it seems to have only 2 seats total, C and D. In other words - do you see that there would be a big risk of the courtain moving forward as the check in is already open?

Thanks!

intuition

It depends on how much you need/like better pitch.
I have been in 8C once and I will never choose it again. Others says they even prefer exit row over J seats, so it is highly individual. Beware that seats in row 8 are narrower than other seats.

If you like exit rows and the better picth, at least choose 8B or 8E (or 9A or 9F)

loimu

Thanks intuition - I think I'll give it a try.