ssh

Not a big deal, but I thought a warning might be useful for some, especially since I managed to experience this *twice* during my flights this week.

First, on ORD-FRA (777) in 8D, I put my glasses in the small cubby below the armrest on my left as I slept. When I awoke, I had a hard time finding them (truth be told, in my stupor, I forgot where I had put them at first!). Then, as I reached for them, I bumped them towards the rear of the seat and they fell behind the back of the chair! There is a mesh there and then the floor, but it is amazingly difficult to get anything out of there.

The FAs provided amazing assistance and the necessary tools to extract them (my apologies to my seatmates for the FAs waking you!), and since I am effectively blind without them, I really couldn't be much help.

Then today on my return FRA-IAD, I was in 7A (against the windows, rear-facing) and tucked a book between the seat and the curve of the fuselage. As we prepared for landing, I tried to extract it. It took a lot of work and a bit of damage to the cover before I managed to get it out.

Now, you may think these are obvious, but even though I've flown in those seats dozens of times, these issues hadn't occurred to me. Next time, I go back to putting my glasses in my shoes and my book in the cubby.

BTW, on the return from FRA today they went out of there way to say that "items must be in the overhead for F and J" included pillows and blankets! I had never heard this before, and what a pain! I tucked them next to my seat and hid my shoes behind my feet. Ridiculous.

5khours

+1. I once had to completely disassemble a TG F seat to get my glasses back. I'm a lot more careful now.

USFdonWill

I have been told by multiple FF that dropping something in sCO BF seats require a mechanic to disassemble the seat to retrieve items.

global happy traveller

Watch out for the sharp mechanical parts underneath the seat!

ralfp

I lost a small circular piece of metal on a pmUA 777 (seat 6A) while Mrs. ralfp (6B) and I were on our way to FRA (and onwards to BEY) on our anniversary.

It was both amusing and embarrassing to watch/help the mechanic disassemble the seat while the crew watched (waiting to leave the aircraft). We found many items of historical interest (UA magazines from around the date that the seats were installed). Alas, we were unable to find the digit-encircling metal object.

My left hand feels a bit naked now (I almost never removed the ring).

exbayern

On a recent UA flight to MUC it was the pilot who came back and disassembled the seat to retrieve my glasses.

Passmethesickbag

One of the things that I've discovered on the dAArk side is that, as uncomfortable as their seat is for sleeping, they've got a great compartment with a lid in the seatback in front of you where you can store things like glasses (and even a laptop). I sleep very well in both pmUA and pmCO flat seats, but ever since a pmCO BF seat ate my glasses I try to remember to bring a case to store them in. Fortunately, on that occasion I had disposable lenses in my carry-on so I could do the search in the bowels of the seat myself (and was ultimately successful).

sabbasolo

I stopped changing SIM's in the air, after losing SIM's in C class seats two flights in a row.

Got one back, never retrieved the other (despite help from FA's). We actually found another SIM instead, several pens, loose coins.

On the other hand, the SQ manual conversion seats are harder to use, but easy to retrieve stuff from.

privacylawyer

they took thing apart, but it had been damaged beyond repair (UA 7A), and in UA narita to singapore biz class flat seats rf last week, were attacked by 20 unstrapped in magazines on takeoff.
beware of rf seats! lol

jackonferry

Amen, this is what I find baffling about UA's F lie-flat. There's no place to store anything. They could, perhaps, install a lip on the seatback ledge. That at least would give you a spot to store reading glasses, etc. But I too store stuff at my side, and it is eventually going to get lost. AA's setup is much better.

Mistered

When the UA lieflats first appeared I bought a nylon mesh sack about 5x7 with a drawstring top. Mine is Eagle Creek, but it's an ordinary outdoors store item. I hang it on the coat hook beside the monitor and keep glasses, toothbrush, etc in that.

I also empty the shoulder cubby (except the emergency card) and keep my reading material in there.

cerealmarketer

Had a sCO captain come out and warn the Business First cabin about the perils of items lost in the seats, and how it would be a couple hours or more before a mechanic could look for something as the flight was going into EWR terminal B before being towed to C.

cova

My experience on the 777 BF is that the FA's tell you at the beginning of the flight about the problem with dropping items in the seat slots in the back and the need for a mechanic to retrieve.

One can see opens slots on the side in the back. I am surprise UA hasn't tried to do something to cover the slots.

exerda

I had to help a FA retrieve a pax's lost items on the 747 u/d on SFO-NRT last December; I had just barely enough reach to snag them (neither the pax nor the petite FA did). We were lucky they were even within reach. You'd think there would be an access panel or something to get under the lie-flats...

EWR764

I generally put my pillow and blankets in the overhead until I need them anyway. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just feel better about them up there instead of sitting on the floor or resting my feet on them in the cubby!