drewguy

Lots of debate on which seats to prefer . . . that's YMMV.

Differences I see:
- ORD flight arrives about an hour earlier (scheduled)
- EWR flight gets you a few more PQM (because of 500 minimum)
- EWR flight is longest in UA system (miles), if you care about those things

eleeut

i would make sure to consider risk assessment of IRROPs, not just the comfort of the flight. i've taken EWR routings for most of my TPAC to/from HKG, but most recently routed through ORD both ways. given that you are looking at DCA, you have the UX factor to EWR, and i think mainline over UX is a worthwhile consideration at any time of the year. i just did a SDC last week with preserved upgrade from HKG -> EWR to ORD just to avoid a Q300 for EWR -> IAD and got an UG for a A320.

i like both the sUA IPTE and sCO configs, though i'm starting to be more partial to the IPTE backwards facing seats even with the sCO bulkheads, 1E being my favorite there. meal service i think is now pretty much harmonized at this point for BF.

to OP, greetings from Tower Oaks!

787fan

the bulk heads are also next to the galleys so a lot brighter and noisier

TWA Guy

Thanks for the insight! I could have walked there from my house to discuss in person

boat9781

Go for the EWR - HKG on the sCO 777. Also, I'd select an "E" seat. These are my favorite because they are in the center section (direct aisle access), but they are oriented in such a way that your head -- when flat -- is directed slightly towards the center. The "D" seats are also good but are oriented towards the aisle, which can be an issue if you want to lower the outside armrest for extra space.

TWA Guy

Also just found one seat on SFO-HKG so could also fly DCA-SFO (no upgrades as of now) and connect to HKG...Only 2 seats taken on DCA-SFO and midweek so assume GPU would clear...

eleeut

i rarely see confirmable R on SFO / HKG though i did catch one last year just before CNY. i'm not a paid J flyer so i'm always looking at UGs to/fro. here's my assessment on R availability for the routes, M-W are better: EWR > ORD > SFO.

as for the bulkhead light and sound issues, i mitigate with eyeshades and earplugs / my sound isolating earbuds.

Kacee

I would avoid the very long domestic connection. There's absolutely no guaranty the upgrade clears. "Only 2 seats taken" says nothing about potential R availability, particularly into SFO. And your best case scenario involves nearly six hours in a domestic F seat. No thank you.

There has been quite a bit of R SFO-HKG lately, including many days with R9. This route no longer deserves its reputation as one of the tougher upgrades in the system. All of the TATL's ex-SFO are much harder.

ORD-HKG is the toughest upgrade of the three, especially now that the J cabin has reduced to 40 seats.

Mbenz

I would go with EWR just as mentioned leave enough connection time in EWR.

I love Tower Oaks Lodge

dulcamara

+1

Not only that, the flight from ORD (895) is very prone to delays.

TWA Guy

Looks like 3h36m at EWR...would much rather spend it at Tower Oaks Lodge.

787fan

as much as i like the PMCO J seat, I'd recommend DCA-ORD-HKG in this case. DCA-EWR is painfully bad ... and that's coming from someone who flies to EWR day in and day out.

TWA Guy

DCA-EWR would be E170 so I guess better than E145 or Q400

nerdbirdsjc

ORD-HKG is painfully worse....it's on-time performance is heinous, while EWR-HKG is usually respectable to very good.

SPLITTERZ

I personally prefer the UA J seat. The layout for me, especially power port, and headphone jacks make so much more sense. I've unplugged my headphones so many times on the sCO J seat.

I'm 5'8" so a more lengthy seat isn't really a huge deal for myself, so other than the jack layout, I don't have much to complain about.

Obviously the biggest issue is the 8 across for the J cabin on the sUA aircraft, but if you get an aisle or window, that helps tremendously.