Originally Posted by
elitetraveler
I took the YMMV to being the chances of having an open seat next to you in the rear cabin which is great advice for such a long flight.
Ahh... Understood

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I do agree the current 77E product may leave a bit to be desired. With DL planning on adding the 77L BE seats to the 77E, hopefully this concern will be addressed shortly (not sure based upon the current state of the economy).
Either way, with the 77L taking over this route in the near future, DL's JFK-NRT product will indeed be competitive.