Originally Posted by Globaliser
Unfortunately, the window seats have IFE boxes that make it difficult to sit facing straight forward. Your feet are pushed towards the centre of the aircraft, so you're inevitably at an angle if you stretch your feet forward under the seat in front. I don't know what this will do to your back if you're sleeping for several hours, but I wasn't impressed with this - particularly as this difficulty could have been avoided if the IFE box had been mounted on the inboard side of this foot space.
I find IFE boxes to be one of the worst irritations of Y class window seats, on any carrier. We already have such little space, why nick the most critical few cubic inches of it? If the boxes were mounted directly on the floor they could be pleasant footrests.
One wonders why shipping-container-sized IFE boxes are even necessary in 2013. I expect my MacBook could drive half a dozen of those low resolution screens without the cooling fans bothering to spin up. And it would fit under the lifejacket without anyone noticing.
If BA really does not want to invest in post-2003 technology for its newest fleet, surely the boxes could have been installed in the place of the
rubbish storage side-bins on the upper deck?
Something about BA's outfitting of the A380 fleet feels a little ... half-hearted. At least, as described.