Originally Posted by Cloudship

I am aware that the view is not straight forward. While I very much would love to see an airliner offer that, I know it is not possible right now.

Actually it is - just not out your window. Some airlines have cameras mounted either in the tail (Airbus wide-bodies) or behind the nose wheel (Boeing 777s) that allow for a forward view while inflight.


My question was, as compared to say the middle of the plane, do you still have to crane your neck around to the side to even see anything, and is there any sense of seeing what is a little bit ahead of you without trying to look through the window three rows in front of you.

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking here. Assuming you're sat in 1A, as you can plainly see from the photos provided you won't need to go through any contortions to enjoy a slightly forward view. If you're sat in 1A, there also won't be any rows in front of you. Now if you want a chance at that slightly forward view, why would you even be sitting a few rows back? Unless you're in Business Class in which case this would be a moot point on most airlines (I believe Lufthansa still has Business Class up in the nose on its 747-400s since First Class is located upstairs.)

I know there are not many airlines left flying 747s - who do you think offers the best 1a seats in regards to the view (I usually fly PE these days, even Business is better than what I am used to).

Because some airlines position a closet or storage area up in the nose (Asiana and EVA come to mind) that encompasses the first two or three windows, seat 1A will be a bit farther back and with slightly less curvature you'll get slightly less forward view. Check your seat maps to see which airlines do this because off the top of my head I honestly don't know them all. Assuming however that that you indeed have the first three windows and that they're not blocked off by a closet of some type, the view is gonna be the same regardless of seating comfort. As for seating comfort, I'll take suite 1A (or 1K) on Cathay Pacific's 747-400.