Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Programs: United 1k, BA Gold, LX Senator, Flying Blue Plat, IHG Plat. Ambassador, Marriott Gold, Starwood Gold
Posts: 136
Hi, I'll answer this based on my experiences.
The seat itself isn't like some other airlines (ie. VS or SQ) where the bed is a different setting than the seat. So for the seat to go flat it just reclines all the way down and they put down the mattress (I actually then usually move the seat slightly up as I don't like to have a slight incline while sleeping). The mattress itself folds up so its something you could potentially fold and keep on your foot rest if it's bothering you while you're in recliner mode.
In terms of switching-- you have a few options:
-Keep it on the seat and just recline up. This is what I do most of the time as I do sometimes go back to sleep mode.
-Take it off yourself and keep it folded on the footrest or on the ground in front of the foot rest (there's a ton of space) or in your OH (keeping in mind the middle seats don't have their own overhead and have to use A and K bins, which is complicated due to the curtains).
-Ask a FA, however this probably isn't needed until you're done with the mattress