Originally Posted by
Pointsloop
Are there North American cities that consistently get more lay flat biz seats? I know equipment change is high probably risk regardless of location.
I'm currently booked to fly out of ATL next month and it seems there's almost no chance of lay flat seats.
I do still have options to change to different cities like Toronto or DC, but would add 6-8 hours to the trip.
Are Zodiac Aura Lite angled seats bad enough to fly out and in from a different city?
Thanks.
For me the answer to that question is YES! However, concepts like convenience and value can be very subjective. So that is a decision for the individual to make.
I don't know what it's like to fly ET out of ATL, but flying out of ORD is basically terrible. We get approximately 50% of the aircraft being the old (and often broken down) 788 angled flat seats. IMO the catering is poor and to me it approaches being inedible. And you get some of the shortest connections at ADD (well under 60 minutes when connecting to South Africa).
If you want a virtual guarantee of a full lie flat seat and a decent chance of getting the newest 1-2-1 seating, YYZ and IAD are your only choices. The issue with flying ET in these two airports is the morning departures from both are between 10:00 and 11:00. Flying in to either of these two from ORD basically dictates flying in the afternoon or evening before and overnighting at an airport hotel. When I am flying on UA awards, I can often find an evening connection for a next day departure. UA will check my bags through, and I just need to pack enough clothing and toiletries in my carry-on to get through the next day. I can usually upgrade the positioning flight from Y to C for around $100 and there are a couple of very reasonable hotels nearby both airports with free shuttle service. So it adds something like 12 - 14 hours total travel time and somewhere between $200 - $300 to overall cost.