nyflyer

I imagine someone has probably answered this already, but the search function does not seem happy at the moment.

I am flying out to CDG in Y in August on AF 7, a 77W, and back on AF 4, a 332, with one travelling companion. I'm wondering what the best Y seats are?

If the seatmaps on DL's web site (which helpfully provides seatmaps for these flights under their DL flight numbers) are correct, on the 77W, 19 EFG and 36 EFG are open - what are these like? (I would prefer one of the rows of two, but in all those at least one seat is taken.) From the DL, AF and Seatguru seatmaps it looks like they have extra room. Seatguru says they "may" - well, that's not very helpful ! I am surprised to see these are not blocked out for disabled pax and/or pax with babies and/or elite pax. If I reserve these seats am I likely to get bumped in favor of someone with a baby or mobility problems? Will the third person in the threesome likely be with a baby? Any other reason they have been conspicuously left unreserved? (Or are they blocked out and DL just doesn't know that?)

Similarly, coming home on the 332 it appears I can have 19 AB or 19 JK - to me these look ideal; bulkhead twosomes, is there any reason to avoid them? Not so worried about babies since it would be just me and my travel partner, but is there anything else wrong with them? Again Seatguru unhelpfully says there "may" be extra room.

Sorry for asking what is probably a dumb question to AF veterans, but thanks in advance for your help!

airchristophe

Hi nyflyer,

2 questions : do you have Elite or Elite Plus status and with which airline did you purchase your ticket ?

You are right to question as to why the seats would be "conspicuously left unreserved" in the DL system. Indeed the front rows are reservable only by Elite or Elite Plus status passengers. A Delta res agent will reserve the 2nd row of the main cabin to a non-Elite passenger on an AF operated flight, the passenger arrives at the check-in counter and wonders why he does not have is 2nd row seat. In the Delta reservation, the seat REQUEST will be there, but will not be confirmed by the Air France system. It's a sticky situation.

If you are an Elite/Plus passenger, then yes, you will be able to reserve the bulkhead seats, which would be row 19 on the A330. As you were asking, it is possible that seats 19A, E and K not be reservable due to infants. Otherwise, seats 20D and 20G offer a little more leg room since there are only 3 seats in front vs. the normal 4. Row 19 does offer a little bit of extra leg room. For me, there is no reason to avoid them.

On the 77W you would have to choose seats row 19 and beyond ... seats 18AB and KL and 19C, J are emergency exit rows, not reservable in advance.

In any case, did you check the AF website for its seat maps ?
www.airfrance.us -> Information & Services -> Classes & Comfort -> Cabin plans.

nyflyer

My reservation is booked through AF.

I am, unfortunately, not quite elite (grrr) - I was surprised to see these seats show up as regular, non-elite seats on Delta.com (some others do show up as "preferred" seats).

So I won't bother asking AF for these seats, which I won't be able to reserve anyway.

Thanks for your help .

airchristophe

nyflyer,

It still would not hurt to ask at the time of check-in for specific seats. Best is to arrive as early as possible.

On the 77W for example, all the exit rows are up for grabs ... 18ABKL 19AL, 35ABCJKL.

On the A330, row 29ABKL.

nyflyer

Thanks.

Does AF's online check-in allow seat selection?

vgb2001

yes. but to my knowledge, you can't book exit rows online, only at check in. At JFK, you have to put on your nicest / brightest smile to get an exit row the rep who check you in has to call a supervisor for attribution of special seats. And the supervisor (a woman) likes to see a smile on the pax face to give away the nice seats...

nyflyer

Actually some of the seats I noted are not exit rows - this is why they did not seem to be "blocked off" on DL's seatmaps in the first place (the exit rows are, just as they are for all of DL's own flights).

Lurker1999

On the A330 20G has the electronics box directly in front of you which makes it basically impossible to stretch your feet out except at an agle. This is less a problem with 20D.

With both 20D/G the main issue is that the FAs will trip over your feet if they're in the aisles. Keeping your shoes on is advisable as a result as often the FA rushing from the businesss class cabin won't stop for something as trivial as your toes.

Also the seat booking system doesn't show the seats as offset. Instead, there is no 19G and several of the AF agents seem to think that the entire space in front of 20G is open as a result..

lpjanssen

I've had very good experience on the 77W on 18ABKL - quiet seats and plenty of leg room obviously thanks to the exit row. Just two seats on this row, so a little more private.

I think you mean C and J on row 19. These have a little more legroom because there no seats on row 18, but one gets often bumped into.

Less good experience on 35 ABCJKL. Plenty of legroom because of the exit row, but really crowded during the flight because of the galley. Especially if one is in C or J, one is continuously bumped into by FA's or other passengers.
ABKL don't get bumped into, but are still bothered by all the traffic.

Gnopps

I'll be flying IAH-CDG on the A332 and row 29 is taken. I have 20G reserved but from this thread it seems like 20D is my best bet?

Any opinions? Thanks!

airchristophe

Hello,

seats 20D and 20G are both good.

it never hurts to ask for availability of row 19 at the airport !

row 29 is now available for "purchase" via on-line check-in on a route like IAH-CDG (test stations in North America), in line with a new product called "Premium seats".