Last edit by: Microwave
MODERATOR GUIDEPOST
For inquiries into the best economy or Main Cabin Extra seat on this aircraft type, see this thread:
Best 77W / 777-300ER Economy Class / Main Cabin Extra / MCE seat (consolidated)
For inquiries into the best economy or Main Cabin Extra seat on this aircraft type, see this thread:
Best 77W / 777-300ER Economy Class / Main Cabin Extra / MCE seat (consolidated)
Seating confirmed: 3-4-3 on the 777 / 77W ... boooooooo
#241
Join Date: Aug 2008
Programs: HHonors Gold, Marriott Lifetime Gold, IHG Gold, OZ*G, AA Gold, AS MVP
Posts: 1,874
I've seen the specifications.
There are some 747 operators that may have marginally wider seats (<1/2") because of narrower armrests or aisles. It doesn't change the fact that the 747 - which operates many of the longest routes in the world - offers a seat width that is practically the same as the 777. Since I don't see a thread complaining about the horrid coach experience on CX or QF, the response to AA seems to be an overreaction.
There are some 747 operators that may have marginally wider seats (<1/2") because of narrower armrests or aisles. It doesn't change the fact that the 747 - which operates many of the longest routes in the world - offers a seat width that is practically the same as the 777. Since I don't see a thread complaining about the horrid coach experience on CX or QF, the response to AA seems to be an overreaction.
Last edited by jamar; May 17, 2012 at 9:31 am
#242
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: AA Peon Gold
Posts: 2,915
JL and NH use 3-4-3 on domestic short-hauls. Not a problem here where almost everyone is skinny and short. The US is a totally different story.
How many 12-hour long haul flights does Ryanair operate?
If kettles aren't "worth a damn," why bother selling to them at all? Airlines are transporting kettles because it's an important market segment (probably 80% or more of all passengers). Sure the kettles are willing to tolerate more discomfort to save money, but there is certainly a threshold beyond which the discomfort will cause a backlash.
There's also a difference between selling and marketing. AA will sell a ticket to anyone, that doesn't mean they're directing marketing towards those customers.
And I don't agree that the existence of Y+ makes this a non-starter. The number of Y+ seats in AA's configuration is very small and there will certainly be a large number of elites crammed in Y-. And there will probably be many instances of elites faced with the choice of middle seat in Y+ vs. aisle in Y-. Not a pleasant choice at all.
Give that most 777s operate routes in excess of 6 hours, how many high value elites are really going to be stuck in Y-? And how many high value elites will be competing for those Y+ seats in the first place? And that's not including those that will upgrade as well via various means.
'Nuff said.
But that seems far from a guarantee that no elite or full-fare passenger is going to sit in 10-across coach.
#243
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SEA
Posts: 12,485
CX has a far better soft product than AA (contrast with PMUA- I was not a happy camper about flying them ORD-PVG on a 747 but back then I wasn't in a position to decide and my parents were a "4 engines 4 long-haul" sort of people). And, of course, their 777s are all 3-3-3.
I agree that superior service and entertainment goes a long way towards making a flight more enjoyable, even if the personal space is less, and I would certainly encourage AA to invest in those areas as it rolls out the new 777 configuration.
#244
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Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
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Posts: 102,095
CX and EK passengers and flight attendants are less likely to be obese than AA passengers or crews, so the narrower seats and/or aisles are less likely to be an issue with those airlines than with AA flights.
#245
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA LT Gold
Posts: 3,654
On AA's 2-5-2, the window rows are ok (seats A,B,H,K), because I have the aisle to lean to and my seatmate has the window to lean against, so it is manageable. Now, sit on D,E,or F on the current configuration and it feels pretty cramped, almost unbearable.
Now, bring in 3-4-3, no rows of 2's, higher chance of getting stuck in the middle AND one more seat across the row. It sounds like a horrible experience compared to the current configuration that is already tight.
That fact is that we know how 9 abreast feels like. It is reasonable to think that one more seat in the row is just going to make it worse.
#246
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SEA
Posts: 12,485
Now, bring in 3-4-3, no rows of 2's, higher chance of getting stuck in the middle AND one more seat across the row. It sounds like a horrible experience compared to the current configuration that is already tight.
That fact is that we know how 9 abreast feels like. It is reasonable to think that one more seat in the row is just going to make it worse.
That fact is that we know how 9 abreast feels like. It is reasonable to think that one more seat in the row is just going to make it worse.
American carriers also manage to fit American passengers and flight attendants on 747s without issue. Based on the feedback in this thread, I'm left with the conclusion that AA flight attendants and passengers have wider posteriors that their counterparts on DL and UA.
#247
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mostly AUS or rural England
Programs: BAEC redundant Bronze, AAdvantage Lifetime PLT, CO, WN, B6
Posts: 6,526
It seems to me that no matter the numbers, there's a fairly uniform product across 747's, 9-wide 777's and the A300/310/330/340 family. What we're talking about with the 10-wide 777's is basically putting a short haul 738/752 seat that I find uncomfortable enough after 3-4 hours, into aircraft that will be doing 15+ hour sectors.
People may be willing (should that be suckered?) into buying that, but not me, nor will I be paying extra for MCE seats that essentially restore todays standard of discomfort. So far as I'm concerned AA coach is a no-go area.
#248
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: los angeles, calif.
Programs: Alaska Airlines Gold MVP
Posts: 7,171
Aren't you lifetime Plat? You will never have to worry about sitting in Y, because you get the MCE seats for free. And a significant increase in legroom restores today's standard discomofort? Okay...
#249
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
No. There aren't enough MCE seats for that to be true. This is especially the case if you're paying a high fare by virtue of buying last minute.
#250
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No need to perpetuate a myth. The fact is that a lot of AA elites -- including even just PLTs and EXPs -- will end up in non-MCE seats in the worsening economy class section on these planes.
I have lifetime Platinum status at a minimum and it won't always or even generally spare me from being in the worsening economy class section on these planes going to 3-4-3
Last edited by GUWonder; May 17, 2012 at 2:00 pm
#251
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SEA
Posts: 12,485
I'm sorry but I've spent enough hours in the back of enough 747's operated by enough carriers to disbelieve your claim the "normal" seat is 1" narrower than that on the 777. I still don't know the origin of your claim of a 17" width.
It seems to me that no matter the numbers, there's a fairly uniform product across 747's, 9-wide 777's and the A300/310/330/340 family. What we're talking about with the 10-wide 777's is basically putting a short haul 738/752 seat that I find uncomfortable enough after 3-4 hours, into aircraft that will be doing 15+ hour sectors.
People may be willing (should that be suckered?) into buying that, but not me, nor will I be paying extra for MCE seats that essentially restore todays standard of discomfort. So far as I'm concerned AA coach is a no-go area.
It seems to me that no matter the numbers, there's a fairly uniform product across 747's, 9-wide 777's and the A300/310/330/340 family. What we're talking about with the 10-wide 777's is basically putting a short haul 738/752 seat that I find uncomfortable enough after 3-4 hours, into aircraft that will be doing 15+ hour sectors.
People may be willing (should that be suckered?) into buying that, but not me, nor will I be paying extra for MCE seats that essentially restore todays standard of discomfort. So far as I'm concerned AA coach is a no-go area.
If you find the product to be fairly uniform between the 747 and other widebody aircraft, you should have no issue with a 10-abreast 777. In fact, you should find the window seats much more comfortable than any Airbus product because the side wall is nearly vertical on the 777, giving you significantly more head and shoulder room than the steep angle on an Airbus.
#252
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: los angeles, calif.
Programs: Alaska Airlines Gold MVP
Posts: 7,171
No need to perpetuate a myth. The fact is that a lot of AA elites -- including even just PLTs and EXPs -- will end up in non-MCE seats in the worsening economy class section on these planes.
I have lifetime Platinum status at a minimum and it won't always or even generally spare me from being in the worsening economy class section on these planes going to 3-4-3
#254
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: SEA
Posts: 12,485
However, the concentration of elites is generally much, much less on long-haul international flights in Y than domestically.
#255
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 3,698
I haven't seen any data, but that seems plausible to me. However, MAH4546 asserted that a Plat would never sit in crappy Y due to the presence of MCE. That is obviously incorrect, and even without taking weird scenarios into consideration, it becomes downright likely that elites will end up in crappy seats if American actually succeeds in monetizing MCE by getting people to buy up to it.