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Dreamliner 787-8 / 788 Zodiac Business Seats & Reviews (master thd)

Old Apr 9, 2016, 5:10 pm
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Boeing 787-8 (788) Zodiac Concept D Business Suite Business Class Seats Selection Guide & Reviews

There were 20 787-8 Dreamliners at the end of 2018, now gradually expanding to 42 total 788s in the AA fleet.

This thread is dedicated to discussion of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with Zodiac Concept D Business Suite Business class seating and service

For the 787-9, see Boeing 787-9 / 789: Business (Rockwell Collins (ne B/E) Super Diamond Seat, Service (master thd)

The 787-8 offers 20 modified Zodiac "Concept D" Business Suite all aisle access "podded" seats in 1-2-1 with back to back seating in the center pairs, and alternating front and rear facing window seats. They are said to be 21-26" wide, and have 60-61" pitch upright in pods with full aisle access and 77" in the horizontal "bed" position. True AVOD offering up to 250 movies, 160 TV shows, 13 radio channels, 375 albums and 20 games, is offered via cabled handset controllers to large flat touch screens. Power offered is 110 VAC via universal plugs and 5 VDC USB. Bose QuietComfort headsets with noise reduction are provided (picked up about one hour prior to arrival). Ku-Band satellite WiFi is offered for sale.

The Dreamliner "big sister" model (22 787-9, first in service September 2016, has Collins (ne B/E Aerospace) Super Diamond Solo seats that largely avoid the Zodiac problems, is the "big sister"). The second batch of 787-8s (787T) differ from the first batch and are fitted with Collins Super Diamond seats.

Zodiac "Concept D Business Suite" seats connected "at the head" are affected by movement from the seat they are connected to, often referred to on FT as "motion over the ocean". The Business seats that are unconnected and stable in 787-8 J are 1D&H, 5A&L.

Remedial seat stability fix announced 9 Oct 2016 by John Walton, Runway Girl Network (link)

"Jay Mapston, Americans manager of onboard products, cabin design, spoke to Runway Girl Network with praiseworthy candor about the airlines current situation and plans. To start, Mapston explains the 787-8 fleets (Zodiac) Concept D (Business Suite) will see remedial stability work to fix the much-discussed issue where the seats shake when an adjoining passenger moves."

As of July 2019, no such fix has been put in place. The seat modification has to be designed, submitted to the FAA for certification (STC) and approved, the parts manufactured and seats modified. Normally, the seat manufacturer would do this, but as AA terminated the Zodiac contract for failure to perform. Its anyones guess when and if a fix is forthcoming.

AA canceled the contract with Zodiac for inability to comply with scheduled delivery times, causing seatless Dreamliners to sit out availability idled in the desert and causing considerable delay for the 777-200ER refurbishment. The seats were NOT used for the 787-9 nor more than half the 47 aircraft 772 fleet, and it is likely the newly ordered 788s will be equipped with Super Diamond Seats.
Due to the modifications AA required of Zodiac for these seats, there are some peculiarities reported:
  • Many seats are interlaced with others - passenger in one moves, the linked seat moves. "Motion over the ocean" is induced by the partner seat attached at the head,
  • Forward facing seats may have more restricted shoulder room / width when flat than aft facing
  • Middle seat privacy dividers were balky and continually slipped into the retracted position, so they were "fixed" in place so they are not passenger operable. Apparently crew fixes them in several configurations: all up, making them great for privacy but nearly impossible for couples wanting to share conversation; all down, making for lower privacy; facing forward up, facing aft down. Some aircraft have them repaired and passenger operable, some not.
  • Rows 1 and 2 center seats have no overhead bins; they were displaced by the crew rest area in the fore fuselage crown.
  • 1A and L are close to lav and galley.
  • Many prefer seats 5A or L as they are unaffected by other seats / passenger movement in seats.
  • 5A and 5L have one window, rather than two.

Link to photos taken by SFO777 here, from his trip on AA2320 DFW-ORD 07:10 - 09:36 Inaugural flight, shared with 68 FlyerTalkers.
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Dreamliner 787-8 / 788 Zodiac Business Seats & Reviews (master thd)

Old Jan 2, 2018, 2:15 am
  #451  
 
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Originally Posted by Mchudacoff
Flew PVG-ORD on 1-1-18. Had seat 1H and was notified prior to boarding that the seat had lost power and would be unable to move mechanically. They assured me that a FA would be able to manually put it into sleep configuration. Turns out that was not possible either and I was forced to sit in Take-Off/Landing position for the entire 14 hour journey. AA provided me with a $500 voucher prior to boarding but this seems quite inadequate. Has this ever happened to anyone?
I had a similar situation MAD-MEX on Iberia on an AA Award ticket. Except I was not warned in advance. To add insult to injury, I was served no food or beverage the entire flight because the FAs claimed that passengers must have a light on (for liability reasons), in order to consume food on their aircraft. Obviously, I complained to AA. At first they wanted to refund just the difference between Business and Main Cabin, i.e. charge me the Coach price for a non-working biz seat. I wrote back that, if offered a Business Class seat at coach price, except you're sitting sitting bolt upright in the dark for the entire journey with no food or drink, I would not purchase that seat at any price. Then they wanted to pro-rate the refund, because the MEX-DFW-SAT portion (in domestic FC) was fine. I replied that if offered a ticket MAD-MEX-DFW-SAT, except the overseas portion was totally miserable in the dark, with no IFE, no food or beverage, no warning in advance, no recline, etc ... I would not buy that ticket at any price.

AA refunded _every_ last mile redeemed for the (one-way) ticket.
JDiver and swingaling like this.
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Old Feb 5, 2018, 1:06 pm
  #452  
 
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I had my first experience with these Zodiac J seats yesterday, and found them to be quite narrow with a dearth of storage space.

Positives included that the divider was movable from up to down position, and I failed to notice any movement from the large guy behind me in row 2. (Somewhat humorously, when I mentioned this to my wife, she said she could feel my movement in the seat next to her in middle).

Another positive was that movement from seat to aisle was more easily accomplished from lie-flat/recline position compared to the 772 J seats.
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Old Feb 5, 2018, 10:58 pm
  #453  
 
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Originally Posted by 747FC
I had my first experience with these Zodiac J seats yesterday, and found them to be quite narrow with a dearth of storage space.

Positives included that the divider was movable from up to down position, and I failed to notice any movement from the large guy behind me in row 2. (Somewhat humorously, when I mentioned this to my wife, she said she could feel my movement in the seat next to her in middle).

Another positive was that movement from seat to aisle was more easily accomplished from lie-flat/recline position compared to the 772 J seats.
Which seat were you in?
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Old Feb 5, 2018, 11:00 pm
  #454  
 
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Originally Posted by jcatman
Which seat were you in?
3D
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Old Feb 22, 2018, 11:22 am
  #455  
 
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Wondering if there's any news on the movement or dividers in these airplanes? Or the time frame when they might be reducing the number of seats?

I have 6A and 7A reserved for DFW-PEK, but now I'm a little worried that they're going to take that mini cabin away (but I'm not sure about the time frame on that) so I'm wondering if I should just go back to the center rear-facing pair in row 3. Heads together and the rear-facing looks nice with the table cocoons. If there's a chance we can't both be in unattached seats maybe it makes sense to try to at least be next to each other so we can enjoy our first business class experience together... Does anyone think that there is any chance that the divider will go down on that seat pair?

Not sure what the best thing to do is with all the unknowns...
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Old Feb 22, 2018, 1:04 pm
  #456  
 
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Watched them move up and down in rows 6 and 7 a couple days ago flying from SCL. Was in 3 going to SCL and it was down when we got on. Did not try to move it.
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Old Feb 22, 2018, 1:35 pm
  #457  
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Flew in 7A to and from PVG last week. Great seat! On the way out I was the only one in the mini cabin so it was very spacious. Not enough storage space though--
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Old Feb 22, 2018, 3:42 pm
  #458  
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Originally Posted by buckybadger
Wondering if there's any news on the movement or dividers in these airplanes? Or the time frame when they might be reducing the number of seats?

I have 6A and 7A reserved for DFW-PEK, but now I'm a little worried that they're going to take that mini cabin away (but I'm not sure about the time frame on that) so I'm wondering if I should just go back to the center rear-facing pair in row 3. Heads together and the rear-facing looks nice with the table cocoons. If there's a chance we can't both be in unattached seats maybe it makes sense to try to at least be next to each other so we can enjoy our first business class experience together... Does anyone think that there is any chance that the divider will go down on that seat pair?

Not sure what the best thing to do is with all the unknowns...
It may be some of the dividers have been repaired. If its merely that, probably no need for an STC from the FAA, unlike the seat structure support / track modifications.
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Old Feb 23, 2018, 5:51 am
  #459  
 
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Feeling generous and swapped my usual favorite 6L for 5L last night so some people could sit together. Reminded me how much I prefer 6L. Much quieter, darker, more private. And, for a broad shouldered 65 person, there really is more shoulder space in 6L.
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Old Mar 13, 2018, 11:20 am
  #460  
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I've got an upcoming daytime flight from LHR to ORD on the 788, travelling with my OH. Currently in 1L/2L. After having read a couple of the reviews I wonder whether it makes more sense to go for rows 6 and 7 (window seats).

Has AA commenced with the fixes they promised yet or not? The mini cabin is maybe more private, but might be bothersome due to the proximity to Economy?
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Old Mar 13, 2018, 12:46 pm
  #461  
 
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Originally Posted by florens
Has AA commenced with the fixes they promised yet or not?
There are no official updates or announcements that they have fixed the seat-motion issues, no.
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Old Mar 13, 2018, 1:43 pm
  #462  
 
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Originally Posted by florens
I've got an upcoming daytime flight from LHR to ORD on the 788, travelling with my OH. Currently in 1L/2L. After having read a couple of the reviews I wonder whether it makes more sense to go for rows 6 and 7 (window seats).

Has AA commenced with the fixes they promised yet or not? The mini cabin is maybe more private, but might be bothersome due to the proximity to Economy?
My preferred seats would be 6 and 7. 6L being my favorite seat on AAs 788. I find the mini cabin to be more quiet and have less light than the first row or two of J.

AA flight crews can sometimes be chatty in the galley. Plus the lights from the galley make it harder to sleep. People from economy rarely move the curtain to come into the mini cabin in my experiences.

Having the non connected seats in 6 and 7 (window sides only) is a no brainer in my book.
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Old Apr 2, 2018, 12:46 am
  #463  
 
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Been through the entire thread. Done as much research as I can. We will be flying from ORD to LHR on this plane. My choices (for forward facing) are 5AL vs 7AL. Leaning towards 7AL (no pun intended) but still no decision. Any other thoughts?
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Old Apr 4, 2018, 11:11 am
  #464  
 
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Originally Posted by talkandfly
Been through the entire thread. Done as much research as I can. We will be flying from ORD to LHR on this plane. My choices (for forward facing) are 5AL vs 7AL. Leaning towards 7AL (no pun intended) but still no decision. Any other thoughts?
Recently flew 6A on an around the world mileage run. The only time the seat felt different was on take off. It was cool being able to look down as the plane climbed. Other than that, flight experience felt the same, and definitely better than 2 rows further back.
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Old Apr 7, 2018, 4:25 pm
  #465  
 
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Originally Posted by AlwaysSunnyInORD


My preferred seats would be 6 and 7. 6L being my favorite seat on AAs 788. I find the mini cabin to be more quiet and have less light than the first row or two of J.

AA flight crews can sometimes be chatty in the galley. Plus the lights from the galley make it harder to sleep. People from economy rarely move the curtain to come into the mini cabin in my experiences.

Having the non connected seats in 6 and 7 (window sides only) is a no brainer in my book.
Flown this aircraft a number of times always in 5A or 5L except for one time I was in 2L and the "motion over the ocean" is very very noticeable. On my last short notice trip I had to take 6A, you can hear the vacuum of the flushing toilet as your head is next to the lav wall so in the mini cabin seems like row 7 is better.
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