SFO-ICN vs. LAX-ICN

Old Jul 3, 2017, 10:13 am
  #1  
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SFO-ICN vs. LAX-ICN

Based in SFO but when booked award availability was only through LAX. Good news is that it is not only my girlfriend's first time in J but she was really excited to fly on the upper deck on the 380.

Schedule change now gives us 1h 20 min. to transfer from UA to OZ at LAX.

In the meantime, award availability for SFO has opened up. It looks like this is usually flown by a 772.

1. Girlfriend strongly prefers trying the 380 - how is J on the 777?
2. I'm worried about connection time (SFO lol) - how long from T7/8 to Bradley @ LAX? (assuming no fog in SFO )
3. How likely is it to have the LAX flight swapped out anyway?
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Old Jul 3, 2017, 10:55 am
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Originally Posted by gregcw
Based in SFO but when booked award availability was only through LAX. Good news is that it is not only my girlfriend's first time in J but she was really excited to fly on the upper deck on the 380.

Schedule change now gives us 1h 20 min. to transfer from UA to OZ at LAX.

In the meantime, award availability for SFO has opened up. It looks like this is usually flown by a 772.

1. Girlfriend strongly prefers trying the 380 - how is J on the 777?
2. I'm worried about connection time (SFO lol) - how long from T7/8 to Bradley @ LAX? (assuming no fog in SFO )
3. How likely is it to have the LAX flight swapped out anyway?
1:20 connection at LAX is not sufficient. You need to change that. It is a very high risk of a miss due to ATC at SFO (where's my inbound aircraft?) and gate crowding at LAX. I would not book less than 3 hours for that connection (and prefer more).

The 772 from SFO is the same J seat as the 380 unless they swap in the non QS variant, which I think does still occur from time to time (correct me if that's wrong). The 380 is a quieter ride and has a coolness factor not present with the 772.
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Old Jul 3, 2017, 3:08 pm
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Originally Posted by gregcw
Based in SFO but when booked award availability was only through LAX. Good news is that it is not only my girlfriend's first time in J but she was really excited to fly on the upper deck on the 380.

Schedule change now gives us 1h 20 min. to transfer from UA to OZ at LAX.

In the meantime, award availability for SFO has opened up. It looks like this is usually flown by a 772.

1. Girlfriend strongly prefers trying the 380 - how is J on the 777?
2. I'm worried about connection time (SFO lol) - how long from T7/8 to Bradley @ LAX? (assuming no fog in SFO )
3. How likely is it to have the LAX flight swapped out anyway?
When is the flight? SFO-ICN will be operated by A350 starting sometime in August, which may add some excitement and novelty to the flying experience
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Old Jul 3, 2017, 3:41 pm
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Originally Posted by alfrie
When is the flight? SFO-ICN will be operated by A350 starting sometime in August, which may add some excitement and novelty to the flying experience
Thanks for both your help, I actually just got off the phone.

She's a bit bummed, but we're on the upper deck on the 747 on the way back and we'll be in the brand new A359 on the way there so I'm excited
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Old Jul 3, 2017, 3:56 pm
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Originally Posted by gregcw
we're on the upper deck on the 747 on the way back and we'll be in the brand new A359 on the way there so I'm excited
UA 744?

359 should be really nice. Good call on avoiding the LAX connection.
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Old Jul 3, 2017, 5:44 pm
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Originally Posted by Kacee
UA 744?

359 should be really nice. Good call on avoiding the LAX connection.
So far CA. I see a ton of mixed opinions on their J class so am keeping an eye open for availability. Any thoughts?
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Old Jul 3, 2017, 7:13 pm
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One thing you should be aware of on OZ's A350 is that there are no overhead bins in the center area in J. There are only overhead bins on the sides. It should not be an issue because there are not that many seats. Also the seats on the side do not have the small storage bins like they do on the A380.

The actual seats in J are the same in the A380 and A350. But the alignment of the seat between the side and middle seats are different. In the A380, the seats are offset so a passenger is not directly across from another passenger. In the A350, all the seats, side-middle-side, are in the same row. I feel that the arrangement in the A380 gives more feeling of privacy over the A350, especially if you are sitting closest to the window.

If you are flying the OZ 744 to ICN, the upper deck is very good. Seats are not the Business Smartium, but the upper deck is an experience not to be missed! Legroom is outstanding and with only a few passengers upstairs you feel like a member of an exclusive club.
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Old Jul 4, 2017, 10:35 pm
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Originally Posted by gregcw
So far CA. I see a ton of mixed opinions on their J class so am keeping an eye open for availability. Any thoughts?
No first hand experience. But I'd keep looking for something better just to avoid the China transfer and the risk that CA cancels your award.
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Old Jul 10, 2017, 10:22 pm
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I'd still try via LAX for the A380 but you must get a connection that's longer than 1hr 20 minutes. Plus, the star alliance lounge at LAX is pretty darn cool.

Second, the 777 get's switched out to the older, angled seat version every once in awhile. Watch out for that.

A350 is cool tho.

Avoid CA at all costs.
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