Sep 1, 2013, 4:03 am
Last edit by: Prospero
MMB/Expertflyer Aircraft Code: 388
Upper deck
Main deck
Summarizing based on comments thus far:
First
This post shows the seat map and individual seat ratings for First:
First Cabin A380 Seat Ratings
In order of rating:
Club World Upper deck
Club World Main Deck
World Traveller Plus Upper Deck
Photos: courtesy of PETER01
World Traveller Upper Deck
World Traveller Main Deck
Upper deck
Main deck
Summarizing based on comments thus far:
First
This post shows the seat map and individual seat ratings for First:
First Cabin A380 Seat Ratings
In order of rating:
- 2 A/K
- 1 A/K
- 3 A/K
- 2 E/F
- 3 E/F
- 4 E/F
- 4 A/K
Club World Upper deck
- 50AB and 50JK: the B and J seats don’t have anyone climbing over them. There’s nothing else ahead of these seats, so this area should be fairly quiet. However, the A and K seats ... would have to lean forward a long way to look out of the single window serving this row. Good if you like having a very private space and don’t mind stepping over someone to get out. Bad if you like looking out of the window.
- 50J for longest bed is the best. However, you only have a curtain between you and the stairs and right hand side forward loo. Should be okay but might be noisy. Partial barrier around feet.
- 51D and 51F: no half barrier either so very good for tall people and first row of CW cabin so good for food and ease of access to loo without any galley.
- 53AB and 53JK: the window seats have direct aisle access, so in theory these would be a lot like 64A and 64K on the 744. Unfortunately, potentially noisy.
- 56B has a bit of extra length but also a partial barrier.
- 59AB and 59JK: the window seats here also have direct aisle access. However, as others have mentioned, because the CW and WT+ cabins partly overlap at this point, these seats (and particularly the heads of the 59B and 59J passengers) are directly in line with the WT+ centre bulkhead bassinets, so possible noise concerns if baby behind. You can see the close proximity in the photo above for 60 DEF
- Middle seats: since there's only a single middle seat, it's rather nice and isolated and private, at least while the dividers are up. When dividers go down it's face to face with your seatmates to the left and right. Couples who are using a middle seat will probably be better off choosing EF rather than DE, because the extra space to the right hand side of the E seat means the E and F seats are closer together.
Club World Main Deck
- 10J definitely winner for the most length but partial barrier around feet and galley noise may be an issue. However, also first to get food!
- 10A and 10K for window seats only. The rest have absolutely NO view as the wing is massive and all you see is reflecting Silver and a lot of flex!
- There is a reported experience from 13AB of in-flight vibration and resonances which were enough to disturb sleep.
- Avoid 15AB and 15JK due to proximity to the two loos that are right beside and behind this seat. (CW loo behind 15B and 15J, WT loo beside these seats although behind a curtain, near continuous use!)
- General note: due to the curvature of the fuselage, the window seats on the main deck have a greater gap between the seat and cabin wall than the equivalent upper deck seats, thus providing more wiggle room for your legs and toes.
World Traveller Plus Upper Deck
Photos: courtesy of PETER01
- Bulkhead seats: The legroom in the bulkhead rows of 60DEF, 61AB and 61JK is fairly good, but I’m not sure that I would take these for a night flight as you can still get closer to horizontal in the rows behind. If that’s your favoured sleeping position, the absence of leg-rests in those rows won’t matter too much.
- Row 67: The quietness of the aircraft will mean that the toilets at the aft of the WT+ cabin are much more likely to be disturbing in this area (particularly to 67AB, 67DEF, 67JK and 68DEF) than, say, to 15AB on a mid-J 744.
World Traveller Upper Deck
- Centre block bulkheads 70DEFG and 80DEFG have tables in fixed armrests, as one would expect. This noticeably constricts the width of the seat. The armrest between D and E is a conventional lift-up armrest – so if choosing these rows, D and E are better than F and G. Another thing about these bulkhead rows, which are in line with the exits, and the adjacent exit rows (70AB, 70JK, 80AB and 80JK), is that there is a noticeable hissing noise from the slipstream.
- 80D and 80E are the same and could be great for space or for couples that want to lift the armrest during the flight to get closer or sleep.
- Rear cabin: any WT seat in rows 80 to 83 would be very nice indeed as long as: there is not a stag group pissing it up here when you want to sleep! Apparently, they may offer this cabin to groups so need to be a bit careful in selecting this exclusive cabin. Also, there is noticeable galley noise in this rear cabin, and it gets worse the further aft you get.
World Traveller Main Deck
- 25D is the throne seat on the Main Deck in WT. (no seat in front of them).
BA Airbus A380: Which are the best seats? Master discussion thread
Jan 29, 2023, 11:10 am
#2161
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Cambridgeshire
Programs: Varies
Posts: 1,297
If seated in the two middle seats in First Class, and want to buddy-dine with your companion, how do you cross over to the other aisle?
Do you walk in front of 2E & F, or do you walk behind the stairs ? Forgive my ignorance, but I've not been in First on a 380, and it may help me decide on the best seats for us.
We're currently in 3A and 4A, which I picked for the ease of getting up and chatting to each other and buddy-dining etc. 2E & F are available, but despite reports that these are the best seats for a couple, it looks like you're actually quite distant from each other and it doesn't look easy to chat. And you'd have to walk round to the other aisle, which obviously isn't far but you might want to do it several times.
Also, if we moved to 2E & F, I'm concerned about people from the rows behind walking in front of our seats to cross to the other aisle.
Of course, we could just communicate with each other the way we usually do at home, via Telegram
Do you walk in front of 2E & F, or do you walk behind the stairs ? Forgive my ignorance, but I've not been in First on a 380, and it may help me decide on the best seats for us.
We're currently in 3A and 4A, which I picked for the ease of getting up and chatting to each other and buddy-dining etc. 2E & F are available, but despite reports that these are the best seats for a couple, it looks like you're actually quite distant from each other and it doesn't look easy to chat. And you'd have to walk round to the other aisle, which obviously isn't far but you might want to do it several times.
Also, if we moved to 2E & F, I'm concerned about people from the rows behind walking in front of our seats to cross to the other aisle.
Of course, we could just communicate with each other the way we usually do at home, via Telegram
Jan 29, 2023, 11:15 am
#2162
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,968
There is no passing between aisles in the cabin itself. Options are to go forward and cross where doors 1 are (where the straits are) or go backwards and go across in the galley. Going forwards is far easier.
if you are not bothered about window seats, I would pick the two middle ones.
if you are not bothered about window seats, I would pick the two middle ones.
Jan 29, 2023, 12:05 pm
#2163
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Cambridgeshire
Programs: Varies
Posts: 1,297
There is no passing between aisles in the cabin itself. Options are to go forward and cross where doors 1 are (where the straits are) or go backwards and go across in the galley. Going forwards is far easier.
if you are not bothered about window seats, I would pick the two middle ones.
if you are not bothered about window seats, I would pick the two middle ones.
Jan 30, 2023, 4:41 pm
#2164
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 37
Flying back from LA in WTP on A380 for the first time. I am traveling on my own and not sure if it is worth paying nearly £70 for seat selection there are still a couple of window seats left in row 66 & 67 the other seats available are all the middle row seats.
Its a night flight and would usually opt for a window seat however the bins on the side means you cant rest agains the wall? The bins are useful for day flights and in CW like the upper-deck 747. So potentially to just have an aisle seat in the middle section and hope no one sits in the middle seat.
Any advice? Only see F & CW discussions
Its a night flight and would usually opt for a window seat however the bins on the side means you cant rest agains the wall? The bins are useful for day flights and in CW like the upper-deck 747. So potentially to just have an aisle seat in the middle section and hope no one sits in the middle seat.
Any advice? Only see F & CW discussions
Jan 31, 2023, 7:56 am
#2165
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 10,155
Flying back from LA in WTP on A380 for the first time. I am traveling on my own and not sure if it is worth paying nearly £70 for seat selection there are still a couple of window seats left in row 66 & 67 the other seats available are all the middle row seats.
Its a night flight and would usually opt for a window seat however the bins on the side means you cant rest agains the wall? The bins are useful for day flights and in CW like the upper-deck 747. So potentially to just have an aisle seat in the middle section and hope no one sits in the middle seat.
Any advice? Only see F & CW discussions
Its a night flight and would usually opt for a window seat however the bins on the side means you cant rest agains the wall? The bins are useful for day flights and in CW like the upper-deck 747. So potentially to just have an aisle seat in the middle section and hope no one sits in the middle seat.
Any advice? Only see F & CW discussions
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21623505-post129.html
Pete
Last edited by PETER01; Jan 31, 2023 at 8:06 am
Jan 31, 2023, 3:16 pm
#2167
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 10,155
You can get into the aisle without the other person getting up, I certainly have in the past. They'd probably have to move their feet in but its certainly doable.
Feb 1, 2023, 10:12 am
#2168
Join Date: Apr 2022
Posts: 83
While we'll miss enjoying some predeparture champagne together, we did find it a bit difficult to dine together even in the center two seats. For us, it felt more special when we dined together on Cathay First (777 had only 1 - 1 - 1 layout so we "had to" dine together) vs. just sitting side by side. From some YouTube videos I've watched, it looks like the window pods are quite a bit bigger than the center pods, so we're hoping it'll be plenty comfortable to dine together face to face in 2A for dinner. After that, the plan is to sleep until we land, and grab breakfast in the Arrivals Lounge.
But we went back and forth on 2A / 3A vs. 2E / 2F for quite a bit! LOL Coming back to Dallas, we're on IB and have the "honeymoon suites", so that played into our thinking too. The IB flight back will be plenty of "together time" for us! LOL So we decided to go with window seats on the BA A380.
Either way, I bet we'll both have a great flight!
Last edited by DFW1003; Feb 1, 2023 at 10:53 am Reason: added a final thought
Feb 1, 2023, 10:47 am
#2169
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Cambridgeshire
Programs: Varies
Posts: 1,297
We have our first BA A380 flight in First coming up in July from DFW to LHR. My partner and I usually choose the two center seats (3 times on the 777, once on 747 in row 3 which were not very private, and also once on 727 in 1A and 1K, which was fun!). I originally had us in 3E / 3F for our trip in July, but decided to change us to 2A / 3A, just last week.
While we'll miss enjoying some predeparture champagne together, we did find it a bit difficult to dine together even in the center two seats. For us, it felt more special when we dined together on Cathay First (777 had only 1 - 1 - 1 layout so we "had to" dine together) vs. just sitting side by side. From some YouTube videos I've watched, it looks like the window pods are quite a bit bigger than the center pods, so we're hoping it'll be plenty comfortable to dine together face to face in 2A for dinner. After that, the plan is to sleep until we land, and grab breakfast in the Arrivals Lounge.
But we went back and forth on 2A / 3A vs. 3E / 3F for quite a bit! LOL Coming back to Dallas, we're on IB and have the "honeymoon suites", so that played into our thinking too. The IB flight back will be plenty of "together time" for us! LOL So we decided to go with window seats on the BA A380.
Either way, I bet we'll both have a great flight!
While we'll miss enjoying some predeparture champagne together, we did find it a bit difficult to dine together even in the center two seats. For us, it felt more special when we dined together on Cathay First (777 had only 1 - 1 - 1 layout so we "had to" dine together) vs. just sitting side by side. From some YouTube videos I've watched, it looks like the window pods are quite a bit bigger than the center pods, so we're hoping it'll be plenty comfortable to dine together face to face in 2A for dinner. After that, the plan is to sleep until we land, and grab breakfast in the Arrivals Lounge.
But we went back and forth on 2A / 3A vs. 3E / 3F for quite a bit! LOL Coming back to Dallas, we're on IB and have the "honeymoon suites", so that played into our thinking too. The IB flight back will be plenty of "together time" for us! LOL So we decided to go with window seats on the BA A380.
Either way, I bet we'll both have a great flight!
If we go, that is - it's beginning to look uncertain, and this is the THIRD attempt to use this companion voucher that expires in just over 3 weeks time.
But yes, if we go before you do I'll try and provide some feedback. I may find that not having a window makes me feel a bit claustrophobic, but my other half really does want to sit side-by-side so I'm pleased 2E&F were available.
Mar 15, 2023, 7:56 am
#2171
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Silver, IHG Gold
Posts: 454
In terms of WT service, on the upper deck how many crew manage the WT sections? Is there some for the larger section and some for the smaller section or do the same crew cover both sections? In other words, if sitting in the very back smaller section, is service going to be much later given the larger section ahead?
Mar 15, 2023, 8:11 am
#2172
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
In terms of WT service, on the upper deck how many crew manage the WT sections? Is there some for the larger section and some for the smaller section or do the same crew cover both sections? In other words, if sitting in the very back smaller section, is service going to be much later given the larger section ahead?
Also note that even on late night departures, BA would serve an aperitif + drink before the main meal so it is likely to take 1h30-2h after takeoff for trays to be cleared after the first meal service. If you are planning to maximize sleep by any chance, select a seat at the lower deck front cabin where the service would be faster since the crew there does only handle WT and they don't have WTP duty.
Mar 15, 2023, 8:19 am
#2173
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Silver, IHG Gold
Posts: 454
Thanks. I usually do prefer the upstairs on the A380 but will consider your points. My better half is quite tall and we are unsure whether it's worth booking the exit rows on the upper deck. Would prefer the 2-3-2 layout just for some resemblance of privacy. I've done long haul in the regular seats myself but I can see on this thread there isn't much in the way of praise for booking an exit seat for the leg room for comfort.
Mar 15, 2023, 2:13 pm
#2174
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Plat Lumo, SK Gold
Posts: 954
In terms of WT service, on the upper deck how many crew manage the WT sections? Is there some for the larger section and some for the smaller section or do the same crew cover both sections? In other words, if sitting in the very back smaller section, is service going to be much later given the larger section ahead?
On my outbound I was on BA 55 (departs LHR 18:20) and both the pre-dinner drinks and the actual dinner were served relatively quickly. I came back on BA 54 (departs JNB 22:15) and there we had a fantastic dinner service in the minicabin. There were no pre-dinner drinks, but the meal service started right after takeoff. After the trolleys had gone to the front, one FA stayed in the minicabin and served us dinner straight from the galley (felt like First Class). For drinks (other than the water bottle coming with the dinner tray) we had to wait for the trolleys to come, although one gentleman went to the galley himself to get some wine. I had finished my meal before the drink trolleys arrived, but I was asleep within an hour of takeoff.
Last edited by r2d2; Mar 15, 2023 at 2:19 pm
Mar 15, 2023, 6:10 pm
#2175
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
Programs: KLM, BA Silver, Etihad
Posts: 918
Buddy dined on the way out but didn’t bother on the return. Yes you have to be sitting up to chat in the middle seats but as you are eating you would be anyway.
The main decision point for me was that in the way out it was daytime so I fancied the window whilst the return was night so went for the middle.
Happy on both legs so don’t worry