Sep 1, 2013, 4:03 am

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

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:

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

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Mar 23, 2024, 11:47 am

#2311

sfvoyage

Join Date: Aug 2002

Location: San Francisco

Posts: 2,349

Quote:

Originally Posted by LCSinTexas

If you look in the WiKi for this thread there is a pretty good explanation of the Club World on the upper level. Take a look to see if that helps clarify. If not, please come back with any remaining questions and we will help you.

Some seats have partial or half barriers - what and where are these barriers?

Mar 23, 2024, 1:16 pm

#2312

LCSinTexas

Join Date: Sep 2014

Location: DFW or GOT or...

Programs: BA Silver, Marriott GFL

Posts: 819

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfvoyage

Some seats have partial or half barriers - what and where are these barriers?

I think I understand, but please correct me if I am wrong. -
I did a bit of sketching on a layout, I marked some footstools with red arrows, some of the partitions between travellers in white (they go up and down), and the green arrow shows what route one would take if sitting in a non-aisle seat, for example, if seated in the A seat, you would need to step over the feet of the person in the B seat in the row behind yours...

If this picture does not help, please try to explain further where you see partial or full partition, and I´ll try to do better.
LcS

Mar 23, 2024, 3:55 pm

#2313

sfvoyage

Join Date: Aug 2002

Location: San Francisco

Posts: 2,349

Quote:

Originally Posted by LCSinTexas

If this picture does not help, please try to explain further where you see partial or full partition, and I´ll try to do better.
LcS

Thanks for this. I was reading the wiki, and the following bullet points make a reference to partial or half barrier, and so I was wondering what those are...

Club World Upper deck

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.
56B has a bit of extra length but also a partial barrier.

Mar 23, 2024, 4:34 pm

#2314

marks7389

Join Date: Feb 2009

Programs: BA Exec Club

Posts: 504

Here's a picture of 50B.

https://images.app.goo.gl/D7xtuy4AZpaFoqsK9

As there's no seat in front of it, in theory you can stretch out further. However, as you can see the footstool has a surround (the barrier) that makes that difficult in practice.

It makes little difference unless you are particularly tall - the main benefit of the seats mentioned is that no-one will be climbing over your legs

Mar 23, 2024, 5:17 pm

#2315

sfvoyage

Join Date: Aug 2002

Location: San Francisco

Posts: 2,349

I read somewhere that behind 53F is a service lift which is noisy. Is that true?

My partner is in 53E. Should I switch from 53F to 53D because of this noise issue?

Mar 24, 2024, 4:08 am

#2316

Dino55

Join Date: Aug 2017

Posts: 75

Please what does it mean "78" z-bed"?
https://www.aerolopa.com/ba-38a
How can I set up this position on a BA A380?

Mar 24, 2024, 4:35 am

#2317

Prospero

Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel

Join Date: Jan 2003

Location: London, UK

Posts: 22,213

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dino55

Please what does it mean "78" z-bed"?
https://www.aerolopa.com/ba-38a
How can I set up this position on a BA A380?

This is BA’s wording which describes it quite well

”The length of the seat is 6ft (182.9cm), but the seat also reclines into what is called the “Z” position, which extends the seat to 6ft 6 inches (198cm). This position supports the legs and lower back in a similar way as a sun lounger”

Setting the seat into the Z position is quite simple. Pivot the footstool upward so it is vertical, then gently push it downward. Once it is as low as it will go, pivot the stool so it rests at an angle, then recline the seat. It’s very comfortable and a feature I miss with the new seats.

Dino55 likes this.

Mar 24, 2024, 10:15 am

#2318

sfvoyage

Join Date: Aug 2002

Location: San Francisco

Posts: 2,349

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prospero

Setting the seat into the Z position is quite simple. Pivot the footstool upward so it is vertical, then gently push it downward. Once it is as low as it will go, pivot the stool so it rests at an angle, then recline the seat. It’s very comfortable and a feature I miss with the new seats.

Is there a video somewhere showing how this is done?

( I searched on YouTube but only saw several general videos on BA A380 business class.)

Dino55 likes this.

Last edited by sfvoyage; Mar 24, 2024 at 10:51 am

Mar 29, 2024, 5:45 am

#2319

Flying456

Join Date: Jan 2017

Posts: 21

Which seat A380

Hi

I've booked 4 Club World seats (myself and 3 kids) flying LHR to IAD in August 2024. Can I check if the seats will have been renovated to the suite by then ? It's BA 293 which I think is an A380. Would you recommend the upper deck or lower deck ?

Thanks

Mar 29, 2024, 5:51 am

#2320

surryson

Join Date: Jul 2011

Programs: BA Exec Club Gold, *G, EK Skywards Silver

Posts: 1,020

No they won’t be Club Suites

etiene likes this.

Apr 16, 2024, 1:14 am

#2321

GentleGiant

Join Date: Sep 2007

Programs: AA, BA, Accor, Honors Diamond, IHG Diamond Elite and lots more....

Posts: 2,972

Am I right in saying that 53 A&B are best for a couple whilst having a window?

Stepping over others might be an issue.

Aircraft has changed and was unaware.

Had previously booked row 11

Apr 16, 2024, 4:11 am

#2322

gustavmahler

Join Date: Feb 2011

Location: London

Programs: BA Silver, ZSL Silver

Posts: 2,552

Quote:

Originally Posted by GentleGiant

Am I right in saying that 53 A&B are best for a couple whilst having a window?

Stepping over others might be an issue.

Aircraft has changed and was unaware.

Had previously booked row 11

53 and 59 AB/JK are good for couples and have aisle access from the window seats. Both are upper deck and so have side bins and are in smaller cabins than the main deck. 53 is closer to the galley so may be a bit louder, whereas 59 is right by WTP so you can see into WTP if in the window seats before they close the curtain. Both rows are excellent for couples, though.

Apr 18, 2024, 1:43 pm

#2323

Shingi

Join Date: Jan 2007

Location: Home Counties, UK

Programs: BA Silver

Posts: 539

Quote:

Originally Posted by GentleGiant

Am I right in saying that 53 A&B are best for a couple whilst having a window?

Stepping over others might be an issue.

Aircraft has changed and was unaware.

Had previously booked row 11

Our trips on the 380 are always over nighters to JNB
and I usually choose 53A/B but there can be quite a bit of noise for a fair time after the meal service with lots of banging and crashing with carts being stored and crew chattering. I noticed it especially so last month and I think I will choose 51A/B in future. We have sat in row 50 once but I was really cold, there seemed to be a draft coming through the curtains for the entire flight. However, on a day flight I would definitely choose 53/A/B/J/K.