747 - Row 1 or Row 2 ?
Jan 24, 2019, 7:08 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UK (currently)
Programs: BA Gold (and many other greater and lesser distinctions)
Posts: 7,207
747 - Row 1 or Row 2 ?
This must be the ultimate "First" world problem ......
Like most others on here, I have absorbed the FT mythology that the holy grail of BA flying is row 1 on a 747, and this view is reinforced by the fact that it is reserved for Golds.
I think that really was true in the days when the curvature at the front of the seat meant that one had some view forward when taking off and landing. That really was quite a unique thrill, esp when landing at an airport like Kai Tak. Sadly that went when the interiors were revamped, but such is progress.
On a couple of recent flights booked very much at the last minute row 1 was no longer available, so I went for row 2. I have now been 'forced' to do that on a recent overnight and a recent day flight. I actually found row 2 to be preferable on both. It felt a little roomier, and generally more spacious as one is a fair bit further away from the K seat in the same row. In row 1 one is actually quite cheek by jowl.
I have a flight on Monday with a choice of any of row 1 and 2 seats and am undecided as to whether I should claim my Gold birthright and take a row 1 seat, or follow my instincts and go for a row 2 seat.
As I say very much the ultimate "First" world problem, and not really too serious a post, but I am curious as to whether I am alone in my growing preference for row 2.
Where else could one even begin a discussion like this, other than on FT
?
Like most others on here, I have absorbed the FT mythology that the holy grail of BA flying is row 1 on a 747, and this view is reinforced by the fact that it is reserved for Golds.
I think that really was true in the days when the curvature at the front of the seat meant that one had some view forward when taking off and landing. That really was quite a unique thrill, esp when landing at an airport like Kai Tak. Sadly that went when the interiors were revamped, but such is progress.
On a couple of recent flights booked very much at the last minute row 1 was no longer available, so I went for row 2. I have now been 'forced' to do that on a recent overnight and a recent day flight. I actually found row 2 to be preferable on both. It felt a little roomier, and generally more spacious as one is a fair bit further away from the K seat in the same row. In row 1 one is actually quite cheek by jowl.
I have a flight on Monday with a choice of any of row 1 and 2 seats and am undecided as to whether I should claim my Gold birthright and take a row 1 seat, or follow my instincts and go for a row 2 seat.
As I say very much the ultimate "First" world problem, and not really too serious a post, but I am curious as to whether I am alone in my growing preference for row 2.
Where else could one even begin a discussion like this, other than on FT
?
Jan 24, 2019, 7:22 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: BA (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 1,256
You are certainly not alone. As a solo traveller I far prefer row 2 to row 1, although plenty have expressed the opposite point of view when the issue has been raised before.
I also think you are right that "reserving" row 1 for Golds gives those seats a cachet and a desirability that arguably they do not deserve. It would be interesting if BA could conduct a social experiment - perhaps by putting tapioca pudding on various dessert menus but then restricting this choice to gold cardholders. I suspect it would take a full 90 seconds before someone had started a thread dripping with outrage that as a mere Silver/Bronze/Blue they were denied the chance to take the frogspawn and were instead left with 'mere' apple pie/cheesecake/cheese selection/whatever...
I also think you are right that "reserving" row 1 for Golds gives those seats a cachet and a desirability that arguably they do not deserve. It would be interesting if BA could conduct a social experiment - perhaps by putting tapioca pudding on various dessert menus but then restricting this choice to gold cardholders. I suspect it would take a full 90 seconds before someone had started a thread dripping with outrage that as a mere Silver/Bronze/Blue they were denied the chance to take the frogspawn and were instead left with 'mere' apple pie/cheesecake/cheese selection/whatever...
Jan 24, 2019, 7:32 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
Row 2 is the place to be on BA 747 F. I cannot understand why, on FT, row 1 is so sought after when it is one of the most cramped seats in one of the most cramped F cabins around - it strikes me as very odd.
Row 1 is for the inexperienced travelers who think it is good simply because 1A/K are reserved for Golds
Row 1 is for the inexperienced travelers who think it is good simply because 1A/K are reserved for Golds
Jan 24, 2019, 7:33 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UK (currently)
Programs: BA Gold (and many other greater and lesser distinctions)
Posts: 7,207
I like the tapioca pudding analogy. This has got me wondering about something that has been puzzling me: the appearance of nettle soup on the F menu. I wonder if this an advanced social experiment, to see whether there is nothing that F passengers will not lap up in the comfort of their F seats ....
Jan 24, 2019, 7:39 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
If I were flying F solo, I would be in row 2 as well.
Jan 24, 2019, 7:42 am
#7
Join Date: Aug 2018
Programs: British Airways Executive Club, Virgin Flying Club
Posts: 154
If you've done row 1 already, I'd say go for row 2 (if solo). It's nice to tick the box on row 1 on a 747 (and the fact that no one passes your seat is great), but objectively 2 if the better row.
Jan 24, 2019, 7:54 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UK (currently)
Programs: BA Gold (and many other greater and lesser distinctions)
Posts: 7,207
I have done row 1 on a 747 at least a dozen times (probably a fair number more) over the last 25 years, so it certainly has no novelty value ! Perhaps it was bad luck that it was always available, so I never thought to try an alternative. Brainwashed until now, but now freed from the shackles of the mythology. !
Jan 24, 2019, 7:59 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: New York, NY
Programs: BAEC Gold, Delta Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, AMEX Platinum (US)
Posts: 18,486
Why Row 1 isn't as great as most people think:
-Too close to neighbour
-Too close to the wardrobe
-No dedicated overhead locker
-The curvature of the cabin really cuts into the seat area
-Buddy dining is borderline impossible unless it's with Anne Boleyn
I'll pick row 2 or 3 over row 1 if travelling alone. If travelling with an F newbie I would pick row 1 in one direction for novelty value but row 2 in the other so they can try buddy dining.
-Too close to neighbour
-Too close to the wardrobe
-No dedicated overhead locker
-The curvature of the cabin really cuts into the seat area
-Buddy dining is borderline impossible unless it's with Anne Boleyn
I'll pick row 2 or 3 over row 1 if travelling alone. If travelling with an F newbie I would pick row 1 in one direction for novelty value but row 2 in the other so they can try buddy dining.
Jan 24, 2019, 8:15 am
#11
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 100
This is interesting for someone like me who has their first First coming up in a few months. I'm travelling with my wife (neither of us have any status) and we've got 2AK reserved but I've got a reminder set to check row 1 availability when it opens up for the plebs.
Having never been up to the pointy end of a 747 before, and so only going off photos / youtube videos, row 2 looks 'better' for the amount of space but I guess, until now, I've been led by the hype surrounding row 1 to believe it is the better seat and that we should pick them if possible when they become available to us.
Its a night flight back from JFK and so our intention was to fill up in the CCR before the flight and then get some sleep, perhaps after a night cap or three, when on board.
Having never been up to the pointy end of a 747 before, and so only going off photos / youtube videos, row 2 looks 'better' for the amount of space but I guess, until now, I've been led by the hype surrounding row 1 to believe it is the better seat and that we should pick them if possible when they become available to us.
Its a night flight back from JFK and so our intention was to fill up in the CCR before the flight and then get some sleep, perhaps after a night cap or three, when on board.