ExpatExp

When flying in F, it goes without saying that I am the one who makes the journey from my comfortable seat over to Miss ExpatExp's footstool for the meal. It is not a comfortable place to sit but the pleasure of dining together outweighs the need for comfort.

I am told by those older and wiser that eventually we will appreciate the break from one another during the flight but so far this has not happened yet.

I realise the question above is about having a drink. If trying to eat together there are other carriers with more comfortable arrangements. My favourite a decade ago (based on hard not soft product) used to be the AA F cabin, where the middle seats could rotate to face each other over a properly sized table

DoctorCopper

That's not always the case. Its very rare that I travel with my chairman. Therefore, imagine the scene when flying from BOM to LHR; I let my chairman go before me at the gate. His boarding pass scanned, there's a beep and his seat is moved to "my seat". My boarding pass scanned and I also get a beep, I've been upgraded from CW to F. On boarding, it was made very clear by the Cabin Manager that my chairman could join me for a drink or two after the meal service. He did and we drank almost a bottle of red. .

Doc Copper

ajamieson

If you already believe you know the correct answers, why ask the questions?

Misco60

It was not my intention to make a personal attack, and I'm sorry it's been taken that way.

But it has to be said that the OP has not been charitable in his description of his business partner. Perhaps that, too, wasn't the OP's intention.

gustavmahler

Wasn't the rationale behind the buddy seat (or at least one of them) to allow for your PA/colleague to come in a for a short period? Hence why it had a seatbelt and the visitor would be offered a drink or two. I only flew the old old F seat once so can't really remember it, and I know the 2010 seat was designed with the 777 in mind, so the fact the buddy seat was so tight on the 744s was probably because it was really for the triple (which granted, isn't massive).

truncated

Yes they do, but let's not let some facts get in the way of a good old fashioned pile-on shall we?

JL F Cabin Visitor Policy?
I'm booked in First but my companion in Business
La Premiere Guest Access
Can F passenger stay in J to be with family?

thbe

Yes, but with both flying in F.

Magic01273

The positioning for buddy seating was never about allowing someone to come and join you in First from another cabin. To my knowledge, wherever these seats have been referenced in any marketing, the context has always been around companions being able to sit and dine together - but I would argue that it is implied - if not explicitly stated - that it is a companion travelling with you in First that joins you to sit and dine.

In any case, as I - and several others - have mentioned already; the B787s do not even feature a buddy seat. They have only an adjustable ottoman/footrest which any person attempting to sit on, would be forced to [uncomfortably] perch on the edge of, since their back will be right up against the fixed TV screen, which doesn't swivel out of the way like they do on some other aircraft. Let them try it, I say. Seatbelt or no seatbelt - I give them 5 minutes at the most, before they retreat back to J.

Flyertalker001342

Not that anyone is really interested in this (excuse me if you are understandably already bored with everything I have written here about myself . . . .)

My business partner/friend/pseudo adopted son was originally my French teacher back in 2007; I had hired several other young French individuals before who had worked in my town. He was far and away the brightest of them all and certainly the most ambitious. He got a green card and ultimately became a citizen.

He long ago became my pseudo adopted son, partially because he doesn't have a good relationship with his own parents.

We say all sorts of uncharitable things to each other, to each other's faces, on a regular basis. He calls me "old," and says things like "you're going to die soon." I tell him he is cheap and "chiant." (PITA in English). We don't hold back but we do enjoy each other's relationship, we work exceptionally well together as business partners, and we do lots of sports activities such as long hikes together.

I look at what he was and what he has become (a much more stable and mature person, and a successful seasoned businessman) and I take a lot of pride in that because I know that I played a large role in that evolution, which he openly acknowledges. But we still call each other names and are thorns in each others sides; I don't think we would have it any other way.

Frequentflyer99

I had an unfortunate experience where a work acquaintance spotted me before boarding and clocked that I was flying F. I was in 1A on a 747 and he was in J. He invited himself to join me and simply appeared, escorted by a member of the cabin crew. Nobody had taken the trouble to ask me whether I wanted him invading my space - which I most definitely did not.

Fortunately he was quite portly and the buddy seat in 1A was very slimline, so he did not hang around for too long. Still, long enough to be irritating !

uanj

Wow, this thread reminds me of peple who complain when the person in front reclines their seat. The function exists precisely to be used. The etiquette is not to do so while meals are served. The OP is inquiring what is the etiquette around using the buddy seat.

It was BA's idea to put in the buddy seat, not the OP's. The footstool can function as a seat and has a seatbelt, the reason was for two people to dine or have a drink together. Perhaps so that the guest does not linger too long BA made sure the seat is relatively uncomfortable. It's logical that some passengers will see the buddy seat and intuitively understand this idea.

chriswiles

Depends on the time of day, too. I travel in J, but flown F a few times. I've flown at 8pm only to find the entire F cabin want beds made up, cabin go dark and quiet, only for me to think "hold, I want the full service why pay for F to go straight to sleep!". You wouldn't want to be having a buddy join you then.

However, if you flew out on a morning F flight, you might want a business to join you for an hour for a chat and drink as the seats allow for this. People shouldn't expect a 'haven of tranquility' on a daytime flight.

DYKWIA

Hasn't it been confirmed that the buddy seat doesn't exist on the B787? So, no seatbelt.

Magic01273

Again, there is no "buddy seat" on the B787, which it seems the OP is flying in. The actual question here is; can the OP invite someone up from J to come and sit awkwardly on his footrest...

KARFA

Indeed, the 787 F seat does not have a buddy seat - the larger IFE screen get's in the way so you can't have someone sit there. I don't think it is deliberate in the sense of BA actively wishing to stop buddy dining or allowing for a guest to join from another cabin, more a characteristic of the overall design.