IAH-NRT [What to expect?]
 

I'm flying aboard a CO 777 for the first time--and in BF no less :)--and I was wondering what I should expect.

Is there a seat that you all would recommend aboard the 777-200? I've been perusing seatguru, and it seems that all the seats are pretty standard. Though I love looking out of windows, let's not mince words: We're on a 14-hour flight. I will undoubtedly get up and move around every so often, and I worry about bumping into my seatmate if I'm in a window seat. When a seat is fully reclined, will I be able to get in and out easily? Or, should I just go with an aisle seat? Currently I'm in 1K on this particular flight. Do the lights/noise really affect those in the bulkhead seats? Should I move elsewhere? Many thanks, FT :)

If you plan to get up a fair amount then I would recommend an aisle seat. When the BF seats are fully reclined, which they will be for a considerable time on a flight of this length, you have to climb over your seatmate to get to the aisle. With the footrests fully extended and the seat back in front of you fully reclined it's actually very cramped.

And if you're going for an aisle seat, then I would recommend an interior aisle, because this way no one will have to climb over you to get up, since each seat in the interior has access to an aisle.

There is a BF "mini cabin" rows 8-10 which many here on FlyerTalk seem to prefer. Personally, I prefer the front cabin (rows 1-6) with its roomier more open feel.

But no matter what you will have a great trip. If you're used to flying coach you will love it no matter where you sit.

I wonder whether the bulkhead seats are actually as restrictive as SeatGuru says. I'm about 5'10 and fairly slim. Will I there still be additional room for the person to get out of his/her window seat without bothering me, if I'm in 1K?

Thanks once again, FT :D

Agreed.

If you're alone and like to move around then I'd go interior aisle too.

You'll enjoy it either way though.

Did this one
 

In 9L. Was flying alone. Getting up was a big difficult when 9K and 8K were both reclined. Smaller cabin was nice. Either way it was a brutally long flight.

Also be sure to check the flight status 2 days prior to departure and see if you have an AVOD equipped aircraft.

There's no point of getting a B or K seat if you're flying alone. If you want window, get a window. If you don't need a window, get a D or E seat.

1A would be perfect for your purposes. You get your window, there is plenty of room between you and the bulkhead, there is no one in front of you to recline into your space, you can (if you're reasonably coordinated) get out of your seat even of 1B is reclined, and you're not really bothered by anything going on in the galley (as most of the activity will be in front of 1K). I don't understand why seatguru has 1A in yellow.

How will I know whether it's an AVOD-equipped aircraft? I'm surprised that all of CO's 777 don't have AVOD.

Also if you are wanting to look out the window, avoid 10A and 10L. They are missing a window.

They're refitting them one at a time at a fairly slow pace (they get so much use that they can't take them out of service except at quite infrequent intervals).

The 777's with the AVOD have two additional seats in BF (the Version 2 of the 777 on seatguru), that is 50 seats in BF, versus 48 for the non AVOD version.

With two days to go to your trip, you can check the configuration by clicking on the seat map.

The AVOD on CO is spectacular with 100's of movies and TV shows, and large easy-to-use screens.

If you land a 777 with the old-school IFE, it will be a bit of a time warp, with much smaller screens, mediocre quality and about a dozen movies & other types of "entertainment" playing not "on demand." The best touch is the selection of games (some of which are fine) with graphics that will take you back to the heyday of the Atari 64.

BL(business last) is not as nice as dl business elite.

Hmmm....I think that's fairly subjective. I far prefer the width of CO's BF seats to those of DL's very narrow BE seats, which are barely wider than the average coach seat.

1) Another quick question: I have a little over 2 hours to connect in IAH from DCA. Will I be ok in terms of connecting from Terminal A to wherever this flight (presumably Terminal A) in that allotted time?


2) Oh yeah, 1A has been taken. I've settled for 1B. Would you say it's comparable to 1A? Is it likely that I will be distracted by the galley and the galley light?


Thanks, FT :)

1) If you are flying into IAH on CO you will either arrive in Terminal C/E and depart from Terminal C/E as well
2) 1B is fine unless you are a window person in which case I'd choose 1F or 2A.

Your flight from DCA will arrive at Terminal C or E. Your flight to NRT will mostly likely depart from E, though occasionally from C. C and E are interconnected, and 2 hours is plenty of time for the transit and have a little rest at the President's Club.

My mom flies CO's 777 in BF often, and she doesn't like the first row as she's quite sensitive to light. Not only from the galley, but also from the screens on the bulkheads for showing the safety video. They remain on throughout the flights with the Airshow map.

Man, with every seat, there seems to be some downside. Right now, I've got 1B. My only hope is that it's relatively quiet and dark, especially on a 14-hour flight, when I want to sleep. Is the screen really *that* bright? I guess I better invest in some eyeshades.

What other seats are available? No other D or E seats closer to the rear?

Here's the view of the front of the front BF cabin. I was sitting in 2L:

http://rkkwan.zenfolio.com/p69414114/efba996f

And from this picture, you can see how bright the LCD on the bulkhead is, when the lights are dimmed:

http://rkkwan.zenfolio.com/p69414114/e31e87f9

No need - you'll be given an amenity kit on board that has a pair of eyeshades among other items.

As others have suggested, if you're traveling alone and don't have a window, why not take a D or E seat? This way, you have direct access to the aisle, and your seatmate does as well to the other aisle. Also, during the flight, I'll often get up and spend a few minutes near the galley stretching my legs and take the opportunity to look out the windows in the 2L and 2R doors.

I picked 1L from IAH-NRT. Admittedly, I've been a big fan of window seats--partly because I'm somewhat ADD and like to look out the window for distractions :). I'm also going to be working on the plane (ughh...), so it's nice to have some natural light while I'm reading. So, thanks to all you FTers out there who have been helpful, especially RKkwan ("MMm-Goi-Sai! :D)

I would've picked 1A, but since it seems to be the MOST popular seat, it wasn't available. I've heard that 1L is on the side with the galley:

Pros:
-It's a window seat ^ I want to see Siberia, Mongolia, and any Northern Lights, if they're around.
-No one reclining into me.
-Bulkhead allows me to walk over person in 1K if I need to.
-Hopefully I'm one of the first to select a meal :)

Cons:
-People say that the FAs sit in the forward galley and talk all the time (and eat). In other words, it's loud, and the light is a distraction. Then again, I've heard that most FAs will go to the mid-cabin and socialize instead. Anyone have experience with this?
-I'm hopefully far enough to the right with the bulkhead filtering out whatever light comes from the galley.


Anyone else have any other thoughts or suggestions? This is only the second time I've been a premium cabin, and I'm excited about it! Also, does anyone know if the Japanese meal is particularly good with CO? How does it compare with NW service? Thanks a lot all! :-:

This has never been a problem for me, although I'm pretty immune to minor distractions.

Also, I have never been aware of flight attendants making any kind of ruckus. Remember, the basic hum of the plane is already very loud, and the galley is behind a wall (plus they draw a curtain shut).

Honestly, there is no bad seat in the house. You will have a fabulous experience and arrive in Tokyo as well rested as possible after a 14-hour flight.

I was referring to the new flatbed seats. As a 6 '3 235 pound gentleman the old delta seats with was not a problem for me.

Understood. Yes, those new flat-bed seats on DL look nice. I noticed they are only on the 777's, does DL plan to install them on the 767's as well?

DL's 777s are getting the herringbone ones now. The 767s will get the staggered Thompson Solution ones with all seats facing forward.

Got it. How will the actual seats (width & seat pitch) compare to those on 777's?

By the way, I've been browsing the thread about the BF Concierge Service: What are your experiences with the service, especially from IAH to NRT? It's always good to get a fresh perspective. I wonder whether the fact that I used miles for this trip will affect whether I get my first choice in meals, for instance, or level of treatment. Based on my experiences with UA, for example, the FAs will go by status when it comes to ordering meals. I'm curious as to whether I will receive the same treatment from both the FAs and Concierge. For what it's worth, I'm GE with NW.

Because this will probably be one of the few times I'll ever get to travel in a premium cabin--most times, I redeem miles for my mom (and dad) and not myself--I want to make sure I take advantage of every benefit :).

Thanks, FT! :D

:eek:

See here.

I've never flown IAH NRT but in my experience it's a nice touch, however I've never had any kind of issue that necessitated using the concierge.

Otherwise. the best concierges are friendly, concerned, make you feel good, etc.

Totally makes sense. It'd be nice to catch a shower once I land. Sitting in an aluminum tube for 14+ hours in recirculated air doesn't make me feel particularly clean (lol jk). Do they offer showers at the PC like in the WC in DTW? Or, is there another service at a nearby hotel (like on BA)?

As I mentioned before, you all are wicked awesome :)

I redeemed (WP) miles for a NRT-EWR BF upgrade and did not notice any difference in service between us and the other pax. We were seated in 1A and 1B and our meal orders were taken first. We didn't see the need for the concierge, so I can't comment on that.

As for showers, you should be able to use the NWA club in NRT (not sure about immigration/customs and the club since we were just Y going). Read more here.

Meal service is done by row on CO, not status. I have never heard of anyone being treated differently on CO because of status or an upgrade.

Personally, I have never purchased a domestic FC ticket and thus have only flown domestic FC as an upgrade; I never noticed a difference between myself and any other passengers.

In BF, I have never been able to get a BF upgrade, so all of my BF flying has been as a paying passengers (albeit at very discounted fares). Again, I have never noticed any preferential treatment.

At its best CO BF service is among the best in the industry, at its worst it's still very professional.

Sounds great. With a lot of American carriers, you never know what to expect when it comes to service, courtesy, and overall consistency. I was browsing through the website about BF amenities. It all looks so COOL! ::D

Though I'm loathe to check in bags--partly because you never know if it gets loaded during a tight connection--I wonder whether the ground crew at IAH will be pretty reliable when it comes to a connection time for an international flight that leaves roughly 2 hours later.

In other words, do you think that I'll be ok with checking in a bag and knowing that it will make it to Tokyo with me? I guess I could always just ask the BF concierge...

No, the bulkheads are not restricted, despite what seatguru says.

If you have a two-hour connection, there is absolutely no reason for concern, as CO's baggage operation is very reliable.

bumping this thread to see if someone has any comments about 6D/6E seats with the new 777 config. No AB/KL so I was wondering what's in there - a galley? Are there windows in this row?

left side bathroom, right side closet.

Seems like it's a noisy area to avoid?

Anyone know exactly how bad coach to NRT is going to be? Doing a MR in August and I'm currently in 32J. Any advice (short of BF) would be appreciated.

You'll survive. Drink what you can before the flight; have a couple of drinks onboard. I heard taking your own seat cushion was the way to go ;); I'd also advise a travel pillow, eyeshades, ear plugs and Boze and do what you can to sleep.