Next summer, I'd like to take Miss ExpatExp on holiday and she is particularly interested in Asia and/or Australia. We have friends we could stay with in NRT, SIN, HKG, PEK, MEL and SYD, so I was thinking it might be a good idea to use my AA miles for return flights to one of those three locations and then buy tickets regionally.

I'm fortunate to have plenty of miles, so either F or J is possible. As a dedicated FTer I realise it might be tough to get awards by now, but we could go in two years' time instead. And I will of course see if I can use a stopover to my advantage

Overall question is: Given a choice of F or J, what are the best OneWorld airlines and seats for couples? Since I live in the UK, I'm looking more specifically for an answer to that question between LON and NRT / SIN / HKG / SYD / MEL / PEK, but thought I would keep the general topic more open-ended for the benefit of others.

So, which cabins on which OneWorld airlines do you think are best for couples? Despite the less-than-ideal service, I think my favorite hard product for couples would be F on AA's 777s, because you can swivel the two middle seats toward each other, either partially (for resting) or fully (for eating).

However, unless I act like a true FTer and fly LHR-LAX-NRT (for example) then there is no AA 777 service from Europe to Asia. So, I've done some searching and I have laid out the results below (restricted to OneWorld airlines, of course).

Note that some of the linked threads are very long, so you should use the "Search this Thread" function to search for the words "couple" or "couples" in order to find the information referenced below.

Overall summaries

Thunderroad has written an overall assessment of F choices between CX, BA, QF and AA.

Unterwegs gives a short overview as well.

AA

In F on AA, the 777s have swiveling seats which permit you to turn 90� and actually face your partner (as long as you are in the D and G seats). This permits you to have a proper sit-down meal, as in a restaurant. Otherwise, the seats are slightly angled toward each other during flight, making conversation easy.

There is already a thread about seating for couples travelling in Y on AA, and another thread about couples travelling in F on AA 777s.

BA

In old First, seats E and F are the only pairs and therefore good seats for couples. On the 747s, note that row 4 has a little less privacy. Opinions on seating in F on the 747s is all over the map, however. Note that the F seats do not align across the aisle. Whether or not you want a window also makes a difference.

For good measure, one traveller describes row 1 as "awkward". And another recommends leaving 1A and 1K open for couples, to keep your good karma

In New First (i.e. beginning in 2010/2011), Euan notes that, in the middle seats, "[t]he dividers slide back and forth so that you can talk to or ignore your wife". More pictures and discussion are available here.

In Club World, BA has an (in)famous pair of seats (E and F) which are in the center of the cabin on 747s and 777s. Facing the rear, these seats are usually avoided by single travelers but desired by couples for their privacy. Others prefer the upper deck on the 747s, in particular rows 62 and 64 (and again here).

Otherwise, you should be able to get by with a standard pair of Club World seats, one facing forward, and one facing backward. You can then leave the divider stowed during the flight.

For both F and J, it may be possible for someone to sit on your footstool/ottoman for a meal.

In World Traveller on the 747-436, the only individual pairs of seats are 51BC, 52BC, 51HJ and 52HJ.

CX 74A

In F, the only two seats which have any proximity are 1A and 1K, though they have some drawbacks and are still very private. You can, however, dine together in these seats.

The herringbone seats in J generate mixed opinions at best. One group is of the opinion that it's best to book sequential seats, such as 11A and 12A, and to talk "over a high divider". The other group believes that it's best to have seats across the aisle from each other, where you can at least talk or possibly maintain eye contact.

Note that if you book two herringbone seats in the middle of the cabin (e.g. 15D and 15G), then you will be facing away from each other and have essentially no interaction.

Overall, it's not recommended to sit in herringbone J on CX if you are traveling in a couple and want to interact during flight.

CX 77A

The design of the 77A means that the only seats in F served by the left-hand aisle are 1A and 2A (the seats on the other side of the aisle exit to the right-hand aisle). This means that if you take seats 1A and 2A, then you will have that section of aisle pretty much to yourself. It's a very private place to sit. On the other hand, if you prefer to talk across the aisle, then seats 1D and 1K or 2D and 2K would be preferable.

Overall, the F seats on the 77A are quite private. You will be slightly further away from your partner than on the 747s. However, you can dine together.

CX/KA

It is noted that you you can sit together in F on CX or KA between HKG and PEK.

QF A388

When sitting in the F suites, some say that it's nice to be on the A side in sequential seats (i.e. 4A and 5A). The left-hand aisle serves only the A seats and therefore it feels more private. Although each individual seat is very private, it is easy to stand up and talk to each other in sequential seats. Others prefer the F and K seats for couples, as they are across a shared aisle. You can dine together in the suites.

In coach, couples should avoid 80JK.

QF 747 (specific type unspecified)

This aircraft has a more open layout in F, compared to the suites on the A380. Others don't see much of a difference in proximity and recommend sticking with the A380 if possible.

On flights between MEL and SIN, the center seats in F should be good for couples.

JL

NRT-SYD would be best in J for couples.

Others?

Would love to have some more information to put in here!

This doesn't answer your question, but if I were you I'd consider a OW award rather than an All-partner award which you seem to be suggesting, all-partner awards are no longer "return," rather they are one way awards, so you can have your inbound/outbound flights in different locations. If you were to do an all-partner award and have one of the flights to/from Asia and the other to/from Australia it would cost 150k in F and 112.5k in J. You would of course then need to purchase all your other flights, or redeem other awards. If you choose to fly low-cost carriers in Asia/Australia then you could probably save money using this method, but if you want to fly in J/F a OW award seems like a better value to me.

You could do, for example, LHR-HKG-PEK-NRT-SYD-MEL-SIN-LHR which at 24,351 miles is 150k in J and 230k in F.

The order could be changed around based on your preferences for couples seating based on the carriers. Know that the mileage requirements go up 20-25% if you surpass 25k miles.

Also something to note is that you can dine together using companion seats on the LHR-HKG and SIN-LHR flights which can be pretty good on CX and the QF A380 respectively. On MEL-SIN the center seats in F would be pretty good for companions on QF. HKG-PEK on CX or KA (I'd go for KA) you can sit next to each other in F. PEK-NRT-SYD would be in J, so you could be next to eachother on CX/JL and JL/QF.

Thanks, BrewerSEA! I definitely agree about going in to one city and back out of another, but even better, OW awards do sound like the best idea and could save me some money over buying regional flights.

And I have added your info about seating to the first post -- thanks!

Just to clarify, my comment about NRT-SIN was simply that there is no F on that route so you would be in J regardless the ticket you purchase, and would have 2-2-2 seating so would want to sit together.

On the BA 744s I think the best couples seats are upstairs, rows 62 & 64. Both rows are configured so that the aft-facing window seat has independent access, so no climbing over any aisle seats. These seats go quickly but can be pre-selected by Sapphire and above Oneworld FFers.

I'd also mention that many F and a few J seats have "buddy" seats/ottomans and trays that can be configured to let couples dine together. Some are pretty cramped, but doable.

Based on my own experience and what I've read here at FT, I believe the best options are CX F (which I've flown and loved) and QF F (which I haven't, but which sounds comparable to CX F). If you have the miles to burn--and F isn't that much more than J and sometimes is more readily available as an award anyway--it's the difference between a nice experience in J and a memorable one in F.

While the new BA F sounds nice, the reviews and a few explicit comparisons I've read make it sound inferior to the other two--for instance, BA fits more seats into its F cabin than CX, the service isn't as reliably great, and the legrest seat (more on this below) isn't as large as that of CX. CX F is the widest of the three, with QF F slightly longer than CX F (though CX F's length is fine for me, and I'm 6'2"), FWIW. Plus, at the rate BA is converting its fleet, it's unclear whether you'll be guaranteed new F even in the summerof 2012--you can check up more on this at the appropriate thread at the BA forum, of course. And having flown BA old F, I'd say that CX and QF F are far beyond that vintage version.

The decade-old AA F is far behind all of them in terms of IFE, seat quality (though it is as roomy as other options), subtle features such as lighting and electronic controls, and, quite often, service. Having previously flown CX, BA, SQ, UA and LH F, AA F really looked and felt dated to me when I first experienced it. The AA swivel is a nice feature, but doesn't compensate for the deficiencies. So don't have any regrets about AA not being an option (unless you were thinking about getting to Asia via the USA).

Anyway, on the other three OW options I've mentioned one of you can sit comfortably on the ottoman/legrest seat while drinking and dining with the other. My wife and I did that when we flew CX F earlier this year, and loved it. Almost like dining on the Orient Express train, except at 30K feet.

As much as I like sitting side by side with my wife, as you could do on BA F, we find that on our vacation trips (always in J or F) after drinks and dinner we pretty much wanted to sleep, watch movies or read. (Plus on BA you'd be sacrificing sitting next to the window, and looking outside can be nice.) So while it's fine to always be able to chat or hold hands, the fact that we couldn't do so on CX F (where the seats are commendably private) was not a problem. Plenty of time to do that before we went to our respective seats--and of course, after we arrive at our destinations. Given the set-up of the seats in CX F and I believe the other two options, I'd suggest not making talking across the aisles a big part of your plans for the flight--you'd have to lean forward to do so, and are relatively far apart in any event.

Getting back to my original point, if I were in your shoes I'd fly CX F one way because we love it and QF F the other way to check it out. My guess is that the almost uniformly fine CX F isn't quite matched for consistency on QF, but that's just a guess and is more in praise of CX than to criticize QF.

As for CX F seats, on a 747 I'd strongly suggest 1A and 1K because your have the feel of having a mini-cabin all to yourselves. That's what we had. The real perfectionists might note that those two are just slightly less roomy than the others behind them and the configuration of the tv screens is a bit different, but in my experience those were non-factors.

1A and 2A on the 777 also constitute a bit of a separate cabin, so I'd recommend those.

Rules can change, but as of now you have to wait until six months before a flight to get specific CX F seat assignments.

I guess one minor caveat to all of this is that if both of you are rather large people, it could be a squeeze for one of you to sit in the legrest seat on BA, CX or QF. But otherwise, those seats are perfectly comfortable for sitting across from each other for two or three hours.

Hope it all works out and that you have a fantastic trip!

For our honeymoon last year we got row 64 on BA on the 747 and this was the best experience we have had so far.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I've added it in to the original post.

Still trying to formulate an overall plan. I also have some VS miles, so we could also try LHR-HKG on VS (to get the drive-thru check-in and Upper Class experience), then run around the Pacific on OW, and return from HKG to LHR on CX. Don't want to push the thread off-topic though

I cannot help much with J, but here is my opinion about F.

The by far best F experience is on CX. Big seats, great service. Good food. The best seats are Row 1 on the 747 (close enough to talk, very private) followed by Row 2 (further apart). On the 777 get the seat in the middle and on the right. The seats are actually wide enough that 2 people can sit on the seat and watch a movie, or one person can sit on the footrest and you can dine together.

The BA and QF seats are much less spacious and because of the layout not really better for couples. QF service usually is good, BA is more a hit and miss. The middle seats on the 747 have little privacy and people in the isle constantly bump into you. I would try to get row 1 on the 747. On the BA 777 the middle seats are less good because of the angle. (No experience on the QF380)

I have only been on JL F on the old 747. But from the pictures i have seen the middle seats on the 777 should be ok for couples (parallel to the isle). Seats provide a lot of space, service and food are good, especially when you like japanese food.

Distant last is AA. Food is not first class, more like business class on bigger plates. Service is mostly miss, rarely hit. The seats provide no privacy (but are a bit more spacious than BA and QF). Best seats for a couple are the pairs in the middle (the seats on the window don't line up). Because of the layout the feet of two passengers are close, but the heads are fairly far apart.

Many thanks! Link added to the original post.

Updated with some details about New First on BA and a link to this thread.