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New seating config for Saga class on FI?

New seating config for Saga class on FI?

Old Apr 20, 2016, 1:08 pm
  #1  
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Orlando
Programs: DL DM 2MM (NW+DL) FI Gold
Posts: 787
New seating config for Saga class on FI?

I'm on FI681 (KEF-SEA) which is a/c TF-FIS.

On this a/c the 2x2 seating for Saga class ends at row 5. Row 6 is 3x3.

I have never seen that before.

Everything I've seen before has 2x2 going back to include row 6; but not on this plane. Is this the future of seats in Saga class?

Curious if anyone else has seen "shrinkage" in the number of seats in the Saga class cabin, on a recent FI flight.
Donna49 is offline  
Old Apr 20, 2016, 4:20 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Maine
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Seatguru shows both of FI's 757 variants as having Saga class in rows 1-6 (i.e., everything forward of door 2L). But I have definitely been on one of their aircraft which had Econ Comfort seats forward of 2L - real EC seats (faux 2x2 with the middle seat blocked), not Saga class seats sold as Econ Comfort (which sometimes happens). This was one or two years ago. Maybe it's the same aircraft you're on now??
mAAine_flyer is offline  
Old Apr 21, 2016, 8:21 am
  #3  
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Orlando
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Icelandair IS changing Saga class seating-and removing a lav...

Just to add to my OP; in talking with the flight supervisor (FI's name for the lead F/A) FI is, in fact, in the process of re-configuring seating on the 757. She did not know if the entire fleet would be changed, but she thought that most likely.

On my flight, 6A,D,and F were all paid Saga class, and all were downgraded at the gate. This was an a/c change a few hours before the flight, from a row 6 Saga class plane, to a row 6 EC plane. Needless to say they were not happy, and brought that to the attention of the flight supervisor.

She did her best to make the best of a bad situation by giving them Saga class meals and service (spirits and such) with what she had available after taking care of rows 1-5.

In looking at the seating, it was obvious that row 6 had recently been mod-ed to be EC, which is essentially 3x3 coach seating, with a drop down to block the middle seat. There were the IFE screens in the seat backs of row 5, for use when row 6 was Saga class, but were now inop-ed.

For IFE in row 6, we had the individual small screen unit that you pull up from the side of your seat, and each of the seats in the 3x3 config of the new row 6 had one, so that row 6 can easily be changed from EC, and sold as regular economy, giving each seat their IFE screen.

In looking at the changes from other 757s I've been on, the lav next to the L2 door is now gone. This plane has 3 lavs, one forward, and 2 all the way back.

In doing further research, a seat map for this new version is available on the Icelandair web site: (click on the 757-200 184 pax version)

http://www.icelandair.us/information...air/our-fleet/

As many of you know, often on an EC ticket, you got a seat in Saga class. Nicer seat, but still EC service. Perhaps they decided they were doing this too often, and are in the process of making Saga class just 5 rows, and making row 6 EC and easily convertible to standard coach seating.

If anyone is on an Icelandair flight with this new seating, I hope you will post the tail number here, to get an idea of how many planes have been changed.
Donna49 is offline  
Old Apr 29, 2016, 4:46 pm
  #4  
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
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Thank you for your detailed posts, Donna 49, Icelandair's definitely been making some changes. We moved most of our EC seats from row 6 to row 5 a few weeks ago for this reason.
Chilcoot is offline  
Old Apr 30, 2016, 7:19 pm
  #5  
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Chilcoot, I hope your seating works out the way you desire.

This is certainly not a massive seating change, as we are only talking about row 6 going from Saga seats to Coach seats.

Perhaps the big change for all non-Saga class passengers is the removal of the lav near the L-2 door. On different planes, this lav has been in different places, but there has always been a lav somewhere near the forward section of the coach (to include EC) cabin.

No longer in this new 184 pax configuration. It makes the plane much like a 737-900, which is not a lot of fun when you need to use the lav, and the f/a's have the cart in the aisle.

On my flight, the folks downgraded from Saga all used the fwd lav, but they had to open the very definite curtain that divided row 5 from row 6.

As many know, you can buy an EC ticket and get a Saga seat with EC service. Your EC ticket, in a Saga seat, puts you forward of the "curtain" that does divide Saga from Economy

I just get the feeling that, with this change, FI really wants to keep Saga separate from EC; and changing row 6 from Saga to EC is the best way to accomplish this.

If you, or anyone else, is flying FI, and concerned about seating, I strongly recommend the free seat map service provided by Expert Flyer. It is free, you can view the seat map for your flight, and have e-mail alerts sent to you if something changes. Take a look, it is free:

http://www.expertflyer.com/free-program

Icelandair is a great airline. I have flown them for almost 20 years, almost always in top tier status, which provides for upgrades, but things are changing with FI, as they have with NW/DL my primary domestic carrier.

The benefits of top tier status in a FF program have deteriorated substantially, industry wide, in the past few years. I just get the sense, not getting an upgrade the last 2 times on KEF-SEA, that times are changing on FI, as they with NW (now DL) and almost all US domestic airlines.

I can't complain though, in flying SEA-KEF-ARN, I did get upgraded on all but the last lag.

On this last trip, I just cannot believe the number of folks going to Iceland. It seemed like and endless stream of arriving passengers thru the doors just after customs.

Last edited by Donna49; Apr 30, 2016 at 7:23 pm Reason: update
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Old May 3, 2016, 3:34 am
  #6  
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
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Originally Posted by Donna49
Just to add to my OP; in talking with the flight supervisor (FI's name for the lead F/A) FI is, in fact, in the process of re-configuring seating on the 757. She did not know if the entire fleet would be changed, but she thought that most likely.

On my flight, 6A,D,and F were all paid Saga class, and all were downgraded at the gate. This was an a/c change a few hours before the flight, from a row 6 Saga class plane, to a row 6 EC plane. Needless to say they were not happy, and brought that to the attention of the flight supervisor.

She did her best to make the best of a bad situation by giving them Saga class meals and service (spirits and such) with what she had available after taking care of rows 1-5.

In looking at the seating, it was obvious that row 6 had recently been mod-ed to be EC, which is essentially 3x3 coach seating, with a drop down to block the middle seat. There were the IFE screens in the seat backs of row 5, for use when row 6 was Saga class, but were now inop-ed.

For IFE in row 6, we had the individual small screen unit that you pull up from the side of your seat, and each of the seats in the 3x3 config of the new row 6 had one, so that row 6 can easily be changed from EC, and sold as regular economy, giving each seat their IFE screen.

In looking at the changes from other 757s I've been on, the lav next to the L2 door is now gone. This plane has 3 lavs, one forward, and 2 all the way back.

In doing further research, a seat map for this new version is available on the Icelandair web site: (click on the 757-200 184 pax version)

http://www.icelandair.us/information...air/our-fleet/

As many of you know, often on an EC ticket, you got a seat in Saga class. Nicer seat, but still EC service. Perhaps they decided they were doing this too often, and are in the process of making Saga class just 5 rows, and making row 6 EC and easily convertible to standard coach seating.

If anyone is on an Icelandair flight with this new seating, I hope you will post the tail number here, to get an idea of how many planes have been changed.
Hi Donna,

I think most likely there must have been some misunderstanding between you and the flight supervisor, as Icelandair is definitely not chaging their planes to this seat config.

You might have noticed that this airplane also had seats 1D/F, usually the airplanes with 6 rows do not have 1D/F, the first row on righthandside is the 2D/F. So infact it is only 2 Saga Seats less than the one with 6 rows.

This is not the optimal configuration for Icelandair and they really miss the lavatory that has normally been behind row 6.

The reason they have aircraft's in their fleet with this configuration is that these are some of the newest aircraft's in the fleet from AA and other airlines, which had this configuration, and I understand it was just an massive expense to configure the airplane to the same config as the others. I would think it is more likely they would want to configure these airplanes to the config with 6 rows.

I would not worry to much that the older planes will get this configuration as well.

It is more likely that you will end up in a plane with this config if the tail number is TF-ISx, as all their newest airplanes have a tail number staring with that (replace the x with some other character)

Also are you sure these passengers were paying S/C passengers? I would rather think it is more likely that they were E/C passengers, that had already selected a S/C seat and were sad to miss that seat, because if they were downgraded, I would think it would have been normal if they would have taken the Curtain further back so they would be within the curtain.

I don't know if you remember, but when E/C was a new class, they used to be within the curtain.
hordurg is offline  
Old May 19, 2016, 9:15 pm
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 35
Thanks

This thread has been helpful. I'm booked GLA-KEF-JFK in July and currently I'm in row 4 on the GLA-KEF leg and row 5 (on the 767) on the GLA-JFK leg in EC.

I was quite surprised that I was able to choose Saga class seats. I hope I don't get downgraded at the gate to a regular EC seat. The service level doesn't matter to me as much as the bigger seat
spinkid000 is offline  
Old Jun 9, 2016, 1:47 pm
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
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Exclamation Avoid row 7 on 757-200 and 757-300

My husband and I just returned from EUR with our second leg from KEF to BOS. Always have flown EC on Icelandair with no complaints til this flight.
We had seats 7D and 7F which are now opposite the front lav. Aisle seat being extremely close to lav door. We had a non-stop parade of passengers coming forward to use lav. I finally got up and stood around the corner to avoid the constant wafting of lav smells and slamming shut and locking door and unlocking door, etc.. No chance of catching any shut eye on that flight. A total waste of the extra money for more comfortable seats as my husband and I took turns either standing or enduring the aisle seat.
Head attendant was sympathetic but not authorized to give us a seat in Saga even though they were available. So too bad for us.
So my advice is to to go further back in EC on these planes to avoid our fate.
tood6th is offline  
Old Jul 31, 2016, 2:36 pm
  #9  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
Programs: DL GM/MM; AS MVP-G
Posts: 600
So I just booked a SEA - KEF in economy comfort, 757.

Seat map for choosing seats only displayed rows 5 through 8.
Only choices available were all in row 5.

I selected 5F.

Should I expect this to be a saga class seat?

Any help appreciated!

--GA
GreerApproach is offline  
Old Jul 31, 2016, 5:10 pm
  #10  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,546
Originally Posted by GreerApproach
So I just booked a SEA - KEF in economy comfort, 757.

Seat map for choosing seats only displayed rows 5 through 8.
Only choices available were all in row 5.

I selected 5F.

Should I expect this to be a saga class seat?
I wouldn't worry. I think on all aircraft row 5 is still the saga seat. On the new 767s and apparently some converted 757s, row 6 is now EC seats. FI is sticking with the strategy of selling one row of saga seats as EC-- that row has just moved up from 6 to 5.
_kurt is offline  
Old Jul 31, 2016, 6:55 pm
  #11  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: SEA
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I just think it's weird that you get to pick row 5, and they didn't even show anything from row 9 afterward.

Not that I'm complaining mind you
GreerApproach is offline  

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