Row 1 or Row 2 on the Regional Business Class (Recliner) A321H
 

Dear All,

I am going to be flying on the "dreaded" A321H (with the Recliner seat of the Regional Business Class) with my family

Which is a better row for the four of us? Row 1 or Row 2?

Is most similar set-ups Row 1 is great, but SeatGuru warns me that Row 1 actually has LESS legroom than Row 2!! Is that true?

It further warns me that the seats are tighter due to the arm rest having to accommodate the tray table

Please help! Many thanks in advance!

Warm Regards,

Panjabi

Lots of row 1 seats have restricted legroom due to the bulkhead. It's also common for bulkhead seats to have the screen in the armrest, because there is no seat in front of them to feature the screen. Some people like bulkheads, some don't...

Dear Florin,

Thanks for the reply. From what I understand , ALL rows have screens in the armrest. What seems different about Row 1 (as per Seat Guru) is that the tray table is in the armrest. I am just going by what SeatGuru says, I have not flown on the plane. However, I have seen a picture of Row 2 with screens seemingly coming out of the armrest

In regards to the Bulkhead, typically, yes you do not have the space that is underneath the NEXT row. However, most First Class/Business Class bulkheads in single aisle planes seem to have more actual room. In fact, Seat Guru (their name has been taken by me five times today...somewhere someone's ears are burning), says that the OTHER versions of this plane do NOT have this issue

That is why I was looking to see if anyone on this Board had flown this particular configuration. I personally do like Bulkheads in Domestic First/Regional Business as no one can lean into you

Warm Regards,

Panjabi

I too have an upcoming flight in J on the dreaded A321. It's DOH-OTP, which is sometimes an A320 (and sometimes it has lie flat seats), but on the day I travel, they plan to fly an A321.

After digging around, you're right about the screens being in the arm rest for all seats, not just row 1.

I have flown domestic F in the US quite a bit and I've found that in most cases row 1 did have restricted leg room (one notable exception was the NW 757s which had a cutout in row 1 for you to stretch your legs beyond the bulkhead).

I suppose it's a matter of what you value most: do you prefer the idea of nobody reclining into your space, or is the risk of somewhat restricted legroom bothering you?

I don't know if there is much difference between the A320 and A321 but last year I took a flight on the recliner A320 and sat in row 1. Being 6 foot tall I had no problems stretching out and the bulkhead caused no issues.
I cannot remember much about the seat width, but then I also had an empty seat next to me which probably made a big difference with regards to space.

I found some pictures of row 1:
https://efficientasianman.boardingar...lombo-to-doha/

Hi Florin and Ben_W,

Thanks for your replies and feedback

Florin, that photo makes it look like a "normal" bulkhead in US domestic First Class. Seat Guru had made it sound that it was much more cramped

Hopefully, someone who has traveled in a A321H comes along and posts a trip report as to why SeatGuru is so annoyed with this particular Row 1

Warm Regards,

Panjabi

A lot of SeatGuru comments are (i) generic, (ii) exaggerated, or (iii) downright incorrect. I believe you have encountered such a situation here.

We are flying from sofia later in the year so will be praying for the flatbeds too. Currently we are booked in row 2 as I wasn't sure myself on the best seats.
I'm not sure if they all have the small screen on the wall but That would put me off as well in row 1.

The comments section is an odd one. Most posters review their flight as a whole, often mentioning service, food, or taking the opportunity to vent, even thought the name of the site is SEAT Guru and is meant to be all about SEATS. Some people post pictures and those can be helpful (the ones that include seats, that is... the food pix not so much.)

I got burned by SeatGuru once - took an AF flight in Y (an A340, IIRC) and the bulkhead was just terrible because it had no legroom; SeatGuru had that as a good seat.

A321 is, I believe, exactly the same in terms of J class as A320 with recliners. Row 1 is definitely not "cramped", but I love to be able to strech, and you can't really do that if you're 180 or taller. That's why I prefer rows 2 and 3, even if pax in front of you recline - pitch is good enough you won't mind that.

Unfortunately Eastern European and SEE destinations such as BEG, OTP, SOF get A320 lie flats once in 10-20 days. For example, my home airport (BEG) gets A321 almost exclusively. Still, J demand is too low to send a wide body, even though Y capacity is only slightly higher than one of A321.

Probably flying out SOF in Apr, and fly in SOF in July. Finger crossed for lie flat 320.....

Do we know if qatar are replacing all the recliners? I know regional business is still considerably better than BA club Europe but would be nice to have more of a chance to get the lie flats.

How was the flight? We are flying in August sof to sin.

Having flown DOH-OTP on the same equipment, I can say this:
- the seat is reasonably comfortable
- I'm not normally a big fan of screens that fold out of arm rests, I see that as a minus
- with few pax in J, service is attentive and efficient (YMMV, of course)
- it's okay to sleep on, but not nearly as good as lie flats
- the distance is reasonably short