climmy

OK, see my post above. Got lucky. Flight 872 ended up being the new config today. Talk about dumb luck. Buying a lotto ticky tomorrow.

To sum up the new suite experience (a la seatguru):
(1) All seats are good seats.
(2) Seat 1K might have issues with galley lights. If you want pitch black, choose another seat.
(3) Seats 1K and 2K are the most private. Get these when traveling alone. Note 2K is a crew rest seat and might not be available.
(4) When traveling with a partner, combo 1A/C or 2A/C. These seats could provide the possibility of interaction.

Conjecture: If I was flying alone, I would go for any of the A or K seats. Both C seats are bit more exposed to aisle traffic. With Mrs. Climmy, I would get 2A/C in a heartbeat.

Now for miscellaneous blathering...

Anyway, flew SFO-IAD, 872, seat 2A today with the following comments:

(a) The new first (NF) is clearly superior to the old first ('47 and '77). Vastly superior to the old 767 first as noted before.

All subsequent comments are based on comparison to the old first suite on the '47's and '77's. Not necessarily in order of importance.

(b) Privacy is much improved. Cocoon height has been increased so the shell effect is quite nice. I couldn't even tell 1A was occupied until I hit the lav. ^

(c) Storage is greatly increased. Almost too much. Once I got set up before takeoff, I never accesssed the overhead bins. Great for long-hauls. Must go through the pre-landing checklist to ensure you don't have anything stashed you want to keep. ^

(d) Seat is very comfortable. I'm sure it's a lot more comfy than the previous seat but that's subjective. However, there weren't many compaints about comfort of the old seat so maybe this is just in my mind. Seems like better padding (maybe even that fancy space foam stuff) ^

(e) The monitor screen is big and you can see it even while working at a laptop. That's important for me since I like to watch a movie out of one eye while working. The old extendo-screens always got in the way. These are fixed and out of the way. ^

(f) Tray table is very large. Bigger than the old one. It also folds in half so it's not an all-or-nothing proposition. The single slab-type table always bugged me in the old config. ^ There's also a negative, see below.

(e) AVOD is definately an improvement over previous options. Not as good as RED, ICE, Air Canada's, Etihad's and others', but definately in the right direction. There is one caveat: The old tapes were UNCUT versions. New AVOD versions are cut for public viewing. Not a huge deal but sometimes a movie NEEDS the vulgarity to make it real (think Pulp Fiction. Never seen an TV version as good as the DVD uncut version). ^

(f) Lastly, I absolutely LOVE the adjustable armrests. I like to have a couple of pillows under my arms while I bang away at the laptop. The new armrests allow that. Put them down part way, wedge myself in with a couple of pillows, and work in total ergonomic comfort. This is a feature that is unique to UA as far as I know and it's a home-run as far as my prefs go. ^^^


Now for the negatives:
Really not many, and those aren't too aggregious. I'm pretty impressed with the new suite and would gladly fly one on uber-haul flights. However, there were a couple:

(a) No more fore-aft translation of the seat. I used to like placing the seat forward and being able to use the ottoman while sitting upright. Think work while relaxing. Now it's pretty much an office chair while upright. OK but I wish it went forward.

(b) As mentioned in another post, there is no possiblity of exiting the seat with the tray table out. The shell prevents egress so you must stow the tray (at least fold it in half) before getting up.

(c) The tray table is cantilevered and therefore not super-solid. Why can't airlines EVER get this correct? I can't remember if it was CO or AA, but one of their airplanes had a small extending flap to support the "free end" of the tray table. On UA's 757's and A320's, I extend the small dink table and shove a book or spare laptop battery under the main tray table to keep it solid. UA should have put some sort of "locking device" for the free end of the tray table to keep it solid. I mean, how many of us have had to deal with a flimsy, overstressed tray table? It's so small in general but a major pet-peeve of mine.

(d) The ottoman is NOT EQUIPPED to be a guest seat. Therefore face to face dining is not possible. Too bad since they were so close to getting it really perfect.

climmy

Must disagree. Remember, It's a plane not an SUV. While it's constructed light, it seemed pretty solid to me. Every airplane I've been on is really pretty flimsy as soon as you scratch the surface.


Maybe. I also noticed that everything is able to replaced since it's all velcro'd on.

I didn't find this to be a major issue, but they sure could spend an extra few cents on a better spring .

No arguments here...EXCEPT, it's so you don't take out a tooth with it while in bed mode. The vast majority of the flight (say 98%) this is better than sticking out. We only needed to use it for a total of 10 minutes but it is a pain in the a$$. The flight attendants actually asked me WHERE I found mine!! That's funny .

Didn't notice

No doubt. You are my brotha from anotha mutha. See my post above. Major problem. Why can't they get this right?

Same as old seat, if not better. Besides, on a 12 hour flight, does a 45 versus 60 second recline REALLY matter? I mean REALLY?

mahasamatman

I haven't seen an answer to this (though I may have just missed it), but what's the best seat combo for a couple?

1. Directly facing each other like 7C/8C,
2. Sitting across the aisle facing each other like 6BC, or
3. Sitting next to each other like 7EF?

The right side of our seatmap for Saturday just opened up, so there are lots of options.

One thing I don't like about the full seat map is that they don't show front- and rear-facing there, so I have to go back to seatguru or to a flight that's far enough out to still have the facings shown.

gfowler-ord-1k

Depends on how long you have been a couple

*Directly facing each other like 7C/8C,
Too far from each other to hold a conversation. You really aren't facing the other person, the view is blocked.

*Sitting across the aisle facing each other like 6BC
Still a little too far from each other to hold a conversation.

*Sitting next to each other like 7EF?
Do you mean like 7CH? My choice.

This pic taken on the UA952 inaugural (N647UA) will show you what to expect.

as219

Assuming you can't get a CH pair (which would give each of you unimpeded access to the aisle), I'd take a JK pair. With Seattle Fred in 9B, me in 9C (i.e., facing each other, accross the aisle), we had no problems having a conversation. On the other hand, he had no one sitting in 9A trying to get over him. Take the JK. ^

mahasamatman

We had 8CH last Saturday, and 6CH yesterday. Definitely the way to go for couples. Though the contra-seating (e.g. 6BC) does improve conversation with strangers - especially in Row 6 (the stagger is slightly better there).

One thing I noticed is that if you're trying to sleep in 6C, and the person in 6B has their overhead light on (which this guy did for the entire trip), it's pretty much shining directly in your eyes. So, I'd recommend either sleeping on your side away from the light, or wearing eye shades.

JonathanIT

I was wondering if the new configuration of these planes has changed Y at all... there hasn't been any mention of E+ in this thread so far (that I can find). Has anything changed? Does row #20 have decent exit row seating? Any other good seats or especially bad ones? I'm just wondering what to expect if my upgrades don't clear.

FlyinHawaiian

I sat in 7A (forward facing) the other day and while I liked it for the most part, I think it should be noted that the air conditioning duct is just aft of the seat so the window is missing. In other words, when you fully recline, the duct will be next to you. There is a bit of extra white noise from the a/c as well.

Thunderroad

Took a quick read through this thread and haven't seen this question fully addressed. I assume that the rear seats closest to the galley and lav are the worst. Beyond that, any preferences among the seats on the side, either for a single or a couple? I guess we're talking about rows 6, 7 and 8 on the 767.

I've flown the 747 new C so have a sense of what it's like and also have flown facing the rear and don't mind that.

Generally I prefer a window seat when alone, as well as being on the side with my wife.

EsquireFlyer

Hi everyone! I'm going to be flying IAD-EZE soon, and will most likely be doing it in Y. I have my +1 and me booked in in the exit seats in row 20 (which I understand to be the prime exit row?) on the way down, but on the way back the exits in row 20 are taken. So I'm deciding between taking 2 seats in the middle (3-seat) section of row 20, or taking adjacent aisles in 19H (central aisle), 19J (exit aisle).

However, I can't tell whether the row 19 seats are good or not.

If I believe SeatGuru, these seats both have "restricted legroom" due to the bulkhead, and 19J in particular is coded red.

But if I believe SeatExpert, 19J has "a bit more legroom," and 19H has "good legroom." And the seats are coded green/yellow.

Finally, SeatMaestro has only a map of the old config 767, but if I understand correctly the Y seating arrangement on both old and new configs is exactly the same, with just different row numbers? SeatMaestro says that these seats respectively have "extra legroom" (19J = 15F in old numbers) and "a lot of extra legroom" (19H = 15E in old numbers). These seats are both coded as blue (good) seats on SeatMaestro.

With all this disagreement, whom should I believe? FlyerTalk, of course!! Can anyone who has personally seen/flown on this aircraft tell me if the row 19 bulkheads give extra legroom, or actually less legroom? How noticeable is the restricted recline...is it hard to sleep? Thanks!!

ps. Sorry for starting a new thread. I wonder if this is addressed in the "Everything you wanted to know about where to sit on a 767" thread, but I can't find that thread because even though I know the title, FT's search function blocks out every single word of that title, as being "too short, too long, or too common"!

Diplomatico

Those threads are in the UA FAQs that are stickied at the top of the page.

Sorry, but can't help you directly with the row 19 question.

qfrodo

I have been doing IAD-GIG monthly and am usually in 16F when it was the old config, or 20J when it was the new config. Have not been in row 15 or 19, so can't address the legroom issue there. However, those rows put you closer to the toilet and the curtain that separates the cabins. From sitting behind those rows, they seem to have a bit less recline. Also, you can't raise the arm rest between the F/G or J/K seats in either of those rows or their opposite pairs on the other side, due to tray in arm rest and flip up monitor. I prefer the aisle as the window seat seems to be a bit colder. If row 20 is already reserved, it has to be a 1P or above, so I would check frequently to see if they open up due to the current occupant(s) getting an upgrade approved. (were 20 A&B also already taken?)

Javan69

Interesting. I'm in 20A new config Sunday MUC-ORD. Sounds encouraging. Cold doesn't bother me as much as excessive heat. BTW, this was an LH codeshare on UA metal and I had to call to get it.

OskiBear

One thing that was annoying on the IAD-EZE-IAD trip last year on the 767 was the light in the flight attendant area. If I recall correctly, the FA's sit in a spot in front of the Y+ bulkhead. However, being in the aisle of the exit row (I think it might have been 21 at the time instead of 21?), the bright light in their area was on the entire flight.

It made me go out and buy an eyeshade for the first time in all my travels

EsquireFlyer

We are in 20 JK on the way there.
On the way back, we have a W fare and are waitlisted for UG, so I booked 2 of the 3 center seats in row 20. (20 AB and JK were already taken, and it sounds like 19 is not good?) There were no other 2-together side seats anywhere in E+, or even in E- except the second to last row of the plane...and I'm not sitting there! I'll look for row 20 AB/JK to open up due to upgrades..though if it does it will be bittersweet because it means that (1) we got the exit seats, but (2) we missed the upgrade that someone else got!