Full report on 15A from rookie in 36 hours.

Of course, if you were bumped out of 15B into row 1-5....

I have a habit of taking off my shoes and throwing them under the seat in front of me (its way to far to reach). Just make sure that you aim for under the seat.....I know from experience that the guy in 13 gets upset if the shoe hits his head :eek: He shouldnt' have been testing the seat recline as I threw my shoes.

I like 16
 

Upstairs without question.

However, I like 16. Clearly there is more space in front of you in 15, but 16 suits me just fine. I am generally travelling with my wife and the three side bins are very handy and we are not bothered by the diminished (relatively speaking) leg room.

I may be perverse, but I actually prefer row 8 to row 9 on the 752 P.S.

speaking of 15, I also know frequent travellers who actually like the right side of the aircraft better. Not sure why. As far as I can tell the only difference between the left side and the right is the FA jump seat facing 15 on the right which would seem to be a disadvantage, or at least not a plus.

I'm going to rephrase my initial question because I think I was unclear.

All things being equal, I go for 15a, no question. But if the upper deck is 100% full, and the lower deck is 25% full, I may be persuaded to sit on the lower deck. Why?

1) More personal space
2) Fewer pax to compete with
3) More lavs to mysefl
4) Empty seat(s) next to me
5) More storage space
6) Quicker exit to customs

And I will answer you as I originally answered you :D :

The downstairs WILL fill up, and so take the upper deck now.

Am I the only one who finds the service lacking on the upper deck? Long hauls it's more noticable for me. If the flight is 6 hours or less, I'll take the upper, but for the most part, I LOVE the LOWER DECK.

Guess that's why my favorite seat is always free ;)

Hold on! Shouldn't we be recommending the lower deck so that we can grab 15a? :D

Yes, er, exactly! Please stay in the lower deck so I can have row 15 all to my self. I was in seat 15H SFO-SYD and in 16A SYD-LAX in February. Row 15 is definitely better as you have a football fiield of room in front. And if you have a window as I did, you don't have to step over the aisle passengers legs and feet in row 16 (esp. when the guy in 15B is in full recline).

If you are still a skeptic, read the comments at seatguru.com on the United 747-400, which says Row 15 is highly prized by VIP passengers. :rolleyes:

take downstairs - and leave 15A for me! Oh dear I was hoping no one else had figured out this was the best seat in the history of aviation. You don't want 15B either - it does not have that roomy storage area under the window.

Personally I like 18H.
Quiet little corner with no noise behind . :D

I would go with 15A or 8H in lower deck mini cabin.

Each to their own I guess.

I think that's the key -- how often do transPac flights go out with empty business cabins?
I'd go for a sure thing over a dice roll anyday. Of course, maybe that's why I'm not rich...

I was faced with the same situation coming home from NRT. The upper deck was 100% and the lower deck was about 15%. I was in 17A.

I found the upper deck to be a lot wider and taller then I expected, and it was my first time, so I stayed, even though Rows 24-26 were empty all the way across.

If this situation came up again (in 16A or 17A and upper deck is stuffed), and downstairs Rows 24-26 were empty, then yes, I'd ask to move downstairs after take-off and before the meal service began. I prefer the "First Class" meal service UA's transpac FAs do when Business Class is light (personal trays, trolley service, etc.). They had to serve from the catering cart upstairs and it detracted from the ambience.

And while the side bins in 16A and 17A are great, I prefer aisles normally and having the extra seat space to spread stuff out on would be nice. I would have been the first one to Door 2L if not for my carryon (now I know to drop it into Row 23's overhead on the way up :D ), but chances are in 22B or 23B I could be first to 2L.

Of course, understand that I don't understand the infatuation with Row 15. 16A and 17A have just as much usable legroom (as in you can fully recline, fully extend, and get out with the seats in front of you fully reclined and your partner in B fully extended) and you lose two (16A) to three (17A) full storage bins, which are so convenient for putting your stuff on during meal services and such.

15H is better IMHO, because you have a lot more space in front of you than 15A.

My next choice is 17A/B as there is no seat behind you. 18 G&H are too noisy because of the galley behind.

How much space do you need? If 15A isnt enough, then I hope you never travel in E-!

If you can't get or don't want (???) upstairs, then take 25 or 26 D or F. Loads of leg room. The seats in the mini-cabin would be way down on my list of desirable seats.