Narrow seats on QF B789

[moa999]

Suspect the first 787s might be used for a couple of weeks on Syd/Mel/bne-per routes to get crew familiarity up... Although as mentioned by the Chief Technical Pilot on the webcast, some QF pilots are doing hours in JQ aircraft to get their hours

 

[serfty]

IMHO, WRONG!! The single most important thing to pax is price. I dare anyone to contest that. And an 8 across layout would up the price.

You are welcome to your opinion.

Seating aside (although this thread is about seating), my comment about the dimming windows remains - I have experienced it once and as such I will be trying to avoid aircraft fitted with them in the future.

 

[DavidFlynn]

Silly of me not to have brought my trusty tape measure to the event and measured Y seat width – assumed it'd be on the PR handouts – def >17" but less than 17.5"... here's a shot of the legroom in the demo Y seat rows.

 

[QFflyermelbourne]

Note too they are making a big deal about the arm rest being fully retractable, which - if you are flying with family or friends - might be a way of gaining some extra width. Although I suspect people like something to rest their arm on too much.

 

[DavidFlynn]

Suspect the first 787s might be used for a couple of weeks on Syd/Mel/bne-per routes to get crew familiarity up

That's my understanding, east-west and maybe a little bit of triangle tossed in for good measure, as much for PR as for crew famil.

 

[Pvcmenace]

Just crunshing some arbitrary numbers. Presume J takes 50" between rows and PE 40" Aus-US one way flights, full plane in: J $3500, PE $2200, Y $1000
New config: J 42x3.5=$147,000
PE 28x2.2=$61,600
Y 166x1=$166,000
Total: $374,000

The following is 8 abreast seating and no PE

Option 1: 42 x J @ $3,500 = $147,000
186 x Y @ $1000 = $186,000
Total: $353,000

Option 2: 34 x J @3.5 = $119,000
210 x y @ $1000 = $210,000
Total: $329,000

The following go to 30" seat pitch for Y 8 abreast.
Option 3: 42 x J @ $3,500 = $147,000
198 x Y @ $1,000 = $198,000
Total: $345,000

Option 4: 34 x J @ $3,500 = $119,000
226 x Y @ $1,000 = $226,000
Total: $345,000

So seems like the mix in my opinion is pretty good allowing for aspirational upgrades.

 

[TomVexille]

You are welcome to your opinion.

Seating aside (although this thread is about seating), my comment about the dimming windows remains - I have experienced it once and as such I will be trying to avoid aircraft fitted with them in the future.

I understand Boeing are using V2 of the dimming window and it is significantly better then the originals, and a third generation is on it's way. So they are getting better, but still have a way to go.

 

[serfty]

I understand Boeing are using V2 of the dimming window and it is significantly better then the originals, and a third generation is on it's way. So they are getting better, but still have a way to go.

That still does not help when the cabin crew decide what is best them rather than you and lock you out of it.

 

[TomVexille]

That still does not help when the cabin crew decide what is best them rarher than you and lock you out of it.

Ah, I see where you're going with that now.

 

[Kendall Roy]

Watched one of the QF videos which talks about the 787 as the "Flagship" aircraft. So a ship with no F class and smaller Y seats is at the top of the chain?

Sounds like the A380s will be status quo until they're (sadly) put out to pasture.

 

[DavidFlynn]

I understand Boeing are using V2 of the dimming window and it is significantly better then the originals, and a third generation is on it's way.

Yep, the 'Gen 2' glass is already available on latest 787s and designed to be 10x darker than the original Dreamliner windows, moving well away from that 'Harpic flushmatic' blue, with Get 3 expected by 2018 and another 10x darker than v2 – which means 100 darker. than the original. I don't think they can get any darker after that!

 

[NZflygirl]

That still does not help when the cabin crew decide what is best them rarher than you and lock you out of it.

LAN does that SYD-AKL I'm like "it's a day flight and it's short!"
I haven't had NZ lock it out yet and hope they keep it that way.

 

[NZflygirl]

Silly of me not to have brought my trusty tape measure to the event and measured Y seat width – assumed it'd be on the PR handouts – def >17" but less than 17.5"... here's a shot of the legroom in the demo Y seat rows.

That legroom looks pretty good actually and I'm guessing you're at least of average height.
I really like the pics of Y. I think I'm a bit of a sucker for that purple/red combo and that little storage / tablet area under a larger screen is pretty cool.

 

[Melburnian1]

Yes Ari Gold, and QF held a party to 'celebrate' economy class seats that are less comfortable than many seats on trains worldwide.

I wish some of the reviewers who run Internet sites for business travel would write about how inferior airline business class seats are to well designed railway sleeping berths, but then I doubt that many of these Internet site purveyors often - or in some cases have ever - travelled in sleeping berths on trains. Miles ahead in comfort, but it's more lucrative and trendy for these reviewers to talk in awed terms as to how a business class traveller has some 'personal space' to stow his or her shoes.

They are different modes, of course, and airlines have unique safety and weight-minimising requirements but many of the features that airlines boast about today have long been incorporated in the better designed rail sleeping carriages.

 

[downgraded]

From the dreamliner microsite: "...arranged in a 3-3-3 formation. This arrangement will allow our customers to enjoy greater aisle access".
School for the deluded I think - so climbing over two others is greater aisle access than 2-4-2 when no one is more than one seat from an aisle?

 

[DavidFlynn]

That legroom looks pretty good actually and I'm guessing you're at least of average height.

I'm exceptionally average, height included – at 1.8m / 5'9" I'd be bang on average height for an Aussie male.

I really like the pics of Y. I think I'm a bit of a sucker for that purple/red combo and that little storage / tablet area under a larger screen is pretty cool.

Yes, that's such a clever touch. I really appreciate having a bit of storage space at any seat just for odds and ends - reading glasses, phone, little Bose QC20s etc.

 

[DavidFlynn]

I wish some of the reviewers who run Internet sites for business travel would write about how inferior airline business class seats are to well designed railway sleeping berths, but then I doubt that many of these Internet site purveyors often - or in some cases have ever - travelled in sleeping berths on trains.

I love a good sleeper, although I also love high-speed rail where sleepers are pretty much redundant. But this is very much apples vs oranges.

 

[levelnine]

From the dreamliner microsite: "...arranged in a 3-3-3 formation. This arrangement will allow our customers to enjoy greater aisle access".
School for the deluded I think - so climbing over two others is greater aisle access than 2-4-2 when no one is more than one seat from an aisle?

Some of the marketing double-speak can be pretty amusing if you take a moment to reflect on it!

 

[moa999]

Sounds like the A380s will be status quo until they're (sadly) put out to pasture.

Well they could hardly say 2nd best..

While I doubt QF will go above 12 A380s, I'd be expecting an announcement in the next 12 months about a new First seat (QF have already run focus groups) and a retrofit of the Business Suite

 

[downgraded]

Look again. your bose qc20s are standard economy headphones complete with save the children envelope.