New LHR 744 config

Wow yes I count 62 PE seats! I think I've said it before, PE is great on a 346 and upstairs on a 747, but this layout chills me, especially those seats next to the galley which are the worst value for money on any aircfraft IMHO.

Well, that's another excuse to aim for UC on every flight.

The PE section upstairs on both LGW and LHR 747's is an oasis of tranquil calm and definitely the place to be. This new layout changes all that and also makes it pretty clear that VS is focusing on the premium and business markets!!

Will be interesting to see what issues the PE seats near the galley and to the rear of the cabin have to endure?

I hope there is some refresh of the aircraft overall. I flew UC on a Heathrow B744 this week and the toilets were in a terrible state, worn and grubby.

...and on the subject of toilets, I see from the seat map there is one block between PE and Econ and another at the rear of Econ.
So what happens here? 62 PE pax heading backwards and the front half of econ heading forwards, that to me equals queues!!

-Steve

[Neil]

So pretty much what was expected. I got to say I hate the 4 seats across the middle, its so BA[n]. Looks like rows 32-35 in the 2's are going to be the seats to aim for.

Part of the reason I fly PE on VS was to sit upstairs on the 744, as it made it worth the extra money. Not convinced this is a step forward. If I ended up in E or F rows I would not be happy. [n]

[HighFlyer]

Good spot Duk!

Hmm... Damn is all i can say. PE is a pretty good product, notably improved by the relaunch, and i cant help thinking that this new layout will just ruin it. 4 abreast the main cabin? Thats like Y for heavens sake! 2x4x2 is what you get across the A346 in Y! It should have been 3 across at most.

The bubble looks quite good for Upper, and might be more fun for those travelling in groups and for a dedicated snooze zone, but i'm looking at the PE section and not liking what i see.

Thanks,
Sarah

[Scrooge]

Well as LSoM says the bubble is now UC heaven, however can but only think that VS has managed to shoot themselves in the foot with this change.

As pointed out PE is now just like WT+...however on a lot of routes WT+ is a lot cheaper and is more easily upgraded to NNCW .

The bar hasnt been extended to accomodate the extra uc seats which is a shame

Upstairs, the rear toilet has been swapped for a suite. There is now only one toilet upstairs for 20 suites - Not good prior to landing when demand is high. Certainly could annoy some I think...[:?]

Only 12-16 PE seats look semi attractive to me in this new config which is a shame...

UC wins in some ways (more in the bubble) and loses out in others (extra demand for same-sized bar and if the IFBT can't make it to everyone as it is, it's going to be much worse with the new config). However, PE only loses out with the new config (other than new seats but that's a given anyway) - on a flight to the east coast, PE isn't going to be that much more attractive than Y.

VS.

Echoing other's comments, that 2-4-2 looks pretty tight - I think you'll have a bit of a squeeze in the aisle, and there's still the crap seats around the galley.

However, the slightly larger cabin will mean probably two dedicated crew, one for each aisle, and a little more slack in the meals due to the larger number of pax, meaning that there's more chance of getting your first choice.

Back to the UC config, I'll wager those back two suites on the upper deck will prove unpopular.

Remember that there is a galley cart lift, which is currently "buffered" from the cabin by the W class lav. With that lav gone, the cart lift is right next to the back suite. From travelling on other airlines, the banging and slamming of the cart lift is quite disturbing. This is why many airlines put a lav there!

If I was planning this config, I'd have really fought hard to lose those exit rows around doors 2 (they are an inconvenience during boarding), maybe adding an extra lav or two.

A number of airlines are adding larger "premium lavs", big enough to allow you to change clothes, and sometimes, a window. I remember the SQ 777s have a big lav at the front, and the GF A330s have a big lav. LH also have a large lav in F in their config on the 744 upper deck. Given that VS give out pyjamas, and people want to get changed, not doing something to the lavs in this reconfig seems like a bad move.

Come on VS, don't go all ordinary on us!

Regarding IFBT, I wonder if this config will carry two IFBTs? I remember there being a rumour here that some flights would carry two IFBTs some time in the future.

Mike

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by mike-smashing


Come on VS, don't go all ordinary on us!


Mike

From your own statement, other airlines are fitting premium cabins with premium lav's..VS is leaving the UC cabins with standard ones..so you could say they are doing something different..of course it is a negative different [:#]

This honestly looks like a process that has not been well thought out.

Mike raises a number of good points and this has me thinking that maybe now the LGW aircraft are a more attractive option from my point of view.

Sure they don't have V:Port, but the upstairs PE section must now be rated as the best PE cabin in the fleet.

Originally posted by tallprawn
Upstairs, the rear toilet has been swapped for a suite. There is now only one toilet upstairs for 20 suites - Not good prior to landing when demand is high. Certainly could annoy some I think...[:?]

Only 12-16 PE seats look semi attractive to me in this new config which is a shame...

That's a very good point, overall UC has gone from 3 loos to 44 seats to 3 loos to 54 seats ... that's not a good ratio for a premium cabin and the rush to chain from ninja suits after an east coast flight will be awful.

Likewise, the toilet situation in PE looks appalling, VS could have put some loos adjacent to the galley to reduce the noise and light but instead it seems there's a sharing with Y at the back which will only lead to trouble!

Likwise the bar would be bigger in an ideal world ...

However, let's not forget BA have 70 CW seats on some 747s ... and people say the service is good!

Isn't it time they got rid of the IFBT and gave more services in the clubhouses? Takes up space, weight and people get fed up if they cannot get their treatment (so I understand) As a LGW flyer removing this perk would not bother me at all :-0

They'll need 2 IFBT for this as they can't get round the majority as it is!

When is the new config to enter service? My apologises if I missed this in a previous post.

As my previous topic on this matter was locked I have now placed in in the correct place for everyone to comment on!

Reconfiguration of Heathrow Boeing 747 aircraft will be as follows:

From the end of September Heathrow based Boeing 747 aircraft will begin to be reconfigured to increase the size of both Upper Class and Premium Economy cabins.

G-VWOW will be the first Heathrow Boeing 747 to be reconfigured.

The configuration will change from:
44 Upper Class Suites to 54
32 Premium Economy seats to 62
310 Economy seats to 228

The Upper Class cabin will consist of A and B zones, and the entire Upper Deck. The Premium Economy cabin will take up all of C zone.

As there will be ten more Upper Class Suites on this aircraft we plan to increase the amount of Senior Cabin Crew by two.
Economy will have 82 less seats resulting in one less Cabin Crew member.

[mitchja]

Originally posted by mike-smashing
Echoing other's comments, that 2-4-2 looks pretty tight - I think you'll have a bit of a squeeze in the aisle, and there's still the crap seats around the galley.

Dont forget though that a B744 cabin on the main deck is nearly 1 meter wider than an A346 cabin. The total width of 1 extra new PE seat still allows the same (if not fractionally more) aisle width than is currently on the A346 A/C in PE. I know I should get out more but I did some calculations the other week [:I]

Regards

New 747 seat layout here:


http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/allaboutus/ourfleet/index.jsp?type=12

Look at all those purple seats... gosh. At this rate, there won't be any economy seats at all on VS aircraft................

[preiffer]

This could be me being absolutely stupid, but that map seems to indicate that they've completely removed the rear upstairs toilet?

... did I miss a thread? [:I]

[Decker]

Well if you have no PE pax why would you need a separate toilet? There goes the PE off first fringe benefit for W pax

[preiffer]

Hmm - Well...

Even with only 10 J passengers upstairs, the toilets (/changing rooms) have a "waiting time" associated with them prior to landing. Now, double the passengers. Ahem. [:w]

A long waiting time, particularly as some people (and you know who you are) take forever - very inconsiderate.