Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm sure that AA will replace "my" 767 with a 787 the day before I travel? Right? Right?
Edit: Question - Has anyone sat on the aisle in coach? I found a report from another website that suggested foot space on the aisle seats is reduced because of an electronic box under the seat in front?
I've never taken that flight, but we have many friends and neighbors who have taken it within the last 12-14 months. They all say the same: It only makes sense to avoid having to change planes. Old plane, unpleasant experience.
We considered it when we flew from RDU to Cape Town last November as we could have flown direct to CPT from LHR. But between the much higher cost and VERY long layover at LHR, we decided to go Jet Blue/Emirates with a stop in Dubai. I admit that I wasn't unhappy to avoid the AA flight.
But in your case, there's little you can do. Except I'd suggest two scotches and some wine.
My wife and I flew that flight last May. We actually flew out there on the 767 and back on a 777 as they took it out of service for the refit. The 777 was much nicer of course. We did pay for the main cabin extra, which was well worth it for a long flight like that IMO.
The AV system boxes are not at every seat, just certain ones. You can check Airline Seat Maps, Flights shopping and Flight information- Best Airplane Seats - SeatGuru for info on them. I will say that we were right in front of the restroom and they have a small warning about that on seat guru. I would definitely say to avoid that as you would be surprised (or perhaps not) at how many people will slam the crap out of the door in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep and it woke me up. (I'm not a great sleeper on airplanes anyway)
The crew was nice overall. There is one attendant with longer blond hair that got onto a confrontation with a passenger which resulted in her not being able to fly that day after they bumped in the aisle while he was having her bring her bag that wouldn't fit up front. I only caught the tail end of it but from what I saw, the woman was being jerky, but didn't seem to do it on purpose. But, neither of them chose to back down when the situation could have been de-escalated.
And the entertainment wasn't a big deal as we had iPads. Otherwise, bring plenty of magazines.
I took this flight in June 2015 and in December 2015. I think I'll try to avoid taking it again! It's not so bad going over (you sleep, it's fairly short) but it is SOOO long and uncomfortable on the way back.
We flew on Virgin in Dec 2014 from Newark and it's like Apples and Oranges comparing the two.
The flight to Heathrow has a pretty poor on-time rating. I had personal experience with delays that resulting in getting to London after the only connection of the day had departed. I had to shuttle to Gatwick, wait around all day, then finally arrived at my destination around midnight (about 14 hours late) with no luggage for 2 days.
My preference would be to look for airports on/near the east coast that offer direct flights to Nice and fly through there instead of trying to connect somewhere in Europe. JFK, for instance, has a direct flight to Nice. This not only has the advantage of lesser chance of delay with a connection affected, but also lessens the stress of having to go through customs and then catching a connection. And you are usually at your destination much sooner.
I fly AA 173/174 in economy at least once a month. It's liveable. Bring your own movie and then you won't care that the in-flight entertainment is very limited.
The 777 is a mixed blessing. Your chance of being stuck on a middle seat on the 777 is higher, and if you have elite status on AA the 767 actually has more seats with additional legroom than the original 777. As the 777s are refurbed, they are picking up some economy seats with additional legroom but many of them are also being converted from 9-abreast to 10-abreast in economy. Yucch.
Seatguru is a good source of information on the underseat boxes.
As for timeliness, LHR is a crapshoot regardless of where the flight originates. JFK is a crapshoot too. I misconnected there this weekend.
I haven't been to the observation deck in a few months, but they were flying the 777 last time I was there. If they swap to the 767 seasonally, I guess it depends on when you're traveling.
I fly AA 173/174 in economy at least once a month. It's liveable. Bring your own movie and then you won't care that the in-flight entertainment is very limited.
The 777 is a mixed blessing. Your chance of being stuck on a middle seat on the 777 is higher, and if you have elite status on AA the 767 actually has more seats with additional legroom than the original 777. As the 777s are refurbed, they are picking up some economy seats with additional legroom but many of them are also being converted from 9-abreast to 10-abreast in economy. Yucch.
Seatguru is a good source of information on the underseat boxes.
As for timeliness, LHR is a crapshoot regardless of where the flight originates. JFK is a crapshoot too. I misconnected there this weekend.
Thanks. I've been checking out Seatguru. I don't see info about the boxes where we are sitting but I'll check again. I am really tempted to just bite the bullet and upgrade to business but on the direct flight I'm not sure it's a whole lot better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dire Wolf
The flight to Heathrow has a pretty poor on-time rating. I had personal experience with delays that resulting in getting to London after the only connection of the day had departed. I had to shuttle to Gatwick, wait around all day, then finally arrived at my destination around midnight (about 14 hours late) with no luggage for 2 days.
My preference would be to look for airports on/near the east coast that offer direct flights to Nice and fly through there instead of trying to connect somewhere in Europe. JFK, for instance, has a direct flight to Nice. This not only has the advantage of lesser chance of delay with a connection affected, but also lessens the stress of having to go through customs and then catching a connection. And you are usually at your destination much sooner.
I'm a little limited what I can pick because I'm not paying full price for my flights. If I booked directly with the airline it would be a lot more expensive and I'd have three flights instead of two. So I'm happy to be on the direct flight even if it is a little uncomfortable. Fortunately there are several more flights LHR-NCE that I could get on if I miss my flight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BoSox 15
I haven't been to the observation deck in a few months, but they were flying the 777 last time I was there. If they swap to the 767 seasonally, I guess it depends on when you're traveling.
That's interesting because everything I've seen says the 767 is on this route?
Thanks. I've been checking out Seatguru. I don't see info about the boxes where we are sitting but I'll check again. I am really tempted to just bite the bullet and upgrade to business but on the direct flight I'm not sure it's a whole lot better.
Don't. Save the money to spend on a future vacation. Remember - it's just 8-9 hours out if your life. Meaningless (unless you are 6'4", seriously obese, infirm or have physical challenges.)
I'm 59, DH is 73. Neither of us are in great physical shape. Okay, honestly, we're in lousy shape; he had back surgery 2 years ago and a knee replacement last year, we both get too little exercise and it shows. We travel coach every single time - and we can afford to upgrade. Including last December's flight back from Cape Town. Three planes, total trip (airport to airport) 32 hours, 27-28 hours sitting on a plane. In coach. Obviously, alcohol was involved.
ETA: hate to admit it, but That Cape Town journey REALLY convinced us that in flight entertainment does make a big difference. In that specific attribute, Emerites was sensational.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
