QF9 seat advice - a dilemma

[Mr_Gimlet]

I did a quick search but couldn't find any discussion on the 789 used for the PER-LHR run.

I'm off to a family wedding with Mrs_G in economy in July, and being economy most seats available to me as SG are pretty similar.

However, there are pairs of seats at the very back, 59A/B and 59J/K. They are red on seatguru because of proximity to the toilets and galley.

I was wondering if the benefits of two together without a third passenger might outweigh this, especially on a megaflight where I'll be awake two thirds of the time anyway. Or are the disadvantages simply too much?

 

[offshore171]

I'd avoid those. People tend to form queues near the dunnies.

 

[VPS]

I have friends who are a couple who choose these seats because it's just two - YMMV

 

[jboy90]

Have sat there before and would do so again. I rate having a two seater over closeness to the toilets - though I can’t sleep anyway in Y

 

[justinbrett]

I used to like the equivalent on the 747. Rather have an occasional queue in the vicinity than a stranger touching me.

 

[MelbFlyer]

I wouldn't think of having a queue near you as much of a bother tbh - I think the below would outweigh :

1. Having no one next to you (if you're travelling in a pair)
2. No guilt in reclining all the way back, and for as long as you want

I flew LAX > MEL on an aging A380 (you can probably tell by my posts that I don't like A380s) and we had 79B and 79C (listed as yellow on Seatguru) - the extra legroom far outweighed the fact that at times, some people congregated in the area as it was an exit row.

Having only 2 seats in that section of the row was a bonus too. It was USD$100+ well spent to make a long economy seat better.

Having been stuck in a middle seat from DXB > MEL one time, made me vow to never not allocate seats ever again. To be fair though, that was my first overseas trip and I had booked it through a travel agent, so I learnt quite a lot from that trip - ie. don't book via a travel agent and always pay extra (if charged) to allocate seats.

 

[Mr_Gimlet]

I have only managed to get them one way as the others went whilst I was fuffing around. So I'll be able to compare.

 

[jpp42]

I use an eyemask and tend to sleep soundly (once I'm tired enough - sleeping in economy is not a guarantee) , so personally I would definitely pick the two-seat pair despite the issues of people congregating nearby. My partner even asks me to prioritise choosing flights where two-seat pairs are available; unfortunately with the reduction in A330's that's becoming more difficult these days, so if you can snag these seats on a B787 I'd say go for it.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Sat close to the WCs last night in a flight… yeah there were a couple people queuing ost of the time but it really wasn’t an issue! This is economy after all, gotta build the best ‘nest’ you can. Double seat with no one else, able to recline anytime. Pretty good nesting

 

[VPS]

I checked with my friends and they said the double seats with being able to recline without bothering anyone outweigh the disadvantages

 

[Quickstatus]

The Points Guy mentioned Row 59

Here is a picture of Row 59KL:
Note the extra room between 59K and the aircraft cabin wall. There is no 3rd seat there due to the curve of the fuselage.
This may be good or bad. For me bad because you can't rest your head against the cabin wall.

On other airplanes, seats like this also have limited recline. However it is my understanding that Row 59 on the QF 787-9 have the same recline as other economy seats and no one behind to complain about your recline. Also no annoying kid behind knocking the seat.

Noise and foot traffic because toilets and the galley are directly behind

Another consideration is that you will be the last to exit and therefore last in the queue at immigration.

Then there is the issue of aircraft movement, The rear of the aircraft generally moves more inflight than the centre or front of the aircraft.


Have you thought of purchasing an extra seat, so the two of you can share 3 seats. Usually an extra seat will come with the luggage allowance of the seat, but do not include the extra fees, taxes and charges that come with buying an airline ticket.

 

[serfty]

I have the A side seat allocated for travel in May. Extra storage is great. You put your 'personal item' (in my case, small backpack) under the seat against the wall leaving the space under the B seat in front for your legs.

 

[downtheback]

Only time queue for toilets is ever an issue in economy is that last hour between the (breakfast) meal service and landing - generally because everyone wants to brush teeth, get changed etc. Other than that, you'd never have more than 2-3 people waiting for a toilet.

If you're listening to music/podcast and got eye shades on, noise and light from the toilets/galley area isn't of any concern.

 

[Quickstatus]

Only time queue for toilets is ever an issue in economy

Whats the queue like in that situation?