VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating please

[kaz]

Myself + 1 are booked SYD - LAX business class seats departing 25 May VA1

When I originally booked the day the award seats were released I snared seats 1 A & C and was very happy with myself.!!
Then when I read a few months back that the upgraded seats were commencing early May I changed our seats to Row 3 D & G as we prefer 2 seats together rather than having the seats across the aisle from each other as would have been the case with the new layout for seats 1A & C.

I was feeling happy with my decision to change seating....so I put that to bed and concentrated on planning the remainder of our trip.

I only now discover tonight (while doing a dummy booking to see how full the flight is) that our flight will not have the upgraded seats due to a delay

Now, I'll have to do another seat change as currently we are in a row of 3, seats D & G with seat F in between us.

Can't believe I gave up my 1 A & C !! So, the only 2 seaters now available are in Row 1 H & K.... what are people's view of these seats, seeing that they are close to the toilets ?

Otherwise, Row 5 middle 3 seats are available. Have read Row 5 is a popular choice, but not sure if what the attraction is seeing it's located in front of the bar and toilets. Can anybody elaborate on the magical Row 5 so I can make a informed decision on which Row to change to.

Edit: After looking at seatguru map, are the toilets and the bar within the Row 5 area only for use by Row 5 pax ??


thanks in advance
Kaz

 

[MH_fan]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

I'd go with 1HK. Somebody always ends up in the muddle seat between D and G.

 

[kaz]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

Thanks MH_fam
Is there an odour from the toilets if I chose Row 1 HK ?

If we chose Row 5 D/F, is there a possibility that somebody would take the other seat in that row, knowing that they would be curtained off with possibly a couple ?

 

[serfty]

I'd take row 5 aisle and middle in a heartbeat with the old config (D/F or F/G) - the bar is beyond a bulkhead in front.

It's very private area.

Plus half the J PAX don't seem to know about the lavatory behind 3H/K.

 

[kaz]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

Thanks Serfty
So what looks like a bar behind row 5 is for PE pax ? Also, is there any noise from that bar directly behind ?

 

[MH_fan]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

I found row 5 to be reasonably quiet and was not bothered by the J bar in front or the PE section behind. The peoblem you'll have with 5DG is that someone will end up in 5F and it will make the trip quite awkward.

 

[Denali]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

Ive had row 5, there was no noise from PE, just the loud boorish at the J bar that kept waking us up.

My 2cents (after experiencing 5) is I would take row 1 if that was the only 2 x seat option because even though there is a toilet in front, there are also toilets on the left front and near the bar so not everyone will be using the toilet in front of you, there are other, closer options.

 

[serfty]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

... The peoblem you'll have with 5DG is that someone will end up in 5F and it will make the trip quite awkward.

kaz indicates 5DFG are vacant, that's why I indicated 5D/F or 5F/G. i.e. Middle and aisle.

What happens is that any PAX in the other aisle seat uses 'their' side while you use 'your' side.

Perhaps 5F/G is the better optins as you are closer, but not to close to the toilet behind 3H/K.

 

[Ausbt]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

I prefer the main cabin rather than Row 5 just because of the illusion of more space (Row 5 can feel a little closed in). Never been bothered by people at the J bar and no noise comes through from the PE bar (I mean who can even fit in there?). I always choose 3A or 4A. Go for 1H/K I don't think the toilet is an issue. I'm looking forward to trying the new fitout but in some ways I'm going to miss the openess of the old one. The AVOD is going to be much better though, I'm sure.

 

[Jurahn]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

Ive had row 5, there was no noise from PE, just the loud boorish at the J bar that kept waking us up.

We had the same experience in Row 5 - there was one woman who seemed determined to drink her way to LA, she was in the bar for a good part of the flight and I could hear her shrieking and cackling away even with the noise-cancelling headphones on, and trying to sleep was near impossible. Every time she left the bar, I thought "Thank god for that" but then realised she only went back into the main cabin when she was left on her own, as soon as anyone went into the bar, she was back in there like a flash to cosy up to her new drinking companion. Thankfully we didn't have the same experience on the way back, there were a few noisy people in the bar for a short time but then everyone headed back to their seats to sleep and things quietened down.

 

[Denali]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

.... Thankfully we didn't have the same experience on the way back, there were a few noisy people in the bar for a short time but then everyone headed back to their seats to sleep and things quietened down.

I think the LAX>SYD is reasonably quite because its a late departure so a few drinks after dinner and then settle down to sleep.

SYD>LAX - ear plugs and head phones and I could still hear them partying.

As a non drinker, I don't get the bar. I don't understand the want to stand around drinking with your fellow but just met/stranger confined space-mates.

 

[Jurahn]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

As a non drinker, I don't get the bar. I don't understand the want to stand around drinking with your fellow but just met/stranger confined space-mates.

I don't get it either - I'm also a non-drinker and Mr Jurahn hardly ever drinks alcohol (can't even remember the last time he did!). I don't mind other people drinking as long as they're sensible with it, but to "party on" in a confined space like an aircraft, where your fellow passengers have no choice but to put up with the noise/unpleasant behaviour and can do little or nothing to escape from it, again comes back to something that's a common complaint through many threads these days - complete lack of common courtesy and respect towards other people.

 

[razors_girl23]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

My husband and I sat in row 5 on the SYD-LAX leg in the middle 3 seats, whilst my dad was across the aisle. We bid to upgrade, so got given what we were given. My husband and I shared the middle seats with a solo pregnant lady. It wasn't awkward at all. Just kept to ourselves. There was some noise from the bar, as others have mentioned. No noise whatsoever from PE (other than some nosy passenger who couldn't help sticking his head through for a sticky beak haha).

I sat in row 5 on the return leg, whilst dad and hubby got relegated to PE. I was 5C and shared with some higher up from Tigerair. Much quieter on that flight and I got a good solid 8 hours sleep (which was a miracle, as I'm scared of flying). I can't compare to the other rows, because this is my only experience in J, but I liked how secluded row 5 was. Almost like your own little personal cabin.

 

[Ausbt]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

I was 5C and shared with some higher up from Tigerair

A Super-Unobtainium Level FF from Tigarghhh! Several levels above VA VIP, I'm surprised they didn't put them in First really

 

[blackcat20]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

As a non drinker, I don't get the bar. I don't understand the want to stand around drinking with your fellow but just met/stranger confined space-mates.

As a non-sleeper, its nice to be able to go and sit somewhere different, chat to a few people and wind down before heading back to bed to attempt to get some rest.

 

[clipped_wings]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

Do they still have the starry sky in the new J cabin?

 

[MH_fan]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

kaz indicates 5DFG are vacant, that's why I indicated 5D/F or 5F/G. i.e. Middle and aisle.

What happens is that any PAX in the other aisle seat uses 'their' side while you use 'your' side.

Perhaps 5F/G is the better optins as you are closer, but not to close to the toilet behind 3J/K.

With 5DG, you definitely run the risk of having someone seated in between because that seat gets allocated to those who have successfully upgraded via Upgrade Me bid and ususlly can't allocate a seat until check in.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

As a non drinker, I don't get the bar. I don't understand the want to stand around drinking with your fellow but just met/stranger confined space-mates.

As a drinker I don't get non-drinkers! No j/k - the fact that we are all different is one of the great features of life. I thoroughly enjoy meeting and chatting to strangers over a drink or two - everybody has a story to tell and again every story is different.

Do they still have the starry sky in the new J cabin?

Jeez I hope so - and I hope they still have that fabulous print on toilet walls - and I really hope one day they will serve King Island only cheese platter so as to promote a fabulous unique Australian business. Anybody here seriously suggest a better cheese platter than Surprise Bay Cheddar, Roaring Forties Blue and Cape Wickham Double Brie or Phoques Cove Camembert?

 

[MH_fan]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

Do they still have the starry sky in the new J cabin?

Yes, they most certainly do. I love it!

 

[serfty]

Re: VA 777 business seat upgrade delayed - just realised. Need advise on seating pl

With 5DG, you definitely run the risk of having someone seated in between because that seat gets allocated to those who have successfully upgraded via Upgrade Me bid and ususlly can't allocate a seat until check in.

No-one suggested 5D/G ...