BA – Premium Economy – First Row

[yonasl]

Hello,

I am booking some premium economy BA flights and have the option to select the first row on both legs (plane used is a 777).

Any experience using the bulk row now that I can easily chose any seat really?

Pros are the fact that nobody will recline on me but I am worried the seats could be much narrower or that the legroom is not that good after all (even with a seat in front, you can easily put your feet under it most of times).

I am not that bothered about having to put the screen away before landing.

Thank you guys for your help!

(On a separate note, any place where to post when I will be around at LHR and LAX to meet fellow travellers?)

[dougzz99]

It’s typically fine and better than the other rows I think. Risk is potential crying babies in bassinet seats which are that row.

[NorthernLass]

Seatguru has reviews of different types of seats. I think you get a bit more legroom in the bulkhead row, but the main benefit is not having anyone reclining into your face. Also easy access to the Club Kitchen as a I noticed a sneaky passenger making regular trips once when I was in the last row of CW with a view into the PE cabin!
Do the PE bulkhead seats have bassinets though? The other consideration is that you might be seated next to (or even moved) for a baby, and it might be the kind which cries for the whole flight!

[NorthernLass]

@dougzz99 just beat me to the crying babies point!

[masaccio]

DO NOT pick the centre seats. They are used as a thoroughfare by other passengers and you will be repeatedly kicked awake in the night.

Bulkhead window is my go-to seat as you can very easily get out past the other passenger without waking them and they will never wake you when they get up.

There is a very small risk you will be near a baby but then if a baby kicks off being a couple of rows back doesn’t make the slightest difference.

[John]

WTP is not that big so if there’s a noisy baby you’ll hear it wherever you are

[NorthernLass]

That is true about the noisy baby, but if you are sitting next to the parents you will be jostled and generally disturbed by them attending to it at regular intervals. I have been on both sides of this!

[tomahawk]

Flew in the centre seats in a 777 recently. There are bassinets on the bulkhead so that is certainly a risk – I was very pleased when the people in the other 2 seats arrived without a baby! Other than that it was good because there is a lot more room. I would not agree with the comment about the area in front being used a thoroughfare – nobody came through in front of us, theres no room to do so if you have a couple of items on the floor in front of you (bag, blanket etc). Certainly when the seat is reclined and the footrest is out they would have to be pretty desperate to try and get through.

[normanna]

I just flew in the front row on WP Plus on a 380. I would choose that again as I always end up with someone in front of me recline for the whole flight to the max – which I find incredibly inconsiderate. I’ve seen comments before that other passengers would use as a walkway but that only happened once by a cabin manager before take off. No one even attempted to walk through and if they did i would say something.

[yonasl]

Thank you all for your help on this one. From the opinions above:

– baby risk … yeah that’s very true but from experience the premium cabin is small so you may hear crying wherever you sit

– baby risk #2 … to be moved to another seat. This worries me most as I wouldn’t like to end up on some bad seat eventually! (I suppose I will just have to monitor the seating page)

– narrower seats: nobody mentioned seats may be narrower or more uncomfortable (something SeatGuru seems to dislike)

– not enough space for feet: nobody seems to mention the space against the bulkhead is reduced in any way

Thanks again!

[masaccio]

yonasl wrote:

narrower seats: nobody mentioned seats may be narrower or more uncomfortable (something SeatGuru seems to dislike)

Don’t know who comments on that on SeatGuru but I suggest they may be larger than a ‘standard’ passenger.

yonasl wrote:

not enough space for feet: nobody seems to mention the space against the bulkhead is reduced in any way

Maybe I’ve not been on every BA WTP plane config but from 10-20 bulkhead WTP flights I’ve never experienced that.

[yonasl]

Masaccio just as you mentioned …

On seat guru you will see the following for most
bulkhead first rows:

“ The tray table is in the armrest making the armrest immovable and slightly reducing seat width.”

That is why I asked about the difference on the shape of that first seat.

Thanks!

• This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .

[grahamrb]

Did an overnight flight from the US back to the UK in the centre set. No babies so that was good and seat width and leg room was fine. I did find it was a thoroughfare for staff during boarding so they could quickly get from one side to the other to sort bits out but it settled after takeoff. For the overnight flight it was good because you didn’t have a seat in front of you reclining so felt less claustrophobic (not that the normal premium economy seats are particular tight).