United Airlines (UA) Boeing B747-400 new First Class In-Flight: Los Angeles - Tokyo (LAX-NRT) 04/2009 |
| Category: In-Flight Service | 2009-04-10 |
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| United Airlines has been refitting their Boeing 747-400 fleet with new First and Business class seats since late 2007. Although I have had many flights on UA's 747-400, it is my luck that I have not been on one of the reconfigured version until this flight. About a week before my departure, I started checking the United Cargo website and was very excited to find out that my flight will be operated by the new configuration. I had been holding my breath hoping that a last minute equipment change will not cause me yet another disappointment. |
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| For today's flight, I am flying United Airlines' First class from Los Angeles to Tokyo. |
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| As soon as I boarded, I knew that the United Cargo website was spot-on, and our 747-400 is indeed the new configuration. 12 brand new individual suites in First Class, instead of the older version's 14 suites located in the nose of the Boeing 747-400. |
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| My first in-person impression of the new suite is that the cabin is noticeably tighter. Even with two fewer suites, there seems to be much less room to move around. Perhaps the larger size of each of the suites took up more room than I realized. This picture is the first pair of suites in the middle of the cabin, row 3. |
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| Passengers traveling together probably would prefer these pairs of suites in the middle of the cabin. But they do give up the extra storage space provided by the bins along the side of the suite. However, those seated in these pairs of suites do get to enjoy a quite conversation and sharing of meals. |
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| Each suite along the side of the fuselage has three windows for a good view outside. Some people even claim that due to the curvature of the nose section, they can almost see out the front of the plane. |
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| Amenity kits were already placed on the ottoman as we boarded, along with slippers as well. |
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| There is plenty of storage space inside the suite, bins on both side, and even additional space under the ottoman below the LCD screen. |
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| The bin on the outside by the aisle is a bit oddly shaped, but it is quite deep. I could put my large purse in there or easily stow away the in-flight blanket that I don't need. |
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| The bin along the fuselage side is not as deep, but is is perfect for cell phone, iPod, eye-glasses, cosmestic bag, pocket size novel. It is probably too small for even the smallest net-book type devices. |
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| Some passengers traveling together might instead choose one suite along the side of the fuselage and one middle suite. The aisle at this point is relatively narrow, and it is easy to each across the aisle. |
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| For those whom are familiar with the old First class cabin, this view really shows a much narrower aisle in the new layout. |
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| The new LCD screen is much larger, and positioned in a good viewing position. The nicest addition is AVOD (Audio Video On Demand) for every First class sutie. |
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| The ottoman is quite wide, and the space underneath is spacious enough for most personal carry-on items. |
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User comments: | | 2014-04-13 20:01:45 (GMT-6) | 66291: | USA | | 2014-02-19 07:25:53 (GMT-6) | 3479: | USA | | 2014-02-09 13:17:21 (GMT-6) | 6411: | USA | | 2009-04-21 00:08:13 (GMT-6) | Lizzy: | 回覆小酣妮: 據 Lizzy 阿姨所知 目前這 "1K" 還未有 "熊熊" 坐過. 告訴妳喵喵舅舅下次坐 UA 頭等艙時一定要 reserve "1K" 給小酣妮 ..... :) | | 2009-04-21 00:04:45 (GMT-6) | Lizzy: | 回覆小酣妮: | | 2009-04-18 06:44:39 (GMT-6) | 小酣妮: | 不知道“1k”的位置，有沒有任何「熊熊」曾經坐過喔！Lizzy阿姨好幸福.... |
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