Flying Coach to Europe

Discussion in 'On The Road Again' started by JohnnyM, Mar 7, 2007.

  1. JohnnyM

    JohnnyM 2,500+ Posts

    On American Airlines - how bad is it?

    The gf and I have been saving miles to go, and we have plenty, but when there are 40k coach tickets vs. 90k mile business/first tickets it seems to be a big difference. Hell that's 2 RT flights in the states.

    Is it worth the difference? Are the coach cabins on their international flights roomier than on domestics?
     
  2. shakahorn

    shakahorn 25+ Posts

    Hate to admit it, but there's no way I could do it - at least from the west coast. Coach is coach, no matter where you're going, at least on US airlines. Have you considered buying coach tickets and upgrading using miles?
     
  3. Napoleon

    Napoleon 2,500+ Posts

    Just did it LA to London. 11+ hours. It really kind of sucks. If you're going to do it, here are the suggestions-
    1) Fly on a 777 (free movies, TV, & flight tracker)
    2) Try to get one of the side pair of seats for the two of you.
    3) Take some sort of sleep aid.
    4) If you can't sleep, get up and walk in the aisles. Stetch, stand up, go to the bathroom as much as possible.
    5) Bring a large fleece blanket so that you can cover the both of you and get a little frisky underneath.

    I didn't bring a sleep aid and I didn't bring a girlfriend. Those were my two big mistakes.

    Good luck.

    -Nappy

    PS- I'm flying coach to Buenos Aires next Wenesday. Nearly 5 hours to Miami (aisle of a two seat side) and then nearly 8 hours to Buenos Aires (aisle of the middle 5 seat section). But my flight was 40K miles
    and I'm flying solo, so I went with it.
     
  4. EuroHorn

    EuroHorn 2,500+ Posts

    I think it is terrible. I have enough status that I get one way system upgrades and I will buy a cheap coach ticket and use them to upgrade to business class. Or I will use the extra miles to fly business since I think it is woth it. Also, you have to buy drinks in coach. You can always earn more miles, why not make the trip enjoyable from start to finish?
     
  5. Napoleon

    Napoleon 2,500+ Posts

    Again, AA Business on a 777 is like 1st Class was about 10 years ago. It really is probably worth the trouble if you've got a little cash to spare.
     
  6. JohnnyM

    JohnnyM 2,500+ Posts

    pretty much what we are thinking euro - we dont want to get there and be pissed about our travel decision just so we could save some miles.
     
  7. iamtigerwoods

    iamtigerwoods 500+ Posts

    It absolutely sucks. Was in Paris for meetings in November and I could not believe how bad American was. The seats between Chicago and Paris were smaller than between Austin and Chicago. If you fly to Asia much, it makes it even worse, as coach to Asia is typically nice.

    My advice would be to pay for the seats and use miles to upgrade.
     
  8. JohnnyM

    JohnnyM 2,500+ Posts

    we're just going to find some 90k mile business class seats. now i'm also going to japan in june on my dad's miles so i hope he's getting me business for that [​IMG]
     
  9. midtown

    midtown 1,000+ Posts

    Coach on a 777 is not bad at all.
     
  10. jimmyjazz

    jimmyjazz 2,500+ Posts

    I've flown coach to Europe 4 times, but I don't recall how many of those trips were on American. I had no problems.

    Then again, I'm pretty short, so take that with a grain of salt.
     
  11. TornACL

    TornACL 250+ Posts

    Where in Europe are you flying to? Makes a difference because you may fly a 767 or a 777 over there depending on where you're headed, and if you're leaving from DFW or some other international hub (ORD, JFK, etc)

    You definitely need to check when you make your reservation and see what kind of equipment you'd be flying, so you can make a wise decision either in choice of cabin, or choice of coach seats.

    American's 767 business class modification program is currently underway (new B/C seats, larger bins, better in-flight entertainment). About 30% of the 58 767 fleet has been completed to date. So if you're flying a 767 and you upgrade...you might get the nicer new seats, or you may get the older outdated setup. Buyer beware. Those newly retrofitted aircraft fly randomly through the system, so you won't know what you're going to end up with...until, of course, all 58 aircraft are complete (end of 2007).
     
  12. Lone Star

    Lone Star 500+ Posts

    It had been a while since I flew coach to Europe, but I have done so twice from the West Coast in the past year (once with a 12 month old). It is not that difficult. Obviously B-Class is better (it should be), but it is only for 10 hours.

    I think the key is whether you are accruing mileage at a rate that you can easily replenish a 180K hit to your account. When I am flying 100K miles a year, then the B-Class make sense. But when I am not, then coach seems to do since I would rather save the miles.

    As other have stated, the aircraft model makes all of the difference. Since AA flies the 767 to Europe, on those planes I would upgrade (even though AA’s Business Class seriously lags other European Carriers). On the 777, coach is feasible, if you have two seats on the window and you save the miles. Just pop an Ambien when you get on, finish dinner, and you wake up in Paris.

    On a separate note, when is American going to get its act together on its International service? The planes are antiquated, they do not have seat monitors on many planes, and the FAs seem to want to be anywhere other than on the plane doing their job.
     
  13. Tex Pete

    Tex Pete 1,000+ Posts

    Coach isn't that bad. Of course, business is a lot more comfortable, but unless you're a really big guy, it won't be too bad. [​IMG]
     
  14. denchen

    denchen 100+ Posts

    the continental flight direct from houston to paris is actually pretty decent. by "decent" i mean that it's better than other international coach flights. it's certainly better than other international flights i've taken (coach class), like united or northwest from LA to asia. but it's still coach. they don't call it first class for nothing, i guess.
     
  15. HornInDub

    HornInDub 100+ Posts

    I've flown coach from Ireland to the US probably 15-20 times in the past 3 years. If you can book an exit row in coach, you will have more than enough legroom to stretch, relax, etc. But make sure you check the plane onfiguration - if there are two exit rows next to each other (e.g. rows 22 and 23 being exit rows), you will want to book the back row because the seats in the front row will NOT recline. And that would make it a VERY long flight...

    I've used miles for upgrades, and its a great use of miles. Thats the route I would go if I were you.
     
  16. Doug E. Fresh

    Doug E. Fresh 25+ Posts

    I fly coach from the UK to Houston about 3-4 times per year and it's not that bad. Maybe I'm just used to it by now.

    Some of the suggestions above are critical though if you're flying coach:

    1) As others have mentioned, the 777 is a must. I always fly Continental from London Gatwick to Houston on this flight, and it's become a piece of cake for me. I've flown on KLM through Amsterdam on a different plane and it can be miserable.

    2) Try to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday. There are less business travellers and you are more likely to get an empty seat next to you. Avoid Mondays and Fridays like the plague.

    3) Find out if there are other connecting flights that are intended to link up with the flight you will be taking. For example, when I fly out of Gatwick there are 2 direct fights to Houston - one at 9:30 am and one at noon. The 9:30 am flight is intended to carry connecting passengers from an Emirates flight out of Dubai. It is generally packed and there are lots of screaming kids. I stay away from this and take the noon flight instead.

    Following these guidelines, my wife and I have almost always been able to get a row of 3 seats in the 777 to ourselves.
     
  17. JohnnyM

    JohnnyM 2,500+ Posts

    Thanks for all the thoughts.

    We won't be going until, at the earliest, Oct/Nov of this year. Going from the West Coast to Rome. It looks like every flight to FCO goes through JFK and is a 767.

    Regarding upgrading with miles...do you have to buy a full fare economy seat to do this? Our whole point is to not spend our money on the travel, so shelling out a grand for tickets isn't as worth it to us as just using the bulk of our miles.

    I looked on the AA site and saw their upgrades to B/C...looks pretty decent, and hopefully by the time we go they will all be complete.
     
  18. TXHookem

    TXHookem 1,000+ Posts

    I fly coach to Europe and Argentina at least 1x a year - I just suck it up since you use fewer miles and/or pay less. That allows you to save miles for more trips. Then again, I'm 5'8"
     
  19. TornACL

    TornACL 250+ Posts

    If you fly LAX to FCO, you will fly a 767-200 to LAX. These are the oldest of the 767, not currently receiving the B/C upgrades. The 767-200 is a 3-class configuration.

    From JFK to FCO you would fly the 767-300 which is currently undergoing to premium cabin updates.
     
  20. shakahorn

    shakahorn 25+ Posts


     
  21. Lat22

    Lat22 1,000+ Posts

    Once you find out which plane, tryThe Link
     
  22. huge

    huge 250+ Posts

    am i mistaken or are 767s 2/3/2 and 777 3/3/3?

    i flew IAH to Amsterdam last year coach on Continental and it wasnt that bad. we had the 2 seats about halfway back in coach. it was bearable.
     
  23. LonghornLawyer

    LonghornLawyer 500+ Posts

    Here's the AA milage chart. As you can see, if you pay for a coach ticket, it is 25,000 miles plus $300 per person, each way to upgrade to business. For you and your girlfriend, that's 100,000 miles and $1,200 just to upgrade. If you do the MileSAAver, it's only 180,000 miles to get the business class tickets for the two of you outright and only 80,000 for the two of you to go coach.

    Don't get me wrong. Coach is not fun. You're not going to get a good night's sleep and you're going to be subjected to some pretty rotten food.

    But I've got news for you--business class isn't that great. You're not going to get that much sleep. You're on a damn airplane, after all. And the food is still far from gourmet. The booze is free, but is you have any brain at all you're trying to sleep and not trying to get shitfaced.

    So from my point of view, the upgrade isn't worth the miles and money. And unless you're rolling in miles, I don't think it's worth it to get the business class outright. I would rather use my miles on hotel rooms. The "exchange rate" on AAdvantage miles to HHonors points and Marriott points is especially favorable.
     
  24. shakahorn

    shakahorn 25+ Posts


     
  25. Tex Pete

    Tex Pete 1,000+ Posts


     
  26. VinnyVango

    VinnyVango 25+ Posts

    I think American charges for booze in Coach... meaning major addition to the suck factor
     
  27. Pepper Brooks

    Pepper Brooks 250+ Posts

    I flew AA from Houston to Punta Cana, DR this past December. It sucked *** hard. I will never fly them again if I can help it. I think they did remove 4 rows of seats, but decided to put in 6 to replace the 4. More room in coach my ***. I am 6'4 so most seats are cramped, but I swear to you SWA has more room in their seats than AA in coach. I was flying on a 757 not a 777 so you may catch a break there. I wouldn't do it if I had any other viable option. Take KLM, Continental, anything.
     
  28. LonghornLawyer

    LonghornLawyer 500+ Posts

    A SWA 737-700 has a 33-inch seat pitch, whereas an AA 757-200 has a 32-inch seat pitch, so there is definitely more room on SWA than AA.

    AA chucked that whole "more room throughout coach" shortly after 9/11. They're just as bad as anyone else now, and worse than many.
     
  29. TornACL

    TornACL 250+ Posts


     
  30. NickDanger

    NickDanger 2,500+ Posts

    Try flying coach by yourself from SA to Detroit (not that bad) and then coach from Detroit to Amsterdam sitting next to a 400 lb man and then coach from Amsterdam to Nairobi sitting next to a 6' 8" girl who was easily 280. And the housekeeper threw away my ambien the day before. The way back I got to put one of my children next to me so it wasn't so bad. From the sound of the alarm on return day to the front door unlocking was a cool 48 hours.

    After that debacle, I can tolerate anything.
     

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