To me all US airlines suck. They are way behind the Asian airlines mostly. I fly United due to Newark being their hub. Don't like to cross the bridge to go to La Guardia or JFK.
Thanks Ralebird. As I plan this thing later in the summer I will ping you and ask a few questions then. Your bold statement is so true my friend.
I don’t blame you at all for that. I did the same when I lived in nj. Happy to be in ATL now. The airport is great
I know. 15 years ago I travelled to ATL every month due to work for roughly 1.5 years. I still think ATL is superior to all other US airports.
I did NY-Hong Kong nonstop coach. I forget how long the flight was, but was in the neighborhood of 14-16 hours. Was lucky enough to get an exit row but the airline, Cathay-Pacific, had these weird seats that wouldn't go back. They would only slide forward into a slouching position. It was terrible. I usually don't sleep very well on a plane, but this was impossible to get any shut eye. I love to travel, but have developed neuropathy in my old age which makes sitting for any length of time very uncomfortable. When I fly out to the West Coast to visit my son's family, I have to pony up extra $ for business or first class for the extra space and leg room. I wouldn't mind except for the disparity in fares. It's about $1400 first class to SFO but only about $200 coach.
Most airlines let you buy "extra space" seats that have legroom similar to business class. Price depends on flight length - usually $30 - $75. If you need extra width, you're probably out of luck.
Seatguru.com is a lifesaver. I never make a reservation for something I'm not familiar with without checking there first. On just about any plane with two central exit rows the one in front will benefit from extra legroom but will not recline so it won't infringe on the exit capability of the row behind it; I suspect that's what you encountered on CP. That info would be noted at seatguru. Passenger comments there can steer you in the right direction.
Thanks, I am aware of extra room seats and have used them for domestic flights. Still prefer up-level seats if they're not too expensive going out to the Coast. Just makes the flight a lot more comfortable, which goes without saying, but you also get room to put a backpack under the seat in front and still have room for your feet to stretch out. You don't get that even with extra space seats. My wife's family lives in Chicago, so when we go there, I don't care where I sit because a 2 hour flight my feet can handle.
Thanks again. I have used seatguru.com. One thing I've had to be cautious about is not all first class seating meets my requirements. For example, first row, first class on Alaska doesn't give you better leg room because the bulkhead is right there. Same seat on Jet Blue is okay because they provide a well for your feet to stretch out. As for Cathay-Pacific, I think all the seats functioned the same way. I heard a lot of the people in my travel group complained as well, and I believe they have been changed back to the traditional seat back seating since. This goes back about ten years.
Back from a cruise in which I added two more countries - Japan and Republic of (South) Korea. Impressions: (1) It's a long-ass flight between New York and Tokyo, but going business class really makes a big difference. I highly recommend the ramen offered on ANA flights. (2) Tokyo and surroundings aren't very exotic-looking, but as you get farther away to the southern islands of Japan, you can really feel that you're not in North America or Western Europe. Same thing goes for Jeju Island (Korea). (3) It was fun learning the intricacies of sushi rolling and Japanese tea ceremonies, and trying out many different kinds of sakes. Aruba Austria Bahamas Belgium Belize Bermuda Canada Cayman Islands China Croatia Curacao Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Grenada Holy See (Vatican City) Ireland Italy Japan Republic of (South) Korea Malta Martinique Mexico Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Portugal Russia Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden St. Martin Turkey United Kingdom (including England, Wales, and Scotland, but not Northern Ireland) United States (including constituent territories of Puerto Rico and Saint Thomas) Venezuela
Can't believe I missed this question. How was your impression of Amsterdam. It is one of my top cities in Europe next to London, Barcelona etc.
Awesome list Jeff. Business Class to Tokyo is a good advice. But I did economy flight to Singapore in middle seat. Nothing can faze me anymore.
Yikes! When I went to Singapore (via Hong Kong) I also did business class - in fact, those trips to Asia are the only times I've done it (Premium Economy is my jam). At least that time it was paid for by work - this time it all came out of my pocket.
Glad you liked it. Before it was free everywhere, you could smoke a joint in Amsterdam and head down to Red Light district to look at prostitutes freely. Good old days. Still one of my favorite cities.
