(Image source: Flatseats.com)
Last week I wrote a column about getting your money’s worth in business class for BBC.com— it ended up being one of the most popular posts on site, so I thought I’d share it with TICKET readers.
The peice focused on the three different types of business class seat flying around out there: true lie-flat, slanted lie-flat and “cradle” or recliner. (The goal is to find the true lie-flat seat, now the industry standard.)
Flying true-lie-flat from Atlanta is a mixed bag.
If you are flying to London, you are in luck: All British Airways flights around the world, including those on ATL-London Heathrow nonstops offer true lie-flat business class. All nonstop Delta flights between the US and London Heathrow offer true lie-flat seats, too (primarily on Boeing 767’s).
From ATL, Delta also offers true lie-flat seats on Boeing 777 flights to Sydney, Dubai, Tokyo and Johannesburg.
Regrettably, all those shiny, newly painted Delta 747’s still sport Northwest’s slanted lie-flat sleeper seat.
Delta has said that its goal is 100% true lie-flat, and it’s posted a page on its web site charting progress. Right now it stands at about 25%, with 42 of its 144 long-haul aircraft outfitted with true lie-flat seats.
To Europe from ATL, Air France, KLM and Lufthansa all offer slanted lie-flat seats on their nonstops for the time being.
For those flying to Asia from ATL, Korean Air has offered both true lie-flat and slanted lie-flat. But for now thru March 2012, all 10x flights per week from Atlanta use the the older, slanted lie-flat “Prestige Plus” seats. You can log onto Korean Air’s website and find out which flights have which seats. There’s a green banner in the middle right of the home page that says “My Reservation, Route Map, Boarding Pass” etc. If you continue to click on the right arrow, you’ll find “New Aircraft” that will tell you which flights have what equipment. If getting true lie-flat and your SkyMiles (KAL is SkyTeam partner) are important, you can fly from ATL up to Washington Dulles or out to Los Angeles or Seattle and catch a KAL flight with true lie-flat “Prestige Sleeper” seats.
Here’s a post from last year showing the four different types of Business Elite seats you’ll find on Delta. Which ones have you tried?
What’s been your experience finding and flying on lie-flat business class seats from Atlanta and other US cities? On Delta, which lie-flat seat do you prefer, the one on the 767 or the one on the 777? Why? Please leave your comments below!
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