Just booked a trip from Houston to Frankfurt and confused which seats to pick. We will be flying the 380 and the upper deck has a small economy section of 2-4-2. We were thinking of booking the upper deck as it is smaller and read quieter. The other choice is the exit row seats 75 B&C or the Bulkhead 60 HJ. If we book the upper - how hard is it to get off the plane? Since the stairwell is in the back of the plane do we have to go downstairs and deplane from the back of downstairs economy? Seeking advice asap!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4573 posts
Have you read the seat reviews on seatguru dot com? Not sure it will help with the the traffic flow but I find a lot of plane information on this site.
Posted by
OP
Gulf Coast, usa
1159 posts
Thanks - yes have read those. Just wanted to see others opinions of upstairs or down, and how difficult to deplane Thanks!
Posted by
California USA
3950 posts
Will you be in a hurry for another connection when you get to Frankfurt? If not maybe go for it and book a seat in a space for only 35 economy passengers with a bit more quiet and service. Just pay attention to the least desirable of the seats in the seatguru chart.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10188 posts
Normally there are exit ramps on both levels front and back. Once for some reason we had to take the back stairs to the lower level to deplane, but I don’t remember why. We prefer the small upstairs section. If you are physically able to handle evacuation procedures, you should go for the emergency exit row. You’ll love riding that plane! Bon voyage.
Posted by
near San Francisco
4601 posts
I loved my seat in the upper deck on an outbound flight. It felt quieter and more relaxed than downstairs economy. I opted for downstairs when I had a tight connection on my return. I recall going downstairs to deplane from the back of downstairs economy.
Posted by
11153 posts
I do not like being up there at all. Climbing the staircase with a carry on is a hassle. I also feel claustrophobic in that area of the plane.
Posted by
OP
Gulf Coast, usa
1159 posts
The upper deck economy seats for bulkhead row 95 are all marked unavailable probably because they haven't been released. So that leaves rows 96 which several reviews said certain seats had entertainment boxes under the row 95 seats to prevent good leg room. Row 99 the seats are off center from the TV screens because the seats do not line up. The remaining choices are rows 97 and 98. Row 98 are two seats side by side but back row and bathrooms behind you on the left side. Thoughts in picking any of these?
Will definitely wait until check in to see if 95 becomes available so we can move seats.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11175 posts
See photo 7 of 8.
SFO is the only place I have seen a 380 at the gate. Had to confirm my recollection that there was a jetway to the upper deck, and finally found this. Do not know if all airports service the 380 in the same fashion.
After seeing the chaos and hearing the 'mooing' of the coach boarding process at SFO, you have my sympathies. Maybe other airports handle it better?
Posted by
183 posts
My wife and I flew an Air France A380 from DeGaul to JFK a few years ago. They boarded through both the upper deck and the lower deck - no stair climbing necessary. Cant speak to Lufthansa's practices or the airports you are flying in /out of but I doubt there'd be much of a difference if any. Most airports that handle the A380 on a regular basis retrofitted their gate areas with an extra boarding jetway so there was one for each deck.
One nice thing abut the upper deck of the A380 in a 2-4-2 configuration is that due to the curvature of the fuselage on the upper deck there is additional storage and armrest space for the window seats.