As I’ll be flying a United 747 this week to Australia, I looked back at all the seating configurations United had over the years and bring you one from 1998 for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps. It’s not that vintage, I know, but it was a unique layout given the amount of premium cabin real estate.
Seating a total of 301 passengers in a 36/123/142 format, this aircraft frequently flew the Chicago to Narita nonstop route. I was working for United at the time and non-revved my little heart out in first class as the front cabin rarely filled to capacity. Business was almost always full through a combination of revenue passengers and op-ups for coach oversales.
The lack of a galley across from door one made row five incredibly spacious – even the C/D seats, though it doesn’t appear as such on the map. I’d definitely opt for the exit row upstairs in business class and probably be keen on 44C in coach, or a window in one of the two-seaters in rows 57 through 59.
Where would you sit?
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That’s a cool map. Seems like with all that premium space there would certainly be a lot of op-ups, hence the new configuration.
Don’t think I would have had to sweat out a SYD upgrade with this config!
36 F … Nuts ! That’s 3 TG A380s put together ! But then again, back then a F seat only cost an arm without the leg
I did fly this aircraft many a time. Yes, my favorite seat was 16H upstairs; the leg room was outrageous. My least favorite was 30D in biz because of the restricted legroom due to the bulkhead. For some odd reason, service also always tended to be lack in this section. Row 22 had bassinets and tended to be a noisy area. I did once sit in coach in one of the suggested rows, 58A. Due to turbulence, the yaw was severe at the back and I was nauseated for 2 days. However, you just could not beat flying upstairs on this airplane.
Is that wedge shape on row 3 a seat or a support pillar?
@aadvantagegeek: That’s a tall serving credenza where they’d have the wine displayed, empty glasses available, snacks set out mid-flight, etc.
Loved these aircraft but only ever managed to fly it once or twice. 5F it was when Op-uped
This was my first ever UA flight I was on, and of course ORD-NRT as UA883 (and no, not 881, 881 was later added as a second daily ORD-NRT) I remembered I asked for an aisle seat at checkin, and I was given 27C, which I have no idea it is C class at all. Until I got to my seat, I look to the front and I look to the back, it is all C class, I initially thought this is a all C class 744, but then when I connect at NRT for NRT-HKG UA801, it is back in Y. I have no idea why I got opup at all, as I said, this was the first ever UA flight, so no status nothing, however, my ticket was a H class though, not sure if that play in the row.
@ORDnHKG: While I can’t reveal exactly how much United oversold coach on this aircraft to NRT, let’s just say it was significant! Congrats on your op-up!
Does anyone know how many 744 OP in UA’s fleet ? And also what are their reg# ?
I flew in this plane back in 12/1998, other than 744 OP, it also has OA and OB. Shortly after when UA announce installation of E+ and also increase legroom in C to 55″, OA and OP discontinued and never added E+, both OA and OP consolidated into OB, which was what N194UA’s config (if you guys remembered when UA pull N194UA out of the desert back in 2010 to fly ORD-SFO)The current OC config of the 744 resemble of what OA used to be.