What's the best seat on long haul Virgin A340 flight?

chill — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 06:58:54 -0800

Which would be the best economy class seat to sit in on this Airbus A340, on a 13 hour flight from Shanghai to Heathrow? I have an obsession with getting the best seats on trains and in auditoriums, and I'm soon to take my first long haul flight and am getting a bit obsessed about which seat I should try and aim for on the plane. I want a window seat, and it is a day time flight going East to West, so I guess K is the best option to avoid the sun shining in. 41-48 are out because they are above the wing and I'd like to see the ground. Given that I have long legs, my initial reaction was to go for K50, as there are no seats in front as it is by a door. But what, then, of the seat back TV that I am supposed to get? If there is not seat in front, what do I have in place of a seat back TV? Are there any other disadvantages about sitting by an exit? Failing K50, I reckon that K61 is my best bet. Any experienced fliers concur? I know this sounds terribly trivial, but it is 13 hours, and it is my holiday, and it is my first long flight, so I want to get it right.

Is there a mid-level way to cross the Atlantic by ship?

stbalbach — Mon, 17 Jan 2005 12:51:45 -0800

Airbus will announce their new "flying cruise ship" (see pictures) this week and it will probably be beyond the cost for most people. But it made me think that we all ideally want to travel like that, but put up with crowded planes because they are fast and relatively cheap. Ships used to be the way to travel across the Atlantic, is it possible to travel by ship across the Atlantic without spending a lot of money? It seems the choices are high-end cruise ship, or low-brow freighter travel. Does an affordable, middle-market quick human transportation by ship service exist across the Atlantic?

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What's the best seat on long haul Virgin A340 flight?

Is there a mid-level way to cross the Atlantic by ship?