While looking at the seat configuration of the Airbus A340-600 it appears that there are two pitches used for coach seating on the same plane. The coach section near the center of the plane appears to have the seats spaced very close together and the rear coach section has a more spread out seat spacing. Is this just an illusion in the diagram or is there more room in the rear section?

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Lufthansa/Lufthansa_Airbus_A340-600_B.php


Could the reason for this be to concentrate more weight towards the center of the plane?

Muletrain:

Actually, the seats in the back of the plane MAY be slightly smaller than the rest of the economy seats - due to the taper of the plane towards the tail. They try to cram more seats into a smaller section of the plane.

577, Look at the diagram in the hot link. The seats are the same size but the leg room spacing is more generous in the rear section. Or so it appears in the diagram.

The last time we flew on an Airbus we were in the center section and felt like sardines. Other people say that they have been perfectly comfortable on an Airbus. Maybe they were in the aft section where there is more room between seat rows.

Here's one from the SAA site - not as clear, but more accurate.

SAA Airbus Configuration

On our trip in September, we got hooked up with Row 45 on the emergency exit. Lots of leg room there!

Thanks for the links guys

I'm going on a A340-600 and this thread just saved my ass!! At 6' 5" I need every scrap of room I can get.

Man I hate those planes. They are HORRIBLE. I would almost rather take a steamer to Africa. After my first trip on one of those I really understood the term AIR RAGE!!!

Thank you,

I now need to talk to my travel agent tomorrow regarding our flights to RSA in late June. I am 6'3 and 290 and my dad is 6'5 and 280. 19 hours on that flight is going to be a killer. but in the end it might be worth it.

Just FYI -- If you are worried about space on the Airbus, SAA Flys 4 or 5 days per week direct from Dulles to Jo'burg via 747. My first African trip was on a 747 was great -- I still remember the horror of my other 2 safaris where I traveled on the Airbus. Not for me. I'm going back in May, and will be flying Dulles to Jo'burg both ways on 747.

The departing/arriving flights using 747s are out of the Washington Dulles airport (IAD). These flights are direct between Dulles and Jo'burg.

I'm 6'1" and 225 -- if you are a man over 5'9" the Airbus will feel tight.

Hope this helps.

SAA out IAD is indeed a 747 request upper deck bulkhead. It is quieter up there ask for a window seat as that gives you the "ledge" room too. seat 79A is good maybe the best on the plane.

the best configuration I can think of for the airbus is in parts on the ground

quote:

577, Look at the diagram in the hot link. The seats are the same size but the leg room spacing is more generous in the rear section. Or so it appears in the diagram.

I don't think the diagram is to scale.

And the width of the seats are smaller in the back of the plane in some areas.

Looks like two different configurations. The Lufthansa configuration for the Airbus A340-600 has fewer seats in the economy section than the SAA Airbus A340-600.

Lufthansa 279 cheap seats
SAA 291 cheap seats

SAA carams in 12 more seats.

I've yet to leave the USA on a full SAA aircraft though stopping at the refuel the rest of the seats get filled with people whom could use a bath.

Unless they've reconfigured the 747, too, I'd just make the trip to Dulles and take a comfortable flight.

George

Chalk one up for us short guys! At 5'5" the space on the Airbus was more than adequate for me. And for my 11 yo son it was downright spacious.

Pop a couple Ambien sleeping pills and kill 2 birds with the same stone; cramped seating and jet lag. It worked for me.

At 6'4" and 215lbs., Ambien isn't going to help. I would need a shoe horn to get into those AirBus seats and a pry bar to get out.

George

Last time I took a 10hr flight with the airbus I couldn't get up and walk around that often.I had a cardiologist sitting next to me who slept through the whole flight and was picking fights with the guy behind him for kicking and on my return flight I had an old lady next to me who was not that able.All this because I wanted a window seat.Anyways something happened in my stomach that did not leave me take a crap for days and gave me a burning like feeling in the intestines in the rear for about two months.This feeling got worst when I had a caffeine drink.I felt it starting on the plane and thought my belt was on too tight or was making me too warm around the waste.During the flight at one point I felt claustrophobic.I hate that feeling.Those planes are too small.I would prefer to pay 50-150 dollars more for a 747.Been a long time since I been in one,but I don't think they were that constraint.

A bit off topic. I saw something on the National Geographic channel about airbus was making a bigger bus. It's called an A380 and the thing is huge. It's two stories and can be configured by each airline to include just about anything they want. The guy who owns Virgin wants to put a casino in his, other ideas were bars, restaurants, and hair salons. It would make a nice way to fly to Africa as long as they configure it right.

As an Airbus pilot I feel the need to chime in here. Is it the Airbus that you don't care for or the seat configuration? I have not flown on S.A.A., however I do know that the way we have configured our aircraft many people love it!
We have a large seat pitch, leather seats and Direct T.V. and movies in every seat. We rarely get complaints on the seating. In fact, we have had thousands of compliments on just how comfortable the flight was. I personally have thousands of hours either flying the Airbus or deadheading in it and to me it is more comfortable and roomier than an equivalent Boeing in the same class. After 14,000 flight hours and 37 years as a pilot, I believe I have some experience on which to base this opinion.