747-400 Upper Cabin or 777 1st Class International ?

Greetings,

If anyone has flown in the Upper Cabin of a 747-400 or Triple 7 1st class, I would (and I think others may also) really enjoy a detailed description of what the experience was like. Things like quality of food and beverage, entertainment - special touches,etc.

In particular, international flights - I am planning a ‘dream vacation’ - still out a couple years, but want to fly Upper Cabin in the -400 to Australia with my family, I think for those that love aviation - this would be an amazing trip to go on.

Thank You

I flew in the upper deck of a 747-400 on United on ORD-HKG last year.

I had a window seat with the new lie-flat business class product. The upper deck feels small and a bit cramped. The overhead bins are very small and the walls of the aircraft are very slanted. There is a big gap between the seats and the bottom of the wall and there’s a box down there to put more of your carry-ons in. The service is the same as other UA business class international flights, there are about 30 seats in the upper deck and I believe there were 2 flight attendants up there.

The main difference is that looking out the window you can tell you are much higher above the rest of the aircraft than normal, especially when you’re on the ground. If you crane your neck you can see the engines wayyy below and wayyy behind you - it’s kind of neat. There’s no engine noise up there but a surprisingly large amount of wind noise.

I would recommend the B-777 International 1st class as being better then the -400 upper deck.
The B-777 seems better insulated in the cabin sidewalls meaning less airstream noise and the cabin wall is not so cold. And after 14 hours at altitude believe me that -55°C outside air temperature begins to penetrate the cabin walls.
The lay down sleeper seats are all probably similar from one airline to another.
You might be wise to look to some airline OTHER then an American carrier. American carriers really have reduced the quality of service even 1st class across the Ocean.

I think the upper of a 747 is typically business class, not first class.

Still a nice way to travel. Just pointing that out for your consideration.

Lufthansa puts F up top and the new 8F config (you get a seat and a separate bed) is really nice.

Ah. I did not know that. Thanks.

I’ve been upstairs on KLM’s business class a couple of times. It’s a long way up there but pretty cool.
I would think that the 777 1st would be better but only because it is generally a newer design. If you can find an airline that has upgraded its 747 1st then I don’t think there would be much difference.

1st class on all United 747’s was updated in 2008 and 2009. It is located in the nose of the aircraft.

I sat there on HKG-ORD. It’s weird sitting in front of the nosewheel. The service is superb. For example, the cabin was pretty dry and as I slept I would wake up and drink water. The FA noticed this and every time I woke up I would have a fresh water bottle sitting on the table next to me. They also have very good wine. The meals are good - but I would actually recommend not getting the Fillet Mignon - it’s just impossible to cook a good Fillet and then have it sit in a tray for 2 hours and still taste good. Other offerings (meats with more intramuscular fat) seem to take the time out better.

Thank you for all the replies, the one regarding the slanted walls and being a bit cramped was very helpful. I’m 6’3" @ 215lbs. - so I’m always needing more room, and this trip that I am planning will be with my family too. I want them especially to be comfortable, being such a long flight and all.

I fly once a month for work, and routinely need the larger space. Depending on the client we are serving, I can usually submit and get at least one way 1st class. Or I get crappy ‘economy-plus’. I also always try to use my miles, but that never seems to work.

8F = Freighter

8I = Intercontinental

Just a minor difference.

F is probably referring to First class, not model type.

Heh, namespace collision. I was referring to DLH’s new 747-400 config with 8F seat+bed up top, rather than the old 16F seat.