With Continental’s takeover… err… merger with United Airlines, they now have 747s in their fleet again. It has been more than 20 years since the last Boeing 747 was seen flying in Continental’s livery and I’ve picked that version for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps.
The map appearing below is either a -100 or -200 series 747 acquired from People Express, and I notice from Continental’s fleet history on Planespotters.net that they picked up both variaitons from the defunct carrier.
This bird seated a total of 470 passengers with 24 in First Class and 446 in coach. Anyone else notice something missing from the map? Where’s the upper deck layout? The main deck seated 430 passengers if my quick math is correct, so that leaves 16 seats that must be upstairs. Wonder what the layout was since a 3 x 3 doesn’t fit. Was it four rows of 2 x 2?
If row one really had that much leg room as what appears, that’s where you’d find me in First, otherwise I’d opt for row three or four. In coach I’d prefer a window seat somewhere in the 15 to 18 range for a view back at the engines and out the side for the landscape below.
Where would you sit?
that thing is a beast. I would go for row 17. Close to food. Not inside a LV. Sounds good to me!
You can do 3+3 on the upper deck of a -200. VS did this with Y+ on some 747s.
I was trying to fit 16 seats in the 3×3 layout, but it doesn’t fit evenly… would love to know how it was configured up there.
I flew one of these as PeoplExpress LAX-EWR in July of 1986 (don’t remember where we sat, but I think it was in the second to last coach cabin) and then again as Continental EWR-LAX a few years later. On the Continental flight, I was in the rear coach cabin and it was practically empty. Was like having my very own VIP 747!
@Chris: I’m envious you flew on this… very cool to have so much space on your EWR-LAX flight.
This seat map is most likely from the original CO 747 fleet. All the 747 aircraft acquired from PE entered the CO fleet in a 3 class layout, with a total of either 432 or 434 seats. F in the forward cabin, J upstairs (2 X 2) and 2nd cabin on the main deck (2 3 2).
@Robert: Thanks for the info/background!