NORTHWEST AIRLINES Business Class Seat reviews

NW/Delta have tired semi-shell non true lay-flat seat with zero privacy and when the seat in front reclines it becomes a challenge to retrieve anything from the seat-back pocket. Seat is uncomfortable in recline, IFE is lamentable (even with the new Delta upgrade), rest-rooms frequently used by Coach and end up a mess by half distance, poor in-flight service lacking the amenities of BA, Virgin, KLM, etc.

The seats were at an angle which makes you slide down trying to sleep. Much better then for example Continental though and seats that do not recline fully. Seats are quite hard as well. Amenty kit does not contain much at all - only the essentials.

Seat was spacious enough while sitting but the angle when reclined for sleeping was uncomfortable. It felt as though I was sliding down towards the footrest all the time. Lumbar support was good.

Upper deck 747-400. Angled lie-flat seat with inflatable lumbar support and 2 recline settings - full flat angled or nearly flat. I found if I selected somewhere in between and inflated the lumbar support that I did not slide down and was able to get several hours of good sleep.

I recently flew a NWA 747 operating for Delta on Honolulu-Atlanta. A nice change to have a business class product as opposed to Delta's domestic first class. The seats were nice and footrest extended enough for a tall person to sleep somewhat comfortably even though the seat isn't completely flat. The headrest is very small though and not positioned very well which can get annoying.

Minneapolis-Amsterdam. Seat is comfortable when sitting or reclined, but very uncomfortable when stretched out for sleeping. It flattens at an angle and the seat portion creates an uncomfortable hump.

SFO-NRT-PEK. The seats are quite comfortable and generous amounts of room when not sleeping. While sleeping, the bed is a few degrees too slanted to get comfortable. I keep sliding down and the headrest is just not in the right spot even though there is enough room. It took me a few trips to get used to it and sleep properly.

MNL-NRT-SFO. The seats are not lie flat but comfortable and entertainment system had a lot of options. The only real problem is what you would expect on NW - many of the FA's, especially on international flights to and from the US, are older, saltier, and not very professional . It seems their enthusiasm faded long ago. One yelled from the galley across the cabin to another FA, another called me "honey" and "sweetie", and a third refused to help my 66 year-old mother lift her carry-on bag, saying it's not her job. It's especially noticeable when you change planes in the Tokyo hub to an intra-Asian flight. On intra-Asian flights, they use all Asian staffs (except the purser) who seem to be younger and much more interested in service. It's also ironic that NW insists on keeping an American purser on these flights since the Asian staff seem more than capable of managing the inflight service.

The World Business Class seat is not as the company advertises. The seat does not lie flat, but reclines at 176 degrees. This means that you will feel like you are sliding down to the footrest when you sleep. Also, the adjustable lumbar settings rarely work because the air leaks out of the bags that inflate for the function. AVOD is pretty good, however I rarely use it. The placement of the hand control is a problem. If you are not careful, you can push a function button with your leg and turn a light on, or worse yet, call the flight attendant while you are sleeping!

Comfortable seats even though it did not recline to 180 degrees. The seats were softer than those in the business class in Lufthansa. Service was friendly and efficient. The business class was not full so the seat next to me was empty which gave me more personal space.

AMS-SEA return. The plane was fairly new, spacious, good lighting. Excellent service, food above average for business class. Seat was good for sitting and relaxing bur did not lie completely flat and not so good for sleeping.

I flew the DTW-AMS-BOM route on the A330 in Sept-2007. I'm 5' 11" and the seats are pretty good. If you are taller than me, please beware. It really depends on how you sleep (stomach, side, fetal, facing up). On a long haul, eventually you will fall asleep. I really don't sleep on flights, but was able to eventually. Since they are in an angle, you will slide down. I guess the solution is to wear some grippy clothes so you stick to the seat. These seats are very comparable to the Continental 777 that they use for the EWR-DEL route. If you have flown BA Business, then this will not compare (DXB-LHR-JFK). The food was better than what I got on BA and par to Continental. The entertainment system is on-demand, which is nice and allows for passing time quite quickly.

Earlier reviews have been archived (prior to the date of last review above).