very noisy boeing 777, uncomfortable seat

[harry 543]

across the pacific SYD to LAX and return by V australia, 777 both flights very noisy, noted noise cancelling headsets noted in premium economy
surprised at the noise and vibration both in basic economy and premium economy on return, in a fairly modern plane, most noisy since a lockheed tristar flight many years ago:{
seems some other types of engines used on the 777 are quieter??

virgin planes known for a comfortable seat with enough legroom, as was provided in basic economy, but premium economy seat poorly designed, IMO, not enough support under thighs with continual sliding forward when sleeping or relaxing, footrest of limited help

does anyone actually test the seats by sitting and sleeping in them for about 15 hours to see how comfortable they are?

[Amelia_Flashtart]

Not sure what V Australia have managed to do to the 777 - but sounds the same as what they have done to every other aircraft they run!!

I fly around 40 legs a year on EK 777's - usually in economy, and I have always found their aircraft very comfortable, and never noisy.

I was forced to fly on a Virgin brand flight (Pacific Blue) a week ago - my first for over 4 years when I vowed to never fly them again. That flight simply confirmed my throughts of 4 or so years ago. NEVER again - 1hr 45 mins late departing as staff could not reboot the computer and eventually after an hour of sitting on the hot tarmac with the door open they decided to complete the papaerwork manually. Once airborne food choices were non-existent and it took over an hour to complete the food service on a 738 with less than 50% load. As for their slippery, uncomfortable leather seats - they can keep them!

So.....can't shed any light on why your V Asutralia 777 was noisy and uncomfortable -but it seems to be a Virgin trademark!!

[PAXboy]

Amelia_Flashtartbut it seems to be a Virgin trademark!!It might be a 'trademark' of Virgin a/c in Australia but, flying long haul with VS out of the UK over the past 22 years in all cabins - this is news to me and I continue to recommend VS to anyone. I only had one sector with Virgin Express (733) and that was normal.

[I have never worked for any Virgin Group company]

[shobakker]

Harry is not alone in his criticism of Virgin. Flew to DXB out of LHR with them last yr, bloody awful flights there & back and he's spot on about the seating - easily the most uncomfortable seats I've sat in on an airliner...

I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

[Carry0nLuggage]

Every 777 I have been on has been noisy in the climb. They have this rasping buzz from the massive fan blades which booms in the space of the cabin. It really goes through you, especially in business in line with the engines. RR (Trent?) seem worse than the GE90s for some reason.

[spiney]

Depends where you sit really - for sure towards the rear of the A/C is going to be a bit noisier, but that's were the empty seats are going to be on a less than full flight. (I usually choose rear seats on the 777 instead of those further forward). Combine this with an airline which provides good IFE and supplement it with a decent noise cancelling headset which is my most important piece of passenger comfort equipment. End result? It doesn't make any difference how noisy the plane is.

[Skipness One Echo]

V Australia and Virgin Atlantic share little except that first letter.

[ryansf]

Virgin's A340-600s are the most comfortable aircraft I have been on (so far - I am yet to fly the A380 which I presume will be more comfortable). The 340s are almost silent when compared with the 747 and the noisier 777s. I flew a Continental 777 a few weeks ago, and the engine noise was so loud it drowned out the safety video. Also, I have never found a problem with the seating on Virgin, though I guess it's each to his own. I have never had the privilege (?) to fly in any higher class than economy, so from my experiences, Virgin economy is the way to go!

[WHBM]

On the overall level, having ridden many times on a whole range of types (just like many others here) I find the 777 surprisingly noisy in the cabin for an aircraft of its generation. The A330 and A340 are both notably quieter, even the 747 is quieter inside.

I don't know what Boeing did, the engines for the 777 and the 330 are pretty much the same. Are they mounted closer to the fuselage ?