This week I was able to fly for the first time in a Studio Pod on Air Canada from Vancouver to Toronto. I have flown numerous times in a standard pod and this is a huge step up from the claustrophobic old pods, in my opinion.
The studio pod is still a lie flat pod but I think it is much more comfortable. My biggest complaint of the old pod is that
even when sitting upright for takeoff and landing the seat was uncomfortable and hard. The new pod has a softness feature where you can adjust the amount of air in the cushion seat. These new pods also face forward so you aren't taking off at a 45 degree angle and you have access to the window without having to stretch your neck out of whack.
The seats on the sides alternate between 2 and 1 seat per row. The middle seats are 2 per row. The seats are like a jigsaw puzzle. Your feet when lying flat are under the huge table arm rests of the seat in front of you. If you are lucky like I was to get a row that has only one seat, you get a huge arm rest on both the left and right. Under the arm rests are the feet of people behind you. Of course, this layout also causes problems. If you are in a side row that has two seats, if the aisle seat traveller is asleep, good luck trying to climb over them to get your bladder to the bathroom. Of course, I would plan accordingly and make sure I'm not in one of those seats. The old Pods didn't have this issue but I think I would rather sit next to my travel companion and be able to talk with them in this new configuration.
The seat also has massage feature which I actually had a problem turning off. I don't think the touch pad is as responsive as it could be. There is also a button that turns off the accent lighting in the cubby where your feet go and also the cubby where you can store your iPhone while plugged in.
To the left is the power and audio jacks. These pods have one regular power plug and two USB power ports which is a nice addition. I could use my laptop and charge my phone and iPad all at the same time!
The arm rest flips open to reveal a control for the entertainment, lights and service call button. Most people don't even probably figure out it is there. The screen is a really nice size, it has an updated but still unpleasant to use, touch control. I think we are spoiled from the great touch screen on our personal mobile devices.
I always carry my own headphones but if you forgot yours, they do provide you with an awful pair of economy ear buds that give awful crackly sound. The old pods had some good quality over ear headphones that provided much better listening experience. So make sure you bring your own.
There is adequate storage for your junk, the little cubby below the power I mentioned before and there is a slim cut out near the floor where you can store stuff. Not bad, but remember you can't store your bags where your feet go. They will get on you pretty quick if you try! One of the benefits of being in the row with only one seat, you get two cubbies, and two cup holders, which are located next to the TV. They may be meant for your iPhone more than a cup holder.
The last feature I'll talk about is the tray. There is a small button that when pushed ejects the tray out from the wide table like arm rest. I heard the customer say to another customer that she thinks they are actually pretty dangerous how they shoot out. And she was right, push the button and the table rotates out pretty damn quickly. It unfolds and pops up into place with some fiddling. Getting it back in is another ordeal. You need to line up 3 arrows and then lift and slide in. I'm sure the flight attendants get asked all the time how to open and close the trays.
Overall the seats are a huge improvement. And now when you are traveling with a companion you can now talk to them without awkwardly trying to tilt up your head. Let's see how well I sleep after this beer that was just brought to me… I'm being a good boy and skipping dinner.
I made it through the night with no problem although sleeping was a little more uncomfortable then I had hoped. Your feet slide into the enclosed space and if you are like me and like to shift around, this makes it very hard to stay comfortable. I'm 5' 9" and I was just short of extending the entire length of the bed. I think the comfort of the seat and the open space still makes this better the old pods.
