Meeting my new love - The Boeing 777

[Bob Dylan]

Also Banana Republic outfits like US Air Force too

ROTFLMAO!!

 

[PRR 60]

The last DC10 passenger flight was operated last February by Biman Bangladesh Airlines from Dhaka to Birmingham (England) via Kuwait. They operated some trip to nowhere fan flights out of BHX before sending the old bird back to Bangladesh with no passengers and a date with the scrapper.

Daily Mail

 

[MARC Rider]

How one can survive an overseas "back there" also escapes me.

I'm booked on a IAD - PEK round trip on a government fare, which means I'll probably get to experience it and report back, unless I can find an upgrade (out of my own pocket) for a reasonable cost. But I've flown 12 hours from JFK - TLV in a 707 and lived to tell the tale, so surely I can deal with this.

Isn't that a bit like saying you're sure you'll be fine in a Fiat 500 seat because you once drove a 1960's Mercedes long distance? I haven't flown IAD-PEK but I have flown JFK-NRT (14hr vs 14.5hr) and it's nothing to scoff at with today's knee crushing economy seats, indifferent hands tied staff, and angry recline-mashing passengers.

Hey man, I have no choice. This is a business trip, and if I want more than economy, I can pay for it on my own dime.

In fact, our travel guru found out that if the trip is more than 14 hours, we can be reimbursed for business class! Unfortunately, we found this out too late, as there were no business class upgrades available once we were ticketed. But there were economy plus upgrades, at $200 a pop. (We are paying about $2,000 for the round trip, reimbursable government contract fare). So we went to our mangers who said OK, but then we found that our agency policy requires some high muckety-muck political appointee sign off on it, and there was no time to circulate the request to get approval. So we're stuck with economy.

Now I bought myself an economy plus seat out to PEK on my own dime, and so far, it looks like I have the whole row to myself. But when I looked at the seating chart for the trip mack, the only Economy plus seats were middle seats, and I really prefer an aisle seat. Also, so far. the middle seat where I'm sitting is empty, so if I'm lucky, I might have a little more room anyway. The other goofy thing is that IAD-PEK is 14 hrs 5 minute, but PEK - IAD is 13 hrs.35 min, so we wouldn't be reimbursed for business class or economy plus anyway on the return trip. If I have to go out there again, you can be sure that I'm going to insist that I take a connecting flight, which will definitely exceed the 14 hour mark. I think BWI - PEK on United involves a change in Chicago, which is fine with me. Leaving from Dulles is going to be a pain in the neck, involving a 2 hour drive on both ends (I live in Baltimore, right?), which is particularly nasty thing to consider after a nonstop flight from Beijing. In fact, when I come in, I'm going to just crash at the hotel at Dulles and drive home the next morning. (The flight leaves Beijing at 1825 and arrives in Dulles at 1900. It will be the longest half hour of my life.

)

Oh, and it looks like we're flying a 787, not a 777. So maybe we should start a different thread.

 

[MARC Rider]

How one can survive an overseas "back there" also escapes me.

I'm booked on a IAD - PEK round trip on a government fare, which means I'll probably get to experience it and report back, unless I can find an upgrade (out of my own pocket) for a reasonable cost. But I've flown 12 hours from JFK - TLV in a 707 and lived to tell the tale, so surely I can deal with this.

Isn't that a bit like saying you're sure you'll be fine in a Fiat 500 seat because you once drove a 1960's Mercedes long distance? I haven't flown IAD-PEK but I have flown JFK-NRT (14hr vs 14.5hr) and it's nothing to scoff at with today's knee crushing economy seats, indifferent hands tied staff, and angry recline-mashing passengers.

Hey man, I have no choice. This is a business trip, and if I want more than economy, I can pay for it on my own dime.

In fact, our travel guru found out that if the trip is more than 14 hours, we can be reimbursed for business class! Unfortunately, we found this out too late, as there were no business class upgrades available once we were ticketed. But there were economy plus upgrades, at $200 a pop. (We are paying about $2,000 for the round trip, reimbursable government contract fare). So we went to our managers who said OK, but then we found that our agency policy requires some high muckety-muck political appointee sign off on it, and there was no time to circulate the request to get approval. So we're stuck with economy.

Now I bought myself an economy plus seat out to PEK on my own dime, and so far, it looks like I have the whole row to myself. But when I looked at the seating chart for the trip back, the only Economy plus seats were middle seats, and I really prefer an aisle seat. Also, so far. the middle seat where I'm sitting is empty, so if I'm lucky, I might have a little more room anyway. The other goofy thing is that IAD-PEK is 14 hrs 5 minute, but PEK - IAD is 13 hrs.35 min, so we wouldn't be reimbursed for business class or economy plus anyway on the return trip. If I have to go out there again, you can be sure that I'm going to insist that I take a connecting flight, which will definitely exceed the 14 hour mark. I think BWI - PEK on United involves a change in Chicago, which is fine with me. Leaving from Dulles is going to be a pain in the neck, involving a 2 hour drive on both ends (I live in Baltimore, right?), which is particularly nasty thing to consider after a nonstop flight from Beijing. In fact, when I come in, I'm going to just crash at the hotel at Dulles and drive home the next morning. (The flight leaves Beijing at 1825 and arrives in Dulles at 1900. It will be the longest half hour of my life.

)

Oh, and it looks like we're flying a 787, not a 777. So maybe we should start a different thread.

 

[jis]

Emirates just placed an order for 40 787-10s at the Dubai Air Show.

 

[the_traveler]

Back in the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s when ALB was called Albany County Airport (before they renovated and built jetways and renamed it Albany International Airport), all access was via the stairs. So I have used stairs on many aircraft including DC-8, DC-9, L-1011, 707, 727, 737, B-1900, Piper Navajo and others.

 

[jis]

Back in the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s when ALB was called Albany County Airport (before they renovated and built jetways and renamed it Albany International Airport), all access was via the stairs. So I have used stairs on many aircraft including DC-8, DC-9, L-1011, 707, 727, 737, B-1900, Piper Navajo and others.

I had regularly used stairs on 747s at Hong Kong Kai Tak, at which I never boarded or disembarked from a 747 at a jetway. Always stairs and then bus to the terminal or back.

My very first flight on a 707 involved stairs at Delhi Palam International. The first jetway that I ever used was at Moscow Sheremetyevo in 1965.

London Heathrow has often given us the stair treatment on 777s and 747s as has Frankfurt Rhein-Main. Fortunately A380s always got jetways.

 

[railiner]

Stairs and Jetway's....lots of those....but how many of you used one of these to get on or off an airliner? I have at IAD...

And where in the world are they still in regular use?

https://www.google.com/search?q=Plane+Mate&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS739US739&tbm=isch&source=iu&pf=m&ictx=1&fir=JppXLm9fF3YInM%253A%252CZ0_qRJ0bY1tySM%252C_&usg=__FC_JddxoGPE_j9M2aCXIAS1MB9Q%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwisxbmJ7r7XAhVKKyYKHauHCFsQ9QEINDAB#imgrc=4-86MbAKjrTmYM:

 

[Bob Dylan]

Don't know where they're still used (jis??) but I remember them @ Dulles and in Acapulco when Acapulco was still Cool!

 

[railiner]

Here's a blow up of one of those photo's.....did you see who built it?

https://www.google.com/search?q=Plane+Mate&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS739US739&tbm=isch&source=iu&pf=m&ictx=1&fir=JppXLm9fF3YInM%253A%252CZ0_qRJ0bY1tySM%252C_&usg=__FC_JddxoGPE_j9M2aCXIAS1MB9Q%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwisxbmJ7r7XAhVKKyYKHauHCFsQ9QEINDAB#imgrc=z7dIDc3GYlIpLM:

It looks more like an artist's rendering, rather than a photo.....

 

[Maglev]

Kona (Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole) uses stairs. Hilo has had a world-class airport for many years, but beyond extending the runway the taxpayers have not seen fit to expand the passenger facilities at Kona.

My first (late) wife's daughter was a United Airlines flight attendant, and around 1981 there was a family emergency and they held the plane for her at the end of the runway in Kahului. She was driven out in a truck with stairs on top, and boarded the DC-8 there. I kind of doubt airlines or other operational entities would allow this nowadays, not to mention that the Kahului runway is now too busy for a plane to sit waiting for one passenger.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

How one can survive an overseas "back there" also escapes me.

I'm booked on a IAD - PEK round trip on a government fare, which means I'll probably get to experience it and report back, unless I can find an upgrade (out of my own pocket) for a reasonable cost. But I've flown 12 hours from JFK - TLV in a 707 and lived to tell the tale, so surely I can deal with this.

Isn't that a bit like saying you're sure you'll be fine in a Fiat 500 seat because you once drove a 1960's Mercedes long distance? I haven't flown IAD-PEK but I have flown JFK-NRT (14hr vs 14.5hr) and it's nothing to scoff at with today's knee crushing economy seats, indifferent hands tied staff, and angry recline-mashing passengers.

Hey man, I have no choice. This is a business trip, and if I want more than economy, I can pay for it on my own dime. In fact, our travel guru found out that if the trip is more than 14 hours, we can be reimbursed for business class! Unfortunately, we found this out too late, as there were no business class upgrades available once we were ticketed. But there were economy plus upgrades, at $200 a pop. (We are paying about $2,000 for the round trip, reimbursable government contract fare). So we went to our mangers who said OK, but then we found that our agency policy requires some high muckety-muck political appointee sign off on it, and there was no time to circulate the request to get approval. So we're stuck with economy. Now I bought myself an economy plus seat out to PEK on my own dime, and so far, it looks like I have the whole row to myself. But when I looked at the seating chart for the trip mack, the only Economy plus seats were middle seats, and I really prefer an aisle seat. Also, so far. the middle seat where I'm sitting is empty, so if I'm lucky, I might have a little more room anyway. The other goofy thing is that IAD-PEK is 14 hrs 5 minute, but PEK - IAD is 13 hrs.35 min, so we wouldn't be reimbursed for business class or economy plus anyway on the return trip. If I have to go out there again, you can be sure that I'm going to insist that I take a connecting flight, which will definitely exceed the 14 hour mark. I think BWI - PEK on United involves a change in Chicago, which is fine with me. Leaving from Dulles is going to be a pain in the neck, involving a 2 hour drive on both ends (I live in Baltimore, right?), which is particularly nasty thing to consider after a nonstop flight from Beijing. In fact, when I come in, I'm going to just crash at the hotel at Dulles and drive home the next morning. (The flight leaves Beijing at 1825 and arrives in Dulles at 1900. It will be the longest half hour of my life.

) Oh, and it looks like we're flying a 787, not a 777. So maybe we should start a different thread.

Sounds like you've had a rough start to a long trip. Hopefully you can switch your ticket to an aisle/window seat before departure. I'm not crazy about the 787's electronic shades and air nozzle design, but other than that I strongly prefer the 787 over the 777. Larger windows, lower ambient noise, reduced air pressure, higher humidity, softer lighting, larger/sharper AVOD, fewer under seat obstructions, more power connections, etc. I have my own long haul flight coming up that's blocked at 16.5 hours in a 777. I'm booked into premium economy, which sounds like the ultimate oxymoron, and the closer I get to departure the more I begin to wonder if I'm some sort of delusional masochist.

 

[the_traveler]

I’ve used the Plane-Mate at IAD. Including the last time I was there, but that was 7-10 years ago. But I think they now have a subway to reach the mid-field terminals.

When I arrived IAD from LHR, the jet parked at the gate at the mid-field terminal. You exited the jet but diverted directly to the Plane-Mate which went to the C&I terminal. I do not know what they do now.

 

[railiner]

For some reason, my post #85, on the laptop did not show the photo, (my phone did [?]), so I edited it, and put in the link....

 

[jis]

Don't know where they're still used (jis??) but I remember them @ Dulles and in Acapulco when Acapulco was still Cool!

They are still used at IAD, but only for inter terminal transport for areas that are not fully served by the APM yet.

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[railiner]

Not sure if they are still used at JFK anymore....I believe DL terminal had some, and the Port Authority also had some parked to be used for emergency evacuation's...again, it's been a long time since I worked on the airside at JFK....

 

[MARC Rider]

Stairs and Jetway's....lots of those....but how many of you used one of these to get on or off an airliner? I have at IAD...

And where in the world are they still in regular use?

https://www.google.com/search?q=Plane+Mate&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS739US739&tbm=isch&source=iu&pf=m&ictx=1&fir=JppXLm9fF3YInM%253A%252CZ0_qRJ0bY1tySM%252C_&usg=__FC_JddxoGPE_j9M2aCXIAS1MB9Q%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwisxbmJ7r7XAhVKKyYKHauHCFsQ9QEINDAB#imgrc=4-86MbAKjrTmYM:

International arrivals at Dulles still use these. You disembark via a jet way to the lower level of the conciurse, then walk down a long corridor and board one of the mobile lounges that takes you to the international arrivals builfing.

 

[MARC Rider]

How one can survive an overseas "back there" also escapes me.

I'm booked on a IAD - PEK round trip on a government fare, which means I'll probably get to experience it and report back, unless I can find an upgrade (out of my own pocket) for a reasonable cost. But I've flown 12 hours from JFK - TLV in a 707 and lived to tell the tale, so surely I can deal with this.

Isn't that a bit like saying you're sure you'll be fine in a Fiat 500 seat because you once drove a 1960's Mercedes long distance? I haven't flown IAD-PEK but I have flown JFK-NRT (14hr vs 14.5hr) and it's nothing to scoff at with today's knee crushing economy seats, indifferent hands tied staff, and angry recline-mashing passengers.

Hey man, I have no choice. This is a business trip, and if I want more than economy, I can pay for it on my own dime. In fact, our travel guru found out that if the trip is more than 14 hours, we can be reimbursed for business class! Unfortunately, we found this out too late, as there were no business class upgrades available once we were ticketed. But there were economy plus upgrades, at $200 a pop. (We are paying about $2,000 for the round trip, reimbursable government contract fare). So we went to our mangers who said OK, but then we found that our agency policy requires some high muckety-muck political appointee sign off on it, and there was no time to circulate the request to get approval. So we're stuck with economy. Now I bought myself an economy plus seat out to PEK on my own dime, and so far, it looks like I have the whole row to myself. But when I looked at the seating chart for the trip mack, the only Economy plus seats were middle seats, and I really prefer an aisle seat. Also, so far. the middle seat where I'm sitting is empty, so if I'm lucky, I might have a little more room anyway. The other goofy thing is that IAD-PEK is 14 hrs 5 minute, but PEK - IAD is 13 hrs.35 min, so we wouldn't be reimbursed for business class or economy plus anyway on the return trip. If I have to go out there again, you can be sure that I'm going to insist that I take a connecting flight, which will definitely exceed the 14 hour mark. I think BWI - PEK on United involves a change in Chicago, which is fine with me. Leaving from Dulles is going to be a pain in the neck, involving a 2 hour drive on both ends (I live in Baltimore, right?), which is particularly nasty thing to consider after a nonstop flight from Beijing. In fact, when I come in, I'm going to just crash at the hotel at Dulles and drive home the next morning. (The flight leaves Beijing at 1825 and arrives in Dulles at 1900. It will be the longest half hour of my life.

) Oh, and it looks like we're flying a 787, not a 777. So maybe we should start a different thread.

Sounds like you've had a rough start to a long trip. Hopefully you can switch your ticket to an aisle/window seat before departure. I'm not crazy about the 787's electronic shades and air nozzle design, but other than that I strongly prefer the 787 over the 777. Larger windows, lower ambient noise, reduced air pressure, higher humidity, softer lighting, larger/sharper AVOD, fewer under seat obstructions, more power connections, etc. I have my own long haul flight coming up that's blocked at 16.5 hours in a 777. I'm booked into premium economy, which sounds like the ultimate oxymoron, and the closer I get to departure the more I begin to wonder if I'm some sort of delusional masochist.

Got back from my trip last Friday. It wasn't as bad as I feared. The Economy Plus seats were fine for legroom, I had a row to myself on the way out, and an empty center seat on the way back. By the way, the last two rows in the United 787 economy plus cabin are sold as regular economy class seats.

I liked the plane in general. I think the increased cabin pressure and better humidity control made the flight more bearable. I'm not really impressed with the fancy electronic window shades, more complicated stuff that needs to be maintained. I was a little disppointed that the United audio entertainment didn't include music or a feed from the flight deck, like they used to have. On the other hand there were a lot of movies and TV shows to help pass the time.

 

[jis]

I will get to experience United's new Polaris Business service on a 767-400 on my flight from Newark to Heathrow today. My upgrade request came through. We'll see how it goes.

So far, I have experienced Polaris service on a ex-United 777 and that was not that great due to the inferior hard product in the ex-United Business Class with those exceedingly narrow lie flat seats. It was much much better in an ex-Continental 777. The BF flights that I tookon 787s were before Polaris was introduced.

I wish that for its intercontinental fleet, United would get the map software that Lufthansa uses on its A380s and 747-8is.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Got back from my trip last Friday. It wasn't as bad as I feared. The Economy Plus seats were fine for legroom, I had a row to myself on the way out, and an empty center seat on the way back. I liked the plane in general. I think the increased cabin pressure and better humidity control made the flight more bearable. I'm not really impressed with the fancy electronic window shades, more complicated stuff that needs to be maintained. I was a little disppointed that the United audio entertainment didn't include music or a feed from the flight deck, like they used to have. On the other hand there were a lot of movies and TV shows to help pass the time.

My own long haul flight lived up to the scheduled block time but also went better than I anticipated. The upgrade cost nearly twice the price of coach, which seems rather steep to be honest, but in addition to more pitch/width/recline it also came with priority checkin/baggage/boarding/disembarking, larger IFE, full 110AC power, more food, separate bathrooms, etc. I was only able to sleep 2-3 hours at a time but almost the entire 16.5 hour flight was at night and several naps later most of the trip was over. The main meal service was actually a lot better than I was expecting, leading to only the third non-F/J meal I ever found genuinely appetizing. The two previous winners being a cheese pizza on AA and green curry with beef on TG.

I wish that for its intercontinental fleet, United would get the map software that Lufthansa uses on its A380s and 747-8is.

Is that the one where a massively oversized aircraft model flies across the surface of a featureless ball between two spinning circles? Or the one that inexplicably moves the camera angle every time there's even the slightest change in direction? Or the one that tries to create a fake "pilot's view" from low resolution satellite imagery? The older airshow software lacked a lot of the spit and polish of newer versions, and the low resolution video was both grainy and fuzzy, but there was something pure about their purpose and motivation for inclusion. These days the airshow seems to more about showcasing computationally tedious modeling rather than exploring actual geography.

 

[jis]

The ones that I liked had a relatively high resolution version of the terrain and provided both a simulated cockpit view and I guess one that would be characterized as "god's vies" or something like that. But what I liked more than the terrain stuff is the amount of detail about the close by features, villages and town that one is flying over.

 

[railiner]

How do the airline maps compare to using wifi and watching your progress on a Flightaware map?

Oops...guess that only works over land....

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Whats wrong with the windows?

 

[railiner]

Nothing,,,if you get a window seat, not over a wing...

I used to love to fly the old "red eye" flights from California to NYC....they usually flew in clear skies, the Captain would tell us our flight plan route, I would take the inflight magazine and draw our route on the map found at the rear. I would then put our departure and arrival times at each end, and then divide the map up into eighth's, and compute approximate time points for each segment. Using that, and my watch, I was usually able look out the window, and figure out where we were and recognize the lights of the various cities we passed, as well as obvious landmarks like the great lakes, etc.

It was also nice when the Captain would leave the ATC channel on the whole way, if they weren't showing a movie....being handed off from the Los Angeles to Salt Lake City to Denver to Minneapolis to Chicago to Cleveland to New York Centers, enroute to the New York Tracon and finally JFK Tower and Ground...

 

[jis]

With the broader use of ARINC digital links ATC communication is becoming less exciting and informative too. Sort of like the way the usefulness of scanners have gone on routes that are fully PTC and then some, like the NEC.

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