US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - UA 747 sighting in PIT

This afternoon, while arriving in PIT, I spotted a United Airlines 747 docked at gate C59. I took a good long look at it to verify what I was seeing..........of course the 747 is unmistakable.

Any idea why this intercontinental aircraft was in PIT? My mind is wandering!

;)

Maybe a Military charter?

United Airlines flight 9903

Departed Lincoln, NE (LNK) 12:04PM
Arrives Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) 2:51PM
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400

Asked around, most likely for the Nebraska-Pitt football game Saturday.

A FREAKIN 747? Wow, Nebraska must be bringing the whole state for the PIT/Neb game. I hope that they brought their rain gear and fins. By tomorrow morning, Heinz Field may be part of the Allegheny River (no joke!).

Thanks for solving my mystery........that bird sure looked out of place in PIT. The only other 747 I've seen before at PIT is Airforce One.

Oh, HPTunco, how quickly we forget......

British Airways served PIT with a 747-400 for many years. There's a whole history of the PIT-London route that goes back many years. I can recall the last 15 or so.

I think BA only served it with the 747 when it was paired with PHL or IAD as a pickup/dropoff spot to/from LHR. That was for two reasons IIRC....1.) not enough PIT O&D traffic to fill a daily 747 and 2.) I don't think PIT is one of the US cities in the bilateral treaty to allow nonstop LHR service.

However, when PHL and IAD could stand on their own with O&D traffic, BA stepped the PIT market down to a 767 and served PIT-LGW nonstop. That transition was somewhere in the mid-90's.

Of course, BA eventually abandoned the route with no alliance or partnership in PIT to feed/dump passengers.

And then.....so did USAirways.

I remember the BA flights, but didn't fly much during those years. The only memory I have of BA in PIT is the FA's and the funny caps they wore!


Oh, HPTunco, how quickly we forget......

British Airways served PIT with a 747-400 for many years. There's a whole history of the PIT-London route that goes back many years. I can recall the last 15 or so.

I think BA only served it with the 747 when it was paired with PHL or IAD as a pickup/dropoff spot to/from LHR. That was for two reasons IIRC....1.) not enough PIT O&D traffic to fill a daily 747 and 2.) I don't think PIT is one of the US cities in the bilateral treaty to allow nonstop LHR service.

However, when PHL and IAD could stand on their own with O&D traffic, BA stepped the PIT market down to a 767 and served PIT-LGW nonstop. That transition was somewhere in the mid-90's.

Of course, BA eventually abandoned the route with no alliance or partnership in PIT to feed/dump passengers.

And then.....so did USAirways.

I would have thought that it was diverted to PIT.

Who knew????? :o

A FREAKIN 747? Wow, Nebraska must be bringing the whole state for the PIT/Neb game. I hope that they brought their rain gear and fins. By tomorrow morning, Heinz Field may be part of the Allegheny River (no joke!).

Thanks for solving my mystery........that bird sure looked out of place in PIT. The only other 747 I've seen before at PIT is Airforce One.

As a relocated member of Husker Nation, they do travel as good as any team in the country. Just ask Notre Dame how half their stadium turned red a few years back for the NU @ ND game. The airport is blessed with an extremely long runway in Lincoln; probably still not the case but several years back it was one of the 10 alternate runways for the space shuttle if they needed to divert. Now it just lets all those regional jets get the speed turned up.

I'm assuming that this was an alumni junket, not the team. Nebraska was VERY lucky today to escape PIT with a win. A terrible interference call in their favor with 3 minutes to go saved them from having a very quiet flight back to the corn.

Anybody see the overhead "blimp" shots of the flooding in Pittsburgh?

Anybody see the overhead "blimp" shots of the flooding in Pittsburgh?

No, but I got plenty of close-ups driving/walking/wading through it :D

No, but I got plenty of close-ups driving/walking/wading through it :D

And I saw some of it flying into it! What a mess!