PurdueFlyer
May 29, 07, 9:32 pm
Recently I was able to sample NWA's new 757 service over the pond, in World Business Class. I work for NWA and have enjoyed my share of International travel on their A330s and B747s. I wanted to see how their new 757 TATL product stacks up with their existing international product, and report back to the FT'ers who might be interested in this. Here is my trip report, I hope its not too dry or too long-winded!
I selected the 757 flight since I had already flown in WBC on NWA's other long haul jets, the 747-400 and the A330 (both -200 and -300). Since I work for NWA I felt it was reasonably important to USE our services and be able to field questions about our products that we offer. Oh, and, I'm a travel nut so it’s not hard to find an excuse to fly to Europe for the weekend. The 757 TATL service is new (<one month) and people are curious as to how it compares with our existing international product.
My home airport has no nonstop flights to Detroit, everything goes through MSP. Essentially, I can't connect to ANY DTW--European flights unless I leave early in the morning. However, the new DTW-FRA on the 757 doesn't leave until 11:05 pm, which was perfect in this case. I was able to work a full day and take the last flight out, still getting me to DTW with plenty of time to spare, so I didn't have to take any time off work. After a quick flight & 30 minute layover in MSP, I was given 13D on the A319 over to Detroit Metro, getting in to DTW around 7:45pm. Now, only 3 hours to kill until the next flight leaves!
The 11:05pm departure to FRA is the last flight over the pond from DTW. This is what becomes known as a "dumping flight." Everybody who misconns, or is a volunteer, or is a nonrev who got bumped from earlier in the day, has the potential (at least in theory) to get put on the dumping flight as a last-ditch effort to get them out. I was particularly concerned because the non-rev list on that Friday was 20 people deep on the AMS flights. I waited until the 9:20 to AMS left, and then I approached a young female gate agent and inquired about checking loads on the 11:05 to FRA. She agreed immediately and signed me into the computer. Flight 96 to FRA still had 3 seats open in C, and 8 open in Y. I was the first on the standby list for C (not very often I get to say that!). I also checked the previous flights to LGW, CDG, and AMS. Everything left full but all the standbys on those flights were boarded. I figured I was in the clear, but as a nonrev, you're never in the clear until you're "wheels up." I decide to head over to the gate.
I arrive at the gate around 9:45 and there was one agent working the counter. About 8 people in line, no doubt asking about re-seating. I wait until the line clears and head over to the counter. A tall, lurpy, pasty-looking white guy strolls up to the counter just ahead of me. Here it comes. I can smell an "op up" question coming a mile away. I am annoyed with him already before he even opens his mouth.
Lurpy White Guy: "UH, I was wondering about maybe getting a better seat, like maybe an upgrade to business class."
Agent: "No upgrades on international flights."
Lurpy White Guy: "Well I've gotten them before"
Agent: "We just had a supervisor get fired for upgrading when she wasn’t supposed to. Frankly I don't really want to be the next one." (She could have added, "Especially not because of a tool like yourself.")
Lurpy White Guy: [stands there]
Agent: "Maybe on a domestic oversell, MAYBE. Not on international flights." [Gives him a look that says "After the first period, the score is Agent 1, You 0"]
Lurpy White Guy: [shuffles away]
Now I'm up, but wait! She's just dealt with an annoying passenger. I have to tread water and not be "that annoying nonrev." I ask "What time do you usually clear standbys on this flight?" (it’s non-invasive, I'm just asking for a timeframe so I can know if I should go to the bar and have a drink, or hang out close to the gate. I'm NOT asking "how does it look?").
Agent: "Are you PurdueFlyer?"
me: "yes."
Agent: "I was just working in your record. How ironic."
me: "interesting"
Agent: [with a wordless smile hands me a boarding pass for 1C, upside down, along with my passport]
I do a little victory dance, I have still never flown coach on a NWA-operated international flight. I'm sure one day, my uppance will come, and I will end up with 59E, or something horrible, no doubt between DTW and KIX just to prolong the misery, but for now, the streak lives on!
It’s now 9:50pm. Flight leaves in 1 hour and 15 minutes. I stroll over to the LHR gate so I can ogle over a few of the BA crewmembers. The next gate over, LH is boarding their flight. I watch the crush of people surge towards the jetway. International flights are always entertaining to watch the parade! I head back over to our gate. its now 10:05, 1 hour prior to departure. Crew is just starting to show up, but not all of them are here yet. They saunter up between now and 10:20pm. Finally around 10:30 they call for preboarding and WBC and I scurry aboard, anxious to finally get on the new 757.
I am seated in 1C, a bulkhead aisle. 1D is empty (so far). Across the aisle, there is a male passenger in 1A and 1B is blocked for crew rest. There are 16seats on this 757 in C class, but revenue management only books the C cabin to a max of 15. In fact, seat 1B is not even visible on the seat map so you won't even be able to reserve it. Pax in 1A mentions to the purser that his wife is flying in coach, and wants to know if they can switch seats so the wife can fly up front. Purser advises the passenger that this is fine and they can switch seats any time. He does tell the pax in 1A that they also need 1A for crew use and that he could choose any other seat in WBC. He decides to move next to me, so I lose the empty seat in 1D. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. I ask the guy where his wife is, and he says "She decided to stay in coach." I am very surprised by this. "What’s more," he adds, "is that she's in a MIDDLE seat in coach." Gasp! This is now very newsworthy! A wife declining an upgrade in lieu of a middle seat on a TATL 757. I recall that there is a poster on FT who goes by the handle "MyWifeisinCoach" and I half-wonder if I am now sitting next to him. I think to myself that this guy really found a "keeper" and only hope she doesn't guilt-trip him for the rest of the vacation. At any rate the husband is now settling into 1D not feeling the least bit guilty, I imagine. I never do see the wife for the remainder of the trip.
Enough social drama for now! On to the flight!
The first thing I noticed was how CLEAN the interior was. For a moment I thought I stepped onto a Continental Airlines flight by accident! Overhead bins, bulkheads, and carpet were obviously recently refurbished and it really showed. It was nice, even in a bulkhead seat, not to have to stare at someone’s dirty footprints all over the wall. Big plus!
The seats are not your typical WBC “eggshell” type seats, but they are fairly comfortable. There is a moveable headrest with little winglets, as I call them, so you can fold the ends inward to anchor your head. The headrest also moves up and down. Also, these seats to not have that little rectangular “block” that so many of you complain about. I found the overall seat cushions to be very comfy. There are no electronic seat controls, just the standard manual silver buttons like on regular 757s. You can control recline and also your footrest angle via these buttons. The actual “foot stop” is a metal bar that folds out of the seat, which you need to manually extend. I found the angle comfortable for sitting upright, eating, sleeping, and just relaxing. It’s a good shape and design and keeps you “anchored” yet comfortable. I too hate the “sliding off” effect that accompanies the regular WBC seats, and you won’t find that happening here. However, they are far from “lie—flat.” One thing I noticed about 1C is that there is no storage space whatsoever. I have flown in row 9 on the 744 (also a bulkhead) and at least you have the little pocket with the safety card and magazine, so you can shove you newspaper or contact lens case in there. On the 757, the pockets are on the side wall, underneath the window. This benefits the guys in 1A and 1D, and since you can’t sit in 1B because of the crew, the only bad seat from a storage perspective was my seat, 1C. It obviously provides great aisle access though, so if you get up often during a flight, you’ll be happy here. When I stuck my feet out, I was unable to reach the bulkhead plate whether sitting or reclining. The guy in 1D never got up during the flight (at least while I was in my chair) and therefore did not notice if he had difficulty exiting the row while I was reclining. Probably no better or worse than the regular WBC seats, in my opinion. Plus, you don’t have the “eggshell” blocking your upper torso, which I think is the main hindrance getting out of a window seat on the 330, and not so much the recline.
I took my seat in 1C and the flight attendant came around with the pre-departure beverages. He goes to put the drink down on the little console and realizes that the 757 doesn’t have the little console like the 330 does. He tells me that this is his first flight in the new 757 over the pond and isn’t sure where all the features are. After a few moments of prodding we discover that the drink holder is a flat sliding tray that you pull UP from the front of the armrest, and then tilt it down, parallel to the floor. We share a chuckle about our little joke and the FA continues on down the aisle. Before departure I can hear the 2 FA’s in the galley pointing things out to each other, like a 16 year old getting in a new car for the first time. These are obviously seasoned A330 crews.
We push back 5 minutes late, and after a brief taxi we are wheels up at 11:20pm. Because of the late hour of the departure, I am interested in onboard service, namely, how much and how fast. I’ve been up for 16 hours and already taken 2 flights, not too much to handle, but I am definitely looking forward to a nice meal and some sleep. At 10,000 feet the FA’s are up and moving fast. They first distribute the entertainment unit. This is smaller than the screens on the other TATL aircraft, and more rectangular. The players are touch screen & they come pre-loaded with movies and music. There are no games available on this unit. Also, there is no moving map display on the 757 aircraft, personal unit or main screen. I don’t know about you, but when I fly internationally I like to know where I am. The purser sets up the player in its holder for you, and plugs it in. I thought this was a nice touch, so the passengers are not fumbling around with cords and such. 20 minutes after takeoff, the WBC passengers all have their units installed and the dinner cart is starting to make its rounds. The WBC cabin is served by one FA, the purser in this case. Joe was our purser and he took great care of us. He didn’t seem overwhelmed working the whole front cabin alone and the service was still speedy and efficient. With only 12 seats occupied up front, the service was very personal and friendly.
The dinner menu is decidedly shortened for this flight, I assume due to the departure time rather than the fact that it’s a 757. The menu reads “DTW-FRA (late night)_WBC_EB_3(1)07” Your dinner options featured a choice of:
--A cold plate of lemon peppered chicken, grilled shrimp, peach slaw and asparagus tips (or)
--Hot turkey and melted Swiss ciabatta sandwich
Both selections served with a side salad of mixed greens, and dessert plate with fruit, cheese and raspberry cream cup
--Assorted breads
That’s it, not much to choose from. I opted for the ciabatta sandwich, which was adequate if you are ordering from your local Quiznos, but I hoped for something a little fancier in WBC. The portion was just about right for that flight time, though. No need to fatten up and then sit there like a sloth for 7 hours. Also, the whole meal was served at once. No salad cart first, followed by the main entrée, followed by the dessert of ice cream and cobbler. They put everything on the tray and handed it to you. I tried to eat slowly and stretch out that sandwich, but without much success. The raspberry cup was small, about the size of a thimble. After I was through with the meal, the purser and I were talking (he knew I was an employee). He asked what I thought so far and I said, “You know, it really feels like a late night transcon from SFO to JFK, on any airline, but with better seats and better food.” He thought about that and said ,”Yeah, it kind of does, doesn’t it?”
I switched on the portable movie player to see what was available. As I said, you have two choices. Movies or Music. I flipped through the movies aimlessly for about 30 seconds, then switched the player off. I’ve never been much into the entertainment industry, I might only go see 1 new movie at a theater per year, if that. Even on a long flight to Japan I might only watch 1 or 2 movies. I’m more into reading, playing with the moving map, or playing bejeweled or solitaire. Also I have 7 hours of music on my iPod which keeps me fairly occupied. At this point in the flight, I have had 3 glasses of Champaign and I’m content with drifting off to sleep.
Because of the flight times, it gets light out very quickly compared to other European departures, Luckily the crew had pulled down the shades and the cabin remained pleasantly dark and comfortable for sleeping. I had no problem getting comfy and sleeping soundly in the WBC seat. Breakfast was served 1 hour prior to landing in FRA. The menu consisted of: Fresh Fruit and warm breads, and a choice of:
--Scrambled eggs with peppered bacon, pork sausage links and toast points (or)
--Cold cereal and yogurt
--coffee or tea
I opted for the cereal since eggs don’t agree with me very well. The cereal was, ummm, about as exciting as cereal can be, which is to say, not very much. Again the breakfast was served on a single tray, all at once. Nothing special but certainly adequate. In retrospect it looked like any other breakfast I’ve eaten in domestic F.
We landed in FRA on schedule after an otherwise pleasant and uneventful flight. I was going to stick around and take some pictures, but we deplaned through Door #1, and I didn’t want to wait until all of coach had deplaned and then get stuck in passport control. I’ll save the photography for someone else.
I know many on the NWA board are interested in this new “service” that we provide over pond via 757s. More routes will be popping up soon, including DTW-BRU/DUS and BDL-AMS. Here’s my thoughts in summary:
Likes: seats, cleanliness, personal service from crew
Dislikes: menu, no moving map.
This wasn’t a bad flight. I’d take it again. If you are going to be flying from BDL to AMS twice a month, and this 757 works for your schedule and needs, take it. There was nothing wrong with the plane, or service. However, I still prefer the A330 for my travel. Just the little things like the widebody cabin, better recline, moving map…makes the difference between “good” and “great.” I still feel like I flew a transcon redeye. I never had the feel of an international flight. It's like we landed and I just “happened” to be in Germany upon arrival. Furthermore, If I am shelling out big bucks for a paid C ticket, or am blowing double miles for a rule buster award ticket, and I have a choice of the A330 or 757, I’d go for the A330 experience. But, again, I would fly the 757 in the future and certainly I’d take it if it were a nonstop.
I hope you found this trip report quasi—informative and enjoyable. I hope for those of you who are intrigued by NWA’s new transatlantic 757 that you will give it a try! Feel free to post any questions you may have and I’ll try and answer them as best I can.
Cheers & happy travels,
PurdueFlyer
I selected the 757 flight since I had already flown in WBC on NWA's other long haul jets, the 747-400 and the A330 (both -200 and -300). Since I work for NWA I felt it was reasonably important to USE our services and be able to field questions about our products that we offer. Oh, and, I'm a travel nut so it’s not hard to find an excuse to fly to Europe for the weekend. The 757 TATL service is new (<one month) and people are curious as to how it compares with our existing international product.
My home airport has no nonstop flights to Detroit, everything goes through MSP. Essentially, I can't connect to ANY DTW--European flights unless I leave early in the morning. However, the new DTW-FRA on the 757 doesn't leave until 11:05 pm, which was perfect in this case. I was able to work a full day and take the last flight out, still getting me to DTW with plenty of time to spare, so I didn't have to take any time off work. After a quick flight & 30 minute layover in MSP, I was given 13D on the A319 over to Detroit Metro, getting in to DTW around 7:45pm. Now, only 3 hours to kill until the next flight leaves!
The 11:05pm departure to FRA is the last flight over the pond from DTW. This is what becomes known as a "dumping flight." Everybody who misconns, or is a volunteer, or is a nonrev who got bumped from earlier in the day, has the potential (at least in theory) to get put on the dumping flight as a last-ditch effort to get them out. I was particularly concerned because the non-rev list on that Friday was 20 people deep on the AMS flights. I waited until the 9:20 to AMS left, and then I approached a young female gate agent and inquired about checking loads on the 11:05 to FRA. She agreed immediately and signed me into the computer. Flight 96 to FRA still had 3 seats open in C, and 8 open in Y. I was the first on the standby list for C (not very often I get to say that!). I also checked the previous flights to LGW, CDG, and AMS. Everything left full but all the standbys on those flights were boarded. I figured I was in the clear, but as a nonrev, you're never in the clear until you're "wheels up." I decide to head over to the gate.
I arrive at the gate around 9:45 and there was one agent working the counter. About 8 people in line, no doubt asking about re-seating. I wait until the line clears and head over to the counter. A tall, lurpy, pasty-looking white guy strolls up to the counter just ahead of me. Here it comes. I can smell an "op up" question coming a mile away. I am annoyed with him already before he even opens his mouth.
Lurpy White Guy: "UH, I was wondering about maybe getting a better seat, like maybe an upgrade to business class."
Agent: "No upgrades on international flights."
Lurpy White Guy: "Well I've gotten them before"
Agent: "We just had a supervisor get fired for upgrading when she wasn’t supposed to. Frankly I don't really want to be the next one." (She could have added, "Especially not because of a tool like yourself.")
Lurpy White Guy: [stands there]
Agent: "Maybe on a domestic oversell, MAYBE. Not on international flights." [Gives him a look that says "After the first period, the score is Agent 1, You 0"]
Lurpy White Guy: [shuffles away]
Now I'm up, but wait! She's just dealt with an annoying passenger. I have to tread water and not be "that annoying nonrev." I ask "What time do you usually clear standbys on this flight?" (it’s non-invasive, I'm just asking for a timeframe so I can know if I should go to the bar and have a drink, or hang out close to the gate. I'm NOT asking "how does it look?").
Agent: "Are you PurdueFlyer?"
me: "yes."
Agent: "I was just working in your record. How ironic."
me: "interesting"
Agent: [with a wordless smile hands me a boarding pass for 1C, upside down, along with my passport]
I do a little victory dance, I have still never flown coach on a NWA-operated international flight. I'm sure one day, my uppance will come, and I will end up with 59E, or something horrible, no doubt between DTW and KIX just to prolong the misery, but for now, the streak lives on!
It’s now 9:50pm. Flight leaves in 1 hour and 15 minutes. I stroll over to the LHR gate so I can ogle over a few of the BA crewmembers. The next gate over, LH is boarding their flight. I watch the crush of people surge towards the jetway. International flights are always entertaining to watch the parade! I head back over to our gate. its now 10:05, 1 hour prior to departure. Crew is just starting to show up, but not all of them are here yet. They saunter up between now and 10:20pm. Finally around 10:30 they call for preboarding and WBC and I scurry aboard, anxious to finally get on the new 757.
I am seated in 1C, a bulkhead aisle. 1D is empty (so far). Across the aisle, there is a male passenger in 1A and 1B is blocked for crew rest. There are 16seats on this 757 in C class, but revenue management only books the C cabin to a max of 15. In fact, seat 1B is not even visible on the seat map so you won't even be able to reserve it. Pax in 1A mentions to the purser that his wife is flying in coach, and wants to know if they can switch seats so the wife can fly up front. Purser advises the passenger that this is fine and they can switch seats any time. He does tell the pax in 1A that they also need 1A for crew use and that he could choose any other seat in WBC. He decides to move next to me, so I lose the empty seat in 1D. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers. I ask the guy where his wife is, and he says "She decided to stay in coach." I am very surprised by this. "What’s more," he adds, "is that she's in a MIDDLE seat in coach." Gasp! This is now very newsworthy! A wife declining an upgrade in lieu of a middle seat on a TATL 757. I recall that there is a poster on FT who goes by the handle "MyWifeisinCoach" and I half-wonder if I am now sitting next to him. I think to myself that this guy really found a "keeper" and only hope she doesn't guilt-trip him for the rest of the vacation. At any rate the husband is now settling into 1D not feeling the least bit guilty, I imagine. I never do see the wife for the remainder of the trip.
Enough social drama for now! On to the flight!
The first thing I noticed was how CLEAN the interior was. For a moment I thought I stepped onto a Continental Airlines flight by accident! Overhead bins, bulkheads, and carpet were obviously recently refurbished and it really showed. It was nice, even in a bulkhead seat, not to have to stare at someone’s dirty footprints all over the wall. Big plus!
The seats are not your typical WBC “eggshell” type seats, but they are fairly comfortable. There is a moveable headrest with little winglets, as I call them, so you can fold the ends inward to anchor your head. The headrest also moves up and down. Also, these seats to not have that little rectangular “block” that so many of you complain about. I found the overall seat cushions to be very comfy. There are no electronic seat controls, just the standard manual silver buttons like on regular 757s. You can control recline and also your footrest angle via these buttons. The actual “foot stop” is a metal bar that folds out of the seat, which you need to manually extend. I found the angle comfortable for sitting upright, eating, sleeping, and just relaxing. It’s a good shape and design and keeps you “anchored” yet comfortable. I too hate the “sliding off” effect that accompanies the regular WBC seats, and you won’t find that happening here. However, they are far from “lie—flat.” One thing I noticed about 1C is that there is no storage space whatsoever. I have flown in row 9 on the 744 (also a bulkhead) and at least you have the little pocket with the safety card and magazine, so you can shove you newspaper or contact lens case in there. On the 757, the pockets are on the side wall, underneath the window. This benefits the guys in 1A and 1D, and since you can’t sit in 1B because of the crew, the only bad seat from a storage perspective was my seat, 1C. It obviously provides great aisle access though, so if you get up often during a flight, you’ll be happy here. When I stuck my feet out, I was unable to reach the bulkhead plate whether sitting or reclining. The guy in 1D never got up during the flight (at least while I was in my chair) and therefore did not notice if he had difficulty exiting the row while I was reclining. Probably no better or worse than the regular WBC seats, in my opinion. Plus, you don’t have the “eggshell” blocking your upper torso, which I think is the main hindrance getting out of a window seat on the 330, and not so much the recline.
I took my seat in 1C and the flight attendant came around with the pre-departure beverages. He goes to put the drink down on the little console and realizes that the 757 doesn’t have the little console like the 330 does. He tells me that this is his first flight in the new 757 over the pond and isn’t sure where all the features are. After a few moments of prodding we discover that the drink holder is a flat sliding tray that you pull UP from the front of the armrest, and then tilt it down, parallel to the floor. We share a chuckle about our little joke and the FA continues on down the aisle. Before departure I can hear the 2 FA’s in the galley pointing things out to each other, like a 16 year old getting in a new car for the first time. These are obviously seasoned A330 crews.
We push back 5 minutes late, and after a brief taxi we are wheels up at 11:20pm. Because of the late hour of the departure, I am interested in onboard service, namely, how much and how fast. I’ve been up for 16 hours and already taken 2 flights, not too much to handle, but I am definitely looking forward to a nice meal and some sleep. At 10,000 feet the FA’s are up and moving fast. They first distribute the entertainment unit. This is smaller than the screens on the other TATL aircraft, and more rectangular. The players are touch screen & they come pre-loaded with movies and music. There are no games available on this unit. Also, there is no moving map display on the 757 aircraft, personal unit or main screen. I don’t know about you, but when I fly internationally I like to know where I am. The purser sets up the player in its holder for you, and plugs it in. I thought this was a nice touch, so the passengers are not fumbling around with cords and such. 20 minutes after takeoff, the WBC passengers all have their units installed and the dinner cart is starting to make its rounds. The WBC cabin is served by one FA, the purser in this case. Joe was our purser and he took great care of us. He didn’t seem overwhelmed working the whole front cabin alone and the service was still speedy and efficient. With only 12 seats occupied up front, the service was very personal and friendly.
The dinner menu is decidedly shortened for this flight, I assume due to the departure time rather than the fact that it’s a 757. The menu reads “DTW-FRA (late night)_WBC_EB_3(1)07” Your dinner options featured a choice of:
--A cold plate of lemon peppered chicken, grilled shrimp, peach slaw and asparagus tips (or)
--Hot turkey and melted Swiss ciabatta sandwich
Both selections served with a side salad of mixed greens, and dessert plate with fruit, cheese and raspberry cream cup
--Assorted breads
That’s it, not much to choose from. I opted for the ciabatta sandwich, which was adequate if you are ordering from your local Quiznos, but I hoped for something a little fancier in WBC. The portion was just about right for that flight time, though. No need to fatten up and then sit there like a sloth for 7 hours. Also, the whole meal was served at once. No salad cart first, followed by the main entrée, followed by the dessert of ice cream and cobbler. They put everything on the tray and handed it to you. I tried to eat slowly and stretch out that sandwich, but without much success. The raspberry cup was small, about the size of a thimble. After I was through with the meal, the purser and I were talking (he knew I was an employee). He asked what I thought so far and I said, “You know, it really feels like a late night transcon from SFO to JFK, on any airline, but with better seats and better food.” He thought about that and said ,”Yeah, it kind of does, doesn’t it?”
I switched on the portable movie player to see what was available. As I said, you have two choices. Movies or Music. I flipped through the movies aimlessly for about 30 seconds, then switched the player off. I’ve never been much into the entertainment industry, I might only go see 1 new movie at a theater per year, if that. Even on a long flight to Japan I might only watch 1 or 2 movies. I’m more into reading, playing with the moving map, or playing bejeweled or solitaire. Also I have 7 hours of music on my iPod which keeps me fairly occupied. At this point in the flight, I have had 3 glasses of Champaign and I’m content with drifting off to sleep.
Because of the flight times, it gets light out very quickly compared to other European departures, Luckily the crew had pulled down the shades and the cabin remained pleasantly dark and comfortable for sleeping. I had no problem getting comfy and sleeping soundly in the WBC seat. Breakfast was served 1 hour prior to landing in FRA. The menu consisted of: Fresh Fruit and warm breads, and a choice of:
--Scrambled eggs with peppered bacon, pork sausage links and toast points (or)
--Cold cereal and yogurt
--coffee or tea
I opted for the cereal since eggs don’t agree with me very well. The cereal was, ummm, about as exciting as cereal can be, which is to say, not very much. Again the breakfast was served on a single tray, all at once. Nothing special but certainly adequate. In retrospect it looked like any other breakfast I’ve eaten in domestic F.
We landed in FRA on schedule after an otherwise pleasant and uneventful flight. I was going to stick around and take some pictures, but we deplaned through Door #1, and I didn’t want to wait until all of coach had deplaned and then get stuck in passport control. I’ll save the photography for someone else.
I know many on the NWA board are interested in this new “service” that we provide over pond via 757s. More routes will be popping up soon, including DTW-BRU/DUS and BDL-AMS. Here’s my thoughts in summary:
Likes: seats, cleanliness, personal service from crew
Dislikes: menu, no moving map.
This wasn’t a bad flight. I’d take it again. If you are going to be flying from BDL to AMS twice a month, and this 757 works for your schedule and needs, take it. There was nothing wrong with the plane, or service. However, I still prefer the A330 for my travel. Just the little things like the widebody cabin, better recline, moving map…makes the difference between “good” and “great.” I still feel like I flew a transcon redeye. I never had the feel of an international flight. It's like we landed and I just “happened” to be in Germany upon arrival. Furthermore, If I am shelling out big bucks for a paid C ticket, or am blowing double miles for a rule buster award ticket, and I have a choice of the A330 or 757, I’d go for the A330 experience. But, again, I would fly the 757 in the future and certainly I’d take it if it were a nonstop.
I hope you found this trip report quasi—informative and enjoyable. I hope for those of you who are intrigued by NWA’s new transatlantic 757 that you will give it a try! Feel free to post any questions you may have and I’ll try and answer them as best I can.
Cheers & happy travels,
PurdueFlyer