Piedmont767

True and valid points, I take back what I said. But I think there is more of a chance they will stay unless AA is planning further INTL capacity cuts because the deferral pushes more widebody aircraft to the future and if the 333s are being retired as initial planned, then that means they will be some cuts.

YtravelF

I believe the orginal plan was to retire the 333s pre-D check. Mgmt rightfully figured with all of the new planes coming, why pay for a really expensive and time consuming overhaul?

They were going to upgauge most routes one size (767->788->789). They may be second guessing this now and deciding to leave most routes as-is. Unfortunately, this also means they will be keeping the 767 fleet around for a while longer, or at least through 2020 (confirmed). So I suppose that is the trade off. The only good news is that they'll all be CIP 767s? By deciding to keep the 767s, they'll have some spare widebody capacity and can afford to sub in a 789 on a 333 route (essentially no capacity change). Not really good news...but oh well.

In sum, I'd bet the 333s still get retired and we see more 789s plying those routes, all while keeping the zombie 767 fleet alive. Apologies if that was confusing!

Fanjet

In the better world, the 333s would stay and the 763s would go bye-bye. Much better experience in both J and Y. However, the 763s probably have less resale value than the 333s do. So in that regard, it's more cost-effective to instead keep the 763s as well. Plus, AA is getting pretty heavy with aircraft having a 280+ passenger count.

CoHiba Gent

Hi All,

A previous poster mentioned their a333 undergone a modest makeover (carpeting etc.)

I have an opportunity with a reward flight to take this directly from PHL - ATH cutting out a stopover in LHR.

I had reservations about this aircraft and quality of J. However, from reviews it appears many like the envoy seat.

Are/Were all the a333 aircraft undergoing a modest update to the cabin (i.e. carpet, wood wall paneling removed, seat covering, etc.)?

I know they aren't updating the seats due to future retirement, but it would be nice if they did a little refresh.

Regardless of the slight outdated features the direct routing appears the better choice, while age of aircraft and quality of J not a deterrent.

Many thanks,

Andrew

onic

All the 333s seats in J/Y have ben reupholstered and carpet refreshed. Currently 333s do not have wifi except for tail 270.

For reference the 333 also operates all of the LHR routes from CLT and PHL.

GotCalcio4

I head to ATH and the Greek islands every summer. If price permits, I will ALWAYS take the nonstop flights out of PHL to ATH rather than transit in LHR. As my final is usually JMK, reducing the number of flights I have to take from four down to three is incredibly convenient, not to mention how much I absolutely despise the T5-T3 transfers and security screening process in LHR. The 333 experience is completely adequate; enjoy the ability to skip the stop in LHR. It's soooooo worth it.

bridge29

I'm surprised PHL-ATH is operated by the A333. I've flown on this as well and while the seat map made it look nearly full, once we boarded the plane was only half-full. I believe AA blocks a substantial number of seats on this flight. Which makes me wonder why they operate it with the A333 instead of the A332.

perseus11

The underpowered US 333 frequently (but not always) struggles with a full load on the ATH-PHL portion oi the flight (winds aloft) and always has, so if you're referring to a flight in that direction, that's likely the answer. A reason for not using the 332 on the route is probably the difference in the cargo carrying capability - the 332 capacity is significantly smaller.

CoHiba Gent

Thank you GotCalcio4.

Yes we make the annual trip to JTR -- keep telling ourselves the following year we will finally book JMK. Then when planning arrives convince ourselves otherwise...someday.

I appreciate the advice since the T5-T3 is terrible. I really hate LHR and prefer avoidance at all costs. Almost all of my travel is now leisure and anything overseas we use points in J.

I was a Continental loyalist for over a decade, but have opted to try AA this year. Wife and I were each targeted a year ago for AA mileage card. Think we each earned 60-70k miles for taking the card out. I am a little discouraged at AA's European network and all BA code shares force through LHR. Then tack on excessive fees for the privilege to pass through LHR and depression really sets in. I know many use IB routing through Madrid, but not a great option if Greece or Eastern Europe is your ultimate destination.

UA however, and star alliance as a whole, delivers a strong European network allowing me to bypass LHR while providing more direct routing with multiple reward options. It does require more points, even a "saver" fare, but typically seats are never an issue. So far availability has not been good on AA metal and I'm going to bite the bullet and pay the full 110k business anytime fare.

This is the first time using PHL for international service and will require an airline change in ATH. Layover in ATH is 2 hours, but believe should be sufficient for immigration, baggage collection, and clearing security. If you have any pointers on this trip (club in PHL, service, connection in ATH etc.) I would be most appreciative and feel free to message me.

Thank you again.

Andrew

Kreative03

Was on a LUS A330 today with Panasonic wifi and live TV. Wifi didn't work, with the exception of free access togoogle and parts of aa.com. The aainflight.com site displayed "public announcement" the entire flight, and that prevented you from navigating any further. A FA shared that the wifi had just been installed recently and stopped working shortly after takeoff.

According to flightradar the plane is N288AY

josmul123

If I'm not mistaken, that's a 332 (A330-200), not a 333 (A330-300). Post may belong in this thread? https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...er-thread.html

CoHiba Gent

Convince me otherwise...

This week we booked our PHL - ATH flights in J. I spent time educating myself on seat selection.

It was interesting to read the strong opinions on why row 1 seemed to be in demand.

However, as DW and I talked about seating we quickly ruled out Row 1 A/H and 1 C/F.

The idea of having no overhead vent, no overhead carry on space, galley intrusion, fixed monitor, and missing window, seemed to outweigh the benefits: larger foot stool, few more inches of bed length, and...?

This got me curious so I reviewed on seat expert flights in June '18 and the seats chosen by those booking ahead like ourselves.

It was interesting that in almost every circumstance the seats reserved were primarily rows 2-5 C/F, then rows 2-5 A/H, and no bookings in row 1.

Row 2 was already booked A-H so we chose 4A/5A since we both like window seats and thought less intrusion in the middle cabin.

I'm curious as to other's thoughts and if we're in the minority.

-Andrew

McSam18

You're not wrong by any stretch of the imagination. The rule of thumb that I follow is rows 3-5 for eastbound and row 1 for westbound. My line of thinking (and experience) is exactly what you've listed.

PS: some people see the fixed monitor in row 1 a plus, as it allows for gate to gate viewing. Other rows need to have their monitor stowed for takeoff, landing, and taxi.

SpammersAreScum

I had snagged 3A on an overnight CLT-LHR, and now thanks to Irma I'm switching to the next and all that's left is 1/6/7 C/F. I guess I need to grab 6.

Ty Vil

This plane is now flying PHX-CLT and PHX-HNL - apologies if this has been covered already.