As Always Flyin pointed out, ETOPS stands for Extended range Twin engine OPerationS. It is a certification that allows two-engine aircraft to fly routes that include areas up to two or three hours (depending on the certification) away from a suitable emergency landing strip. (Non-ETOPS twin-engine jets must never fly more than one hour from an alternative airport.) Almost everywhere that ETOPS certificiation is required is over water, hence "Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim".

For a plane to be ETOPS certified it has to undergo special maintenance procedures above and beyond what's normally required, and it has to be one of the airframe/engine combinations for which ETOPS is available.

Right now there are two and three hour ETOPS certifications available, and there's some discussion of four hour ETOPS, which would allow twin engine planes that have sufficient range (like the next-generation of 777s) to fly just about any routing.

BTW, not all UA planes of the same model are ETOPS certified, and this can sometimes cause schedule changes when equipment is substituted. For example, a while back I was flying JFK-SJU when a non-ETOPS 757 was substituted at the last minute for the ETOPS 757 normally scheduled for the flight. That required a routing change (keeping the aircraft along the coast), which added about an hour to the flight time.



[This message has been edited by mab (edited 10-20-2001).]