rankourabu

I wonder how many people got suckered in with all those <$500 fares on LAX-YVR-HKG AC has been selling

Dorian

No joke, when I 1st saw Y on the HD...this is the image that came to mind:

HangTen

I paid a little under $400 round trip for a YOW-YVR-YOW round trip in Feb 1981 during university reading week.

$400 in 1981 dollars would buy $961 worth of stuff in 2015.

I was travelling to YYJ and as a student, I would have gone for the cheapest fare available which entailed taking a ferry over to the Island. I kept the ticket stock as a momento in a scrap book.

The cheapest fare over the same period I traveled in 1981 in 2015, 34 years later, costs $716.29.

iamaho

Seems like the slave ship concept is gaining popularity

http://aviationweek.com/mro/united-m...0-seats-across

United Airlines is considering creating a high-density Boeing 777 subfleet with 10 seats across--rather than nine--in regular economy class and a smaller than usual business class cabin, Aviation Week has learned.

The new configuration would allow United to install 364 seats on each aircraft, nearly 100 more than the airline has on many of its three-class 777s, a person familiar with the matter said.

United would retain nine seats across in premium economy, the source said, mimicking what American Airlines has done with its new Boeing 777-300ERs. Ten seats across in the regular economy section has quickly become the standard for new deliveries, with roughly 70% of new 777s now being delivered by Boeing with that configuration.

The plan under consideration calls for United to install 28 flat-bed seats in business class, 98 in premium economy and 238 in economy, airline documents show.

Internally, United is calling the new configuration the 77G. It is not clear how many 777s would be retrofitted, but the source said the aircraft would come from airline's United subsidiary -- rather than Continental -- and would be limited to aircraft with lower maximum takeoff weights.

United essentially has two versions of this aircraft. One is a three-class aircraft with 266 seats often deployed on short routes between the East Coast and Europe. The other is a two-class aircraft used on Hawaii routes. That subfleet was recently updated and the aircraft already have a relatively dense configuration.

"We evaluate lots of options across our fleet and haven’t made any further announcements specific to the 777 fleet,” a United spokesman said in an email. He declined to comment further.

United operates 74 777s, all of them -200s.

rankourabu

so they are calling 364 high density - what the hell do we call AC with 458 seats???

PLeblond

UA only has 772s. AC's HD is a 773

winnipegrev

ACs reconfigured 77Ls won't come anywhere near 364 seats. I wonder if we will hear calls to boycott UA, or are they exempt because having 10 sardine 772s is somehow better than 5 sardine 77Ws?

rankourabu

You can boycott whatever you like, or take your seat in economy minus where AC elites belong

The reduction to only 28 J seats will cause an uproar in the United world though - but as always - people will huff and puff and continue flying United anyway....

Are 10 across 777s news though? Doesnt every airline have them by now?

why fly

yes but if you ever looked at another airline you would see that discussion started because UA is looking at buying 10 777-300.

CloudsBelow

And?? What relevance is that to this discussion??
The 10-wide mod discussed in the article applies to their -200s
364:77E is very close to 458:77W

Shareholder

Curiously, people seem to dump on this economy configuration when it's on AC or AA, but EK has had this tight fit since it started flying 773s and I can't recall anyone complaining.

In the 1990s airlines either bought 772s or A330/340s. AC opted for Airbus wide bodies but is now replacing them with 773s. Seems the 772 has been a better choice and performer since those planes are still flying and have merely had to go through cabin upgrades instead of being scrapped outright and replaced by 773s by the airlines that opted for Airbuses.

And while I detest the exUA 772s because of their 2-4-2 business class seats -- which I consider more egregious than 3-4-3 in the back -- the exCO 772s are very nice with a 2-2-2 configuration and far superior seat. Of course, all UA's competitors are going to be flying 772s/773s with 1-2-1 configurations in business, which will be a real challenge for UA in another two years when AA and DL have finished refurbishing their fleets.

PLeblond

I read that announced last week of Flightglobal. They may switch over of 787s to 773s.

The article mentions retrofitting current 777s "It is not clear how many 777s would be retrofitted, but the source said the aircraft would come from airline's United subsidiary -- rather than Continental -- and would be limited to aircraft with lower maximum takeoff weights." so I was mentioning that to explain the difference between the seating numbers. There are apx 33' difference in length between the 772 and the 773, this easily could accommodate 10 rows of 10 seats.

For the record, I've flown on several UA 772s. Sorry to disappoint you.

And before you continue by saying that I am an apologist and that I love the 77HD and that I think everything in UA is bad, I suggest you take the time to either read what I am saying, or ask me personally to clarify, if I am not being clear enough.

Should you care to know my REAL opinion on the thread, I have been on record as saying that I dislike 10 across Y in a 777, but it is the tendency and I believe almost all airlines will be going to this configuration. AC was not the first and they certainly won't be the last, so people might as well get used to it because its never going back. But that opinion is not well accepted here, so people prefer to call me ignorant of other airlines and the industry in general.

why fly

also 364:77E is speculation and 458:77W is reality.

You of all people are aware of the difference.

yyznomad

Anyway, the 777HD sucks.

somedude3210

Appears Y+ will remain 9 across with the additional pitch. Since Y+ is free to UA elites, they'll have opportunity to avoid the cramped seats without additional cost. No need for a boycott/metal avoidance.

AC elites need to pay a premium to avoid the cramped seats when flying the slaveship, so boycott/metal avoidance is reasonable.