Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Discontinued Programs/Partners > Continental OnePass (Pre-Merger)
Reload this Page >

757 overseas flights to avoid (unless you like fuel stops)

Community
Wiki Posts
Search

757 overseas flights to avoid (unless you like fuel stops)

 
Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 10, 2012, 11:18 pm
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Denver CO
Posts: 3,682
757s TATL-The Chickens Come Home to Roost

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...NewsCollection

If the lack of comfort on the 757s didn't bother you, maybe the delays and missed connections won't either.

Our LH flight last month was great-widebody, two seats next to the window, individual IFE, plenty of restrooms and access to them. Nary a word about fuel.
Mountain Trader is offline  
Old Jan 10, 2012, 11:25 pm
  #2  
Moderator: United Airlines
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,856
lots of discussion in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/conti...cdg-757-a.html
WineCountryUA is offline  
Old Jan 10, 2012, 11:30 pm
  #3  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO
Programs: AA PLT
Posts: 534
How much of the profit margin from flying 757s instead of a different plane is being eaten up by all those diversions?
Sprezzatura is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 1:20 am
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 5,893
Classic example of why you should never trust newspaper articles about things you're closely familiar with -- the Journal is about three months behind FlyerTalk!
mherdeg is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 3:08 am
  #5  
In memoriam
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Danville, CA
Programs: AA EXP - UA *G MM - HH Diamond - Hertz PC
Posts: 3,242
Originally Posted by mherdeg
Classic example of why you should never trust newspaper articles about things you're closely familiar with -- the Journal is about three months behind FlyerTalk!
Better put, if not for some reporter reading FlyerTalk the story would quite likely never come to light.
danville 1K is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 3:46 am
  #6  
TA
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: if it's Thursday, this must be Belgium
Programs: UA 1K MM
Posts: 6,484
What I have always wondered (and this is where an actual dispatcher could help) is whether under such circumstances, significant $ could be saved by knowing that the flight will have to stop midway (e.g. KEF) from the beginning, and only loading that much fuel + reserve? I.e. they would save weight or increase loading capacity.

Because as it is, my impression is that they're loading almost all the fuel, and still don't get there in one stop...

And shouldn't this story cover Jetblue's A320s going west across the US in the same way?
TA is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 6:36 am
  #7  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: ORD / DUB / LHR
Programs: UA 1K MM; BA Silver; Marriott Plat
Posts: 8,243
Originally Posted by TA
What I have always wondered (and this is where an actual dispatcher could help) is whether under such circumstances, significant $ could be saved by knowing that the flight will have to stop midway (e.g. KEF) from the beginning, and only loading that much fuel + reserve? I.e. they would save weight or increase loading capacity.

Because as it is, my impression is that they're loading almost all the fuel, and still don't get there in one stop...

And shouldn't this story cover Jetblue's A320s going west across the US in the same way?
When these fuel stops occur they are generally planned. So the fuel loaded is for the trip to the destination airport, which is the fuel stop point in that case. They don't fill it up to the top and hope they make it across the Atlantic.
star_world is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 6:48 am
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAD
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Rewards - LTPP
Posts: 4,240
wow, I expect from the WSJ than that

"AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, which serves six European routes with 757s, said it has had "a few" unplanned fuel stops on westbound flights, but it's "not a daily occurrence."


Originally Posted by mduell
Could be worse, we could be flying the dAArkside.
Westbound TATL diversions since SOC for scheduled carriers:
Code:
 airline | acft | flights | diversions | rate 
---------+------+---------+------------+------
 AAL     | B752 |     275 |         20 |   72
 UAL     | B752 |     983 |         62 |   63
 AWE     | B752 |     112 |          6 |   53
 AWE     | B762 |      46 |          1 |   21
 UAL     | B762 |     149 |          2 |   13
 UAL     | B764 |     148 |          1 |    6
 AAL     | B763 |     594 |          3 |    5
 AWE     | A333 |     242 |          1 |    4
 BAW     | B772 |     423 |          1 |    2
 DAL     | B763 |    1023 |          2 |    1

"The couple didn't make it home for two more days."

Really, no seats between 2 of UA's biggest hubs for 2 days?!


The comments really crack me up though.
This article isn't going to change UA's thinking on this route. They don't have the planes, and the people who bought tickets are still going to fly. Besides, they're probably making more off the cargo anyway, which as someone else said, doesn't care when it gets there.
njcommodore is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 6:49 am
  #9  
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: CO gold
Posts: 101
Quite the aviation expert writing the piece: "Continental's enthusiasm for the 757 came under scrutiny four years ago when federal officials determined the carrier was responsible for nearly two-thirds of all the minimum fuel or fuel-emergency incidents reported annually by airliners landing in Newark." That's less than CO's share of slots (though presumably more than their share of overseas arrivals).

I agree it's an issue though, and borderline false advertising when a nonstop has a 4% chance of stopping. I note in this context that the 762 recently showed up on some EWR-TXL runs where I'm pretty sure it used to be 752. I imagine one would find more such instances when checking the usual suspect routes.
EWRuser is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 7:19 am
  #10  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: YHZ. Previously YYC
Posts: 1,924
I live in Halifax and noticed a few CO 757's recently which is uncommon for us. We usually only get the small CO props to NYC.

Now I know why I keep seeing them.

Oh, I also found this Article in my local news.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...ing-winds.html
pilotboy1985YYC is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 7:27 am
  #11  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Originally Posted by EWRuser
I note in this context that the 762 recently showed up on some EWR-TXL runs where I'm pretty sure it used to be 752. I imagine one would find more such instances when checking the usual suspect routes.
I imagine you'd be wrong.

TXL in the winter is the only route that's seen the 762 on a scheduled basis versus the "normal" 752. Been that way a couple years now.

Originally Posted by njcommodore
Besides, they're probably making more off the cargo anyway, which as someone else said, doesn't care when it gets there.
A decent amount of the cargo that goes by air actually is somewhat time-sensitive.
sbm12 is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 9:05 am
  #12  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Los Angeles, CA USA
Programs: UA 2P, PassPlus Flex, LAX Customer of the Year for 2006, UAL Shareholder
Posts: 328
"Flying to win?" Nonstop flights for fuel

More news from the "new United."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...LEFTTopStories
andersjt is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 9:22 am
  #13  
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: MBS/FNT/LAN
Programs: UA 1K, HH Gold, Mariott Gold
Posts: 9,630
While not the article you cite, thoughts on the subject can be found here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...assengers.html
jhayes_1780 is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 9:47 am
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: What I write is my opinion alone..don't read into it anything not written.
Posts: 9,686
Or in greater depth (ore on the CO 757 used in the article,) here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/conti...cdg-757-a.html
fastair is offline  
Old Jan 11, 2012, 10:32 am
  #15  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,722
757 overseas flights to avoid (unless you like fuel stops)

Personally I think it should be criminal to use the 757 slave ships (as our friends at AA refer to them) for anything beyond a transcon or Hawaii.

These are the flights to avoid:
  • Stuttgart-Newark
  • Paris-Washington Dulles
  • Stockholm-Newark
  • Barcelona-Newark.
Those routes tend to be nearly as long as the plane's maximum range.

See WSJ story below:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...LEFTTopStories

Might need a WSJ account to view full story so here is an excerpt:

Dozens of Continental Airlines flights to the East Coast from Europe have been forced to make unexpected stops in Canada and elsewhere to take on fuel after running into unusually strong headwinds over the Atlantic Ocean.
The stops, which have caused delays and inconvenience for thousands of passengers in recent weeks, are partly the result of a decision by United Continental Holdings Inc., the world's largest airline, to use smaller jets on a growing number of long, trans-Atlantic routes.

United's strategy works when the winds are calm, and it allows the airline to operate less expensive aircraft with fewer cabin-crew members to an array of European cities that wouldn't generate enough traffic to justify larger planes.

But by pushing its international Boeing Co. 757s to nearly the limit of their roughly 4,000-nautical-mile range, United is leaving little room for error when stiff winds increase the amount of fuel the planes' twin engines burn.

Last month, United said, its 169-seat 757s had to stop 43 times to refuel out of nearly 1,100 flights headed to the U.S. A year earlier, there were only 12 unscheduled stops on roughly the same volume of 757 flights.

Boraxo is offline  


Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.