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Consolidated "I've Flown on UA's 787" Thread (Reports, Experiences, Etc.)

Consolidated "I've Flown on UA's 787" Thread (Reports, Experiences, Etc.)

Old Nov 10, 2012, 1:28 am
  #121  
 
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Liked it

I did the IAH to SFO this evening (E+). There are definitely things to like with the 787. Overhead storage is excellent. Lighting and lighting ambiance was best experience in UA. I can't remember the last time I woke up from my routine 60 to 90 minute snooze without a dry throat (I didn't tonight). Looking out the windows (on an aisle seat) is quite a view. Those bigger windows definitely make for an interesting perspective. Some low tech but appreciated lavatory items. A totally unscientific conclusion (I was over the wing) yet the flight seemed quieter to me (definitely pretty noisy pre-takeoff though).
While I doubt this is the game changer that smi/j is pitching it as (surprise!), the overall experience was quite good. If the fuel savings is real, I can see this being a definite differentiator (IMHO).

I do not like the 3x3x3 but it is what it is with that.
I was fairly worn when I boarded so probably not a fair sample.... but I did not notice a jet lag difference as compared to other flights.
One of the FAs was not on her best game. Unfortunately this is something that UA sometimes lags behind other airlines I fly (and a new plane is not what will change that).
From what I recall, all bulkhead seats looked to have good legroom (though I was not looking intently for that).
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 1:45 am
  #122  
 
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Originally Posted by pedxing
Surprise! United swapped out the 767 between SFO and IAH for a brand new 787 on Tuesday, according to the trainer I ran into just now. I'm on tonight's flight to Houston, which appears to be the very first flight out of SFO on this plane!

It's LN77, registration N26906. Flightaware isn't clear on whether it flew this route yesterday or not, but it's definitely the second 787 in the United fleet. Very cool!
The flights listed on https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N26906 say "B764/Q" for Nov 7, 8, and 9, but those were indeed that plane. I was on the Nov 8 one. Aside from flightaware, I talked with the captain (he's in the video!), and he mentioned he had flown the plane back from SFO. Also, United's flight status showed the plane coming from SFO on the "where's this plane coming from?" link. So this was the second flight from SFO for this plane.
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 9:53 am
  #123  
 
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3906 broke today

IAH-EWR had a ton of problems this morning. Inop lavs on the left side of the plane, IFE sound problems for a lot of passengers and then the cockpit door broke needing a part change. 3hrs 15 late departing IAH. Still a beautiful ride though.

Last edited by djmp; Nov 10, 2012 at 10:05 am
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 10:23 am
  #124  
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Guess I was lucky!

Flew on the 787 Thursday afternoon from IAH to LAX and it was a great flight in the front BF cabin! AVOD ceased working at one point but only for a few minutes. Wonderful service from the cabin crew and the Captain greeted us with a terrific welcome on board speech that touched upon his 40 years of experience flying jets for the airlines with the comment that the opportunity to fly the Dreamliner was the icing on the cake with regard to his aviation career.

Well done, UA!
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 10:36 am
  #125  
 
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Originally Posted by djmp:19659313
IAH-EWR had a ton of problems this morning. Inop lavs on the left side of the plane, IFE sound problems for a lot of passengers and then the cockpit door broke needing a part change. 3hrs 15 late departing IAH. Still a beautiful ride though.
Thanks for the update. It's nice to know why I'm so delayed on the next ewr-iah segment.

Seems like a lot to go wrong on a new plane. I guess that's why they fly domestic hub routes first huh?
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 10:48 am
  #126  
 
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Originally Posted by halfpny
Thanks for the update. It's nice to know why I'm so delayed on the next ewr-iah segment.

Seems like a lot to go wrong on a new plane. I guess that's why they fly domestic hub routes first huh?

Yep I'm at EWR now waiting for the delayed EWR-IAH
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 11:32 am
  #127  
 
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Originally Posted by greendx
Yep I'm at EWR now waiting for the delayed EWR-IAH
Thanks for the update. Waiting at EWR as well my MR has changed completely due to misconnect in IAH
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 11:47 am
  #128  
 
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Exclamation

Originally Posted by UnitedFlyGuy
Not sure to post this here or the delayed thread but -

The reason for the delay from ORD-IAH earlier today was because some people decided to take the safety catds off with them in the inbound. You can't fly without those. They had to get replacements.
There's one listed on fleabay going $31.00 with 15 bids right now
http://www.ebay.com/itm/United-Airli...item20cd333179

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Old Nov 10, 2012, 2:43 pm
  #129  
 
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3H15M Mechanical Delay on IAH-EWR Today

Nice plane, especially in BF. Would go slightly out of my way to fly it again. Unfortunately, UA1146 from IAH to EWR was delayed over 3 hours today. Lots of missed connections, including mine. No explanation whatsoever, so I guess the nature of mechanicals on a new plane needs to be kept secret! At least there were Boeing guys hanging around since both planes were in IAH this AM.
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 4:05 pm
  #130  
 
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The problem on the IAH-EWR flight apparently was an indicator light in the cockpit. At least that was my interpretation of what the captain said when he first announced the problem after pulling back from the gate.

(Related humor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMhp2ShPVQw)

The previous leg out of SFO was quite uneventful, but yes, we arrived in EWR about 3 hours late.

I enjoyed my first trip on the 787. Apparently this one (#3906) was the second of the 787 deliveries. I think we have a winner. Much has already been said about this plane here. I was surprised how long it takes the windows to darken/lighten. Economy seats were reported here to be much narrower, so I was expecting a crummy seat, but to be honest, I couldn't really tell if they were narrower or not. I wouldn't have any trouble surviving a long-distance trip in E+. The flexing of the wings is quite amazing. Upon final approach it seems the tips of the wings are higher than the top of the fuselage.

Lots of people were taking pictures of the new plane, including the ground crew at IAH and EWR who had out their cellphone cameras.

All in all a very cool experience, even with the delay.
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 5:44 pm
  #131  
 
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First trip

Some notes, both in Y and BF:

-Phones: Yes, it's true. Both iphone5/galaxynote2 lost all bars (at&t) upon entering aircraft. colleague's sprint galaxys3 seemed to retain a bar, however.

-Windows: First impressions of the windows are that they are noticeably larger, and grant a more open, airy feeling to the cabin. The dimming feature, however, is a bit slow to work, but slightly entertaining nonetheless. Did have sun blaring through, and window did generate and give off heat, however. I've seen ANA has rubber plugs that go over windows, and I can see why they may be desired by some. I'm guessing Boeing is aware of this problem and will correct it down the line (one hopes)

-Lighting: Very similar to the 737 Sky interior. A nice change from regular wide body lighting, but I didn't think of it much beyond boarding and deplaning, maybe it would be more apparent at night. With that said, nothing like the extravagant material Boeing/UA used in promoting the 787 (mockup interior).

-Humidity: Surprisingly I did notice this much heralded advancement. As noted previously, however, some window condensation issues were noted that seem to go beyond what is present in other equipment types.

-PSUs: Modern, clean look. Also has integrated air nozzles, unlike other pmCO widebodies

-Bins: one word: Large. Very nicely damped and well designed. Handle reminds me of the boot release on a VW vehicle.

-Quietness: Yes, it really is very quiet. ^

-Y cabin: Maybe I've had one too many trips in the 747-400 Y section, or I'm just thin, but the 17" narrowness honestly did not bother me. Yes, the 763/4 and 777 feel wider, but then again, so did the old barcaloungers in C v. the new lie-flats. Where this may be an issue is the bulkheads, where there are permanent dividers installed. Fuselage width becomes apparent in the narrow aisles, however. Did not sit in a Y window seat, though, so can't confirm the earlier report of shoulders in the fuselage being uncomfortable.

The cushioning of the seats, however, is too thinly sprung for my behind. Not as comfortable as the IPTE 747/767/777s, or 2-class 767-300/400s. Seat fabric has a generic, off the shelf look that borders on low-rent.

Entertainment: One is immediately reminded of the intended delivery date of these first batch of aircraft. While the AVOD interface is updated from other pmCO equipment, it is still not as nice as the pmUA one. And while the LCD size is perfectly acceptable, it's smaller and what looks to be a generation behind the new equipment in the 2-class 767s.

-C cabin: Standard fare pmCO lie flats. Length seems to be more in line with the 757 and 2-class 767s than the 777. Select seats have generous foot hole cubbies, but most have the small unit that only fits one foot. Apparently the 787 was penned as the launch vehicle for the pmCO lie flats back in 2008, and while they may have set the bar then, five years later they are just mid-pack products.

The width of the cabin again makes itself known, as the BF cabin comes off as a tighter version of the 777, which isn't exactly a good thing. The aisles are noticeably tight, and the overall atmosphere is that of being squeezed in. The 3-class 747 and 777 may be 2-4-2, but they manage to appear and feel more open and inviting, in my opinion. The 2-2-2 on the 3-class 767, with 16ft cabin width, still too manages to appear more open v. the 18ft wide 787.

In addition, I realize these were pmCO ordered, but I couldn't shake the feeling that "this would be so much better if I was seated in F".

Conclusion: The aircraft itself is actually a nice advancement. The interior, however, is a letdown. I understand that the seats require advanced lead times and that the first batch of aircraft had already likely had their entire interiors ordered long before Boeing imposed lengthy delays, so I give UA some understanding here. Still, it's clear that the interior is a trip back to 2008. I'd image that going forward the Y entertainment systems will be upgraded to be in line with the new 2-class 767s, and one would expect a new C product long before the 50th unit gets delivered.

In sum, wonderful airplane, average/below average C, average Y.

Last edited by tuolumne; Nov 10, 2012 at 5:58 pm
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Old Nov 10, 2012, 5:54 pm
  #132  
 
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Originally Posted by MillionMilerMan
Nice plane, especially in BF. Would go slightly out of my way to fly it again. Unfortunately, UA1146 from IAH to EWR was delayed over 3 hours today. Lots of missed connections, including mine. No explanation whatsoever, so I guess the nature of mechanicals on a new plane needs to be kept secret! At least there were Boeing guys hanging around since both planes were in IAH this AM.
Cockpit door wasn't locking according to the scuttlebutt at the gate. Part swap needed.
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Old Nov 11, 2012, 12:14 am
  #133  
 
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787 Domestic Schedule/Routes *UPDATE POST 452 [26 OCT]*

Just boarded the Dreamliner SFO-IAH. Absolutely stunning aircraft, first class is to die for!
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Old Nov 11, 2012, 6:58 am
  #134  
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Originally Posted by Mauibaby2008
Just boarded the Dreamliner SFO-IAH. Absolutely stunning aircraft, first class is to die for!
A question for anyone who can make the comparison - is there ANY difference in the BF experience on the 787 vs. the 777, other than more narrow aisles? I'm not referring to any 787 new tech benefits (mood lighting, big bins, etc), but just in how UA decided to "outfit" this thing.

Also, anecdotally the 757 BF seats seem a bit shorter than the 777s...where does the 787 seat fall in this spectrum length-wise?
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Old Nov 11, 2012, 4:47 pm
  #135  
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Originally Posted by tuolumne
Some notes, both in Y and BF:....
-Y cabin: Maybe I've had one too many trips in the 747-400 Y section, or I'm just thin, but the 17" narrowness honestly did not bother me. Yes, the 763/4 and 777 feel wider, but then again, so did the old barcaloungers in C v. the new lie-flats. Where this may be an issue is the bulkheads, where there are permanent dividers installed. Fuselage width becomes apparent in the narrow aisles, however. Did not sit in a Y window seat, though, so can't confirm the earlier report of shoulders in the fuselage being uncomfortable.
On EWR-IAH on Saturday I had a Y window seat and can confirm the shoulder room is tight and felt confining. I was not comfortable and I had the row to myself. I was fine with aisle seating on other flights with a passenger in the middle seat.
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