Renard

Just when you think that it can't get any worse... well it does. I'm at the point where I just expect very little from the 'new UA' and am RARELY disappointed.

The IFE might be an upgrade if half of the movies on there weren't the likes of 'Foot Loose' or 'Gone with the Wind'.... I don't know why they even bother with putting in all these IFE systems and there is nothing but oldies on it---this was pretty much the case for CO pre-merger---obviously they go cheap on the content. In general I know if traveling on UA, you're on your own for IFE ... whether on a CO plane or a UA 747.

If you're in coach, it's going to stink no matter what. Trade the more comfortable UA coach seats for the CO covered pieces of plywood containing IFE where the most interesting thing on it is the flight map. I'm sure Jeff is going to rip out the more comfy seats out of the 747 anyways.. I've flown UA coach to SYD/MEL several times and it's not a good time but the thought of flying on those CO rock hard seats is hard to take.

Do they ever wonder why QF flies the A380 to the states and UA evidently can only muster a 777? Clearly they're not concerned in winning over more business but only in shrinking to the point where capacity match those who are captive.

uastarflyer

Today? Ops has to deliver today and everyday. Not promise something later (and lie about it as in the case of 747 IFE streaming)

Long Zhiren

very entertaining and popular thread

You guys obviously haven't been on Air Canada's 777-200 non-stop service YVR-SYD.

other thoughts:
-NZ is a nicer product, but beginning 2014, it'll be hard to get PQD's on those flights. Business win for UA.
-QF Y service on 388 is almost as bad as UA Y service on 744. Correction. The food & service is superior. It's the equipment. Yes. IFE has no comparison until the Y guy in front of you in the 388 reclines your IFE into your chest.
-QF Y service on 744 is quite nice IMO. I just did that LAX-BNE a couple months ago. Fine Kangaroo painted on the side of the fuselage.
-UA 787 Y seats are squishy in 3-3-3 configuration but that's UA's fault. NH flies the same piece of metal with Y in a 2-4-2 configuration. It's ironic that NH provides more Y space. Did Boeing get its deliveries swapped?
-When UA gets rid of all of their 744's to the other side of the Pacific, I'll gladly fly UA more often.
-I kind of miss the PMCO planes when I fly PMCO domestic routes. The PMUA planes have a lot fewer F class seats into which to upgrade, no DirectTV and no cheeseburgers.

Rcarentals

it's no joke the 747's have caused frustration, and big losses to united on this route. a group of 20 people i know 3 weeks ago, were rebooked onto qantas via HNL, due to mechanical failures on UA's flight which was cancelled. i hope this will help them up their game down under! good riddance!

ozflier

Maybe instead of one of the 777s was sitting on the ground at SYD, it could loop to BNE as the current arrangement does to MEL.

There were also suggestions, in the long distant past, of LAX-AKL-BNE .

The smaller capacity a/c may see these happen?

ual744777sta

I work at LAX and routinely see UA 744s and PMUA 777s being ferried to SFO for the LAX ops. PMCO AFA is reporting that in 2014 there will be a major restructuring in international flying. They don't have details but Management has informed them about this.

AeroWesty

When comparing 2 744s to 2 772s + 1 787, the seat breakdown is:

128F+J/140Y+/480Y- vs. 136J/214Y+/403Y-

Except for 3 seats, everything UA loses in Y- they make up in Y+. They also add 8 seats overall to the 'premium' category, but lose F entirely, and the revenue from those who'll pay the higher J fares to upgrade. There's also the cost of running those 3 planes vs. the 2 747s (don't know if that's higher or lower overall).

I think returning a nonstop to MEL is appealing, which is why I asked about the 787 scenario earlier in the thread. One of the questions is how many people continue on to MEL, and if it isn't a 787's worth, can they capture some of what the other airlines carry, considering QF has an A380 flying LAX-MEL.

Sulley

Well, there may actually be some truth to this, but until there is an announcement...

meFIRST

Technical stops in Honolulu and Nadi, Fiji.

Look for the feature in the Wall Street Journal. IAD-CDG and EWR-TXL on a 757 round 2. The return of the gander hub the "pacific edition"

I'm all for this, as long as the plane flies LAX-SYD without as stop as advertised. UA lacks credibility in this department, especially after the IAD-CDG and EWR-TXL frequent Gander stopovers.

Pi7473000

United will likely drop off of this route if they change to an outdated PMCO 777. The 777 in BF is awful and not a competitive aircraft for this route not to mention the PMCO crews that might fly this are not nearly as service oriented!

EWR764

Not for long.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/new...omy-class-club

9-abreast was nice on the 747s for a couple of years, too.

golfingboy

I don't see the sCO 777 making stops on EWR-HKG runs. That flight is longer than LAX/SFO-SYD. DEL/BOM-EWR is about the same length too and those flights flies against the winds on the westbound sector.

The sCO 777ERs are not the same as the sUA ones, those birds were specifically modified for flights of those lengths.

JerseySlime

Would they fly the 788 LAX-MEL or would they wait for the 789's to be delivered?

5khours

50/40 and 10 no preference. A requested requirement for responding was to have flown both.

5khours

+1000. When UA announced the change from 777 to 787 on SEA<>NRT, they lost me.