txaggiemiles

She seems to be headed to ORD today as flight 2120.

EWR764

For those who may be interested... the 77W had its FAA-mandated emergency evacuation demonstration last night at IAH and passed with flying colors. I believe the ETOPS shakedown is the next big item on the list. Service entry isn't far off.

For more on the criteria for the evac demo, check here. It's mildly interesting stuff if you're an avgeek: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text...x-J_to_part_25

Slurve30

And delayed due to aircraft maintenance

EWR764

To be fair, non-revenue ferry flight schedules are often much more 'fluid' and the mx delay code might not be indicative of a maintenance problem in the same sense as a revenue pax flight.

Of course, there are always teething issues with new airplanes. The maturity of the 777 program gives me hope that the 77W service entry at UA will be far smoother than that of the 787.

goodeats21

Intersting. Thanks for the link.

Do you happen to know how the participants are selected to play the part of passengers? Would be a fun activity for some of us.

EWR764

Sometimes it'll be off-duty employees, students from local high schools/colleges or people from the local community responding to an ad in the paper or even Craigslist. The goal is to get a fairly random assortment of participants, with the caveat that they must fit into the categories set forth in the regulations (male/female ratio, age, etc.) and have not taken part in a similar demo in the past six months, I believe.

goodeats21

Would be fun if UA Insider offered up some spots to FTers for the next one...

Agremeister

Some more pictures of the 777 cabin:

cyclogenesis

Pretty nifty branding on the separator..

JVPhoto

If anyone is looking for additional amusing commentary I suggest reading the posts on the UA Facebook page on the 777 launch photo/post.

Wow I looked at he pics and saw the last one first (with guy in orange vest) and thought it had marble printed carpet! Then I realized it's just the plastic covering.

notquiteaff

I'd fly to a UA hub at my own expense.

mduell

Wow those armrests are thin. I guess that's how they're claiming 17.5" seats.

spin88

I had that thought, and also the thought that the seats looked really narrow. But the plane widths per person do not lie:

-A380 (at 10x, lower deck) has 25.6"; (at 8x, upper deck) has 28.5"
-777 (at 9x) has 25.5"
-A330/330ne0 (at 8x) has 25.5"
-A350 (at 10x) has 24.4"
-A320 (at 6x) has 24.33"
-787 (at 9x) has 24"
-747 (at 10x) has 23.95"
-777x (at 10x) has 23.4"
-737 (at 6x) has 23.2"
-777 (at 10x) has 23"

This plane is narrower (by .2" per person) than a 737, and is 1" narrower than a 747 or 787. So you are going to be jammed up next to the person next to you, and it will feel slightly worst than a 737 does.

United can make misleading claims about seatwidth, but AA travelers suck in these seats (and on AA MCS is 9x with 18+" seats) have not been happy.

I continue to believe that this configuration will really hurt United's repeat business and reputation. And there is nothing about this - lost gen - plane that is a benefit. Unlike the 787/350 it will not have higher humidity and pressure.

I would also note how bland the interior looks, particularly in Y.

p.s. here are some comments on AA's similar 10x config from SeatGuru:

"On the seats with 4--the support bars under the seat are misaligned. I was on the aisle, with a metal bar 1/3 of the way from the aisle. There was not room to stretch out my leg under the seat without encroaching on the aisle. Even more odd, was the shared bar bewteen the seats, so if someone had been in my left, their right leg and my left leg would have shared the floor space. You're close enough on a plane without playing footsies. Luckily the seat was unoccopied."

"I agree with a previous comment on the AA economy service from DFW-LHR it is without a doubt the most uncomfortable seating I have ever experienced and I fly a lot! AA should not only be embarrassed but also fined for making passengers endure such seating. The seats are extremely narrow, to the point where all three of us seating in the section by the window had to sit the whole journey with our arms folded, squashed up like sardines. I am 5'11" and my legs were in constant pain from being wedged up against the seat in front. ... We will NOT be using this airplane or airline again. Shame as I am a platinum executive with AA by will not suffer seating like that ever again! Find another airline!!"

LASUA1K

That aircraft looks dark and old already.

notquiteaff

A wide body for the narrow (human) body.

It's the mood lighting. It's hard wired to "depressed mood".