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June's Flying Changes: 4 - 2 = 2 Engines

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Source: Archived Content

Date: May 11, 2002

United has just released the latest flying changes for June.  The JFK-EZE service has been cancelled, and the EZE-MVD-EZE leg will now use a 777 aircraft.

But the startling (and a bit sad for me) change is the LAX-AKL-LAX flight which will be changed from a B747-400 to a B777.   Reading this unfortunate piece of news brought but two words to mind...Oh No!

That's right, "Oh NO!"  Twelve hours and forty-five minutes stuck on a 777?  Two engines vs. four over the Pacific Blue.  No upper deck.  Much smaller cabin.  Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. 

Melvin says:  "For those non-flight attendants reading this article, the B777 aircraft reaches its flight attendant sanity work-tolerance-limits after approximately 8 hours, methinks.  Yes, the 777 is a nice, new, and pretty plane.  Yes, it saves all the airlines money.  And yes, it is a nice marketing idea---which Boeing milked for all it was worth."

But those long haul Pacific flights just don't feel right onboard the 777.  For passengers and crew, crossing the Pacific can still be a grand and exciting airline journey---a welcome respite from the Greyhound traveler era.  On the Mother Of All Aircraft, the Oh-So-Grand B747, airline crews and passengers have more environment to move about---and it doesn't feel like you are stuck on a Detroit to Chicago-type plane.  Mainly because you could get a change of scenery from time to time.

The large crews, the mighty four engines lifting that massive city in the sky---now that's flying in style!

Nothing against the 777:  It makes a wonderful domestic trans-con aircraft.  Or perhaps a decent Europe to IAD or ORD shuttlebus.  But put me on that thing any longer than 8 hours and that plane is just tooo0 small.  And anti-climactic.

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