Ha!!!
This trend might be pinpointed to this moment during the development of the Boeing 757, circa 1980 (per Wikipedia):
“ As development progressed, the 757 increasingly departed from its 727 origins and adopted elements from the 767,[8] which was several months ahead in development.[23] To reduce risk and cost, Boeing combined design work on both twinjets,[4][19]resulting in shared features such as interior fittings and handling characteristics.”
I always check and if it’s a 747 767 or A330 for a transatlantic flight I’ll find a different route.
I don’t pay much attention to the sub class but have on occasion checked out seat guru to see if there is any differences although not a big deal.
Out of curiosity why do you avoid those specific planes? The 767 in particular is a plane most travelers seem to prefer, since it has the fewest middle seats of any plane.
Interesting question. I’m wondering if @Precambrianmollusc wants only the shiny new widebody 787s and A350s, or only wants the long haul narrowbodies like the 757, A321LR, and soon to be 737-MAX and A321XLR?
I say “soon to be” about the MAX since widespread use of it for transoceanic (albeit shortish transoceanic) is just getting underway. The airplane has been capable of it since the 2018 service introduction.
LSLGuy, do you ever find yourself evaluating the flight crew’s performance when you’re a passenger? (i.e., “Hmmm, they took an unusually long time to retract their landing gear after takeoff”)
747 I find really noisy and uncomfortable.
The dislike for the 330 and 767 comes from some routes I used to fly on a lot. The airlines would run 330 or 767 and over book the flights , then every 3rd day run a 340 or 777 to clean up the back log.
I wasn’t getting bumped but the flights were packed and I always felt they were older and a bit less spacious.
The 777 and 340 always felt a bit more spacious to me so those feeling kind of stuck. Not traveling up front either.
Only been on a 380 and 787 2 or 3 times they were nice.
Can’t help it. Mostly I critique hand-flying skills and cockpit PAs.
As to everything else I know what’s nominal but I also know that any given takeoff or landing or level off or … can legitimately have oddities that aren’t mistakes, but rather correct reactions to unlucky random breaks.
OTOH, a pattern of oddity after oddity after oddity suggests somebody having a bad day (or a badly chosen career) rather than them nicely handling a string of bad luck.
When I flew Emirates out of Logan, I was disappointed that they only ran the 777 out of there, not the 380. The 380 has some kind of bar area, and I always thought that would be kind of fun. (also, Emirates Business class on the 777 wasn’t all that great compared to other carriers)
The 380 trips I made were on Emirates in business , it was very nice, the bar area was a bit pointless though, but nice to be able to get up and move around to get another vino.
The 787 were with United and the had just installed their premium economy just prior to the covid shut down. It was pretty much what business used to be before the US carriers went to economy and buisnessfirst.
And the final blow was sometime in the 1990s, when improved engine reliability led to ETOPS-180 — allowing 2-engined planes to fly far over oceans —- which made the newish 4-engined A340 uncompetitive (at least when fuel prices were high), in favor of the new 2-engined 777. (Airbus later caught up with the longer range, stretch versions of their A330).
This surprises me a bit. I am not a pilot nor an enthusiast but… isn’t it pretty easy to tell the difference even if you’re not paying attention?
ETA: ooops… I thought he wrote 747 not 737.
Yeah, 737 from 747 I know.
Today is day 2 of a 3 day trip preceded by a one day trip, so 4 days in a row at work. Working 4 days is itself a strange experience after the lazy days of COVID. The airports are filling quickly.
All 8 flights on all 4 days are on MAXes. Last night and this morning I put the 3rd and 4th revenue flight on a brand new one. Smells new, like a car. Despite probably having been parked in the sun for 12-18 months.
I talked with one pax who wanted to take lots of pix and see the cockpit since he was a “planespotter”, and another who was terrified at first to get on a MAX. Takes all kinds.
Tomorrow if all goes smoothly I’ll fly a MAX then ride on a 777 & a 320. The next day it’ll be an E-175 and a 321. And I’ll finally be home. Just in time to wash clothes and do it again … maybe.
I’ve never known or cared which make or model plane I’m getting on. Big, medium, or small I notice, but that’s about it. It’s not something you get to choose is it?
One time I did say to myself: “Propellers? Cool!” But then I’ve flown only about a dozen times in my life.
Well, strictly speaking, as George Carlin observed, you want to be in the airplane (“let the daredevils get ON it!”).
I always make a point of finding this out when I fly. I used to be very interested in aircraft and when I was younger (as in 7 to 18 years old), the chance to fly made me euphoric. This interest of mine has waned with age, but I would still have a passing interest in what I’m flying in.
Especially since the only way to fly on a 747 is in a box as cargo. There are no 747s in passenger service now, unless you count tail numbers 28000 and 29000, popularly known as Air Force One.
No 747s in passenger service anywhere? I knew they were being phased out, but there’s usually some second- or third-tier airline somewhere flying equipment that the majors have retired.
I think Lufthansa and Korean airlines still runs them, BA only dropped them at the end of 2020. When I last flew in 2020 one of the route possibilities was on Lufthansa through Frankfurt an I am pretty sure it was a 747, a code share with United.
Lufthansa is another hard no for me, had the absolute worst flight ever on one and cant bring my self to get back on one, and I have flow all manner of local central Asian airlines without a problem.