![]() When boarding time finally came, we were giddy as school kids. But this is a wholly different plane, to be sure. From nose to tail, I think our plane from LAX to Houston may have been longer. 3) It’s a wide-body plane, about as wide as a 777, yet it’s not as long. All of these features make the plane more efficient and quiet. And there is a chevron pattern on the backs of the engines. This is a theme that will come back in flight. The nerdiness overflowed.Īs we looked at the plane from the gate, there were a few things that immediately struck me: 1) the wings are really unique. Pilots from other airlines were there, including some international pilots who seemed to come to this gate immediately after their flight landed. Of course, I only say this because the United lounges had more snacks.Ībout an hour before the flight, we made our way back to the gate. I can now say, having been in a number of American lounges and now a United lounge, the “normal” United lounge is better than the “normal” American lounge. Since Zach has status, we made our way to the United lounge. We got some great plane-spotting in, although we missed the 787 landing in Houston as it returned from its first round-trip to Chicago. But here, in this environment, we were amongst our kin. We were just two guys with a passion for aviation. People came up to us, asked us if we worked for Boeing, asked us what our usernames on are.it was like we were a big deal. And, well, when you’re walking around in 787 hats with cameras strapped around you, it’s pretty obvious what you’re doing in Houston on this day. I’m learning that a lot of these traditions are kind of like that whole “Where have I been?” fad where people would track dollar bills. Zach also taught me about the “tradition” amongst frequent flyers where people sign the “voices” page in the Hemispheres magazine. Unfortunately, that channel was not enabled on that kind of aircraft (757-3). Although, this became a pretty moot point, as the only reason I wanted to listen to the channels was for the beloved United Channel 9, which provides the aircraft’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) radio feed. One nice touch that United provides is free-headsets for all passengers. The climb out of LAX was much quieter than I was expecting. We went the lounge, had a quick bite to eat, saw the frequent flyer poster (people come to the business center in the lounge and write on a sheet their routings - think of it as a chain letter, but without the postage required) then made our way to the gate to board our plane.įor our flight to Houston, we sat in the exit row, which was pretty great. I, however, had to take my shoes off, take my laptop out, and take off my sweater. This means that he does not have to take his shoes off, take his liquids out, take his laptop out of his bag, or even take off his jacket. Once we were inside the terminal, Zach was able to bypass the normal security line because he is TSA pre-checked. Zach and I met up close to the airport and carpooled to the parking garage. Perfect for the 787, though.īeyond the business advancements, the 787 represents a huge improvement in the passenger experience from nose to tail. Another route that does not demand a larger plane. United will eventually have the 787 fly Houston-Auckland. Smaller demand routes that are further apart. Now, because of the markets in these cities, and the runway limitations in San Diego, JAL cannot sustain a larger plane to serve these cities. For example, Japan Airlines will begin 787 service from San Diego to Tokyo, Japan in December. Because it only holds 280ish people, though, it is really meant to supplement airline routes that would otherwise be impractical. It is made of carbon fiber, making it much lighter, fuel efficient, and overall, it is just an improved aircraft. Boeing has basically bet the bank on the success of this plane. (Yes, there are testing flights, but I don’t count those) The third US domestic 787 passenger flight. And our afternoon flight would be the third passenger flight this plane had taken. How new is this plane? It was delivered to United from the Boeing factory less than a month ago. Why would we do such a ridiculous thing? Because our return flight would be the first passenger service on United Airlines into Los Angeles on their brand-new plane, the Boeing 787. Today, Zach - my Rabbinic mentor, friend, and enabler of my aviation hobby (I call it that, others may call it an obsession) - were flying to Houston, just to fly right back to LAX. “Have fun, baby,” Sarah eeked out, still mostly asleep.
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