A walk-up bar in the premium cabin stocked with snacks and refreshments will be a first for any U.S. airline and adds another distinctive luxury feature to the 777-300ER. Photo from American Airlines.
Today, American Airlines took delivery of their first Boeing 777-300ER (aka 77W). They become the first airline in the US to take delivery of the highly successful and long range 300ER variant of the 777. At the time of posting, the aircraft has not taken off, but it is scheduled to head to Dallas/Forth Worth today (see FlightAware).
Normally when an airline takes delivery of a new aircraft, exterior photos are included with press releases, but not this time. Why? Because it is widely assumed that American will be showing off their new livery on their 77W and it is not completed yet.
This photo of American’s first 77W was taken by in October by James Hackney. The plane looked pretty much the same (without livery) at their delivery flight earlier today.
There is no public timeline when the 777 will see its livery, but I can assume it will happen before the end of January, since the airline plans to operate the aircraft from Dallas/Fort Worth to Sao Paulo starting on January 31, 2013.
According to American’s press release: “American’s 777-300ER, delivered today without the traditional American livery, marks the beginning of the airline’s brand new fleet type and points toward the airline’s future.” The release also states, “The modern new aircraft will feature a freshly painted livery on the outside.” The big question is what will this livery look like? And when can we see it?
Every first class seat will feature individual 110-volt AC power outlets and USB jacks for charging personal electronic devices. Photo from American Airlines.
American’s 777-300ER is set up with three classes. Both Business and First have lie-flat seats. The plane will offer Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as a Panasonic entertainment system with 120 movies, 150 TV options and 350 audio selections available in all classes. Every seat will also include a 110-volt AC power and USB outlets.
“This marks an important milestone in our fleet renewal program and is another tangible example of our progress in building the new American for our customers and our people,” said Bella Goren, American’s chief financial officer. “This aircraft will provide our customers with a new level of comfort and convenience, along with delivering increased efficiency and better operating economics.”
The cabin is configured with three classes, featuring lie-flat seats in First and Business Class. Photo from American Airlines.
American is expecting to receive a second 777-300ERs in 2012 and the remaining eight in 2013. The airline plans to operate the new planes to London Heathrow, New York’s John F. Kennedy and Los Angeles after additional deliveries.
Even though there is a strong possibility that US Airways and American Airlines will merge in the future… this is not slowing American down. They are moving full steam ahead out of bankruptcy and it appears they hope to survive as their own airline.
This story written by…David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder.David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
Cheers: Great little bonuses: full soda can, free TV, lots of snacks and one free checked bag.
Jeers: Wish there was some Wi-Fi — it is coming soon.
Bottom Line: JetBlue does not feel like a low-cost airline
Taxiing at NAS towards the runway. There is a Bahamasair Boeing 737-500 in the background.
FULL JETBLUE ECONOMY REVIEW:
Being based in Seattle, I do not get the opportunity to fly JetBlue very often. It has been a few years since I have experienced one of their flights and I was excited to see I was flying them home after a recent press trip to The Bahamas(note: The Bahamas Tourism paid for my ticket on JetBlue).
I have only flown the E-190 once before in a business class flight on Air Canada from Toronto to Seattle. I was impressed with the larger seats up front on my Air Canada flight, but I have been wanting to try out what it is like sitting in the back of the E-190 and this flight gave me the opportunity.
JetBlue E190s are configured with 32″ seat pitch, but if that is not enough for you, then you can upgrade to Even More Space, which gives you (wait for it…) even more space. Rows one, 12, 13 and 14 offer 6-7 inches of additional space and give priority boarding for an extra charge. The aircraft is set up in a 2-2 layout with 100 seats — this means aisle and window seats for everyone.
The E-190 provides a window or aisle seat for every passenger.
The flight was only about half full, so after allowing passengers with Even More Space seats and those who need additional assistance to board, everyone else was allowed to board in one group.
I normally try to take photos of the aircraft before I board, but NAS does not offer great photo angles from the airport. However, the photos after take-off more than make up for it.
The overhead bins on the E-190 are not too large, so I planned ahead and checked my larger carry-on bag. Extra bonus: JetBlue allows you to check one bag for free. Was kind of a pain to haul my camera, laptop and chargers around Boston (where I had my layover), but I managed.
No matter what seat you are sitting in, you will get free TV with 37 channels of entertainment. There are also three additional channels that play movies and for international flights (which mine was), the movies are free. If you are on a domestic flight, the premium entertainment will cost you $5.99 to watch a movie. Make sure to bring your own headphones or purchase one for $2 once you board the aircraft, because the movies start shortly after leaving the gate. I made the mistake of waiting to buy after taking off and I missed 10 minutes of Batman: The Dark Knight (luckily I had seen it previously).
I paid for the beer, but everything else was free and good.
Jetblue offers complimentary non-alcoholic beverages and a nice selection of free snacks including, blue potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, animal crackers and more.
If you want something a bit more substantial, four different “EATUP boxes” are offered for $5.99 each. There is also a decent selection of alcoholic beverages for $6.99 each, except for Bud Light which goes for $5.99. Being a fiscally responsible travel blogger, I went for a few snack selections and the cheaper beer.
If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, you can also purchase a head pillow for $5.99 or a blanket for $4.99 that you get to keep. Make sure to bring a credit or debit cards, since JetBlue does not accept cash.
Each seat has its own TV with free entertainment.
Right after passing 10,000 feet, one flight attendant walked down the aisle selling food and non-food products. After that, another came through to get drink orders. I was confused when I got my beer and was not charged. Turns out that the flight attendant comes through at the end of the flight to do just one charge at the end — makes sense. However, on my next leg from Boston to Seattle, the flight attendant charged me right away for my food.
It was very easy for me to work on my laptop, while watching TV, which is not something I can say on other domestic products. It also helped that the seat next to me was empty.
I had to take this photo in Boston, since NAS did not have any place to take a photo.
Since NAS offers pre-clearence for US Customs, I was able to quickly catch my connecting flight from Boston to Seattle without having to go through much hassel.
What would make the flight more enjoyable would be Wi-Fi. The airline is staying pretty quiet about their game plan, but are publicly stating that Wi-Fi should start showing up in JetBlue’s fleet starting in “early 2013.” JetBlue is planning to provide a Ka-band satelite solution through their own subsidiary, LiveTV.
I have to say that I really enjoyed the E-190/JetBlue combination and can’t wait for my next flight on either.
David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder. David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
ANA’s special 60th anniversary livery on a Boeing 767 model. Photo from ANA.
Back in September I shared a special livery contest that All Nippon Airways (ANA) was holding for people to design a special livery to celebrate their 60th birthday. Shockingly, my design was not chosen.
After 7042 designs were submitted, the airline chose their top ten choices, where fans could vote on their favorite. The votes were tallied and the winning design was one from the 19 and over group seen on a 767-300 model above. The design was changed a little bit from the original design to make sure it would work on an actual aircraft (notice the bird and flower swapped). Anyone else have “it’s a small world,” playing in their head right now?
The new design is expected to join the fleet in February 2013.
This story written by…
David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder. David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
Tiara Air’s Boeing 737-300. Photo courtesy of Tiara Air.
I think more airlines should be named after the kids of their founders. Imagine how much more personal an airline like American would be if it had a name like “Nicole Airlines.”
Tiara Air, based at Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba, was founded by Alejandro Muyale and named for his daughter Tiara Muyale. Tiara (the airline) flies to locations in the Carribean and South America, with newly added routs to Caracas, Maracaibo, Fort Lauderdale and St. Maarten. Yes, U.S. citizens, that means Tiara can now make your Aruba dreams come true!
The livery on this plane is somewhat predictable, though festive. Yellow and blue cheatlines run down the length of the fuselage, with the word “Aruba” and a red star slapped, somewhat awkwardly, onto the forward section. It looks cool, and leaves no question as to the destination of the plane. The blue tail includes the company logo and, what else, a tiara.
What do you think of Tiara Air’s livery on its 737-300?
This story written by…Travis Griffith.Travis is a published author and professional writer who believes in driving fast, flying high and living today like there’s no tomorrow. Automobiles, aviation and travel top the long list of his varied interests.
Boeing illustration showing what the Boeing 737 MAX will look like with Icelandair livery.
Boeing and Icelandair announced a commitment today for 12 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft. Currently, the airline only operates the Boeing 757, with a fleet of 23.
“This commitment is the result of our research into what aircraft manufacturers have on offer to help us strengthen and grow our fleet and our network towards the future,” said Bjorgolfur Johannsson, Icelandair Group president and CEO. “We have had a successful relationship with Boeing for decades and we are pleased to continue our cooperation for years to come.”
It appears that the airline will not be replacing their 757 fleet (although some of the older 757s will likely be rotated out of service) with the 737 MAX, but supplementing it.
Icelandair currently only operates the Boeing 757. Image by: Daniel Jones / djlpbb40.
“Over the past decades, Icelandair has successfully utilized its all-Boeing 757 fleet to establish its Reykjavik-based hub as an important gateway between Europe and North America,” said Todd Nelp, vice president of European Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The introduction of the 737 MAX to Icelandair’s operation will complement its existing 757 fleet and ensure the carrier’s continued expansion across both continents, offering significant fuel saving with unrivaled passenger comfort.”
The Icelandair livery has always looked quite impressive on the Boeing 757 and I feel almost equally so on the MAX. One has to love those yellow nacelles.
This story written by…
David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder. David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.
