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A United 777 takes off from LAX (Photo: Eric Salard / Flickr)
I nearly always book Delta’s big wide 767s for the 4-5 hour nonstops between SFO and Atlanta even though the planes are old, overhead bin space is out of the 1980s, and flight attendants refer to the planes at “Ghetto 767s.”
I love the big wide ride. Delta knows this, too and nearly always charges a premium for those 767 flights.
The continuing popularity of our recent post How to find roomy domestic wide body flights is clear evidence that we’re not the only ones who prize a big wide rides on transcontinental flights.
And luckily, it seems that United is going to add more twin-aisled aircraft to its domestic route map. Is this the start of a trend? We can only hope so.
United said last week that it will take 10 Boeing 777-200s off international routes and deploy them domestically.
While it’s yet to be determined how United will configure these birds, one good thing is sure to come of it: Twice as many seats with aisle access on its transcons. Plus, in the current 9-abreast configuration on United’s 777s, economy seats are 18-inches wide– about an inch wider than those one its narrow bodies.
I’m so tired of flying United’s sad old fleet of 757s across the country (hello SFO-BOS!). They just feel so overcrowded and claustrophobic. Once you are in your seat, it’s tough to get up and move around, while it’s relatively easy on a widebody.
Seasoned travelers prize widebodies “because they offer a smidgen more room to spread out and the promise of a faster getaway on landing. Aisle seats, especially at the front of the cabin, are among those that full-service airlines reserve for elite-level frequent fliers and passengers paying the most expensive fares,” according to a report in Crain’s Chicago Business. It said, “Big jets fell from favor for U.S. operations in recent years as airlines focused on more-frequent jaunts with smaller planes.”
Related: How to find domestic widebody flights
United’s 777s have space for over 300 passengers– nearly twice as many seats as the 737s and A320s United regularly uses for transcons.
United’s chief revenue officer Jim Compton said that the move could help United consolidate three San Francisco-to-Chicago departures on smaller jets that now come within a 90-minute span.
Do you go out of your way to fly on domestic widebodies? If so, on which routes? Please share your secrets below.
NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: United’s new 50,000 mile bonus + Secret stash of hidden hotel deals + The most outrageous luxury suites in the sky +Virgin’s new LAX Clubhouse!
No such luck…. they are reconfigured as 10(3-4-3) 17in. across
yuck
The airlines are not as stupid as you think they are. They have all studied the idea of a true “in-between” class and discovered that it would cause a few people to upgrade from coach, and a few people to downgrade from first. Given the high-price of first, the airlines would lose more money on the downgrades than they would gain on the upgrades. Net result: less revenue. The airlines are for-profit companies and they aren’t interested in losing money, no matter how many times you come on this forum and ask for it.
I really miss wide bodies (DC-10, L1011) on the LAX-BOS route. When United deployed the B757s on that route, it felt like a major downgrade, aside from the high percentage of first class seats.
I really miss the 747
The great thing in the old days on the 757s was it’s first class, it had more seats than any first class section giving us a better shot at that “free” upgrade which is impossible to get these days.
One day the airlines will release that people will pay for wider seats, a price inbetween first class and coach.
As we all say every single plane is way overcrowded and it’s no fun going on any flight in coach over four hours.
FC on these birds is awful, I agree! That’s why I always reserve an aisle seat in Economy+ on a ghetto 767… a much better value. — Chris , The Author 🙂
I love the 757’s. The center door entrance is perfect. Despise the 767 of delta. The overhead space is like the short side of the MD’s. A completely frustrating plane. My favorite was the L-1011 except when you got rained on in the center area on those long taxi’s in August in ATL.
I agree with Phil. DL’s domestic 763’s are absolutely the most cramped FC seating config in their fleet. The author of this blog might be the only person who enjoys riding these horrid wide body Version of a CR3
Having flown a DL 767 last night from SFO to ATL, I can say that iphD the most cramped uncomfortable seating of any plane I’ve been on, including regional jets. I would never pay a premium for a seat on this aircraft. In fact, I would never fly it again.
I miss AA’s 762s on SFO/LAX-JFK for this exact reason – extra aisle seats and aisles made it much easier to navigate. Don’t forget the much more flexibility you get when service carts are in the aisle.
However, I also fear it’ll be 10-across, at which point the benefit is negated. Well, unless E+ is kept 9-across, in which case those seats would be reasonable. We’ll have to see.
You think United will keep the nine-abreast configuration for domestic planes, even as they go to ten-abreast on international 777s? Wishful thinking.
UAL995 has been a Friday-night SFO-ORD redeye on a Boeing 777 for the last couple of months. And a 747 is making an occasional appearance on SFO-HNL, sometimes as UAL663 and sometimes as UAL300 (both are usually 777s, so this may be due to maintenance/routing rather than an up-gauge).