A Delta 757-200 landing at Princess Juliana airport on St Maarten- note the beak & landing gear (Aero Icarus / Flickr)
Pilots, planespotters and aviation buffs can quickly recognize nearly every aircraft type from the ground or in the air.
But it’s not so easy for the rest of us. To help TravelSkills readers confidently recognize what they see overhead or out on the runway, we offer a series of posts dedicated to planespotting.
Nearly everyone has an opinion about the Boeing 757. Most economy class passengers loath the narrow body because of the tight 3×3 seating and length of the fuselage. (Have you ever had to squeeze into row 48? Ick.)
However, airlines love the 757 for its ability to haul large numbers of passengers (around 200) across long distances using as little fuel as possible. Some airlines even use 757s on transatlantic runs these days. First class passengers like the 757 because of the relative isolation and peace of the first class cabin, which is separated from economy by a galley or lavatory.
The 767 is more beloved because it is a wide body (two aisles) which gives it a much more open feel on the inside. Depending on version, it carries around 250 passengers. United flew the first 767 in 1982, and in 1985, it was the first two-engine aircraft allowed to fly transoceanic routes.
(This is a blast from the past- a previously popular post we want to share again. Enjoy!)
A Delta SkyTeam 767 landing at JFK-note the landing gear and chubbiness (Courtesy Robbie Plafker)
On the outside, the 757 and 767 look somewhat similar and can be easy to confuse, unless of course you see them side-by-side as you can here.
Why so easily confused? Well, both have two underwing engines and similar conical tail cones. Some airlines have installed tall winglets on both 757s and 767s, so that’s no longer a distinguishing feature.
As to the the differences, the narrow body 757 appears thinner and longer than the wide body 767, which of course is fatter.
The 757 has a “dolphin” shaped nose (see the beak?) compared to the 767’s more conical nose.
See the dolphin shaped nose and the location of landing gear on this Thompson 757? (Photo: Andrew Thomas / Flickr)
Note the position of the front landing gear and conical shape of the nose on this 767? (Photo: Simon_Sees / Flickr)
The front landing gear on a 767 is far forward– almost underneath the cockpit, while on the 757 it is much further back– underneath the first passenger doorway. The 757 also has longer stork-like “legs” and appears to ride higher off the ground.
Boeing stopped making the 757 in 2005, but there are still 1,030 still in service. The aircraft most likely to replace the Boeing 757 seems to be the new Airbus A321. The Airbus equivalent of the Boeing 767 is the A330, plus there is Boeing’s own 787 Dreamliner.
Now that you’ve boned up on your Boeing 757 and 767- can you identify the plane below?
What is it? A Boeing 757 or 767? (Photo courtesy Robbie Plafker)
Have you been following our super popular series on planespotting? Check out our previous installments here:
Planespotting: Boeing 737 vs Airbus A320 differences
And don’t miss the TravelSkills Planespotting quiz— 7,000 readers have taken it! Why not you?
ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here
In the market for a new credit card? See our “Credit Card Deals” tab to shop around! It helps us help you.
Don’t miss out! Join the 185,000+ people who read TravelSkills every month! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!
The other unique feature to the 757 and 767 is that pilots can obtain a common type rating and fly either aircraft.
In my opinion, the 757 and 737 are not comparable. The 737 can’t fly as far and it’s somewhat limited at high and hot airports. On the other hand, the 737 is more fuel efficient thanks to improvements in engine technology since the 757 was first introduced.
Whether the A321 neo can economically and safely serve thin transatlantic routes remains to be seen, but I’ll take pilot-friendly Boeings over Airbus’s video games any day.
757 is still my favorite plane to fly in for domestic. Even in coach. Overhead is nice. 767 I try to avoid even in Business especially on DL. Check out the seat widths on seat guru. Narrow narrow narrow.
The 737-800 and 737-900 fill the 757’s niche. A 757 was the first plane I ever flew in that had the new powerful engines we now take for granted… the ascent angle after takeoff was so large, compared to what was practical for other engines of the time, that I was left speechless.