IN PRAISE OF THE BOEING 777

For the next few years (and already now) we are formally in the era of the Boeing 787 hype. Not only in the form of glamorous ceremonies - probably with each delivery - but also with regards to the attention which this plane is supposed to draw in the aviation industry as a whole.

And still, this is the time to move some of this attention to the 787’s older brother - the 777. In my opinion, the 777 is an underrated airliner. It’s bad luck, in terms of P.R., starts with the fact that it was not designed to be a revolutionary plane. When it first got into service, in 1995, it looked like a pumped up 767. Most people couldn’t tell the difference between those two. Not to forget - the 767 at the time wasn’t outdated.
The truth is even the people at Boeing didn’t know how good their new product was. The 777 was mot revolutionary in the sense that it didn’t showed a new configuration of flying. But it has been changing the face of the airline industry all over the world in its own quiet way.
First of all, the 777 has made the famous 747 obsolete. Here there was a 300 to 350 seat airliner, that could fly longer routes than the 747 with only two engines and fewer costs. Many airlines that were operating the 747 have reached to the conclusion that buying the 777 is a better deal. Boeing stopped manufacturing the 747 (except for the cargo version).
The 777 was also a great product to meet the growing demand for air travel. Routes that were flown by 767 could now be flown with a larger, more modern and convenient plane.
The 777 operate today in dozens of airlines, but most notably in airlines that represent the booming markets of the aviation world: Southeast Asia and the Middle East: Singapore Airlines, ANA, Japan Airlines, Malaysia, Emirates, Air India and many more. One major airline, Air Canada, decided to replace its pretty much new fleet of A340 with a fleet of 777 (and 787). One thing in common for all of those airlines: they fly long and busy routes - the routes that make airlines successful and profitable.
So with all due respect for the 787, let’s not forget the current workhorse, its big brother the 777.

THE FLEET CRISIS - PART 4

The biggest news in civil aviation took place about a week ago: the roll out of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. However, those news are well connected to much older news that tend to pop up from time to time, reminding us what the ceremony in Everett was really all about.

A few months ago I wrote 3 blog entries on the subject of “The Fleet Crisis” emerging in the U.S. airline industry (here is the most recent one of them). It seems that I am not the only one who thinks this subject is so important. You can read a new article from USA Today, brought to you by AirportBusiness.com, which deals with it in great details.

The prospect is gloom: out of six major U.S. airlines, only two have put down orders for new long haul planes: Continental and U.S. Airways. The big three: American, United and Delta are literally paralyzed, not being able even to renew their domestic fleets, let alone their international ones, which are based on 757s and 767s.

Unfortunately, the article doesn’t cite any solution to this situation.

TODAY IS 787 DAY!

Today is the big day. In a matter of hours from now, near Seattle, Washington, Boeing will roll out its newest airliner, the 787. Amid all the P.R. hype that all of us have been experiencing for the last few months, it’s hard to find anything new to write about this all new and exciting airplane. But there is one important thing to remind us in this roll out day.
 

New airplanes are not remembered by the day they were rolled out. They’re remembered by the day they were first taken off to the sky. The roll out is a ceremony that takes place on the ground, and the plane is a mere background setting in it. For all we know, the 787 that will stand today in the Everett plant can be half done from the inside. But in a matter of weeks from now this machine will have to prove itself airborne, and in less than a year it should be ready to perform a full passenger route, serving in ANA fleet.
 

So let us remember: the real thing is not going to take place today, but sometime in September, probably. Never the less, today is an important day for Boeing, for the civil aviation industry and for every aviation fan all around the world. And I’ll do my best to watch it live via the Internet – at 01:30 am my local clock.