United purchased Pan Am’s Pacific Division in 1985 and along with it came a fleet of 11 Boeing 747 aircraft (among others). I previously posted United’s Royal Pacific 747 seat map with a higher concentration of premium seats, and here now is the standard Royal Pacific configuration for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps.

An interesting thing to note is that it appears first class and business class (downstairs) shared just two lavatories. And unlike United’s 747s today, there were more 2-seaters in coach.

I have an amenity kit from that time period, which I’ll eventually detail in a post as a nostalgic look-back, not necessarily part of my Amenity Kit Review series.

United Airlines Royal Pacific Amenity Kit

You’d find me in 2F in first, 6A in business and likely 18H in coach. Where would you sit?

United Airlines Boeing 747 Royal Pacific Seat Map

Related posts:

United Airlines Boeing 747-200 Royal Pacific Seat Map

United Airlines Boeing 747-SP Seat Map

Top 10 Viewed Vintage Airline Seat Maps

• United Airlines is pulling all Boeing 787 Dreamliners out of service until at least May 12, at which time they intend to launch Denver-Tokyo nonstop flights. A company spokesperson said other 787 flights will be held until June 5, pending successful resolution of Dreamliner issues.
• Southwest Airlines has expanded its live television programming to all Wi-Fi enabled flights, and added movies. Prices run $5 per movie, per device and/or $5 per day for television.
• Lufthansa will reduce long-haul aircraft sporting first class in the coming year(s). Some Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 747-400 aircraft will be reconfigured due to the change. Vancouver flights are reported to be one of the specific markets affected.
• Delta Air Lines is once again attempting an airfare hike, looking to raise certain domestic airfares by $4-$10 roundtrip. As of earlier this afternoon, United is the only airline yet to match.
• Profitability per airline passenger has been dropping the past several years (PDF). Airlines for America has an interesting presentation showing the drop from 318 cents per passenger in 2010 to 77 cents in 2011, to 21 cents in 2012. Time to raise ancillary fees?
• Blogger-buddy NonRevAdventure has a thought-provoking post questioning hotel loyalty and whether it’s worth it to spend more just for added perks. My travel will be significantly decreasing later this year and I’ll certainly be back to choosing a hotel more on price vs. loyalty.
• Wyndham will reflag and operate a whopping 41 additional hotels in Germany, almost doubling its properties in the country. Additional locations in Belgium and the Netherlands will also be reflagged.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 19, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 18, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 15, 2013

I flew an eight-segment mileage run last month that included a roundtrip from Boston to Tokyo via San Francisco. And due to an unadvertised promotional first class fare (about $3,000) out of select U.S. origins to Tokyo (or Beijing), I was able to fly in comfort and nabbed my favorite seat onboard any United aircraft – 2K on a Boeing 747-400.

My Boeing 747-400, N174UA

My flight into San Francisco from Boston arrived just about on schedule, leaving me with enough time for a quick visit to the Global First lounge to catch up on emails. At the check-in desk when I was welcomed as “Mr. Booth,” the person next to me asked, “Darren Booth?” Turns out he reads my blog – what a small world. It was nice to meet you, Sean!

I headed to the gate ahead of boarding time to… well… be a “gate louse” and position myself near the front of the Premier Access lane. Why? Because those darn 747s have such limited overhead space in first class that I didn’t want to stow my bags in business class, which often happens. I was about the 10^th person on and I settled into my seat (and yes, got my coveted overhead bin space). Oh, and for those unfamiliar with United, there’s absolutely no priority given to Global First passengers over business class (or many elites).

Seat 2K

View Forward at Seat 2K

The menu, pillows and blanket were awaiting me at my seat, and the amenity kit and slippers were already stowed in the side console compartment. Pre-departure beverage service was slow as the lead flight attendant in Global First spent an inordinate amount of time gabbing with a couple of passengers. And I noted some friction between the lead and purser, which I wrote about in my “The Reality Check That Is United Airlines Global First Class” post.

Newspapers were offered and positioned on the console across from my seat. We pushed nearly on-time and were airborne within about 15 minutes.

View

The lead noticed my camera and said, “You’d better get your pictures in quick before we take the left turn toward Japan!” I chuckled and said “Thanks,” but little did she know my main intent was to capture the meals. Hot towels, warmed nuts and beverages started the lunch service. Check out the turbulence in that water glass.

Warmed Nuts and Water

Here’s the menu:

And the separate wine & bar service list:

Meal service began shortly after the seat belt sign came off with linens, silverware and bread presented first.

Table Setup

The warm appetizer and sushi were served nearly in tandem. I did quite like the beef empanada and pastry, but didn’t touch the sushi as I’m not a fan.

Sushi

Beef Empanada and Veggie & Mushroom Pastry

Besides a warm vs. cold appetizer, the only other noticeable difference from Global First to BusinessFirst meals is the addition of a soup course. It was only lukewarm and required a bit of salt to make it tastier.

Shrimp and Roasted Corn Chowder

A rather basic salad followed and I went with the Parmesan-pepper dressing.

Salad

For my main course, I chose the Tenderloin of Beef. It was very tender and delicious, the latter likely due to the Delmonico’s steak sauce. I have had decent green beans in-flight before, but these were rubbery and tasteless. And the potatoes cooled off very quickly and were equally bland. More salt.

Tenderloin of Beef

By this point, I was ready for a nap having been awake since very early Boston time to catch the 6:00 a.m. flight. And so I skipped the cheese and ice cream sundae. Here’s the remainder of the menu:

There was absolutely no mention of the “new” turn-down service for Global First passengers where flight attendants will lower your seat into bed mode and spread the sleeping cushion over the seat. And on the return flight with the same crew, the lead was very vocal how she felt about it saying, “What are we a hotel?!”

The crew spruced up the lavatory as best they could.

Lavatory Amenities

A cart was setup near the galley with the assorted sandwiches and nibbles from the “mid-flight snack” menu appearing above. They looked identical to what’s offered in BusinessFirst and not particularly appealing.

About 1.5 hours before arrival, breakfast was served although it was 2:00 p.m. local time in Tokyo. Other airlines flying this timeslot will serve a more time-appropriate meal. I went with the herbed scrambled eggs, ham, turkey sausage and potato gratin… err… tater tots.

Breakfast at 2 p.m.

While each flight attendant was friendly in their own way, there was certainly nothing exceptional about their service. It was just a typical United flight and I suppose worth what I paid. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to pay full-fare for United’s Global First.

Related posts:

The Reality That Is United Airlines Global First Class

United Global First Amenity Kit Review

Lounge Review: ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo Narita

I’m Off on a Weeklong Mileage Run

I’ll post my full flight review in the coming days, but I feel compelled to dedicate a post on the less than international first class service I received and observed in United Global First last week.

It’s no secret that United is remarkably inconsistent when it comes to in-flight service and I think it’s most evident when flying internationally. Last year, I had a terrific experience in United BusinessFirst from Los Angeles to Sydney with attentive and professional flight attendants who were sincere in their desire to provide exceptional service. My return from Sydney was the exact opposite with indifferent, stoic flight attendants who seemed to treat service as a chore.

I was optimistic for my San Francisco-Tokyo Narita-San Francisco flights in Global First knowing that in the past, flights to/from Japan were a particular quality control focus. While the crew I had (the same on both flights) wasn’t stoic or indifferent, the service they provided wasn’t what you’d expect for international first class. I know, I know… not really a shocker for a U.S. airline when compared to foreign carriers. But here are a few unique observations from my flights.

On the ground, the reaction by two Global First passengers arriving in the gate room in Tokyo and being told to queue in the already huge 75+ passenger Group 1 boarding lane was priceless. They were visibly shocked there wasn’t priority given over business class (or even coach passengers with elite status).

Onboard, the dislike between the purser and lead flight attendant serving Global First was palpable, something unprofessional to visibly allow and express in view of the cabin.

When a passenger couldn’t immediately find storage space for his carry-on (a problem on the 747-400), a flight attendant who wasn’t working in First told him he’d have to put it in business class and to “write to the company to complain” without offering assistance. Fortunately, the purser was more proactive and found space for him in first class.

In many cases, the menu, amenity kit and slippers are presented to you after you’re seated in first class. On both of my flights, the menus were nicely displayed on the console, though the amenity kits and slippers were stored away in the seat compartments. Not a huge deal, but there’s just something about the presentation of them personally that adds a touch of class.

United introduced turndown service in Global First? Absolutely no mention of it was made on the outbound. And on the return, I overhead the lead flight attendant say, “What are we… a hotel?!” when telling another passenger about it after he found the seat cover in his compartment. She even went on to say that flight attendants love to take them to their crew bunks for use. Sigh.

Now I should mention that the flight attendants were each friendly in their own way (particularly when I reappeared on their return flight the next day), but service elements and overall cabin management on my flights certainly weren’t worth what a normally priced Global First ticket would run.

I was hoping for a stellar experience, but I drew the short stick on these United flights. I know there are flight attendants at United who pride themselves on delivering exceptional service. It’s just a shame that the amount who don’t or won’t step up will prevent United from ever being on par with their global counterparts.

Related posts:

I’m Off on a Weeklong Mileage Run… In Style!

Amenity Kit Review: United Airlines Global First

Flight Review: United Airlines BusinessFirst Los Angeles to Sydney

Flight Review: United Boeing 787 Dreamliner Inaugural

• Oy, more 787 issues as an All Nippon Airways (ANA) jet makes an emergency landing in Osaka. This is breaking as I type, so further details will certainly emerge.
• United Airlines will lay off 472 workers at Newark Liberty Airport. A spokesman at United confirms it’s due to outsourcing of cargo operations, but adds the airline will help them find other jobs with the airline.
• A shipment of 18 human heads was seized at Chicago O’Hare Airport. A mix-up in paperwork reportedly delayed the shipment and subsequent delivery of the medically-researched heads on their way for cremation.
• San Francisco International Airport could soon be renamed after the legendary gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Voters will decide on the potential name change/addition this November.
• Air China may soon fly nonstop from Houston to Beijing. The airline announced the route today, which still requires government approval. It might bring decent Star Alliance award availability into play.
• United Airlines is (finally) introducing Wi-Fi to their international fleet. The satellite-based Wi-Fi service is presently equipped on one Boeing 747-400 and two Airbus A319s, with plans to roll it out to 300 more aircraft this year. Fingers crossed one of the two United 747s I’m flying next week is the sole -400 offering the service so I can try it out.
• Hilton has a 24-hour promo beginning tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. EST. Part of the Any Weekend, Anywhere Sale, it offers up to 40 percent off weekend stays and 2,500 bonus points. The sale is ongoing through January 31, but book tomorrow for the bonus points.
• The moron who called in a fake bomb hoax will submit a written apology to each of the passengers on the US Airways flight forced to return to Philadelphia airport resulting from his call. That’s not nearly as bad as the fines and prison term he’s facing.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel Industry News: January 14, 2013

Here’s the last Vintage Airline Seat Map of 2012 – a high-density United Airlines Boeing 747-100 seen flying the skies in 1998. I was working for United at the time and recall it primarily doing turns from Chicago to Honolulu and back as UA1/UA2.

I had the pleasure of flying this configuration once from Chicago to Seattle in 1996. And as it so happened I was on N4724U, which was the same aircraft as flight 811 from Honolulu to Auckland on February 24, 1989 where sadly 9 passengers died as a result of a cargo door failure. Its registration at that time was N4713U.

First class offered 42 seats, 16 of which were upstairs. The row of six coach seats behind row 10 was used for crew rest, if I recall correctly. I’m a big fan of the nose of the 747, so you’d find me in row 2 or 3 up front. In 1996, I was in coach seat 46K. But I’d be keener on those two-seaters up in rows 19-21 if this bird were flying today.

Where would you sit?

Related posts:

Top 10 Viewed Vintage Airline Seat Maps

United Airlines Boeing 747-100 w/Upstairs Lounge (1979)

United Airlines Boeing 747-SP

American Airlines Boeing 747-100

Instead of posting a new Vintage Airline Seat Map this week, I decided to take a look at my site’s analytics and post the top 10 viewed seat maps since I began blogging in 2010. Obviously the earlier maps have had more opportunity for greater pageviews, but the top 10 didn’t come as a surprise to me. And I’ve published 73 maps since I introduced Frequently Flying in December 2010. Here’s the list and links:

1. American Airlines Boeing 707-123
2. United Airlines DC-10-10
3. American Airlines Boeing 747-100
4. American Airlines Boeing 747-SP
5. United Airlines Boeing 737-200
6. United Airlines Boeing 747-SP
7. American Airlines Boeing 707-323
8. United Airlines DC-8-52
9. Pan Am Boeing 747
10. TWA Boeing 747-100

One of my favorites didn’t make the cut and came in at #22, so as an honorable mention check out:

Continental Airlines DC-10-10 Pub Configuration

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

It was a stunning day in Sydney today. I’m fighting jet lag, but did manage to upload the video of my takeoff from Sydney today onboard United Airlines flight 840 to Los Angeles (yes… yes… I know… my electronic device was on and it shouldn’t have been). I was supposed to be on yesterday’s flight, actually, but it cancelled, so had another 24-hours in Australia courtesy of United’s mechanical.

For the avgeeks, this is N174UA and I was seated in 6K. Enjoy!

As I’ll be flying a United 747 this week to Australia, I looked back at all the seating configurations United had over the years and bring you one from 1998 for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps. It’s not that vintage, I know, but it was a unique layout given the amount of premium cabin real estate.

Seating a total of 301 passengers in a 36/123/142 format, this aircraft frequently flew the Chicago to Narita nonstop route. I was working for United at the time and non-revved my little heart out in first class as the front cabin rarely filled to capacity. Business was almost always full through a combination of revenue passengers and op-ups for coach oversales.

The lack of a galley across from door one made row five incredibly spacious – even the C/D seats, though it doesn’t appear as such on the map. I’d definitely opt for the exit row upstairs in business class and probably be keen on 44C in coach, or a window in one of the two-seaters in rows 57 through 59.

Where would you sit?

Related posts:

United Airlines Boeing 747-SP

Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-200

Pan Am Boeing 747-100

American Airlines Boeing 747-SP

In other airline, hotel and travel industry news last week…

• Southwest Airlines acquired AirTran in May last year and received a single operating certificate from the FAA last month, but each carrier remains an independent operation for the time being meaning AirTran’s baggage and other fees will remain intact. Unlike the relatively faster integration between Delta & Northwest and United & Continental, Southwest says it will take, “several years to fully transition AirTran into Southwest Airlines to become one airline.” The fees will continue through at least the end of 2013 and possibly into 2014.
• US Airways is expanding its Gogo Wi-Fi service across their entire Airbus fleet and Embraer 190 aircraft, eventually bringing onboard internet capabilities to 90 percent of its domestic mainline fleet. Regional carrier Republic Airlines will also add the service to its Express Embrarer 170 and 175 aircraft. Gogo Vision will be included where passengers have the option to download movies, TV shows and other content directly to their Wi-Fi enabled devices.
• Lufthansa announced their new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental aircraft will be deployed on the Frankfurt to Washington Dulles route shortly after deliveries begin April 23. It will replace the existing 747-400 flights, LH 418 and LH 419. All of Lufthansa’s 747-8 aircraft will feature the new business and first class product, as well as 787-style overhead bins and LED lighting. I look forward to burning some miles to fly this bird in a premium cabin later this year.
• Japan Airlines took delivery of its first two Boeing 787-8s this past week making it the second airline to receive the long-delayed Dreamliner. The airline is expected to begin 787 flights to Boston this month and to San Diego later this year. I may have to start building up my American AAdvantage miles for a future redemption.
• Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel predicts Chicago O’Hare’s newest runway will be built and in use by 2015. The city will rely on financial help from both American and United to get it built and predicts once in use, it will reduce delays by 80 percent and allow for 300,000 more passengers annually.
• My “air traveling idiot of the week” award goes to a woman onboard US Airways flight 1697 from Charlotte to Fort Myers who, in an allegedly intoxicated state, kicked, scratched and spit on flight attendants, even knocking one to the ground. Unlike other recent incidents, the flight didn’t divert and continued to Fort Myers after she was restrained with the help of an off-duty sheriff’s deputy.

Finally, here are some other noteworthy items deserving of a click-through:

• A revealing Q&A with American Airlines CEO Thomas Horton.
• Alaska Airlines dedicates it’s new Terminal 6 location at LAX.
• New York-area airports may fine and prosecute disruptive passengers.
• Airlines for America ends its lawsuit over the EU ETS “tax” scheme.
• New Marriott properties will pop up in 2014 at L.A. Live in Los Angeles.