After a three-month break from mid January until late April,  an elaborate battery fix and two US test flights, the 787 is back in the air.

I have previously described the changes that are being installed by 300 Boeing technicians to the planes across the world. Interestingly, the Japanese authorities have insisted on additional alterations in addition to the changes mandated by the FAA. They have insisted ANA and JAL  install battery monitoring systems to monitor the battery performance and to carry out an inspection program to battery changes are working effectively. These additional precautions do not apply to any other airlines flying 787
Three questions:

1. Why has the US FAA not forced US carriers to do the same fix as the Japanese?
2. Why will the other six airlines in the world not have the same safety?</li
3. How will consumers feel about this?

 The timetable for the return of the 787 in date order:

Ethiopian Airlines - April 27th: Addis-Abba - Ethiopia

Ethiopian Airlines were the first to fly 787 Dreamliner since grounding with a two-hour incident free commercial flight (pictured below, at take-off). The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Tewolde Gebremariam was on board. Their other three 787s are being retrofitted.

Associated Press

Qatar Airlines -  May 1st: Doha-Dubai

After operating its first Dreamliner flight Qatar Airways  announced the resumption of daily Boeing 787 services from London to Doha from May 15. The airline said it would expect compensation from Boeing for taking planes that “could not be used“. The airline was already expecting recompense for the three year delay in delivery. CEO Al Baker said:  “I still feel the aircraft should not have been grounded…I think there was reaction due to the unnecessary evacuation of a Japanese aircraft. People are too sensitive to what the social media says”. All five the airline’s Dreamliners will all be in service by May 31.

Al Baker also said: “We are short of airplanes. So we will look at … either purchase or lease of interim airplanes from Airbus or Boeing. We have not yet decided.”

Air India – May 16th: Domestic Flights

The Boeing team arrived in Delhi last Tuesday to fit the new system. The first two craft should be ready to fly by May 10 with the remaining four by the end of the month. The 787s would be required to go through test flights before they are certified by India’s civil aviation regulator and pilots will need to undergo retraining. The carrier will utilise the plane on domestic routes in India from Delhi to Bangalore, Kolkata, and Chennai.  On June 1st, it will start flying from Delhi to both London and Paris. Boeing have agreed to compensate Air India for losses incurred by the state-run carrier according to India’s civil aviation minister, Ajit Singh. Boeing will deliver more of the planes to the carrier over the next few months.

United Airlines – May 31st: Houston - Denver

As previously noted, United has already included the 787 in its schedule from May 31. The airline has indicated, however, they may start 787 flights before May 31st. On June 10th, the twice delayed Denver to Tokyo service will finally start along with Houston to London. On August 1st, the Los Angeles to Tokyo and the long awaited Houston-Lagos will start. This will be followed by Los Angeles to Shanghai on August 2nd.

All Nippon Airways -  June 1st: Tokyo – Frankfurt

During the grounding, ANA cancelled a 3601 flights at a cost of $US92 million. Boeing began installing the battery fix on five grounded 787 jets owned by launch customer All Nippon Airways on April 22. The airline is planning between 100 and 200 round trip test flights through May, before it starts carrying passengers again on scheduled flights. The test flights are intended to re-train 200 of ANA’s Dreamliner pilots after the three-month break. ANA is currently planning to restart 787 service on June 1 on  domestic routes and Tokyo to Frankfurt. On September 1st, it will fly between Tokyo and San Jose and Tokyo to Seattle.

Japan Air Lines – June 1st: Tokyo – Beijing, Singapore, San Diego and Boston

Like ANA, JAL’s 787 JAL will return after completing test flights and pilot re-training. JAL cancelled or reduced 766 flights during the grounding at a cost of 4.8 billion yen. Boeing had full-page advertisements in five national Japanese newspapers on Tuesday: “We express our deep gratitude towards passengers, airlines, suppliers and the investigating authorities in each country . . . for their support on the occasion of resuming operations of the completely modified 787,”

LAN – June 1st: Santiago - Lima and Los Angeles

This will be followed by Service between Santiago and Madrid and Frankfurt later in 2013.

LOT Polish Airlines – June 5th: Warsaw - Chicago

LOT’s January launch of this service turned into a nightmare when its plane was grounded at Washington DC after its first ever flight! The return trip complete with champagne and balloons had to be cancelled! On June 7th, the plane will be used between Warsaw and Toronto, followed by Warsaw to New York on June 30th. Speculation is rife that LOT may be in the sights of  Norwegian Air after their CEO Bjorn Kjos met with Polish government officials. Norwegian themselves will soon be a 787 user (see below).

The Timetable for New Users:

Thomson Airways -July 8th: Manchester - Florida & Glasgow – Cancun

Thomson Airways was initially due to receive the first of its 13 Dreamliners at the end of February. They are tipping a start date ready for the European summer.

Norwegian Air: Oslo - NYC and Bangkok

The airline has ordered three of the 787s. It has recently suggested that one of its forthcoming Boeing 787 Dreamliners may fly under an Irish flag for cost reasons. Norwegian  have also been rumoured to be considering a takeover of LOT.

 Hainan: September: Beijing – Chicago

China’s aviation regulator  is poised to grant approval this month for the 787  to begin commercial service with Chinese airlines.  Hainan has ordered ten but had suggested they may swap future 787 Dreamliners for the larger 747-8s because of the delivery delays. In the meantime,  they should get their first 787 within the next two months as it has already competed Boeing test flights.

China Southern: September: Domestic China

China Southern have also ordered ten of the 787 and three are sitting at the Boeing plants waiting for delivery. China Southern will become the first airline in the world to fly both the 787 and A380 concurrently. After launching on Chinese domestic services, the 787 will probably fly between China and European routes and also to Sydney and Melbourne and possibly Auckland.

Related Posts

April 20th 787 Cleared to Fly!

March 30th: Boeing calls for 787s to fly

March 16th: 787 Battery Fix?

January 25th: The 787 Battery Fire: Step by step

January 18th: All 787s grounded- airline by airline

The FAA (the U.S. regulators) has approved the return of the grounded 787 Dreamliner to the air next week. The authority were clearly satisfied with Boeing’s fixes with US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood saying: “These changes to the 787 battery will ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers“. The manufacturer is saying while it does not know what caused the fire, it’s fixes will deal with 80 possible causes.

“Next week, the FAA will issue instructions to operators for making changes to the aircraft and will publish in the Federal Register the final directive that will allow the 787 to return to service with the battery system modifications. The directive will take effect upon publication. The FAA will require airlines that operate the 787 to install containment and venting systems for the main and auxiliary system batteries, and to replace the batteries and their chargers with modified components.”

It is unclear what Japanese regulators will do. They may accept the FAA decision or require additional information from Boeing or demand additions safeguards or require the manufacturer to undertake more test flights.

The F.A.A. approval which has been expected for the last few days, nonetheless came before the National Transportation Safety Board hearings next week on why the battery ignited on the Tarmac at Boston, USA back on January 7. The Board is also investigating to what extent any potential battery risks were underestimated. Officials from Boeing, Thales (battery system), GS-Yuasa (the battery manufacturer) and the FAA have been summoned to Washington.

The 50 jets owned  by seven airlines  will start flying in weeks.
Boeing has 300 technicians deployed in teams around the world to quickly install the modified batteries and other changes on these jets, a process that takes five days per plane. I listed the fixes in a post last month.

United will probably start May 31, as foreshadowed in my blog post last week from Houston to Denver.

ANA have also placed the 787 in their schedules from May 31.

Ethiopian and Qatar have said they want their 787s in the air as soon as possible.

The F.A.A.’s decision will allow Boeing to deliver many of the 34 completed 787s in Charleston and Everett, which airlines are waiting for.

Now let’s see how the passengers feel!

Related Posts

April 6: 787 in weeks???

March 30: Boeing calls for 787s to fly

March 23:  787 Testing

March 16: 787 Battery Fix?

March 8: No 787 for a long, long time

February 23: Where can you find a 787?

February 16: 787 situation gets more serious

 February 9th: 787 Update- one flies, would you fly it?

  February 2: 787 still grounded

 January 25: The 787 Battery Fire: Step by step January 18: All 787s grounded- airline by airline

 January 12: 787 Safety “Concerns”

United Airlines has scheduled a 787 flight from Houston to Denver on May 31. Seats are available for sale. It is planning to resume international 787 flights on June 10, from Denver to Tokyo.

United stated they will make more schedule changes when they know that the plane has been cleared to fly.

Over at Qatar Airways, their CEO announced their 787 fleet will be flying before May 31 with the Wall Street Journal claiming that Qatar is planning to have four of their five 787s in service by April 30.

ANA (All Nippon) CEO Shinichiro Ito told reporters he anticipates their 787s to be flying from June. As the 787 launch customer and owner of the biggest fleet of the planes, they will undoubtedly be the first to have their planes fixed with the improved battery safety system.

Air India plans to have their fleet in the air in May.

All of this is reliant on the US FAA and other air safety bodies clearing the plane to fly. Then each Of the 50 planes currently grounded will need to have the battery fix installed-a process that will probably take two days for each one.

After Boeing has applied the fix, then the airline can commence delivering the backlog of undelivered jets (currently 31).

Related Posts:

April 6: 787 in weeks???

March 30: Boeing calls for 787s to fly

March 23: 787 Testing

March 16: 787 Battery Fix?

March 8: No 787 for a long, long time

February 23: Where can you find a 787?

February 16: 787 situation gets more serious

February 9th: 787 Update- one flies, would you fly it?

February 2: 787 still grounded

January 25: The 787 Battery Fire: Step by stepJanuary 18: All 787s grounded- airline by airline

January 12: 787 Safety “Concerns”

Seven airlines have fifty 787s grounded at airports across the world:

Tokyo Haneda, Japan: 12
Tokyo Narita, Japan: 7
Mumbai, India: 5
Houston, USA: 4
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:4
Santiago, Chile: 3
Takamatsu, Japan: 2
Bangalore, India: 1
Boston, USA: 1
Chicago,USA: 1
Doha, Qatar: 1
Frankfurt, Germany: 1
Kumamoto, Japan: 1
London Heathrow, UK: 1
Los Angeles, USA: 1
Matsuyama, Japan: 1
Warsaw, Poland: 1

In addition, Boeing has about 20 undelivered 787s.

After a series of highly publicised problems including an ANA emergency landing on Wednesday 16 January, all 50 of the 787s across the world have been grounded. On Wednesday 16th January, 2013, US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the grounding of all US-registered 787s and recommended other jurisdictions do the same:

As a result of an in-flight, Boeing 787 battery incident earlier today in Japan, the FAA will issue an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and require operators to temporarily cease operations.  Before further flight, operators of U.S.-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the batteries are safe.    

The battery from the ANA 787 left next to an undamaged battery. Pic: Japan Transport Safety Board

The European Aviation Safety Agency have followed the FAA’s grounding order. India also followed the FAA directive. The FAA began a  comprehensive review of all aspects of the Boeing 787 last week.  No one yet knows if the problem is with the batteries themselves or the power source or the charging system or the 787′s electrical system.The airliner relies more on electrical power to run on-board systems than any other plane. The agency expects to have some preliminary data early next week.

The problem needs to be fixed before the public begin to doubt the aircraft’s safety. No one wants a repeat of the UK Comet scenario where a technically advanced plane which broke speed records,  proved to be unsafe.  Three Comets imploded mid flight in 1953 and 1954. All aboard perished. By the time a safer variant was launched, the public were spooked. Ironically, the grounding of the Comet, gave Boeing the opening it needed to get the 707 into extensive service.

Production of the 787 continues but deliveries have been suspended by Boeing. The last groundings of an aircraft by the FAA was of the DC-10 in 1979 for a month, after crash in Chicago.

Air India  -27 ordered.  Six grounded on Thursday

Air India grounded their planes  after instructions from India’s  Director General of Civil Aviation. The airline noted that they have had none of the battery problems that ANA, JAL and United have had. At a Press Conference on Friday,  India’s Civil Aviation Minister said Friday that Air India will seek “some kind of compensation” The Minister said Boeing is liable. He also indicated that the airline is still seeking delivery of their remaning order. Air India said it would use other planes on its scheduled 787 flights.

ANA:  50 ordered. 17 grounded on Wednesday

All Nippon Airways grounded their fleet on Wednesday after instruments on flight 692 from Yamaguchi to Tokyo  indicated a battery error. ANA said a smell was detected in the cockpit and the cabin, and pilots received emergency warning of smoke in the forward electronic compartment. After the incident last week on Boston where a JAL 787 had a fire on board, the airline took no chances. The plane made an emergency landing and all 129 passengers and eight crew were evacuated via the plane’s inflatable slides 

Ethiopian Airlines: 10 ordered. Four grounded Thursday 

Ethiopian Airlines said they “ have not encountered the type of problems such as those experienced by the other operators. However, as an extra precautionary safety measure and in line with its commitment of putting safety above all else, Ethiopian has decided to pull out its four Dreamliners from operation,” They were the last of the 787 operators to ground their planes.

JAL: 45 ordered. Seven grounded Wednesday

Japan Airlines  grounded their fleet until at least until 25 January. The carrier will be deploying  767s and 777s on 787 flights and has also cancelled services on its Tokyo -San Diego route.

LAN Airlines -three grounded Wednesday

LAN followed the FAA directive and its planes were grounded after United’s.

LOT Polish Airlines: Eight ordered. Two grounded Wednesday. 

The timing of the announcement was unfortunate and bizarre for LOT. A 787 was en route on its maiden from Warsaw Chicago flight.  It never made the return trip and is now stranded in the USA. LOT Airlines have said they will seek compensation from Boeing for the grounding.

Qatar Airways: 30 ordered. Five grounded Thursday

I would love to be a fly on the wall of the office of Akbar Al Baker  the Qatar Airway’s CEO. He has already been very unhappy about the delays and technical problems associated with the 787. His official statement this week said:  “In light of recent events surrounding the Boeing 787 Dreamliner worldwide, we are actively working with Boeing and the regulators to restore full customer confidence in the 787. Qatar Airways will resume 787 operations when we are clear that the aircraft meets the full requirements of the Airworthiness Directive and our standards which assure the safety of our passengers and crew at all times.”

The grounding puts in doubt the airline’s planned February 1 launch of a Doha to Perth 787 service.

United Airlines: 50 Ordered. Six grounded Wednesday

Twelve hours after the Japanese fleets were grounded, the US regulators announcement came and United was the third airline keeping their planes earth bound.

Related Posts

787 Safety “Concerns”

I am often asked which airlines are best avoided.  Having flown for over 3040 hours (0ver 18 weeks of my life!) with 83 airlines, there are some clear differences between the best and the worst! I rate each flight I take for every factor from Booking to Check in to deplaning. and keep a tally of my rating using Flightmemory.com.  The scores averaged out give me the ranking of flights, airlines and airports. I have placed my score for each airline next to the airline name.

Here is my list for of the 2012 worst airlines, starting from the worst at number 1:

1. Ryan Air -19%

Ireland: 1984. Fleet:  305 Destinations: 164 Employees: 8,388.  Skytrax Rating: 2 star airline. Skytrax Passenger Rating: 35%

Every year I hope Ryanair will get a little better. Not a chance in 2012. Grumpy crews, crowded planes, non-transparent fares, and a “you are on your own if we mess up” attitude. Don’t take my word for it: Ryanair was recently voted Europe’s least popular short-haul airline by the readers of the British consumer publication  My favourite reason not to like them: Covalence rates them as one of the most unethical companies in the world. Which?. I get the impression from the CEO down that passengers are to be treated like sheep being herded from one out of the way airport to another.

2.Air Zimbabwe – 20%

Zimbabwe: 1967 Fleet:  9? Destinations: 9?  Employees: 1,234? Skytrax Rating: Star Ranking suspended   Skytrax Passenger Rating: 28%

For most of the year, they were grounded. They now have a new plane and lots of legroom (LOL) Staff vary from friendly to grumpy but are not overly motivated (no pay for months may impact this). My two best memories were two cockroaches climbing the wall of the plane on the Harare bound flight as we took off and the other was the Flight Attendant recommending us not to fly with AirZim again!

3. Spirit Air-

USA: 1980 Fleet:  45 Destinations: 57  Employees: 2,580 Skytrax Rating: 3 star airline.  Skytrax Passenger Rating: 20%

Upfront,  I never actually got to fly  Spirit in 2012, as the only flight I was to have had with them was cancelled. The cancellation occurred, as I arrived at the airport. I switched to another carrier rather than wait 24 hours for the alternative flight.  However, an airline that charges up to one hundred dollars for a carry on bag has some serious issues. As one customer says: Truly the worst domestic airline experience I’ve ever had.

4. Tiger Airways – 27%

Singapore: 2004 Fleet:  19 Destinations: 28  Employees: 2,580 Skytrax Rating: 3 star airline.  Skytrax Passenger Rating: 37%

Australia: 2007.  Fleet:  11 Destinations: 8

Tiger operates as Tiger Airways Australia and Tiger Airways Singapore. I hate Tiger. Period. Now that Virgin have taken over Tiger Australia, it will be interesting to see what changes.

5. Air China -28%

China: 1988  Fleet:  293 Destinations: 185  Employees: 24,474 Skytrax Rating: 4 star airline. Skytrax Passenger Rating: 50%

Skytrax made Air China  four star in 2011. I think the carrier missed the memo- old planes, old cabins, old seats, old food. Where Air China really excel is when something goes wrong: you are on your own

6. China Eastern -29%

China: 1988  Fleet:  302 Destinations: 110  Employees: 60, 000 Skytrax Rating: 3 star airline. Skytrax Passenger Rating: 50%

Every time, I look at airfare comparison sites, China Eastern offers flights at prices way, way below other carriers. Before you are  tempted to book, consider my favourite quote about this airline from a customer:  ”China Eastern still don’t understand customer service“. I agree. Inconsistent meals, bland food, limited entertainment and very delayed flights will make you regret every cent you saved

7. Alitalia -30%

Italy: 19 Sep 1946 then  13 Jan 2009 Fleet:  112 Destinations: 86  Employees: ?  Skytrax Rating: 3 star airline. Skytrax Passenger Rating: 45%

Italy is home to some of the chicest things on the planet- just do not expect much chic on an Alitalia plane. Italians can be some of the warmest, most fun and most hospitable people on the planet- you just won’t find them amongst the demoralised Alitalia staff. Universally rude staff from reservations to check-in to on board. Italian cuisine is some of the most delicious on the planet – just don’t expect  it to be served to you on an Alitalia plane. Lavatories never seem to be cleaned mid flight and are some of the most putrid aloft

8. United Airlines -58%

USA: 30 June, 1927 Fleet:  706 Destinations: 378  Employees: 85,000  Skytrax Rating: 3 star airline. Skytrax Passenger Rating: 45%

The merger with Continental has brought a few improvements but flying with United is rarely a pleasurable experience.  I wonder sometimes if I delight in hating United? I did give them 5 out of 5 for an Indianapolis to Newark flight this year. JD Power in a June 2013, survey claimed that United were the second worst airline in North America. They gave the worst to USAir (who I for the first time have moved out of my top ten worst airlines!

9. American Airlines- 60%

USA: 1930 Fleet:  605 Destinations: 260  Employees: 78,000  Skytrax Rating: 3 star airline. Skytrax Passenger Rating: 36%

More demoralised staff sharing their unhappy attitude with their unhappy passengers. Combine that with uncomfortable seats, old planes and disappointing food. Having said that, of the 29 hours spent flying American this year (one day of my year effectively inside their aircraft), one hour of it (LAX to SFO) I actually described as a pleasant experience giving them 4 out of 5 for it!). JD Power nominated them as the third worst of North America’s Traditional carriers.

10. Air Asia - 63%

Malaysia: 2000. Fleet:  101 Destinations: 88  Employees: 8,000  Skytrax Rating: 3 star airline. Skytrax Passenger Rating: 76%

My business partner swears by Air Asia but I  don’t  like them.  The airline IS cheap. It operates with one of the world’s lowest unit costs. What are you prepared to give up to save on money?   Unless you fly Premium, there is nothing on board for you. Disabled people claim the airline does nothing to assist them. There is also a difference between their “Air Asia X” and “Air Asia” product with X being better. Frankly, I have to be honest, I don’t feel safe aboard them.  Their on time performance is at 86% on time for arrivals. Still someone, keeps voting for them as world’s best low cost carrier,  ahead of the brilliant Virgin America.

10. Jetstar-63%

Australia: 2003. Fleet:  68 Destinations: 35 Employees: 7,000  Skytrax Rating: 3 star airline. Skytrax Passenger Rating: 55%

Australia’s favourite low cost airline -but not mine. Their Premium Product makes their experience much more bearable but I do all I can to avoid Jetstar.  The airline  often cancels and delays flights -without explanation. Airstats says only 72% of their flight arrivals are on time.  On board catering is not very exciting and entertainment consists of DVD  players that you can rent. The job of the cabin crew is to sell you all of the things that airlines used to give you for free:  snacks, drinks and blankets. The airline is so unpopular with some that it has a Don’t  fly Jetstar webpage dedicated to it.

 I am not including North Korea’s one star airline Air Koryo on this list. The only time you will encounter them is if you fly into that state and I have yet to have that experience!. I would also not be in a hurry to fly Garuda Indonesian, most African carriers, Saudi Arabian,  Egyptair or Aeroflot but have not tried them either.

My Top Ten airlines coming Saturday!

Related Posts

Air Koryo Goes Online

Air Zim Goes Monty Python

Trip Report: United LAX-ROC

Trip Report: American- LAX to SFO

Some good news for United Airlines.

On August 19, their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off from Boeing’s Everett field in, Washington state for its first test flight. The plane cruised around Seattle for three hours as all aspects of the craft’s backup and safety systems were checked. The plane will be delivered to United in late September and will be followed by 49 others.

United will be the fifth airline in the world to get the 787 (after ANA, JAL, Ethiopian, LAN) and the first US carrier to have it. They will be flying Denver to Tokyo from March, 2013. I am not sure where I will see it between September and March. but United have said they be rotating the  jet on a series of domestic sectors.  It will also be deployed on Houston to Lagos in tandem with the 777 on that service. The one flight we will not see is the originally promised Houston to Auckland. This is even despite Hawaiian Air’s  decision to start serving the New Zealand city.

Photo from United.com More photos of the flight are at Airline Reporter. For interior shots check out USAToday.

United have opted for 219 seats in a three class layout on its 787s.  There are 36 Business First seats, up front arranged 2/2/2 for the  first six rows. This is followed by  63 economy plus seats including an exit row and 120 Economy seats arranged 3/3/3.

This compares to 270 seats in two classes on Ethiopian and 186 on JAL and 144 on ANA.

Normally my whacky Wednesday posts are funny or at least a little amusing. Today’s is far from amusing. United Airlines, who I regularly bag, bash and mock in my blog are apparently in the business of transporting luggage and people around the USA. According to Brett Snyder, they are doing worse since the merger with Continental (vale).  For example only 70.1 percent of their flights were on time in June. In addition, United lost bags at twice the rate of Delta which is a bigger airline.

Luggage being lost is annoying. On June 30, 2012 United Airlines lost a bag belonging to 10 year Phoebe Klebahn who was travelling from San Francisco to Chicago, with a transfer to Grand Rapid on June 30, 2012. The bag contained all of the stuff she needed for camp. e.g. bathing clothes, sheets etc

What is worse, is that United also lost the ten year old. Phoebe was travelling alone as an unaccompanied minor. “What is astonishing is that United outsourced a service to accompany small children without informing parents in advance of taking their children into their care—HUGE liability ( from letter to United Airlines from Annie  and Perry Klebahn).

That Unaccompanied Minor company failed to make the Chicago connection. Phoebe stuck in Chicago tried to get help from the United staff around her and her Mum was trying to get help from United via the phone, after her daughter didn’t arrive in Grand Rapids. United did not or could not help. Eventually, the family got their ten year old onto a flight.

United Airline said: “What the Klebahns describe is not the service we aim to deliver to our customers…We are redepositing the miles used to purchase the ticket back into Mr. Klebahn’s account in addition to refunding the unaccompanied minor charge.”

How many points for a lost child?

United Airlines have had massive negative publicity over this. For example, Bob Sutton of Huffington Post who knows the family wrote a detailed piece. How many customers will be lost over that child? How many people will trust United with a child again?

Remember the promise of a 787 flight from Auckland to Houston Intercontinental (IAH)? It was made by pre merger Continental. At approximately 11900 km (7400 miles), the new route was to be the longest from Continental’s Houston hub.

I was very excited by this possibility.  Houston is a much nicer airport than Los Angeles and the flight would get you into the heart of the USA.  For me, Melbourne-Auckland-Houston-Philadelphia for example (as nightmarish as it sounds) is much more preferable than Melbourne-Sydney-Los Angeles-Philadelphia. Changing planes at Sydney is a hassle and in Los Angeles it is awful.

The only caveat was my expectation that service would have to be better on the 787 than United’s awful Sydney-Los Angeles service. The aircraft certainly would be nicer than United’s aged 747s they use out of Sydney. I have dropped my Star Alliance Gold in favour of my higher Virgin Australia status so am less inclined to want to fly United. My Virgin Platinum gives me access to benefits with Air New Zealand and Singapore  (both Star Alliance partners with United) Delta, and Etihad.

At the Auckland end, Continental would have picked up  traffic from Australia and New Zealand through its Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand.  (and now Virgin Australia would have fed some traffic in through its Air NZ code share- not a lot but some). At the other end, United would have fed passengers into the route from all of the East Coast, Chicago

On May 22, United Airlines started selling tickets for its first 787 flights. The service was not the long promised Auckland-Houston flight but Denver and Tokyo instead. This service will start March 31, 2012. At 9320km (5790 miles), it is a little shorter than the Auckland one was to be.

United CEO Smisek said “That flight was heavily dependent on connecting traffic through IAH” but it would now  ”no longer be economically feasible to fly the 787 on that route, since there will be a drain on international traffic from IAH.” Auckland Airport’s response was  ”It is very disappointing that this important new service connecting New Zealand and the United States has been caught up up  a local Houston dispute over airports.”Then last week it announced that the Auckland flight will be shelved,  following a decision to allow competitor Southwest Airlines to begin international flights from neighbouring Houston Hobby airport (HOU).

I am not convinced that this is the real reason for the dropping of the flight.

• Consider, Southwest does not start international flights until 2015. United would have had two years of flying the route before Southwest started its services
• My belief is that Southwest is going to be flying short haul international. They would be flying to the Caribbean or Mexico not long haul destinations like London or Auckland so how does that affect this long haul flight? Its a very different market surely?
• Most people connecting to a long haul flight to Auckland from Houston will be coming from domestic destinations across the USA not international
• For Australian and New Zealand passengers, Southwest flying international is an almost complete irrelevance.
• Tokyo has a population of 13,185,502. Auckland is 90 per cent smaller

I think the real reason is that in 2012 when United did some sums, the economic benefit of this flight didn’t add up, meaning Air New Zealand now hold the monopoly on all US-NZ non stop services. This may be good for the national carrier, it can only mean higher fares ultimately.

I flew four days after the finalisation of the United-Continental merger and four days after the new combined reservations system had commenced. Thought I would test things didn’t I? This flight was the 830th I have ever flown in my life and was my 93rd flight with United and/or Continental. The flight itself was pretty okay. It was about what I would expect from the pre merger United so if I was expecting a dramatic leap to being one of the world’s greatest airlines as promised by United CEO, I didn’t see it. I have long regarded United as one of the worst legacy carriers in the world along with American Airlines and US Airways. Two previous posts  Thats it United, and United 757: Uber Fail pretty much sum up my feelings for the airline.  Although I do try to approach every flight with an open mind. Continental, however, I always saw as holding their own in the airline world and keep hoping their influence will influence the merged airline.

Booking: 7 out of 10

I had an existing United LHR-WAS booking.  I changed the date of travel with an agent over the telephone as the online system would let me do it! The agent changed my flight, quoted me the fare change fee, collected my credit card number for payment and emailed me an itinerary. That was the last I thought of the matter. My Mistake!

Check In: 7 out of 10

I attempted to Check in on the new United.com. This site looks and feels like the old Continental.com which I found disconcerting! The system would not, however, let me check in so I called reservations. As I waited on hold, an announcement apologised for the wait, advising that I try after 72 hours unless it was urgent. This call volume was largely due to the change over of systems, a problem reported in quite a few media outlets. I did get to choose a good  seat online!

Unable to use the online system, I got to Heathrow super early and was first in line for check in. The check in agent paused and sighed. It seems I had not been ticketed properly hence why I could not check in on-line. The agent blamed the new reservations system. Annoyingly. the fee I thought I had paid had vanished.  Now I sighed. The next thing I knew, I had four agents serving me as they discussed how best to navigate the “Continental” reservations system to issue a ticket. There was much joking and complaining as the agents worked out the system for 15 minutes. One complained that she felt she was working for  Eastern (the now defunct Miami based airline) because they felt the new res system was so old! Eventually I got a boarding pass. But I was still concerned,  at the airport, that I might have paid two change fees to United.  I was really glad I had come to the airport early though.

Boarding: 8 out of 10

Boarding the 777, was very smooth as the plane was quite empty.  No crew welcomed passengers on board apart from  the couple at the door. This US custom of ignoring boarding passengers always strikes me as counter productive. I commented on how different airlines welcome people aboard last year.

On Board: 4 out of 10

United Economy on this 777 was 2/5/2. Other airlines aim for 3/3/3. This layout gives the impression the plane is more crowded than it is. I pity the person in the middle seat of the economy rows. Of course when there are few passengers then five seats gives a nice stretch.

Seat pitch (the distance between seats is 55″in Business, 34″ to 36″ in Economy Plus and in 31″ in  Economy.  Width is 18″ in Economy and 20.5″ in Business.

First class has ten Flat bed seats.

United provides no amenity kits to Economy class passengers. It has very thin small pillows and miniature sized blankets available.

Takeoff and Landing: 8 out of 10

We pushed back eight minutes early and joined the long line of aeroplanes waiting to take off.  Soon the huge powerful 777 engines roared into life and we were away. The 8 hour 20 minute flight was very uneventful and despite traffic control constraints at Washington Dulles, we landed nine minutes early – in other words, we gained one minute through the flight!

Meals: 3 out of 10

Catering was up to the usual United standard. Awful. Sad Salad. Tasteless over cooked main meal and revolting dessert. Cabin crew were not overly interested. They did do a couple of water runs but were not very engaged with passengers. I checked in mid flight to see what snacks they had. Not much! 

Entertainment: 3 out of 10

To be honest, I was so tired,I fell asleep pretty much straight away and I don’t recall much about the entertainment on this flight! Every seat has a personal video screen ith nine channels and Airshow. First class also have access to a further 14 channels via digital player. I did watch an episode of The Office and Big Bang Theory. I must admit after flying Qantas, Emirates, Air New Zealand etc which all have entertainment systems that give you multiple movies, TV shows and news, it is a shock coming back to United’s offerring. At least its a step up from the single screen in the middle of the cabin! I do know that United are upgrading their entertainment systems.

The Verdict

My rating: 63% (3 out of 5). My overall rating of the pre merger United over many flights, is 3.5 out of 5 so we are about the same. It interests me how many Americans would only experience this level of service and not realise that many European, Asian-Pacific and Middle Eastern carriers kill United in this area. In fact, United’s CEO, acknowledged that United needs to do better,  to the Australian business community. I do note that the Asian carriers and helped by much lower cost structures and many of the Middle Eastern carriers are in fact heavily subsidised.

Positives:  777 (I love that plane), 9 minutes early,- I am really pushing here!

Negatives: Meal, disinterested staff, lack of snacks, seat layout in Economy, no amenities kit

Would I ride them again? I say NO.  Every time I do fly them, I remember why I don’t like flying United. I am still crossing my fingers that the Continental magic will improve their overall performance.

My Last Trip Report: March 20: Thalys-Paris to Amsterdam