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Flying From Seattle to New York to London and Back in 40 Hours on American Airlines

By David Parker Brown, on April 2nd, 2013 at 8:00 am

American Airlines Boeing 737-800 in Seattle.

It takes quite a bit to get me up at 4am. Having the chance to spend about 40 hours flying on a premium product is just about enough to do it. I was recently invited to check out American Airlines new Boeing 777-300ER on a flight from New York (JFK) to London (LHR). I was set to leave at 7am on Monday and be back home by 10pm the next day. This was going to be one heck of a great #AvGeek adventure (note: American covered all my flights).

It did not take too long to get ready for my trip. One back-pack with a change of clothes, laptop and camera. Soon enough I was sitting in my car ready to rock and roll. I turned the key… nothing. Tried again and once again nothing. Oh boy.

After ten minutes of messing with my main vehicle, I decided to take my secondary car which is a 1987 Ford Bronco. Oddly, it is not known to be very reliable, but I was going to have to take the risk and started the 45minute drive to SEA. Hopefully this was not a sign of things to come.

Even with my vehicle issue, I was able to make great time to the airport, parked and made my way inside. With longer trips, I will find alternative parking options, but with getting to the airport at about 5:30am and scheduled to return the next day at 10pm, I decided just to park on-site and pay the $28 per day (heck, I get extra miles to boot).

With just one bag, normally getting to the gate would be a breeze. But I had a non-rev media ticket and with most airlines, I am not able to check in online and need to go to a ticket counter. No worries, I was flying First Class from SEA to JFK and had a priority line waiting for me — maybe.

Almost 12,000 miles in less than 40 hours.

Walking up to the counter the economy line had about 20 passengers, but my special line had no one — bonus. Unfortunately the agent working the First Class line was was on the phone, but I figured I could wait a few minutes, but at the five minute mark it got a bit annoying. The agent had not even looked up to let me know that he knew I was there. Not a huge deal, but a simple recognition that I existed could have gone a long ways.

Instead of waiting on the ticket agent, I decided to give an open kiosk a whirl. About half the time they work with the media tickets and the other half they do not. The good news is it seemed like it was going to work, but the darn thing would not scan my Passport. Luckily there was a nice woman there who was able to quickly help me and get my boarding pass with a smile and I was off to my gate.

Lifting off from Seattle. Do not fret that I have my “electronic” camera device on below 10,000 feet. I had permission from the airline!

My premium ticket was also able to get me quickly through the security line with only one person in front of me versus the 50 of so in the main line. SEA operates body scanners at each check point, but to date, I have still not been scanned at my home town airport (and only twice ever other places — darn you AMS and TPA). Per usual, the TSA were operating scanners at two of the four bag scanners and I was easily able to choose a line without a scanner. I am by no means a fan of the body scanners, but if you are going to operate them, at least do it in a fashion where they are not so easily avoidable.

However, the TSA made it up to me during boarding when my bags were randomly selected to be searched. I have to say that the two TSA gate agents were some of the nicest I have interacted with and I am really glad I went with a conservative pair of boxer shorts.

Boarding was quick and easy. I was greeted by my last name, my jacket was quickly hung up and offered water, juice or champagne — classy. This level of attentiveness remained the entire way to JFK and honestly is not what I normally expect when flying domestically, even in First Class. Realize this has nothing to do with me being media. I was not taking any photographs inside the aircraft and everyone was receiving this same level of treatment. I was impressed.

Landing at JFK where the weather was not too pleasant.

Lifting off from SEA on a clear day is always a great reminder how much I love the town and the surrounding area. It might be a shocker for some of you, but many take offs I experience are cloudy and gray.

Once hitting the 10,000 feet mark, I was excited to get back online. Fired up my laptop and went to connect to the GoGo in-flight internet. Then I saw the costs: $10.00 for an hour, $20.00 for three hours, or $21.95 for the entire flight. I get the fact that most people on business travel will just expense this out and that it costs money to provide the internet, but this was just too much for me at the time. I think if it were $15, I would have gone for it and was thinking I might do the $10.00 during the 3rd hour in the flight, but sleep got in the way.

The American domestic First Class seats not only have a decent recline, but they also move the bottom of the seat forward. One of my favorite features was the arm rest next to the window is able to raise, allowing access to the additional space by the wall. This provided ample comfort to get in a few hours of sleep, so I could be well rested for my 777 flight.

A few American Airline tails at JFK.

It had been a while since I flew into JFK. Many airports, you land and it only takes a few moments to get to the gate. Not here. Post landing, it took a good 20 minutes before we arrived at the gate. At least I had a window seat and was able to spot planes turning green.

After collecting my things, I was on the jetway, checking my email on my phone and missed the gentleman who was there to great me: Phil Derner Jr who runs NYCAvitiation.com. A nice little surprise. Also, Jason Rabinowitz (who writes for both of our sites), was also on his way to join us to help me take photos of American’s 777-300ER. It was a mini AvGeek get-together.

AveGeeks Unite! Me, Phil Derner Jr with NYCAviation and Jason Rabinowitz aka @AirlineFlyer pose at JFK.

To celebrate our gathering, we took a photo in front of a JFK/American backdrop that was at some random gate. I forgot I was not in Seattle anymore and when I asked a gentleman sitting by us if he would take a photo, he looked at me like I was nuts. Luckily a nice lady next to him offered and after about five attempts, we ended up with one that was not super blurry.

After our photo shoot, we were off for some beers while waiting for the American Airlines representative to escort us on to the aircraft.

The flight deck of American’s Boeing 777-300ER.

Soon, it was time to pre-pre-board the 777-300ER. I have found trying to board super early provides much better photos than rushing around with a bunch of passengers. This also allowed us to view First Class, economy, the flight deck (bonus) and the crew rest areas.

I found it pretty interesting that multiple American employees kept boarding the plane to take a look at the new plane and interior. I think that shows the excitement that the new aircraft is bringing to the company. After getting everything we needed, we de-planed, Phil and Jason went back to their normal lives and I was back on the Worldliner 15 minutes later prepping for my flight to London.

Pilot rest area located above the main deck in the front of the 777-300ER.

Then I took off, flew for a bit and then landed. Awesome review right? Do not worry, a full story on the flight is coming soon, but for now, the 40 hour adventure continues (minus the actual 777 flight). Insert cheesy time transition here.

We arrived at the gate a little late, but still giving me about six hours in London before getting back on the same plane and heading to New York. It was time to find the lounge.

Unfortunately, I avoided customs and was able to head to “connecting flights,” go through security, check in and be ready to go. I say “unfortunately,” because this means I did not get my Passport stamped — I know, tough life.

My American Airlines Boeing 777-300ER landing at JFK by Eric – SouthPawCaptures.

At the lounge I was looking for two main things: coffee and a shower. Luckily it had both. I was able to keep productive (and hydrated) waiting for my return trip home. My departure time was 12:30pm local time, but that was 5:30am at home. I had not been able to sleep too much, so by the time we boarded, I was exhausted.

I found my seat, got situation and then… BAM, it was four hours later. I must have woken up at some point, since my seat was fully reclined. I do not remember taxi, take off or the missed meal service (again more details on my 777-300ER flights later).

Admiral’s Club in London — my home for about five hours.

I was once again back at JFK. When going though customs, I was some-what excited to be asked about my trip and how long I was in London. Maybe even get additional screening from having such a weird story. Instead I was greeted by probably the nicest Customs official I have interacted with, but no questions about “how many days were you in London?” Oh well.

After going back through security, I found the Admiral’s Club and relaxed for about an hour before taking my final leg back home to Seattle. Once getting settled in my seat, the captain came on to let us know that the flight was going to be a “home coming” for the 737, since it was built in Renton. Awesome — I like this guy.

My flight back to Seattle started very similar to my flight back to New York. Boarded and back to sleep I went. Upon waking, one of the flight attendants noticed and asked me if I wanted one of the meals — nice. Most times when sleeping through a meal service, I have to ask. I ate some sort of beef (I forgot to grab the menu), but I was too full to have another ice cream sundae (I had one on the 777).

The flight landed back in dark SEA about 30min early. In less than 40 hours I had just flown about 12,000 miles. I always have wondered if I have a limit on how much I can fly before I get tired of it. This was as close as I have gotten, but after a nice rest in my own bed, I would have been ready to hit the sky again.

I will go into a bit more detail with my next story, but I ended up with noticeably better service on my domestic American Boeing 737 flight than I did with the international 777 flight, but the product on the 777 was strikingly more impressive. The interesting part are the flights are about the same length.

It leaves the big question: does an amazing product with mediocre service trump a mediocre product with great service? Stay tuned for my answer and put your thoughts in the comments.

SEE ALL 76 PHOTOS FROM THE AMERICAN AIRLINES TRIP

This story written by…David Parker Brown, Editor & Founder.David started AirlineReporter.com in the summer of 2008, but has had a passion for aviation since he was a kid. Born and raised in the Seattle area (where he is currently based) has surely had an influence and he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else in the world.@AirlineReporter | Flickr | YouTube

Virgin America Helps the San Francisco Giants Get Back To Their Roots

By Jason Rabinowitz, on January 31st, 2013 at 3:07 pm

The World Series’ Trophy in all its glory.

For the second time in three years, the San Francisco Giants are World Series champions. To celebrate their victory, the Giants and Virgin America (the team’s official airline) teamed up to bring the World Series trophy back to the their roots in New York and I was invited to tag along. It was perfect for me since I both love aviation and baseball.

The team’s history dates back to 1883, when they were known as the New York Gothams, playing at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan. Even though the Giants moved to the west coast in 1958, there is still a considerable fan base in New York.

With the sun rising over the runways at San Francisco International Airport, I approached the gate for the 9:25AM flight to find the World Series trophy already on display, hours before departure. Glistening in the morning sunlight, passengers, airline employees, and even police dogs inside the terminal were drawn to the trophy, posing for pictures at this unexpected event.

San Francisco Police K-9 officer Xaro poses with the World Series Trophy

A little less than an hour before departure time, a flood of local media approached the gate area to set up video cameras, as the Giants President and CEO Larry Baer along with David Cush, Virgin Americas President and CEO, were about to give a press conference. The press conference only lasted a few short moments, and it quickly became photo-op time in front of the aircraft.

Virgin America President/CEO David Cush (left) and Giants President/CEO Larry Baer with the World Series Trophy in front of “The Beard”

The ride from San Francisco to New York was no ordinary Virgin America aircraft, of course. The flight was operated on the Airbus A320 officially named “Fly Bye Baby,” or as it is more commonly known, “The Beard.”

This particular A320 (N849VA) has a large San Francisco Giants logo on either side, as well as a painted on beard on the nose. Originally inspired by Giants closing pitcher Brian Wilson, who is no longer with the team, “The Beard” definitely stands out from the rest of the Virgin fleet.

Nice beard man. Virgin America (N849VA) Airbus A320 with facial hair.

Once the photo-op was over, the trophy was finally brought onto the plane, where its first seat was arguably the best seat on board, the pilot’s seat. Thankfully for the passengers (which were mostly “normal” fare-paying folks and then a few media and invited folks), the trophy was soon moved to a first class seat after a few pictures, and the pilot was able to take his rightful position.

After takeoff, members of the media were brought up to the front of the cabin to interview Larry Baer of the Giants. I had never interviewed the CEO of a company before, but what better place to put me at ease than the first class cabin next to the World Series trophy. In the five minutes I was allotted, Mr. Baer and I talked about everything from the team’s loyal following in New York, to the partnership with Virgin America.

When asked about the Giants partnership with Virgin America, Mr. Baer had nothing but great things to say. “I can’t imagine a better airline partner than Virgin America,” said Baer. Interestingly, he told me that before partnering with Virgin, the team was in talks to become partners with United, who has a very heavy presence in San Francisco. During talks with United, Virgin approached the Giants, and the rest is history.

Along the transcontinental journey, a few more events were held to celebrate the trophy’s journey. Mr. Baer and the Giants social media team held a “Twitter chat,” utilizing the aircraft’s Gogo wifi system. Shortly after, the flight crew held a Giants trivia contest over the PA, but with an interesting twist. Instead of raising their hand, or simply shouting out answers, passengers had to use the in-flight entertainment system to answer. Using the tethered remote, passengers logged into the systems chat room, and whoever answered first was the winner. Those who won were brought up to the first class cabin to take pictures with the trophy.

Towards the end of the flight, the crew got on the PA system once more, and encouraged all passengers to wave the orange Giants towel they found at their seat at the beginning of the fight. Before landing at JFK, Mr. Baer walked to the back of the aircraft with the trophy so that every passenger had a chance to see it up close.

Giants President/CEO Larry Baer walks down the aisle with the World Series Trophy

Most major airlines in the United States sponsor multiple sports franchises, and sometimes it feels as if the sponsorship is nothing more than a few billboards at the stadium. In the case of the Giants and Virgin America, the relationship feels deeper than that, and it is refreshing. The event flight was a lot of fun, and it is something those passengers will not forget any time soon. As a big sports fan and aviation enthusiast, I couldn’t have asked for a better combination.

: Gate sign informing passengers of the event

: Virgin America A320 Model

: Posing with the trophy

: Fly Bye Baby, aka The Beard

: Virgin America President/CEO helps load a passengers bag into the overhead bins at SFO

: What better way to document the journey of the trophy than to strap a GoPro camera to it?

This story written by… Jason Rabinowitz, Correspondent.

Jason is a New York City native who has grown up in the shadow of JFK International Airport. A true “avgeek”, he enjoys plane spotting and photography, as well taking any opportunity he can get to fly on an aircraft.

@AirlineFyer | FaceBook |

Delta Air Lines Grows Like Crazy at LaGuardia

By David Parker Brown, on December 22nd, 2011 at 8:00 am

There are going to be a lot more Delta widgets seen at LGA soon.

Recently, Delta Air Lines announced their game plan to expand at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) after their slot swap with US Airways. Delta, being the world’s second largest airline, has plenty that they can bring to the New York area and grow LGA into a major hub for business travelers.

If you scroll through the new Delta LGA flights, you will see a lot of smaller aircraft: the Embraer ERJ-145, E-170, E-175, Bombardier CRJ-700, CRJ-900 and the CRJ-200. With an airport that is already so crowded, it was a little surprising seeing so many small aircraft.

Just because a new route starts as a smaller aircraft, doesn’t mean that Delta can’t upgrade to a larger aircraft later. Still, it seems like some of the routes might be able to handle larger aircraft, why did Delta go this route?

“It’s purely a function of having the right aircraft for the right market,” Morgan Durrant, Delta Spokesperson explained to AirlineReporter.com. “LaGuardia is arguably the most restricted airfield in the world but that doesn’t preclude the market demand for both capacity and frequency. Utilizing regional aircraft in some markets allows us to achieve both in a way that’s good for customers and good for business.”

At least Delta is operating jets; US Airways Express (aka Piedmont) flew quite a few turbo-props in LGA. For the airline nerd (that many of us probably are), turbo-props are fun to fly in, but I know that most travelers do not share our passion for aviation and most prefer the comfort of a jet. And remember, that not all regional jets are created equally. Many of Delta’s jets that have more the 50 seats contain amenities found on larger aircraft.

“Delta Connection aircraft larger than 50 seats will have a two-cabin configuration and Gogo Wi-Fi,” Durrant stated.

Delta has more connections and are arguably using better aircraft, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they are able to become quite successful out of LGA. I also wouldn’t be surprised to start seeing larger planes operating in Delta colors in the future out of LaGuardia as well.

Two view points you have to read about this topic are: Brett Snyder looking at the winners and losers of this deal and Dan Webb looking at the new destinations.

Photo by: Jerome Vorus

How Many Boeing 737s Are Still Flying Contest Answer + Interesting 737 Facts

By David Parker Brown, on December 20th, 2011 at 8:30 am

HI-RES PHOTO (click for larger). On December 16th, Boeing delivered their 7000th 737 to flydubai. The airplane is flydubai’s 14th Next-Generation 737-800 with the new Boeing Sky Interior. Photo by Boeing.

On Friday I posed the question, “How many Boeing 737s are still flying today,” and I received a lot of responses. So what is the answer? (insert drum roll here)…

… did you click that drum roll link? It really adds to the suspense. If you did not do it before, it is not too late…

According to Boeing, there are 5,424 737s still flying today with 358 airlines in 114 countries. Knowing that the first 737 flew on April 9, 1967, that is AMAZING! So, who were the three that got the closest and are winning a free internet session with GoGo In-Flight Internet?

* Thibaut: 5418
* Allen Cheng: 5419
* Will Pestle 5423 (only one away)

Some of you just guessed random numbers (which works out okay) and others went through some pretty impressive formulas. I was amazing how many people were pretty close to the final answers. A big thanks go GoGo for providing three prizes for this contest!

As promised, here are some other great facts about the 737 that come directly from Boeing:

* Today’s 737s are 5 percent more fuel efficient than the first models delivered. By late-2012, the airplanes will be a full 7 percent more efficient, with full incorporation of the latest performance improvement package. The additional 2 percent equates to $120,000 savings per airplane per year, and tons fewer carbon emissions.

* It was just shy of 15 years between the first Next-Generation 737 order and the 5,000th order. The Next-Generation 737 reached this order milestone more quickly than any other commercial jet in history.

* Airlines ordered 724 of the Next-Generation 737 models between the Next-Generation program launch Nov. 17, 1993, and the day the first airplane was delivered on Dec. 12, 1997.

* The Next-Generation 737 is as long as it is wide, earning it the nickname of the first “square” airplane.

* The Next-Generation 737 uses an advanced system called Head-up Display or HUD, which comprises a transparent glass display positioned between the pilot’s eye and flight deck window to show critical information such as airspeed, altitude and attitude, and flight path. The Next-Generation 737 is the leader of large commercial jetliners produced today with this capability. Boeing is proud to introduce HUD as part of its basic systems equipment for both pilots on our 787.

* The Next-Generation 737 airplane wing thermal anti-ice system has the capability of outputting hot air on the wing leading edge equivalent to about six full-sized (100,000 BTU) household furnaces.

* Within five years of entering service, the worldwide fleet of Next-Generation 737s surpassed 10 million flight hours, a feat equal to one airplane flying more than 1,141 years nonstop. The Next-Generation 737 is the first and only commercial jetliner to reach this milestone so quickly.

* On July 27, 2006, Boeing delivered the 2,000th Next-Generation 737 six years sooner than any other commercial jet airplane. The milestone delivery – a 737-700 to Southwest Airlines – occurred nine years after Southwest received the first Next-Generation 737.

* There are approximately 36.6 miles (59 kilometers) of wire on the Next-Generation 737-600/-700/-800/-900ER (extended range) models, four miles (6.4 kilometers) less than the 737-300/-400/-500 models.

* On average, there are approximately 367,000 parts on a Next-Generation 737 airplane.

* Overall, the entire 737 family is the best-selling commercial jet in history, with orders for more than 9,100 airplanes through the end of November 2011. More than 6,900 have been delivered.

* On Feb. 13, 2006, Boeing delivered the 5,000th 737 to Southwest Airlines. Guinness World Records acknowledged the 737 as the most-produced large commercial jet airplane in aviation history.

* Typically, about 50 gallons (189 liters) of paint are used to paint an average 737. Once the paint is dry, it will weigh approximately 250 pounds (113 kilograms) per airplane, depending on the paint scheme.

CONTEST: How Many Boeing 737s Are Still Flying?

By David Parker Brown, on December 16th, 2011 at 11:00 am

The first Boeing 737. Photo found via Gordon Werner / Flickr

The first Boeing 737, which does not have GoGo Internet. Photo found via Gordon Werner / Flickr.

NOTE: The contest is now over. You can view the answer here.

Today, Boeing delivered their 7,000th 737 to FlyDubai – those are a lot of airplanes.

To celebrate this monumental achievement I feel like holding a contest. I was asked by a reader (thanks Robert G), “How many 737s out of the 7000 are still flying,” and that is a great question. I turned that question over to Boeing and have received an official answer that I am using for the contest. I also sent out a few “crack-team information finders” (thanks Dan and Ben) to see if there would be some website that would easily give the answer away (that happened during my last contest) and I feel confident this one is not easy.

Now, I am turning that question over to you: How many Boeing 737s are still flying today? (according to the official answer that Boeing gave to me on 12/15/11 – Note that although Boeing gave me the answer for the contest, they are no way involved with the contest)

Oh and there are some real prizes to go along with this one. GoGo Inflight Internet has agreed to give the three closest guesses a free internet session for their next flight (which makes a great stocking stuffer — for yourself).

So send me an email (david@airlinereporter.com) or leave a comment with your best guess (you only get one). You have until the end of the day Monday the 19th to guess and then I will reveal the answer with all sorts of other great facts about the legendary Boeing 737.

Game on.

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Flying From Seattle to New York to London and Back in 40 Hours on American Airlines

Virgin America Helps the San Francisco Giants Get Back To Their Roots

Delta Air Lines Grows Like Crazy at LaGuardia

How Many Boeing 737s Are Still Flying Contest Answer + Interesting 737 Facts

CONTEST: How Many Boeing 737s Are Still Flying?