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The Ad Hoc Traveler
The Ad-Hoc Traveler
Marc D. Meredith
June 2000
"How to tell a 737 from a 777 and why you should care"
Whenever I run into someone who has just finished or is
about start a flight one of my first questions is "what type of plane did
you/will you fly on?" Now if you are like my wife your answer would be
"I don't know, I'm just glad I got here." I'm pretty sure that my level
of fascination with planes is primarily a "guy thing" but here are
a few reasons why you should care and pay attention to what type of plane
you'll be flying on for your next trip.
General Comfort -With the very stringent
safety and inspection processes that commercial airliners must go through,
planes can fly for a long time. However, getting there safe and getting
there in style are not always the same thing. I have two Volvos- one is
an 85, the other a 92, guess which one I prefer driving?
Upgrade Possibilities- Bigger plane and/or more
service classes may mean better opportunities to secure a better seat in
coach or get bumped farther up front.
Amenities- Airlines may fly several different models
of plane to the same destination so the service or lack of it that you
receive can be affected by the model on which you travel.
Who Builds 'em:
There are two major players in the plane manufacturing
business, Boeing and Airbus
Industries. The majority of planes you will fly when on a US carrier
will be made by Boeing. In addition to their own line, Boeing acquired
the planes made by McDonnell Douglas. Airbus is very strong in Europe (where
they are head quartered) but have also made strong gains in the US. Both
Boeing and Airbus have good web sites that will tell you about their various
planes.
Here is a brief rundown on the major models. Click on
each plane's name to get more information including production dates, typical
seating, features and interesting factoids:
Shorter routes:
717-
the latest Boeing product. Designed to replace the MD80/90 &
DC9 planes.
727-
no longer made and being phased out by most carriers. Three engine (one
in the tail) jet that looks a bit like a small DC-10 (see below).
737-
the most popular domestic jet flying. If you're going up or down
a coast, or on a flight of 2 hours or less, chances are very good you'll
be on this one.
MD80/90-
distinctive twin engine rear mounted design with a smaller wings at the
top of the plane's tail.
DC9-
one of the oldest jets still flying. Used mostly for short hops by carriers
like Hawaiian and Northwest.
Medium to longer routes:
A300/310- described
by Airbus as their "workhorse." Designed for more regional routes (e.g.
within Europe) but can fly up to 4150 nautical miles.
757-
a 737 on steroids. Longer than its smaller sibling but same width.
767-
Widely used on trans atlantic flights. It has about the best coach
seating of any Boeing plane (see Tips/Terms).
A320- Airbus' most
popular jet is actually four different configurations (A318,319,320,321)
with the main difference being the number of seats.
Long routes:
A330- more cargo
space than a 747 with very good coach seating.
A340- can fly up
to 8000 nautical miles, about the farthest you can go on any commercial
plane.
747-
the biggest thing currently flying. Can carry over 500 passengers and has
the distinctive hump on top of the plane.
767-
see above.
777-
Boeing hit a grand slam with this one. A "tweener" designed to fill the
gap between the 767 and the 747, it is used widely on trans-Atlantic flights
and some of the best coach features around such as seat back video in all
service classes.
DC10-
Once an innovative wide body. Now an aging station wagon of a plane
that is being phased out. Notable for its three engine design.
Tips/Terms:
Wide body- a two aisle plane (747, 767, 777, A330).
Seating charts- In addition to the links above, many airlines
and some travel
sites show seating charts. Check these out and the next time you are
asked you'll know what a "3-2-3" is (767 seating).
Not all exit row seats are created equal. For instance
on most 737 configurations, one exit row window seat on each side does
not have a seat in front of it so you have tons of leg room! On DC10's
a window exit seat is often more cramped than a regular seat because of
the way the door sits when closed. Exit row seats are also great if you
don't look forward to sitting next to small children on flights since they
can't sit in those rows.
Airbus planes often make it easier to view a movie regardless
of where you are sitting in coach thanks to their ceiling mounted screens
which pop down. Compare this to older 747's and DC10's where watching the
film is often like seeing a drive in movie...from two miles away.
Bathrooms are the great equalizer. In just about every
plane I've flown, the bathroom is the same (read cramped) regardless of
service class. The big difference of course is when you are in first or
business class you only have to share with a few people.
The 737, 727 and 757 all have the same cabin width.
Read the small print on new seating claims. While American
says it is taking two rows out of coach, they've still only completed about
half their fleet. United has "completed" its
Economy
Plus section (one row removed from the first several rows of coach)
but you have to look closely to see that this new seating doesn't include
any Shuttle flights ( just about anything up and down the west coast),
any three cabin plane (takes out all 747's and most other wide body configurations)
and DC10's (phasing them out).
My favorites and least favorites:
I love the 747 just because it's so big and looks so different
from many others. Also, if you've ever watched one land, they are actually
very graceful planes and seem to just glide onto the runway.
The 767 has really nice coach seating (it's a 2-3-2) so
only one person gets stuck with a middle seat in each row.
The 777 is a nice plane to fly in coach and a dream in
business. It's size is really deceiving from the outside.
If I never fly on another DC10, I'll be just fine.
They're old, clunky and you can't even adjust your own air.
I'd love to hear about your favorite or least favorite
planes. Drop me a line- mdm@johnnyjet.com
Marc Meredith
mdm@johnnyjet.com
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