General question about types of planes/change of aircraft for flight for someone who would know

[Maggie The Cat]

We are flying to Orlando and it's about a 3 hour flight. Normally it's a 737-800 or similar type aircraft.

We got notified of changes to our flight. Turns out all it was is we are arriving a few minutes earlier and they changed the aircraft type.
Went from a 737-800 to a Boeing 777-200! That plane is enormous.

I was just curious why they would use such a large plane for such a short route? Our flight is nowhere near booked. Is it possible they would use this plane to fly international after our flight to MCO?

Bonus - we booked first class for fun (good deal) and now we are in pretty awesome/luxurious first class seats (compared to other flight) on this new plane. Almost sad the flight is so short!

 

[_19disnA]

Just my guess but could be any number of reasons. Perhaps they are going to use that aircraft for some sort of charter and need to relocate it to be ready. New/refurbished aircraft being put into regular service and getting it to where it will usually fly from. Maybe starting up new service from MCO to some international destination for which the 777 will be used? I like the larger aircraft since usually more head and leg room and seem less cramped.

 

[sam_gordon]

I wouldn't consider 3 hours a "short route", granted, it's not a "long haul", but that's not "short". I'd consider it ~ medium. That's just me though.

As far as the question, I'm guessing they're repositioning it for some reason, whether for charter or long haul. Look at the same flight the next day (or next couple of days). Is it still the 777 or does it go back to being a 737? Likewise, look at the flights in the days preceding yours. 37 or 77?

 

[Maggie The Cat]

I wouldn't consider 3 hours a "short route", granted, it's not a "long haul", but that's not "short". I'd consider it ~ medium. That's just me though.

As far as the question, I'm guessing they're repositioning it for some reason, whether for charter or long haul. Look at the same flight the next day (or next couple of days). Is it still the 777 or does it go back to being a 737? Likewise, look at the flights in the days preceding yours. 37 or 77?

I will look. Yes, 3 hours isn't that short.

The bad thing is the new configuration - you are facing other people! Our row we were in was backward facing to the 4th row. That's awkward.

When I looked at the seating chart, I switched us to row 2 - forward facing. That also faces row 1, but for some reason A&B for row one don't exist. They aren't taken, they just aren't there. But they are available on the other side -K & L, which are taken already.

I'm sure it will change again by April anyways!

 

[Maggie The Cat]

I wouldn't consider 3 hours a "short route", granted, it's not a "long haul", but that's not "short". I'd consider it ~ medium. That's just me though.

As far as the question, I'm guessing they're repositioning it for some reason, whether for charter or long haul. Look at the same flight the next day (or next couple of days). Is it still the 777 or does it go back to being a 737? Likewise, look at the flights in the days preceding yours. 37 or 77?

The flight the day before was the plane we previous had-737, but the same flights all the days after are this new aircraft.

 

[sam_gordon]

Interesting. Then I guess it comes down to how full the 737s were/are. Maybe they go to the larger plane for the summer?

 

[Maggie The Cat]

Interesting. Then I guess it comes down to how full the 737s were/are. Maybe they go to the larger plane for the summer?

We are going end of April. It doesn't look like the planes are very full at all, but it's also hard to tell because a lot of people may have booked economy where you are assigned a seat. So seat chart could be misleading.

Well, I will see what we get when we go. As long as it gets me to where I'm going safely, I'm good.

 

[jujubiee4]

Just curious which airlines? I know this happened to us on a Delta flight.

 

[Maggie The Cat]

Just curious which airlines? I know this happened to us on a Delta flight.

United

 

[_19disnA]

I would imagine some airlines use larger capacity aircraft on their most popular routes during peak travel periods.

 

[SirDuff]

United

I thought UA had finished retrofitting all it’s planes and no longer had backward faxing seats. Interesting. You won’t be looking at anyone in front of you, there is a wall like thing (with your TV) between you. At least, assuming that this is in an old version of the business class.

 

[Maggie The Cat]

I thought UA had finished retrofitting all it’s planes and no longer had backward faxing seats. Interesting. You won’t be looking at anyone in front of you, there is a wall like thing (with your TV) between you. At least, assuming that this is in an old version of the business class.

It could be. The diagram for choosing your seats showed them backwards though. Good to know about the divider.

I'm going to lay all the way down just because I can.

 

[SirDuff]

It could be. The diagram for choosing your seats showed them backwards though. Good to know about the divider.

I'm going to lay all the way down just because I can.

Oh, I’m sure you’re right, I just haven’t seen one in ages (but I‘m either on long-haul international routes (all have the new Polaris) or really short flights (like an hour or so).

It looks like some of the 772 are still old style (I’m more used to the first layout that they show). But it does look like 1A and 1B do exist (I’d say maybe blocked out for the pilot rest but (a) the flight isn’t look enough to need that and (b) you usually see the seat but it looks different (you cannot select it but it also doesn’t have the X to show someone is sitting in it - it’s kind of grayed out).

And, yes, make the most of the bed feature when you can.

 

[Maggie The Cat]

Oh, I’m sure you’re right, I just haven’t seen one in ages (but I‘m either on long-haul international routes (all have the new Polaris) or really short flights (like an hour or so).

It looks like some of the 772 are still old style (I’m more used to the first layout that they show). But it does look like 1A and 1B do exist (I’d say maybe blocked out for the pilot rest but (a) the flight isn’t look enough to need that and (b) you usually see the seat but it looks different (you cannot select it but it also doesn’t have the X to show someone is sitting in it - it’s kind of grayed out).

And, yes, make the most of the bed feature when you can.

I just hope they don't change the plane back, I'm kind of excited. Even though it's older style, it's still a little bump up for us from the first class we thought we were getting!

 

[SirDuff]

I just hope they don't change the plane back, I'm kind of excited. Even though it's older style, it's still a little bump up for us from the first class we thought we were getting!

Oh, it’s a great bump.

Also, I was just booking a flight and a lied (well confused US with another airline), the pilot rest seats do disappear on the seat map. And it is often row 1. Still seems odd to need on three hour flight but maybe it just does it in the seat maps by default.

 

[elaine amj]

Oh wow - first class on a big plane is a huge step up! Enjoy!!!!

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Who knows why they do these things
We just flew Delta from Atlanta to MCO and they had one of the International Delta One aircrafts for our route. We fly this route very often and never have had a Delta One aircraft but they did last week. No clue why

 

[EACarlson]

United

Out of ORD? Is it the mid-morning flight? Leaves around 8:30am? That flight has been a 772 in the past quite frequently. I tried to connect to it in October but was not available as my connection would have only been 25 minutes. I was on the 11am on the 738 instead. There are many hub-MCO flights that widebodies get used on. United used to run 767 from United three or four times a day from EWR and Delta runs 767s to ATL frequently as part of their hourly service.

 

[kdonnel]

Domestic widebody flights have their pluses and minuses and occur for various reasons.

Minuses:

• Much more middle seats
• Slower boarding and deplaning
• Wifi is generally slower than narrow bodies used domestically (panasonic and GoGo have coverage over the oceans but is slow. Viasat is much faster but has not brought their satellites on line that cover the oceans)

Pluses:

• Layflat seating if in first class
• Often premium economy (like domestic first class) is sold as economy plus.
• 2 aisles
• More upgrade opportunities. My wife is a lowly Delta silver medallion but we have been upgraded to first twice, both times when flying a 767-400 from ATL-MCO. Twice as many first class seats is what made it happen.

Reasons:

• Seasonal busy route
• You happen to be flying a domestic part of an international loop the plane takes
• Recent delivery and the plane is flying some domestic shakedown flights
• Actual regular domestic widebody route, i.e. an airline flagship route.

The desire to fly a widebody domestically is strong enough that there is a thread dedicated to finding and listing opportunites on the Delta part of Flyertalk.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/del...-body-opportunities-definitive-thread-29.html


I remember the good old days when almost every ATL-MCO or MCO-ATL flight was a wide body. Lots of L-1011 flights.

 

[sam_gordon]

I remember the good old days when almost every ATL-MCO or MCO-ATL flight was a wide body. Lots of L-1011 flights.

I remember those days. That was also when you got a "meal", even on the short 90 minute flights. I used to LOVE getting into a wide body because of the radio selector in the arms or some even had the video screens in the seat backs.

ETA: Yes, the video screens are much more common now, but back then it was something special.