Gilesdavies From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2003, 2903 posts, RR: 1 Posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 23 hours ago) and read 9013 times:
You guys will probably flame me for creating this thread, but I am prepared for the reprocussions!
(I am trying to avoid backlash of people critisizing me, for the need of PTV and also my views of 757's on long routes!)
I am looking to go to New York again at the end on November to early December and looking at flights and availability... I am not a fan of LHR (we'll leave that argument for another day!), and will try to avoid it at any cost and will look to try and fly from LGW or BHX...
Unfortunately for people like me who are not really willing to fly from LHR and since Open Skies has started up, services to America on wide-bodied metal to the east coast has began to dry up from the alternative UK airports. Was looking at LGW and flight to Philly and Newark are on 757's with US and CO...
Im not a huge fan of the 757 on an 8hr trip but I will put up with it, like I did fly YYZ-MAN on Thomas Cook Airlines in May. BUT on flights of this distance I need to keep myself occupied and the flight YYZ-MAN had no PTV and was SO boring! PTV is a essential to me! (A book will just not do!)
I read and hear mixed reports, some people saying US and CO's 757's have PTV and other people saying they don't and will only find them in Business Class. What is the current situation and if they are currently upgrading their fleet what are the chances of being on one with PTV's...
Otherwise my only option for widebody metal with PTV is US Airways LGW-CLT-LGA, which I have done 3-4 times before, but makes a long journey even longer!
AirPortugal310 From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 3104 posts, RR: 2 Reply 1, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 23 hours ago) and read 8971 times:
CO is currently retrofitting 757's with PTVs in all classes. They may have already have been in BizFirst but I dont know that for certain.
I never used to sleep on planes but this is now becoming the norm for me so PTV's arent essential. For domestic USA flight I try for JetBlue if the price is acceptable to me, but any carrier will really do. My iPod work just fine as well as a window seat for inflight enterntainment.
Though a window on TATL is really nothing but a nice view of water and clouds
STT757 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 16316 posts, RR: 52 Reply 4, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 23 hours ago) and read 8913 times:
Quoting Gilesdavies (Thread starter): I am not a fan of LHR (we'll leave that argument for another day!), and will try to avoid it at any cost and will look to try and fly from LGW or BHX...
Quoting Gilesdavies (Thread starter): CO's 757's have PTV and other people saying they don't and will only find them in Business Class.
All BusinessFirst seats are equipped with a personal AVOD system featuring up to 25 feature films, 25 television shows and 50 audio CD titles, as well as 110V universal power outlets. These planes are currently being refit for AVOD and 110V power outlets in economy,
as of August 10th, 29 out of 41 of CO's 757-200s have AVOD installed throughout Y.
The installation of AVOD throughout will be complete by December, so if your traveling late November-December you most certainly will be on one of the AVOD 757-200s.
Here are some photos from inside the converted 757-200s:
Planesarecool From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2001, 4096 posts, RR: 12 Reply 5, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 23 hours ago) and read 8894 times:
Why not try BA's new Gatwick-New York service? Guaranteed PTVs and a good service onboard the 777, and the North Terminal in November/December should be a reasonably hassle-free experience.
Star_world From Ireland, joined Jun 2001, 1234 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 20 hours ago) and read 8670 times:
Excellent info above from STT757 on the CO 752 refit. Have flown many transatlantic flights on this updated a/c in Y and it is great - there really is no issue with flying a 752 across the Atlantic.
KGAIflyer From United States of America, joined Jul 2008, 3702 posts, RR: 1 Reply 9, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 20 hours ago) and read 8626 times:
Another possibility might be flying out of Bristol.
Of course that would mean a two-hour train ride out of Paddington on First Great Western (I assume you would be coming from London). But Continental's flight 77 does fly from BRS at10:30am every morning--arriving at EWR at 1:25pm.
AA737-823 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 5382 posts, RR: 11 Reply 10, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 20 hours ago) and read 8593 times:
I really liked flying into and out of Bristol recently. Nice and easy airport.
Anyhow, as others have already pointed out, 71% of the Continental 752 fleet is already done, with the rest to finish within 3 months. I'd go that route. Flying US just to get a widebody, only to make a connection in Philly to an ABYSMAL USAirways domestic experience is just plain goofy.
Andrej From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2001, 814 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 19 hours ago) and read 8506 times:
Hey,
I flew from LGW to EWR and back to LGW on COA. It was flights 116/117 and I was not enough lucky to get PTV westbound. However couple of magazines, FT and window seat fixed everything. I listened to music and enjoyed to flight by reading and looking out of the window. I was sitting towards the back and had only one seat companion. The flight was more then 'bearable' and actually I had great flight experience on board of 757. The crew was really nice and to be honest I did not notice difference between wide body fights are narrow body ones. Actually I did....less people.
Now the east bound leg was nice, and I did manage to have PTV on board. (Ship 102). The AVOD system is really nice, I just wish that there was better music/movie selection. However the AVOD itself is nice and friendly to use. The screens are big enough and the sound is pretty good. Much better then on non-PTV airplane. Only 'problem' was delays caused by the T-storms in NYC area. The flight was pleasant and again the crew did really nice job. Food was not the best, but I do like airline food so I was not complaining.
I had a few 'problems' on the ground as I did not have a good experience at check-in. Both times I found the personnel un-pleasant and not really willing to help/resolve issues. They were very strict on the weight issue (maybe b/c the flight is done by 757 or just the company's policy ) but for example when I fly with Brussels Airline and I am 2-3 kg above they don't mind. The security personnel at LGW ( at COA's check in - wearing COAs unifroms) was quite rude as well and definitely far from the costumer service I expect from a US based company ... (where does COA get these Nazis from?)
However both TSA and LGW security staff was very professional and did not have a problem with them. I was advised that they will have to scan my camera bag separately and when I politely asked why TSA agent actually explained why.
All in all I did have a good trip with COA and will use them again. Flying 757 from a passenger point of view was very nice and to be honest I did not miss the wide body flight. Yes it is little slower flight, but who cares.....we are all aviation enthusiasts, right?
Airbazar From United States of America, joined Sep 2003, 6953 posts, RR: 7 Reply 13, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 18 hours ago) and read 8423 times:
Quoting Gilesdavies (Thread starter): BUT on flights of this distance I need to keep myself occupied and the flight YYZ-MAN had no PTV and was SO boring! PTV is a essential to me! (A book will just not do!)
If it's so important to you why don't you invest in your own portable DVD player (as little as $100), or a laptop? You would be able to watch whatever movies you want rather than subject yourself to the usual crap that's available on airplanes, which is one reason I don't care much for PTVs. They never have anything I enjoy and it just takes leg room away. So usually pick flights without PTVs and bring bring my own "PTV".
CALMSP From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 3662 posts, RR: 8 Reply 14, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 18 hours ago) and read 8399 times:
i belive the latest is 31 of 41 have PTV's now...............needless to say, by the time you fly, I'd dare say about 92% of the 752's will have the PTVs.
okay, I'm waiting for the rich to spread the wealth around to me. Please mail your checks to my house.
Icelandair75W From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 144 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 16 hours ago) and read 8243 times:
How bout Icelandair? LHR-KEF-JFK. We've got PTV's on TF-FIR,TF-FIU,TF-FIV and the aircraft with the new entertainment has gone to LHR and JFK almost everyday, if not everyday! Wide variety of music service, movie service, and TV shows. You get all the movies for $10 by the way, which is about 6 movies or something.
Bbinn333 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 17, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 13 hours ago) and read 7521 times:
Quoting Gilesdavies (Thread starter): I am looking to go to New York again at the end on November to early December and looking at flights and availability... I am not a fan of LHR (we'll leave that argument for another day!), and will try to avoid it at any cost and will look to try and fly from LGW or BHX...
If you are going to New York you could fly Zoom from LGW !
Ikramerica From United States of America, joined May 2005, 21043 posts, RR: 60 Reply 18, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 13 hours ago) and read 7401 times:
Quoting Andrej (Reply 12): The security personnel at LGW ( at COA's check in - wearing COAs unifroms) was quite rude as well and definitely far from the costumer service I expect from a US based company ... (where does COA get these Nazis from?)
England?
Seriously, I had the same experience with the CO hired security guards in HAM. Really rude. Everyone else was nice.
As for solving your problems, what would they be? Having heavy luggage? It's not their job to allow you to have overweight luggage. It's their job to charge you for overweight luggage. And many carriers around the world are strict about it. Not all, but not just CO either.
Of all the things to worry about... the Wookie has no pants.
DLPMMM From United States of America, joined Apr 2005, 3537 posts, RR: 9 Reply 19, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 11 hours ago) and read 7175 times:
Quoting Icelandair75W (Reply 15): How bout Icelandair? LHR-KEF-JFK. We've got PTV's on TF-FIR,TF-FIU,TF-FIV and the aircraft with the new entertainment has gone to LHR and JFK almost everyday, if not everyday! Wide variety of music service, movie service, and TV shows. You get all the movies for $10 by the way, which is about 6 movies or something.
I think the OP's objective was to avoid LHR at all cost:
Quoting Gilesdavies (Thread starter): I am not a fan of LHR (we'll leave that argument for another day!), and will try to avoid it at any cost and will look to try and fly from LGW or BHX...
ANITIX87 From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 3240 posts, RR: 14 Reply 20, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 11 hours ago) and read 7117 times:
Quoting AirPortugal310 (Reply 1): CO is currently retrofitting 757's with PTVs in all classes. They may have already have been in BizFirst but I dont know that for certain.
As stated above, this retrofit is almost complete in Y as well.
I flew LGW-EWR with CO in a new AVOD 757 and it was incredible. Worked very well, good selection, incredible legroom without the IFE boxes, and great service. Highly recommend CO, and will post a T/R tomorrow.
TIS
www.stellaryear.com: Canon EOS 50D, Canon EOS 5DMkII, Sigma 50mm 1.4, Canon 24-70 2.8L II, Canon 100mm 2.8L, Canon 100-4
Icelandair75W From United States of America, joined Feb 2008, 144 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 10 hours ago) and read 6905 times:
I understand that, but Terminal 1 at LHR doesn't seem to be a big problem
Sketty222 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2006, 1773 posts, RR: 4 Reply 22, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 5 hours ago) and read 6175 times:
Quoting Gilesdavies (Thread starter): my only option for widebody metal with PTV is US Airways LGW-CLT-LGA, which I have done 3-4 times before, but makes a long journey even longer!
If you are travelling in November you should take the new LGW-JFK with BA. I think they still have a speical introductory fare for that flight also
Conti764 From Belgium, joined Dec 2007, 233 posts, RR: 0 Reply 23, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 4 hours ago) and read 5932 times:
Another question (I don't want to open another thread for it), since CO is my preferred airline to fly transatlantic, does anybody know if they are going to equip AVOD in their 764's as well? I know they are going to in all T7's, but since flights out of BRU switch regularly between 764 and 772 I'd like to know if they have any plans to equip their entire long haul fleet with AVOD...
Maddog888 From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2007, 161 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 4 hours ago) and read 5847 times:
Quoting Sketty222 (Reply 22):
If you are travelling in November you should take the new LGW-JFK with BA. I think they still have a speical introductory fare for that flight also
and you can get to enjoy their 31"/17.5" seats. Anyone for sardines. Personally I would try any of the other alternatives but that is just MY personal opinion. I have looked at the icelandair option quite often as looks like a nice trip and T1 is no where near as bad as T3/4.
Julian
25 Andrej: No I completely understand that, but when I flew westbound I had put one smaller luggage into my bigger one. Combined weight was about 2-3 kg above t
26 UN_B732: I always found it interesting that DL used weight as an excuse for no PTVs on the 763ERs, but put them on the 752 (which flies routes that are definit
27 AznMadSci: I think STT757 can verify for me, but the 764s and definitely the 762 will be among the last to get any sort of upgrade to their product whether it's
28 STT757: Yeah it was mentioned at the do that the 767-400s will get the AVOD, the priority is to get the 757-200s and 777-200ERs completed first.
29 Soxfan: Sorry for the technical aspect of this question, but how was CO able to install an AVOD system without the IFE boxes? Was it just a new shape of the
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) but for example when I fly with Brussels Airline and I am 2-3 kg above they don't mind. The security personnel at LGW ( at COA's check in - wearing COAs unifroms) was quite rude as well and definitely far from the costumer service I expect from a US based company ... (where does COA get these Nazis from?) 
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