Tango-Bravo From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 3725 posts, RR: 31 Posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 3089 times:
When United Airlines launched their first longhaul intercontinental service in April 1983 on the routes SEA/PDX-NRT...since I cannot locate an OAG to answer my questions...
Did UA operate non-stop between NRT and SEA only ...or both SEA and PDX?
What type of equipment was assigned to their SEA/PDX-NRT routes when service commenced in 1983?
OA412 From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 4980 posts, RR: 25 Reply 1, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 3043 times:
This timetable cover seems to indicate that both SEA and PDX were nonstop to NRT. I do not know about equipment on the PDX-NRT route, but I believe that SEA-NRT was launced with a 741.
OzarkD9S From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 4682 posts, RR: 23 Reply 2, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 3023 times:
UA operated 747's SEA-NRT-SEA 6 times weekly and 747's PDX-NRT-PDX once weekly. Both services originated at ORD, but not sure if there was an equipment change or not to/from ORD.
ADent From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 1179 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 2958 times:
I flew the domestic leg of PDX-ORD once and got the first class seats with the leg rest thing - so the equipment continued thru.
MakeMinesLAX From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 516 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 2803 times:
The schedules I have confirm that 741s were used and the service was same-plane to/from ORD. The PDX segment was Tuesday only, while SEA filled in the remaining days. On the "off days", the SEA/PDX-ORD (and v.v.) legs were operated by 72S. Again based on the schedules I have, the PDX portion persisted at least through Jan 31, 1987, but was gone by June 5 of the same year.
The link in reply 1 mentions SEA-HKG, which started on May 28, 1983. This is indicated as same-plane service to/from JFK using DC-10s (most likely -30s). I can't narrow down a specific timeframe, but at some point this changed to a 747. Obviously, the Pan Am Pacific route purchase changed everything.
HAL From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 2467 posts, RR: 53 Reply 5, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 2644 times:
I flew PDX-NRT-PDX in June 1983. I thought it was a 742, but I could be mistaken. The plane was probably only 40% full, but the service was excellent in Business class where I sat.
HAL
One smooth landing is skill. Two in a row is luck. Three in a row and someone is lying.
United1 From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 5337 posts, RR: 8 Reply 6, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 11 hours ago) and read 2608 times:
Quoting MakeMinesLAX (Reply 4): This is indicated as same-plane service to/from JFK using DC-10s (most likely -30s).
UA leased some DC-10-30s from CP between 83 to 87 to operate the route. I believe they later flew the SEA-HKG route with 74Ls.
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21495 posts, RR: 24 Reply 7, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 2550 times:
Quoting United1 (Reply 6): Quoting MakeMinesLAX (Reply 4):
This is indicated as same-plane service to/from JFK using DC-10s (most likely -30s).
UA leased some DC-10-30s from CP between 83 to 87 to operate the route.
Yes CP leased 3 DC-10-30s to UA during that period in exchange for 3 UA DC-10-10s which CP operated during the same period on domestic and some shorter Canada-Europe routes (also YYZ-LIM). The 3 CP DC-10-30s were converted at some point to -30ERs with an extra fuel tank in the cargo compartment to handle the SEA-HKG nonstop, and YVR-HKG and YYZ-NRT after the aircraft were returned to CP.
FWAERJ From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 3175 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 2550 times:
United ran ads for the SEA-PDX, SEA-NRT, and SEA-HKG service in 1984 with the slogan "Fly A Friend to the Far East", tapping into UA's slogan at the time "You're not just flying you're flying the friendly skies". UA mentioned that they flew from Japan and Hong Kong to more US cities than any other airline; obviously a way to challenge PA with little domestic feed (and, to a lesser extent, NW despite its strong domestic presence).
timz From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 6468 posts, RR: 8 Reply 9, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 2421 times:
This timetable cover seems to indicate that both SEA and PDX were nonstop to NRT. I do not know about equipment to
Quoting HAL (Reply 5): I flew PDX-NRT-PDX in June 1983. I thought it was a 742, but I could be mistaken.
I'm guessing UA had no 742s until after the PA Pacific purchase. And only the two for a couple years after that.
Tango-Bravo From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 3725 posts, RR: 31 Reply 10, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 2279 times:
Quoting OA412 (Reply 1):
I guess it would help if I actually posted the link to the timetable.
Don't see how 1983 could be the correct year for the route map linked. The Pacific routes are definitely post-February 11, 1986... given by the United website as the startup date of their trans-Pacific routes to 13 cities purchased from Pan Am for $715 million.
Here's a link to United's June 1, 1984 route map, showing NRT and HKG as their only Pacific destinations aside from Hawaii:
Quoting timz (Reply 9): I'm guessing UA had no 742s until after the PA Pacific purchase. And only the two for a couple years after that.
United took delivery of (2) 747-222Bs; one in March 1987, the other in April 1987. The only other 747-200s in the record of United's fleet history are (7) ex-QANTAS -238Bs acquired in 1991.
United1 From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 5337 posts, RR: 8 Reply 11, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 2250 times:
Quoting Tango-Bravo (Reply 10): Don't see how 1983 could be the correct year for the route map linked. The Pacific routes are definitely post-February 11, 1986... given by the United website as the startup date of their trans-Pacific routes to 13 cities purchased from Pan Am for $715 million.
UA operated SEA-NRT/HKG and PDX-NRT for several years prior to the PA acquisition....
From ual.coms history section...
"United, itself, went beyond U.S. borders -- first, via new route authority to serve Tokyo from Seattle in 1983, and, two years later, through the purchase of Pan American Airways' Pacific Division."
ADent From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 1179 posts, RR: 1 Reply 12, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 2216 times:
UA had both 3 & 9 window upper deck 747-100s. The 9 window -100s could be confused for -200s by some.
"United, itself, went beyond U.S. borders -- first, via new route authority to serve Tokyo from Seattle in 1983, and, two years later, through the purchase of Pan American Airways' Pacific Division."
Someone at UA needs to check their history, YYZ and YVR were served long before NRT in '83.
jfk777 From United States of America, joined Aug 2006, 7348 posts, RR: 7 Reply 14, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 2087 times:
Quoting Tango-Bravo (Reply 10): United took delivery of (2) 747-222Bs; one in March 1987, the other in April 1987. The only other 747-200s in the record of United's fleet history are (7) ex-QANTAS -238Bs acquired in 1991.
United took these two new 747-200B because it gave them a full 747 to use from JFK to NRT nonstop. These planes could NOT do HKG or SYD nonstop from California as the 747SP could do. The 744 solved that problem and the rest is history.
The 7 Qantas 747's were taken by UA for service to LHR in 1991 as their own international planes were already in CDG and FRA, the new acquired Latin system from Pan AM and Asia. On 7/1/1991 United flew 4 747 to LHR, one each from JFK, SFO, IAD amd Miami.
ER757 From Cayman Islands, joined May 2005, 2228 posts, RR: 8 Reply 15, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 1890 times:
T
Quoting OzarkD9S (Reply 2): UA operated 747's SEA-NRT-SEA 6 times weekly and 747's PDX-NRT-PDX once weekly. Both services originated at ORD, but not sure if there was an equipment change or not to/from ORD.
Yes - same plane, same flight number. The ORD/SEA/NRT was flight 150, the return was 151. Not sure of the flight # when it went via PDX.
LAXintl From United States of America, joined exactly 13 years ago today! , 22057 posts, RR: 51 Reply 16, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 1854 times:
Quoting OzarkD9S (Reply 13): Someone at UA needs to check their history, YYZ and YVR were served long before NRT in '83.
indeed, and United also had service to Mexico.
From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California
MakeMinesLAX From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 516 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 1832 times:
Quoting ER757 (Reply 15): Yes - same plane, same flight number. The ORD/SEA/NRT was flight 150, the return was 151. Not sure of the flight # when it went via PDX.
"United, itself, went beyond U.S. borders -- first, via new route authority to serve Tokyo from Seattle in 1983, and, two years later, through the purchase of Pan American Airways' Pacific Division."
Someone at UA needs to check their history, YYZ and YVR were served long before NRT in '83.
Correct. I believe UA"s first international service was on a 10-passenger Boeing 247 SEA-YVR-SEA on July 1, 1934, 49 years before NRT and HKG began. The southbound flight was the first scheduled international flight from YVR. ORD-YYZ was UA's 2nd internatiolnal route sometime in the mid-1960s.
alexinwa From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1107 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (3 years 1 month 1 week 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 1546 times:
It was great to see 4 747's at a time at SEA. ORD and NRT at N9 and N10. Then the 747sp's around the corner going to HKG and JFK.
Quoting ER757 (Reply 15): Yes - same plane, same flight number. The ORD/SEA/NRT was flight 150, the return was 151. Not sure of the flight # when it went via PDX.
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From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 3725 posts, 
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indeed, and United also had service to Mexico.
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