UAL 777s GO TRANSPACIFIC

United Airlines is planning to replace Boeing 747s with smaller 777s on some of its transpacific routes later this year. The changes likely will be
made on shorter flights, such as between the U.S. and Tokyo, according to United. Boeing long has predicted a shift from four-engine jets to long-haul twinjets across the Pacific as markets fragment, or as passengers demand more frequent departures flying nonstop to smaller
Asian cities while avoiding time-consuming hub transfers. The airline says its shift to 777s, however, is being made on a one-for-one basis, to offset weak Asian traffic and free the larger aircraft for healthy domestic and European routes. As of last summer, more than 50% of all transatlantic flights were flown by twinjets.

Copied from Aviation and Space Technology Weekly.