747-400 Shot To Hell..

redneckslim · Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:41 pm

I just came back from a trans pac trip on a 400, the plane was shot to all hell! Totally worn out in the insides. I thought the 400 was a somewhat new plane but I guess that shows what I know. How old is the 400, and how often do airlines replace busted seats, inop bins and otherwise threadbare interiors as well as lav doors that won't lock, etc ?

AA54Heavy · Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:43 pm

Quoting Redneckslim (Thread starter):
I just came back from a trans pac trip on a 400, the plane was shot to all hell! Totally worn out in the insides. I thought the 400 was a somewhat new plane but I guess that shows what I know. How old is the 400, and how often do airlines replace busted seats, inop bins and otherwise threadbare interiors as well as lav doors that won't lock, etc ?

What airline were you flying? 744s have been around since like 89, so theoretically one could be 15 or so years old....but don't know

4holer26 · Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:44 pm

Some of the early 744's are 15+ years old. The problem lies with the maintenance provided by the airline, not the age of the the aircraft.

georgiaame · Mon Oct 31, 2005 1:01 pm

I must agree with 4holer26. I flew to Singapore 2 summers ago on 4 different NorthWest 747-200. That's -200, not -400. How old is the NW -200 fleet?

Ancient aircraft, that were totally spotless, clean, meticulously maintained on the insides. Not a speck of caulking, cracked or otherwise in any of the toilets. Unscuffed overheads. Clean seats and carpeting. And great flights to boot.

There is no excuse, I repeat, no excuse, for taking people's hard earned cash for transportation in a garbage scow. And while I have caused umbrage in the past questioning the maintenance of a certain major carrier, I will repeat that if you are willing to fly with trashed interiors, which is clearly a sign of cutting corners, and you can only wonder about cutting corners in the external maintenance. Or in English: if the toilet is leaking, how do I as a passenger know that the oil in that outer engine isn't leaking too?

HAWK21M · Mon Oct 31, 2005 1:11 pm

Which Airline are you reffering to.
Im surprised.Since Mx should have done the Nedfull.
regds
MEL

SFORunner · Mon Oct 31, 2005 1:19 pm

At least the OP didn't report any interior rust.

hz747300 · Mon Oct 31, 2005 1:48 pm

Quoting Redneckslim (Thread starter):
I just came back from a trans pac trip on a 400, the plane was shot to all hell! Totally worn out in the insides. I thought the 400 was a somewhat new plane but I guess that shows what I know. How old is the 400, and how often do airlines replace busted seats, inop bins and otherwise threadbare interiors as well as lav doors that won't lock, etc ?

You must have been flying UA. Their 747-400s are old on the inside, and I wish they had the money to redo the interiors. Nothing smells worse than old airplane chair smell for 14:30 from SYD to LAX, except vomit. Vomit would be worse actually.

Iloveboeing · Mon Oct 31, 2005 1:54 pm

Quoting HZ747300 (Reply 6):

You must have been flying UA. Their 747-400s are old on the inside, and I wish they had the money to redo the interiors. Nothing smells worse than old airplane chair smell for 14:30 from SYD to LAX, except vomit. Vomit would be worse actually.

I flew a UA 744 from ORD-HKG in August......it wasn't that bad. Yes, it was old, and I wish that they had PTVs instead of overheads (since it was a 15:40 flight), but it was still a pleasant flight.....comfortable and smooth....

In regards to the money, I think UA made a poor choice in deciding to repaint their planes when the grey and blue was just fine. They spent money on that instead of upgrading their interiors. Which is why our carriers are falling behind the international ones in terms of cabin quality.....

FLY777UAL · Mon Oct 31, 2005 2:16 pm

Quoting Iloveboeing (Reply 7):
In regards to the money, I think UA made a poor choice in deciding to repaint their planes when the grey and blue was just fine. They spent money on that instead of upgrading their interiors. Which is why our carriers are falling behind the international ones in terms of cabin quality.....

Planes are painted in the white scheme as they are brought in for routine maintenance and painting. If not painted in the white scheme, they would be re-painted in the gray/blue scheme. Makes perfect sense.

F L Y 7 7 7 U A L

Halophila · Mon Oct 31, 2005 2:19 pm

Quoting 4holer26 (Reply 2):
The problem lies with the maintenance provided by the airline, not the age of the the aircraft.

Most definitely agree. I've flown on 744's on FJ, QF, NZ, UA, VS, AF, LH, AN (when still around) and AC (when they had them). Of these, the QF, VS, AF and LH birds were IMMACULATE, while those from FJ (which were AN's, correct?), NZ and UA were a little dog-eared. But to be honest, I don't care what the planes look like on the inside, so long as the airline has a good rep for maintenance (which those less-than-immaculate a/c did)!

Iloveboeing · Mon Oct 31, 2005 2:20 pm

Quoting FLY777UAL (Reply 8):
Planes are painted in the white scheme as they are brought in for routine maintenance and painting. If not painted in the white scheme, they would be re-painted in the gray/blue scheme. Makes perfect sense.

Yeah, you're right. I just like the gray/blue scheme a lot better than the new one....

ual747den · Mon Oct 31, 2005 4:26 pm

I have never been in a bad UA 747. They do not have PTV's but I would never says that they are "dirty" or anything like described above.

N1120A · Mon Oct 31, 2005 10:55 pm

Quoting FLY777UAL (Reply 8):
Quoting Iloveboeing (Reply 7):
In regards to the money, I think UA made a poor choice in deciding to repaint their planes when the grey and blue was just fine. They spent money on that instead of upgrading their interiors. Which is why our carriers are falling behind the international ones in terms of cabin quality.....

Planes are painted in the white scheme as they are brought in for routine maintenance and painting. If not painted in the white scheme, they would be re-painted in the gray/blue scheme. Makes perfect sense.

Additionally, the new scheme actually saves United money, as the paint is cheaper. Beyond this, the new scheme is overwhelmingly prefered

aussieindc · Mon Oct 31, 2005 11:06 pm

Quoting Halophila (Reply 9):
Most definitely agree. I've flown on 744's on FJ, QF, NZ, UA, VS, AF, LH, AN (when still around) and AC (when they had them). Of these, the QF, VS, AF and LH birds were IMMACULATE, while those from FJ (which were AN's, correct?), NZ and UA were a little dog-eared. But to be honest, I don't care what the planes look like on the inside, so long as the airline has a good rep for maintenance (which those less-than-immaculate a/c did)!

If I'm not mistaken, the FJ 400's were leased from SQ, complete with the SQ interior so that's suprising that you found they were a little dog-eared. They both must have been their older 744's.

N754PR · Mon Oct 31, 2005 11:58 pm

NW 742's.... you want classic you get classic!!!

gopal · Mon Oct 31, 2005 11:59 pm

Some of the ex-Singapore Airline 744s leased by Air India are in poor shape internally. Entertainment controls don't work, seats look worn , etc. Even crew members complain that many of the galley controls don't work on these airplanes making their jobs more difficult. However, Air India maintenance all the systems responsible for safety of the passengers is world class, I understand.

Tod · Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:03 am

Quoting HZ747300 (Reply 6):
You must have been flying UA. Their 747-400s are old on the inside, and I wish they had the money to redo the interiors.

They're currently solicitating bids for 744 interior refresh/reconfig.

Tod

uadc8contrail · Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:10 am

Quoting HZ747300 (Reply 6):
You must have been flying UA. Their 747-400s are old on the inside

HZ,
since you know that the above thread involves ual with out any indication from the poster that he was on ua or nw,,,please tell me what the powerball numbers are for wednesday night,,,not to many of us have esp... Smile

Bicoastal · Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:19 am

Quoting Iloveboeing (Reply 7):
They spent money on that instead of upgrading their interiors. Which is why our carriers are falling behind the international ones in terms of cabin quality

Repainting, regardless of color scheme, is required during heavy D maintenance checks, which is when United's planes are being repainted. It's not costing them anything more to paint the new scheme. Interior refurbishment, unless it's safety related, is not required. Hopefully when United exits bankruptcy this February, it will have a bit more discretionary dollars to spend on passenger comforts.

AR385 · Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:26 am

In my opinion, since the thread starter has not identified the airline he flew on, and there are a number of possibilities, the bashing UAL is receiving from some posters is completely unfair. If the thread title were "UAL transpacific sucks" then I would agree, but that is not the case. This makes this thread irrelevant until the threadstarter identifies which airline he is talking about, otherwise we are just being the worst of armchair a.netters.

aeroperu · Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:39 am

I agree with AR385. Can we get the actual airline flown by Redneckslim.

Tod · Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:44 am

Quoting Bicoastal (Reply 18):
when United exits bankruptcy this February, it will have a bit more discretionary dollars to spend on passenger comforts.

From what I've been told, the banks have already given UA a refresh/reconfig budget for the 763/744/772 fleet.

Tod

grimey · Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:56 am

I flew with AF (CDG - HAV) a few months ago on a B747-400 which was lovely and clean, it was F-GITA which after I came back home I found out that it was damaged in Tahiti IN 1993.

http://b747f-gita.ifrance.com

Grimey

SWISSER · Tue Nov 01, 2005 1:22 am

Quoting Grimey (Reply 22):
it was F-GITA which after I came back home I found out that it was damaged in Tahiti IN 1993.

That must have been a huge work to repair!

My first and actually latest 747-400 flight was in july 1989 on KLM's first -400
and at the time the first -400 in Europe!
It looked incredibly clean back then and in fact that aircraft was the reason I got infected by the aviation microbe, I was still a kid of 8 back then.

I have flown on a 747SP once in '96 of UA and that aircraft was very clean and looked like new!

777STL · Tue Nov 01, 2005 1:29 am

I flew an older QF 744 in August, "Longreach", and it was pretty well taken care of. The 744ER I flew on to OZ was immaculate.

Tod · Tue Nov 01, 2005 1:56 am

Quoting 777STL (Reply 24):
I flew an older QF 744 in August, "Longreach", and it was pretty well taken care of. The 744ER I flew on to OZ was immaculate.

The entire QF 744 fleet is in a never ending cycle of reconfiguration.

Tod

TinkerBelle · Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:07 am

Quoting Tod (Reply 21):
From what I've been told, the banks have already given UA a refresh/reconfig budget for the 763/744/772 fleet.

Source please bouncy

Quoting AeroPeru (Reply 20):
Can we get the actual airline flown by Redneckslim.

Don't you just hate it when someone starts a thread then goes fishing while everybody else is waiting on some more info!

Quoting Redneckslim (Thread starter):
just came back from a trans pac trip on a 400, the plane was shot to all hell!

The name of the airline would be much appreciated mate.

United787 · Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:18 am

Quoting AR385 (Reply 19):
In my opinion, since the thread starter has not identified the airline he flew on, and there are a number of possibilities, the bashing UAL is receiving from some posters is completely unfair. If the thread title were "UAL transpacific sucks" then I would agree, but that is not the case. This makes this thread irrelevant until the threadstarter identifies which airline he is talking about, otherwise we are just being the worst of armchair a.netters.

Where the h_ll is that Red Neck from Liechtenstein? I agree this entire thread is stupid without knowing the airline.

Tod · Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:31 am

Quoting TinkerBelle (Reply 26):
Quoting Tod (Reply 21):
From what I've been told, the banks have already given UA a refresh/reconfig budget for the 763/744/772 fleet.

Source please

I've got the workscope whitepapers sitting on my desk.

Tod

TinkerBelle · Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:44 am

Quoting Tod (Reply 28):
I've got the workscope whitepapers sitting on my desk.

Can I e-mail you my fax number? idea

I won't mention it to anybody if you don't...lol

Tod · Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:47 am

LOL

Tod tapedshut

cxsjr · Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:05 am

Ummmm, WTF is the point of starting a thread if you're not going to give us the full information or take part in the discussion???

Moving on .....

Quoting SWISSER (Reply 23):
My first and actually latest 747-400 flight was in july 1989 on KLM's first -400

I flew on this very bird only last week and I can tell you, it's still fairing pretty well, given that it's now some 16 years since you flew it. Shame they still didn't get round to some PTV's though .... maybe soon?

redneckslim · Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:16 am

UNITED AIRLINES, GREAT PEOPLE BUT FUNKY AIRLINERS. SORRY UAL, I KNOW WHAT BEING BROKE IS TOO, BUT FIX OR PARK THESE OLD DOGS, GETTING OFF THE JAL FLIGHT (LIKE NEW INSIDE) AND ONTO UAL (TOTAL GHETTO) WAS A REAL HEARTBREAK. SORRY TO ALL ...

A319114 · Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:48 am

Uhm, easy on the caps there, pal.

AR385 · Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:57 am

Quoting A319114 (Reply 33):
Uhm, easy on the caps there, pal.

Incredible, what being senile can do to you...

B744F · Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:12 am

Quoting FLY777UAL (Reply 8):
Planes are painted in the white scheme as they are brought in for routine maintenance and painting.

Designing a brand new paint for your fleet costs lots of money to begin with, whether or not they need to be painting is skirting the issue of whether they should have spent that R&D money elsewhere

Tod · Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:37 am

Quoting B744F (Reply 35):
Designing a brand new paint for your fleet costs lots of money to begin with, whether or not they need to be painting is skirting the issue of whether they should have spent that R&D money elsewhere

Paint schemes aint R&D work.

Exterior markings design is usually not that expensive compared to the actual painting process.

Tod

SFORunner · Tue Nov 01, 2005 6:26 pm

Quoting Tod (Reply 28):
I've got the workscope whitepapers sitting on my desk.

Will we be seeing the p.s. F "SpaceBed" in 744 and 777 C? pray

blast · Wed Nov 02, 2005 2:03 am

In January 2003, I was on a SAA 747-200, (Swartberg), from CPT to LHR, diverted to MAN, still going strong at that time, now taken out of service, and the interior was in perfect condition. So it seems totally possible for airlines to maintain aircraft interiors!

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