Flying to Boston...which aircraft?

Fabio

I'm looking at flights to Boston from Shannon and Heathrow at the moment and if I fly with Aer Lingus I'll be wafted across the ocean aboard an Airbus A330 which looks to be a lovely machine.

If I fly with British Airways then I'll be going from Heathrow, but in a 747-400, a Jumbo Jet!!!!

Then again if I go with Delta direct from Shannon to New York (and then Boston), I'll be in a Boeing 757.

The price differences aren't big at all so can anyone tell me which they would fly in, for comfort and service???

FlutterinBantam

Delta will not be a 757.. 76 or 77 perhaps.

Much of a muchness... avoid LHR if I was you... depends of the fares on offer after that.

ImDave

Try seatguru.com. It gives pitch (distance between one seat and the seat in front of it), and the width of your seat.

highlydebased

SNN-JFK is a 752 with Delta at the moment

For the sake of simplicity, I'd go with the A330 (pity about the airline though :P )

Fabio

No if you check Delta's website it tells you that you'll be flying on a 757 when you click on the flight number for extra details.

Upon putting up that first post actually I have read that most of Delta's 757's are getting a bit old now even though the ones used for the transatlantic crossing are ETOPS (for people that don't know, as I didn't before I looked it up, it's a cert that allows a twin engine jet fly a specific distance as long as it can fly to an airport within 2 hours on one engine).

*Didn't see some of the other replies there before putting above post up!*

I'd love to fly in a 747 because of it's legendary status but then again, I'd have to go through Heathrow and is there really much of a difference in it between a big A330 or a 747?

highlydebased

Indeed the 752's they are using across the pond now are ex AA/TWA aircraft

Fabio

They must be pretty old so? Not that that in itself is a bad thing but surely an A330 would be more comfortable?

Oilrig

The 757 is a narrow body jet, ie similar to a 737. They would be old, hence the entertainment system might not be the best.

The 330 is a wide body so more roomy feeling, note the seat pitch is probably similar for the three types. Depending on the age of the 330 on your flight you may or may not get a working/decent entertainment system.

The 747 is even more roomy, and a very smooth flyer, Ent systems should be good... but, if it involves going anywhere near Heathrow I would avoid it. Not just because of the recent mess in T5, Heathrow is a bit like a house of cards, it takes very little to go wrong before it decends into chaos.

highlydebased

Fabio wrote: »

They must be pretty old so? Not that that in itself is a bad thing but surely an A330 would be more comfortable?

They are all being refitted with new seats and full singing/dancing AVOD (audio video on demand on seatback)

Aer Lingus' A330's are just as old.....

ScouseMouse

For ease, go with the 330. For a better overall package- go BA

Run_to_da_hills

Go with the 747 Jumbo, they have 4 engines and are by far a safer bet crossing the pond.

If you are on a 757 transatlantic it is just like being stuck on a cramped 7 hour Ryanair flight (All twin engine jets must hug the arctic coastline while crossing the Atlantic because of strict ETOPS regulations in case one engine conks out, ie it has to be no more than 60 mins to the nearest landible air strip, this can add hours on to the flight time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS

You could consider Paris - Boston with AirFrance they use the 747 400 on this route and now connect with Shannon. (stuff Aer Lingus from Shannon, they let the west down).

FlutterinBantam

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Go with the 747 Jumbo, they have 4 engines and are by far a safer bet crossing the pond.

If you are on a 757 transatlantic it is just like being stuck on a cramped 7 hour Ryanair flight (All twin engine jets must hug the arctic coastline while crossing the Atlantic because of strict ETOPS regulations in case one engine conks out, ie it has to be no more than 60 mins to the nearest landible air strip, this can add hours on to the flight time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS

You could consider Paris - Boston with AirFrance they use the 747 400 on this route and now connect with Shannon. (stuff Aer Lingus from Shannon, they let the west down).

Most modern a/c are rated 120 for ETOPS .

Route from Dublin/UK to NE USA takes you close to "Artic" coasts anyway so its not an issue.

Certainly does not add hours to the flight time on that route(or any other route that I am familiar with).

There may be even some power plants looking for 180 ETOPS rating

amen

They would be old, hence the entertainment system might not be the best.

i think the last 757 was made in 1998 I know they are still making A330 but AerLingus ones are from the early 1990s they could be even older than the 757s

Run_to_da_hills

amen wrote: »

i think the last 757 was made in 1998 I know they are still making A330 but AerLingus ones are from the early 1990s they could be even older than the 757s

Aer Lingus have a heap of A330's some quite recent some as you say going back to the early 1990ies, The average age of the Aerlingus A330's is 8.9 yrears. its just the look of the draw what ones you board.

danindublin

amen wrote: »

i think the last 757 was made in 1998 I know they are still making A330 but AerLingus ones are from the early 1990s they could be even older than the 757s

757 programme didnt end until 2005. The A330's are of varying age, some are only few weeks old and the first one were delivered in the early 90's. Its more the size of the 757 that makes it so unsuitable for transatlatic travel rather then the fittings, its basically a strected 737 shell. Most of the US carriers who use them on the Altantic routes are using planes that are ex transcontintental and therefore have very limited on-board facilities.

Fabio

I was thinking the 757 would be a fairly cramped plane for such a flight...

The A330 is bigger and is a widebody so it should be more comfortable to fly in I suppose. The lure of a BA 747 is huge but then that means going through Heathrow and really that's a big turn off hahah!

I've checked Air France and as good as they seem to be they're a bit expensive, especially when you factor in that I'd have to get to Shannon from Cork, then fly to Paris and....

As regards customer service lads, both on the flight and on the ground, what are Aer Lingus, BA and Delta like?

electric69

Ive traveled regularly from Ireland to America and i always use delta.Ive never had a delayed flight, never lost any baggage, never missed a connection, cabin service is always good, leg room is ample and best of all they are the cheapest!

Fabio

I'd say they've improved a lot since their bankruptcy scare alright...tempting to fly with them but the duifference is only €50 on july 4th and i could do without a stopover.

blah

I definitely prefer BA's 747 to EI's A330. Flew to and from Chicago on both last year, BA was more comfortable, seat back entertainment, plenty of food and drink. Didn't find Heathrow a problem. EI's plane was grubby, seat was uncomfortable, entertainment was overhead screens 2 rows ahead, alcohol was limited to "X free drinks per passenger".

Of course everything could have changed since.

Preset No.3

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Aer Lingus have a heap of A330's some quite recent some as you say going back to the early 1990ies, The average age of the Aerlingus A330's is 8.9 yrears. its just the look of the draw what ones you board.

http://www.jethros.dwsitech.com/fleets/fleet_listings/aer_lingus.htm

Have a look at the EI fleet. Its really a bit hit and miss what you get going across the pond?

Davidth88

Am I the only person who would feel that flying 500 miles east , to go 3000 west is a total waste of

Time
Fuel

?????

Also you go through INS at DUB/SNN , so stick with that.

As for the differences between A330/B747/B777 or whatever , ' down the back ' there is little difference you know its going to be
Cramped/uncomfortable. I have flown at various times across the Atlantic with BA/AF/LH/DL/US airways/CO/ World Airways ( when they existed ) /TWA/AC/United/Virgin, Ill be honest I could see little or no difference between them, although with US Airways the aircraft was really tatty and dirty. I agree with the people that a widebody ( ie 747/777/A330/A340 ) is preferable to a 757 ( as CO use ) .

As for safety and 2 engines , I used to feel like that back when the 767 first started , but how many have dropped into the Atlantic in 20 odd years ?

I agree with the people that say to avoid LHR like the plague, I hate the place. The only good thing about BA , they serve London Pride , or at least the last time I flew them ( about 2 years ago they did )

IRLConor

Davidth88 wrote: »

Am I the only person who would feel that flying 500 miles east , to go 3000 west is a total waste of

Time
Fuel

?????

Certainly Aer Lingus is the greener option.

Benefits of Aer Lingus:

• More direct, no stopover. This means less hours travelling.
• INS while you're still conscious.
• Less chance of your bags disappearing (both due to no connections and avoiding LHR).

Benefits of BA:

• Better odds on a nice plane.
• I find that the 747 feels bigger. It's not that much bigger (~80cm) but I find it makes a difference.
• London Pride.

Biro

The 747 is a good bit bigger than the 330. You notice it when on board. One thing I found with the 330 is that when up against the window, if you're trying to sleep, the "wall" is curved, so the pillow falls down between the significant gap between the seat and the wall. On the 747 the wall is more vertical, so the seat is up against it. Prop 2 pillows up there and you're sound!
I'd far rather the 747 to fly on, however on the scheme of things, I'd just go from Shannon with Aer Lingus, as I couldn't be arsed going to Heathrow first.
Not sure what Delta are like, was only on a Monarch 757 to Andorra. Can't go by that though, cause that was very cramped due to it being a short haul set-up. I think it's actually the exact same size as a 737 if you were to take a slice out of each of them.

Fabio

The reason I ask all of this is because I've never flown in anything bar some 737's,an A320 and an MD-90 (my favourite!).

Thanks for all the help lads it's been great. How about food and stuff? BA the best?

jahalpin

Fabio wrote: »

The reason I ask all of this is because I've never flown in anything bar some 737's,an A320 and an MD-90 (my favourite!).

Thanks for all the help lads it's been great. How about food and stuff? BA the best?

Virgin is probably the best transatlantic airline. The overall package is very good, with nice food, excellent entertainment systems and excellent staff. BA is a close second with nice food and good entertainment system, however the staff aren't as good as Virgin.

Compared to both Virgin and BA, Aer Lingus is like flying Ryanair, their food is crap, their "entertainment" system is prehistoric and their staff are pretty crap. I have flown with them once transatlantic to LAX and have vowed to never fly transatlantic with them again.

I have flown with Virgin to SFO 3 times (747-400), to JFK once (747-400) , BA to SFO twice (747-400), AF to SFO (747-400) once (had to return with Delta (777) as AF went on strike on the way back) and EI once (A330).

IRLConor

Fabio wrote: »

How about food and stuff? BA the best?

Very little of it is particularly noteworthy, although the EI Premier food was quite nice the one time I was up the front. I used to like the Aer Lingus cheese and ham panini (short haul food) before they changed it and put some sort of sauce in it (:eek:). I'm also a bit partial to the BA canneloni, it's actually not too bad.

IRLConor

jahalpin wrote: »

Virgin is probably the best transatlantic airline.

I've heard great things about Virgin alright. I've never managed to fly them though, since most trans-Atlantic flights I've made have been for work and they've always been out of budget (read: more expensive than BA/EI :rolleyes:).

sharkman

Just back from Boston and flew EI Premier , have to say it was VERY nice although the Aircraft are becoming a little dated . I was on an Aer Lingus Airbus A330-200 (332) , Overall the pampering was great .

FlutterinBantam

For the first 2 hours I'd say:cool:

Fabio

Virgin seem dead expensive alright....over five hundred pounds for some flight dates there!