Back in May, I had a boys trip planned to go hiking on Molokai, and then Mother Nature had other plans. An abnormally wet storm moved through and made it questionable whether we’d be able to do our remote hikes. We opted to postpone until September just to be safe, and Iʻm sure glad we did. Here, for example, was our unreal view at the end of the Pēpēʻōpae Bog Trail on Molokai, one we never would have had been able to reach in May.
Of course, you arenʻt here for hiking photos. Youʻre here for airplanes, and I have some stories to tell. Today, Iʻll start with the flight from LA to Honolulu on one of Unitedʻs oldest 777s.
There were three of us coming from the LA area, so we decided to meet in the middle of the region and fly from LAX. We focused on United and Delta as our two best choices, and the similarities were notable. Both were on ancient widebody aircraft at nearly identical times. You’d think Delta would have won the battle with a 2-3-2 across 767-300ER compared to the United 3-4-3 across 777-200, but there was one deciding factor… wifi.
Deltaʻs 767 wifi doesn’t work over the Pacific, at least not yet. United, however, has usually-somewhat-functioning wifi. One of the three of us was going to try to do some work on the airplane, so United it was. It was only $168.20 one way each in coach.
I was admittedly a little hesitant. I havenʻt flown Unitedʻs oldest batch of 777s in years. The last time I flew one of the “A” models, it had overhead screens and a sea of seats in a 2-5-2 configuration. I remember it being a pretty miserable experience then, and now there was an extra seat in each row. These are also the airplanes that had the Pratt & Whitney engine failure that kept the fleet grounded for some time. Thatʻs been resolved, but I had a vision of an uncomfortable and unreliable experience ahead. I was wrong.
To try to help make it better, we decided to sit way in the back. Nobody wanted to take the middle, so we waited until row 48 where the cabin narrows and it becomes 2-4-2. I grabbed my window, one friend was in the aisle, and the other was across the way.
I took a Lyft up to LAX, and it was a slog to get there during the morning rush. It was nearly an hour before we crawled to a stop in front of Terminal 7.
I walked in to the TSA Precheck line, and I was hoping to try out my fancy new mobile driver license that California just enabled. There were signs all over the airport for it, but when I got to the front, the agent just said “no.” I had to give her my ID and scan my boarding pass. Bummer.
I got to the crowded gate area that was thinning out as a next door Newark flight boarded. That’s where I found one friend. The other showed up a few minutes later, and then it was time to board right after he arrived.
United 1158
September 4, 2024
From Los Angeles
➤ Scheduled Departure: 835a
➤ Actual Departure: 828a
➤ From Gate: 76A
➤ Wheels Up: 840a
➤ From Runway: 25R
To Honolulu
➤ Wheels Down: 1047a
➤ On Runway: 8L
➤ Scheduled Arrival: 1116a
➤ Actual Arrival: 1052a
➤ At Gate: G6
Aircraft
➤ Type: Boeing 777-222
➤ Delivered: June 13, 1995
➤ Registered: N769UA, msn 26921
➤ Livery: 2019 Blue Globe Colors
Flight
➤ Cabin: Coach in Seat 48A
➤ Load: ~95% Full
➤ Flight Time: 5h19m
Once we got on, a flight attendant was waiting at the door with a moist towelette, something United has kept since the pandemic because it gives that extra interaction opportunity.
I had expected this airplane to look severely dated, but it wasn’t. Yes, it’s the old school front-back business cabin, but the coach cabin has nice and new-looking leather seats. Not bad for a nearly thirty-year-old 777.
It is a little weird to see the seatback with no screen, but it does have personal device holders in there. I was surprised to see a blanket on the seat waiting for me, though I didn’t need it. I always dress warm when I fly.
I took notice of the boarding music (Sophisticated Hula, I believe). It was the only thing Hawaiian about this entire flight. For an airline that used to really make it feel special to go to Hawaiʻi with unique uniforms, the Halfway to Hawaiʻi game, and more… this is pretty sad.
We pushed back a little early. I noticed on the ramp display it said this was a “priority flight,” so lucky us. We took off quickly and climbed to altitude where I logged on and watched The Fall Guy.
Since we were at the back, it was a very, very long wait for drinks, over an hour. They came through with food for purchase, but I passed. There were no mai tais, so I had a ginger ale and United’s version of the salty death mix.
I did flip on wifi, and it worked well. This wasn’t super high speed, but it did the trick for what I wanted. The power outlet worked as well, and since the row in front of us had 3 seats and we only had 2, we each had our own outlet.
I asked a flight attendant who walked by about all the Hawaiian trimmings. He said the mai tais have been gone from coach since COVID. He also said that the Halfway to Hawaiʻi game still sometimes happens if they provision it. They did not on our flight. It sounds like it’s rare now.
The flight attendants came through regularly with water and then did another service as we got closer to the islands. It wasn’t long before I could see the Big Island out the window. We descended in over the corner of Oʻahu and then circled around through a pretty gusty approach before touching down.
The taxi was quick, and we sat for about 3,000 hours until the other 47 rows in front of us got off. When we did get off, I was able to snap this shot showing how the 2 seats are positioned.
The flight passed really quickly, and it was a much better experience than I expected. I wouldn’t hesitate to fly this airplane again.
Once off the airplane, we went over to grab some food and wait for the other two who were coming in on Delta from LAX and Seattle. They were both about an hour behind us, so after grabbing food, went to the cultural gardens and then waited in the breeze.
Once the five of us had connected, it was time to get to the shack better known as Honolulu Terminal 3 for our flight on Mokulele. But that is a story for a future post.
