UAL B744 Flights?

[brucek]

At last count, I read that UA had over 40 of these B744's. Looking at their flight schedule, there's not many of the flights once done with these aircraft that aren't now flown with their B777's. I occasionally see one climbing out of Denver on a domestic to the west coast (SFO). Does anyone know what UA are doing with their B744 fleet? That's a lot of $$ to have lying around if it's not earning revenue $$.

Thanks,

Bruce.

 

[d328pilot]

I know they run 2 a day from ORD to Tokyo....I jumpseated on one to and from Tokyo last month on the way to Thailand...

 

[Sierra-Hotel]

I read that some are parked in the desert pending their sale to other airlines!

 

[GuppyPuppy]

I believe we have a total of 44 -400's, 10 of which are parked in Victorville, CA right now. It looks like more will be headed to the desert after this week's announcement of replacing some 744 service with 777 aircraft.

It sure would be great if we could make up some of the lost revenue by converting some of those parked -400's into freighters and get back into the cargo market. But, what the heck do I know...I'm just a pilot (at least for the time being!).

Cheers!

GP

 

[~~~^~~~]

Aviation Week and Boyd have reported that the 747-400's are being parked as they come due for C and D checks. United apparently is too cash strapped to use their liquidity to keep them airworthy. What a shame.

From aviationplanning.com

--------------

Aircraft Lessors:

A lot of financial institutions will find their aircraft collateral sinking faster than McCain doing one-liners on Saturday Night Live. United is already parking 747-400s as they come up for D-checks. Maybe a dozen are in the desert already, or on their way. In this environment, it's not very likely that all of these out-of-time behemoths will be picked up by other airlines. United isn't likely to pony up the cash to get them into heavy maintenance, either. The result is that the next time the public sees some of these planes, it will be in a Budweiser display at their local supermarket. The point is that these aircraft are ending their careers years early and their projected residual values are dropping into the tank. Big hits for the financial institutions and lessors who are holding the paper on these machines. Some may be wounded lethally. Outcome: when the industry begins to recover, the cost of financing new aircraft will be much higher, if they can find anybody wanting to take the risk.

 

[Rvrrat]

47-400s

It seems a possibility that Polar &/or Evergreen may pick up a couple Q1 or Q2 of next year for a song & a dance for additional lift or -200 replacements since the lessors and capital companies would strike a deal mitigating some of the cost of heavy mx & conversion.

 

[ORDFO]

Rumor around UAL is that the freighter option was discussed, but nobody makes a conversion kit for the 400. They could be ordered from boeing as freighters, but there was no stc for a freighter conversion available as there is for the older 747's

 

[brucek]

B744 Freighter conversions..

I believe that the additional room in the "hump", being lost cargo space, makes the B744 pax version inefficient as a freighter conversion (The -F has the older short "hump").

Thanks for the great answers here. I shudder when I read about aircraft as recent as the 744 being out out to pasture in the desert. Airlines must really have an over-supply of aircraft (over-capacity).

After 9/11, I believe the the FAA banned pax aircraft carrying freight in the belly. Is that still the case now? If so, how does this freight get carried? If I recall, the additional belly space was a big sales pitch for large aircraft in better times.

Bruce.

 

[310]

how old are these birds-and typical hours- cost for mx-does UA still owe money on these and are they making pymts? Fill me in please.

 

[csmith]

Aviation Week and Boyd have reported that the 747-400's are being parked as they come due for C and D checks. United apparently is too cash strapped to use their liquidity to keep them airworthy. What a shame.

From aviationplanning.com

--------------

Aircraft Lessors:

A lot of financial institutions will find their aircraft collateral sinking faster than McCain doing one-liners on Saturday Night Live. United is already parking 747-400s as they come up for D-checks. Maybe a dozen are in the desert already, or on their way. In this environment, it's not very likely that all of these out-of-time behemoths will be picked up by other airlines. United isn't likely to pony up the cash to get them into heavy maintenance, either. The result is that the next time the public sees some of these planes, it will be in a Budweiser display at their local supermarket. The point is that these aircraft are ending their careers years early and their projected residual values are dropping into the tank. Big hits for the financial institutions and lessors who are holding the paper on these machines. Some may be wounded lethally. Outcome: when the industry begins to recover, the cost of financing new aircraft will be much higher, if they can find anybody wanting to take the risk.

...and for equal airtime, from the same article:


Regional Airlines. We can expect to hear the usual suspects in the media trumpet how "regional" airlines will continue to prosper, even with a United bankruptcy. Wrong. Carriers operating as United Express, such as Skywest and ACA are tethered to the future of United. If it goes into bankruptcy, its regional partners will see their revenues hammered as well. If, as a doomsday scenario, United can't get out of Chapter and goes completely down, it will deal a near-lethal blow to its regional partners as well. You cannot find homes quickly for 40 to 60 CRJs.

 

[~~~^~~~]

...You cannot find homes quickly for 40 to 60 CRJs.

True, Jets for Jobs has sort of backfired on ALPA. US Air can not get the financing to equip Mid Atlantic. However, the contract carriers are expanding.
Unfortunately, Delta could use the airplanes but does not want to operate them. That means more "diversity in the Delta Connection portfolio of carriers."
Over capacity hurts all of us.

 

[flyboy]

They also go to SYD and AUK as well as a couple of Asian markets (I think).

 

[GuppyPuppy]

Auckland is now a 777 out of LAX.

Cheers!

GP

 

[CesnaCaptn]

I flew into NRT in June. At about 3pm all the inbound and outbound flights are there at the same time. I counted at least 15 UA 747's.

 

[brucek]

Thanks for all the answers.

Thanks.

 

[Superfueler]

The remark was made that the long hump on the B744 makes them poor freighters. Atlas and Polar both operate 747-300's, which have the big hump. I'm sure it is some wasted space and weight, but if they can get those B744's for a good price, that is not going to be a factor.

 

[pb4ufly]

The latest: all but 12 of UAL's 44 B747-400s will be parked.

The remarkable performance of the company's 60 B777s is a contributing factor.