Montage of Varig* 747 over Rio de Janeiro (two beauties together)

You can choose to view this on the web, instead of on Instagram.  

Source: Instagram https://share.google/YNvIbP0GVmzx2xWa6

* previously the national flag carrier of Brazil 

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They made it up to the -400 and it sure would have been great to have flown on it from Brazil to either Milan or Rome as this ad indicates ...

Its a beautiful picture.  A general and random thought it may be, but the picture itself should be immortalised in here.

Thanks for sharing it with us.  @trinacriabob 

4 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Good morning ...

... I think I'm dreaming ...

That it's (still) so incredible, that I'd like to be on one, and that I'd like to be somewhere warm and/or beautiful.

While probably meant for the Airplanes thread, I thought I'd make it a general share

 

 

Concord and the Airbus are now the two biggest pollution planes of the 20th and 21st century. Amazing what they can do, but also the destruction to the planet.

When I need something to lift me up a little

I watch this.

 

More of a random thought:

I strongly dislike 3-3-3 seating in economy, which is what I can afford.

I therefore avoid flying on either the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or the Airbus 350 if I have other options or need to connect one more time..  

I will happily opt for a flight on an older Boeing 767 (2-3-2) or Airbus 330 (2-4-2).

3 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

More of a random thought:

I strongly dislike 3-3-3 seating in economy, which is what I can afford.

I therefore avoid flying on either the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or the Airbus 350 if I have other options or need to connect one more time..  

I will happily opt for a flight on an older Boeing 767 (2-3-2) or Airbus 330 (2-4-2).

Why do you not like 3-3-3?

What is your preferred seat?

8 minutes ago, G. David Felt said:

Why do you not like 3-3-3?

What is your preferred seat?

A window, toward the back, so I'm way behind the wing and close to a bathroom.  If the plane is full on a 3-3-3, I have to ask two people to move, which is even worse when someone has fallen asleep.  On an older A330, only one person has to move.  I had this happen on an almost 9 hour flight from Helsinki to Seattle and I didn't like it, and neither did the 2 people who had to move.  

My hat is off to Japan Air Lines for possibly being the only carrier, who configured their B787 on normal routes as 2-4-2, for which they lose one seat per row in revenue, but add a good deal more comfort for the passenger in economy.

50 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

A window, toward the back, so I'm way behind the wing and close to a bathroom.  If the plane is full on a 3-3-3, I have to ask two people to move, which is even worse when someone has fallen asleep.  On an older A330, only one person has to move.  I had this happen on an almost 9 hour flight from Helsinki to Seattle and I didn't like it, and neither did the 2 people who had to move.  

My hat is off to Japan Air Lines for possibly being the only carrier, who configured their B787 on normal routes as 2-4-2, for which they lose one seat per row in revenue, but add a good deal more comfort for the passenger in economy.

I am a aisle seat person. Never mind getting up for others, but with broad shoulders, that seat gives me the most room and comfort.

16 hours ago, G. David Felt said:

I am a aisle seat person. Never mind getting up for others, but with broad shoulders, that seat gives me the most room and comfort.

I'm all about the window.  I have my (phone) camera out.  I'll only go with the aisle if the flight is short, is over the Flyover Zone, or if it's scenery I've seen and photographed before.

29 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I'm all about the window.  I have my (phone) camera out.  I'll only go with the aisle if the flight is short, is over the Flyover Zone, or if it's scenery I've seen and photographed before.

I'm a window guy also. I like having the wall to lean against and doze. 

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

I'm a window guy also. I like having the wall to lean against and doze. 

That part is nice, too.

ITA does not have a 747.  This is just a mock up if they did.  That's a good looking bird.  Alitalia had eight 747s and pulled them shortly after 9/11 because of the drop in air traffic and to cut costs.

ITA uses the newer A350 and the updated A330-900neo for long haul flights.

I have only flown on them domestically and was real excited to learn that they have added a seasonal Rome to Houston nonstop.  This is all because they have joined Star Alliance as a function of being picked up by Lufthansa.  

Wow, Airbus has surpassed Boeing for the longest flight plane, over 11,000miles range or 10k nautical miles.

Can anyone imagine being in coach for 22hrs.

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/ultra-long-range-airbus/

On 6/4/2026 at 5:43 AM, G. David Felt said:

Can anyone imagine being in coach for 22hrs.

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/ultra-long-range-airbus/

Both the A350 and the B787 are 3-3-3 in economy, which would be a nightmare for 22 hours.

I can't even stand the 11 or 12 hour flights from Europe to the West Coast of the U.S. I would deliberately pick an itinerary with a change of planes on the East Coast or in Toronto to make the transoceanic flight last 8 hours.

Long flights are even bad for peoples' health and circulation. They've messed up some forty year-olds who might have been a little bit out of shape and didn't do leg exercises or walk around the cabin.

Southeast Asia and Australia, which is where these flights go, don't even interest me, so I won't be aboard such a flight.