777.300 delayed 7 weeks waiting for new F/C seat mods

[FA Mikey]

“As you know, oftentimes there are delays with the introduction of a new fleet type as there are a multitude of elements that must align in order to deliver a state-of-the-art product for our customers,” she said.
“In this case, the entry into service date has shifted because of production issues being encountered by our First Class suite supplier. We are working closely with our supplier to ensure that our final product reflects the inflight experience that our customers expect from American Airlines,” she said.
The 777-300ERs are “a critical part of American’s fleet renewal efforts and we are aggressively working to incorporate these new aircraft into our fleet,” Huguely said.
As we wrote last week, American has ordered 14 of the large airplanes, with two to arrive in 2012, 10 in 2013 and two in 2014.

http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2012/10/new-american-airlines-airplane-will-be-delayed-seven-weeks.html/

 

[Overspeed]

Understand this aircraft is to be the first with a new livery. Flight test photos show a painted fuselage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-owRtLop08&feature=player_embedded

 

[FWAAA]

From the article: As we wrote last week, American has ordered 14 of the large airplanes, with two to arrive in 2012, 10 in 2013 and two in 2014.

Minor correction to the Dallas News: According to the 10-Q filed recently, AA is scheduled to get 2 77Ws in 2012, 8 of them in 2013 (not 10) and 4 more in 2014.

The delay for the new Flagship Suites is unfortunate, but sometimes suppliers make promises that they can't meet (like Boeing and the 787).

I do hope that the new interiors aren't the various shades of browns and grays shown in the computer renderings. My guess is that the browns and grays are purposeful misinformation so that we'll be happier when the actual colors are revealed.

 

[eolesen]

Almost reminds me of JAL's color scheme in F...

 

[737823]

Almost reminds me of JAL's color scheme in F...

The new JL F and J seat coming out early next year look great. It's crazy stepping on the JL 787 and seeing the angled flat seat on an otherwise modern state of the art aircraft.

Josh

 

[Frank Szabo]

Are they having trouble tightening the seats?

 

[FWAAA]

Are they having trouble tightening the seats?

Last I heard, Contour Aerospace (formerly Rumbold) is having trouble making the seats work properly. Contour was sold to a French conglomerate late last year, Zodiac Aerospace. So blame the French owners.

 

[Mach85ER]

So blame the French owners.

So blame the French?

BS FWAAA.

Where was the AA oversight? Did this company have the capability in the first place? Are these seats completely new? Was this some low-ball, lowest bidder that was picked? Whatever the problem was, it should have been caught long before AA started having press conferences and selling seats.

IMHO, AA management look the the complete fools in this case. It sounds like the only oversight was done by email which pretty much fits every thing else they've done in the last decade. It's even worse than the last major seat purchase when they picked those uncomfortable FC seats in the 767 years ago, and ranks close to the fine oversight of work causing the recent seat debacle.

 

[FWAAA]

So blame the French?

BS FWAAA.

Where was the AA oversight? Did this company have the capability in the first place? Are these seats completely new? Was this some low-ball, lowest bidder that was picked? Whatever the problem was, it should have been caught long before AA started having press conferences and selling seats.

I'm sorry, Mach. I was joking about blaming the French. These seats are an updated design of the current 777 Flagship Suites and are being built by the same company, so you'd expect that they wouldn't require all that much hand-holding, having built and delivered 752 of the current First Suites for the 47 existing 777s over the past 12 years.

IMO, the real mistake (attributable to management) was in changing a proven design when AA is going to buy (at this point) a mere 112 of them (just eight Flagship Suites for 14 77Ws). Changing the design seems like a waste when development costs are going to be spread over just 112 copies.

IMHO, AA management look the the complete fools in this case. It sounds like the only oversight was done by email which pretty much fits every thing else they've done in the last decade. It's even worse than the last major seat purchase when they picked those uncomfortable FC seats in the 767 years ago, and ranks close to the fine oversight of work causing the recent seat debacle.

You may be right - I don't know.

Which 767 FC seats were uncomfortable? I liked the old recliners with the sheepskin and I liked the flat bed "coffins" that replaced them on the 763s (which are now installed on the 762s minus the hard-shell surrounds). I thought they were comfortable.

 

[777 / 767 / 757 Love]

I think it's a HUGE mistake to turn its 777-200s into two class service. As a EP that uses SWUs to go from business to first while purchasing 1st other times, dumping 1st on routes like ORD-PVG will cause me to leave AA for the foreign airlines. How they put 110-seat, 3-class configurations on transcons in line with their plan of being the ultimate US based service airline and then go way of delta and united with shitty 2-class service to Asia blows my mind.

Cheers,
777 / 767 / 757

 

[AA-MRO.COM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=J1OqqQ8hBXk&vq=medium

NICE F/C

 

[xmarlin]

From what I hear the seat is too wide to get through the door in its final configuration...They have to put it together after it is on board.

Millions in lost revenue due to the oversight but no-one will be held accountable as usual.