Returning across the Atlantic from the sunny south of Spain aboard one of United’s Pencils. This time, we’re going to be in business instead of premium economy.
Server: Solo
Airline: United Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 757-200 (Evo Blue)
Origin: Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, Málaga, Spain (AGP)
Destination: Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey (EWR)
Flight Number: UA351
Route: LEMG-KEWR
Seat: 3A (Business)
Time En Route: 8 Hours 17 Minutes
Boarding at Gate B27 at AGP. Málaga Airport is the gateway to the nearby Costa del Sol region, an aptly-named, increasingly popular tourist destination. As of now, United is the only U.S. airline serving AGP, which it does during the summer months from its fortress hub at Newark.
Taxiing to the runway for takeoff. We’re seated in the business class of one of United’s 40x 2-class, 176-seat (16J/42Y+/118Y) 757-200s, all ex-Continental Airlines birds, powered by the Rolls-Royce RB.211. The last of United’s original, Pratt and Whitney PW2000-powered 757-200s was retired in 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic. While our seat is one of United’s Polaris seats, they are arranged in a unique 2-2 layout, which is an odd sight for one used to their layout on widebodies.
Flaps beginning to lower as we wait for traffic to exit the runway
A near-maximum thrust takeoff due to the temperature, coupled with the fantastic acceleration from the RB.211-535E4Bs, means that we retract them almost immediately after takeoff. Seems like the flight crew thought we’d need more runway than we actually did!
The RRs are still buzzsawing beautifully as we climb over the two small sierras near the Guadalhorce Valley
Cruising over the Atlantic at 32,000 feet. Service so far has been excellent, and you’d never suspect the actual age of this aircraft. The United 757s will be missed, for sure.
Beginning our initial descent near Hartford, Connecticut
Gusty landing in Newark today! Word from the flight deck is that the FedEx 757-200F ahead of us just about touched down sideways due to a strong crosswind right as they flared for landing.
Taxiing to our gate. Considering the size of United’s operation here, it’s understandable why they’d be across the river where real estate, i.e. slots, is much cheaper.
Parked at Gate B52 at EWR. Still strange to couple “narrowbody” and “comfortable transatlantic flight”, but everything crossing the Pond prior to the 747 was a narrowbody, and the 757 kept it profitable, keeping airports that couldn’t accommodate large numbers of 747s, DC-10s, L1011s, A300s and A310s, and 767s, if they could comfortably accommodate such aircraft at all, competitive in the medium to long-haul market.