Flying to the Big Island on one of United’s domestic giants, a 364-seat 777-222. These aircraft are currently deployed on high-demand domestic routes, especially from the West Coast to Hawaii. In the coming years, they will be replaced with Boeing 787 Dreamliners as United undergoes an extensive fleet modernization and replenishment program.
Server: Solo
Airline: United Airlines
Aircraft: Boeing 777-222
Origin: San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California (SFO)
Destination: Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole, Kalaoa, Hawaii (KOA)
Flight Number: UA1721
Route: KSFO-PHKO
Seat: 36A (Economy)
Time En Route: 5 Hours 7 Minutes
Boarding at Gate F22. United’s high-density, non-ER 777-222s are a common sight at San Francisco, being flown to DEN, ORD, IAH, IAD, HNL, EWR, OGG, and today’s destination, KOA.
Getting seated in economy
Taxiing out for a westbound departure on Runway 28R
Steep takeoff from San Francisco
Hawaii, here we come!
Flying west over the Pacific at 38,000 feet
Final descent into the Big Island of Hawaii
Landing in Kona. The airport was renamed for astronaut and Kelakekua native Ellison Onizuka, who was tragically killed in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Parked at Gate 2. United’s Triple 7s aren’t the only ones to visit Kona, with American using the type between here and Dallas.
Our aircraft viewed from the parking lot