Well, I certainly HOPE they have them in Intl business class! We were actually talking about economy.

No problem. I was aware that BA did have them, but last time I flew on a LH 744, which was 4 years ago mind you, they didn’t have them. Therefore I wasn’t sure.

Wysiwyg, indeed LAX’s 4 runways are massive, well, 3 of the 4 at least. 25R and 24L are typically used for takeoffs, and they always go to the West over the Pacific, so there are no obstacles to clear. I, myself, have never seen or experienced takeoffs to the east at LAX. The longest flight out of LAX currently is QF’s LAX-MEL flight which is 7,900+ statute miles. SIN is too far to operate a non-stop flight (The A340-500 will supposedly alleviate this problem). SIA has stops in NRT and TPE on their 2 flights to LAX. UA has stops in NRT and HKG. Either way, those 7,000+ mile flights I’m sure are fully fueled, and if they only require 75% full thrust, then so be it. They do have a lot of runway to work with. Lastly, Kabir, when I flew Singapore from SYD-SIN, it was only a 7 hour flight, which means they probably only require about half the fuel needed for a 13 hour flight to LHR, per se. They still used up quite a bit of runway. Maybe it’s airline procedure to do so.

A 14 hour LAX-SYD flight on a fully loaded 744, I’m assuming would be pretty darn near full power on take off. The plane is pretty much shaking as it rotates. Still much smoother than the classic 747’s especially the -100’s, in particular the landings. On TWA’s 747’s in the early 80’s, it felt like we were bouncing around on the landing, untill all 18 wheels were on the ground. It’s not like that at all on the 744, or even a 743 for that matter. On a 777, you can’t even tell that you’ve landed, it’s so smooth.

Would they be completely swallowed up, or would they still retain their identity, name, color scheme, etc.?

They’re pretty strict in the U.S. and Australia. In the U.S., even on domestic flights, you have to show some form of I.D.(drivers’ license, passport, etc.) when you present your boarding pass at the gate.

744 I would imagine? Spending the entire time in Thailand?

I’ve never flown the Concorde. Had BA been part of Star and not Oneworld, then I would have used tons of mileage by now and gotten a round trip ticket. That’s the only way ‘normal’ people can fly that thing.

P.S. Off the subject, but, T5, your avatar rules! How can I get one of those? I know how to post them, but I want to know where I can get the link or the file in order to post.