Shortest 744 sector?
 

Having just flown (as SLF) the 550 mile sector from Singapore to Jakarta, I was wondering what the shortest commercial sector is for a 744?

BA used to oprate Adelaide - Melbourne - Singapore.

It used to irritate passengers passing over Adelaide a couple of hours after leaving (Adelaide ) in the way northbound to Singapore from Melbourne!

If I recall the aircraft could not do MEL - ADL - SIN because the runway wasn't long enough at ADL for the aircraft if it was heavy.

!n 1990 we also used to operate Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur.

A couple of others that used to be operated were Philadelphia - Pittsburgh, Montreal - Detroit, Toronto - Detroit, Johannesburg - Gaberone, Johannesburg - Durban. As for the shortest I am not sure.

For the crew these short sectors were quite fun because your roster might be LHR - PHL nightstop, PHL - PIT - PHL nightstop, PHL - LHR. All two crew with 4 landings in as many days.

At that time the fleet average was around 2 landings per month and although the money was poor the flying was a welcome change.

My shortest 747 sector was MAN-AMS (304 miles). The daily CX flight to HKG used to stop there. It wasn't just a pick-up point - you could actually travel just to AMS (and some did) so this should count. I'm sure there must be shorter trips though - particularly on journeys such as this with a 'stopover'.

This flight no longer operates but there is a twice weekly MAN-CDG with SQ which is only 373 miles - again an en-route stopover only though.

BA also used to have a flight LHR-MAN-Islamabad, but you couldn't get off at MAN so this 153 mile trip doesn't count.

Having said that, the shortest is probably one of the Japaneese domestic flights. Osaka (either Kansai or Itani) both offer 747 flights to Tokyo Handea and both seem to be 278 miles. There are 747 flights KIX/ITM to NRT too but that is longer.
Any shorter?

Kai Tak - Chek Lap Kok approx 11nm

Hong Kong circa mid '98, new airport opening; - obviously non-commercial sector though.

Well you could say Cardiff-Swansea (or even Cardiff-St Athan!) but I'm not aware of any 747's currently doing the route.

Perhaps BA's new SYD-SYD service is the shortest ;)

I was just surprised that a Jumbo was used for such a short route. The FA's told me that the flights are invariably full. Must be a very profitable route for SQ.

Didn't a load of football fans charter one of the EAL 747s to go from Bournemouth to Cardiff for the cup final?

Shortest 747 sector
 

Olympic Airways used to fly at peak times Easter and Christmas Greek domestic roustes on 747 out of LGAT the old Athens Airport.

I have never flown on one but the doors closed to doors open should not exceed 50 min.

OAL has now switched to A340

Rwy

Well, I did the CPT-JNB route quite often in a 744. I can assure you that it`s not a short sector. We would go up to 43000 ft and the flight would be about 2 hours or more.

We used to operate Montevideo-Buenos Aires. That`s a short one, just acroos the river. In a 744.

BA used 747 for LHR - GLA and EDI at xmas 2000 when there were all the troubles on the trains. Also used a 767 for LHR-NCL

Shortest I have operated are: SIN-KUL and AMS-LHR.

Approx. chock to chock Cape Town/ J'burg in a -400 is 1hr. 50mins.

AUH-DXB and going the other way, too... ca. 15 Minutes

Did it in the A340: 2000ft ALT, 300KIAS along the coast, past Burj Al Arab, smooth bank to the right, visual over the lights of Dubai, land on the inner RWY, aaaaahhhhh (all at 0200LT, though)

Football Flights
 

Although not a scheduled flight, we did have a BA 400 operate STN-MAN last year full of football fans.

On the South African routes ...
CPT to JNB is regularly done by -400 in peak season, often they go on to other destinations, as was mentioned. The photographs from aisleman show on the ground at CPT, then the climb out with False Bay and part of the wine growing region of Stellenbosch.

The wing he shows in his ground picture is not a -400. Could well be a -300 as I do not think that SA have any -200s left but I sit to be corrected.

Last year I did George (GRJ) to JNB, on a -300. I was very surprised but the crew said that in peak holiday season (it was mid December) they often run the -300 in the middle of the day for the pax volumes down to the coast and get back to JNB in time for a turnaround on a long haul overnight.

CPT to JNB is approx. 1,000 land miles, 1,600Kms. George in the Cape, on the Indian Ocean coast is about 200 miles less.

As to other contenders ... I am not sure what a/c operates this particular sector now. When I visited Jamaica in June 1989 on a -200 from LGW, we got off at Montego Bay (MBJ).

On the return flight, I discovered that it was a 'circular' route as we hopped over the mountains to Kingston (KIN) before starting North. The Cpt apologised for the extra noise but said that, due to the high summer temperatures, he had to leave the gear down for brake cooling all the way to KIN.

From wheels to wheels, the sector was about 25 minutes, in Mileage terms that can't be much!!

air nz operate christchurch to auckland, distance roughly of 700kms, flight time of around 1hr

I seem to recall BA Gatwick-Manchester and then on to Tampa(maybe Orlando?) in the early 90's.
Probably wasn't a 744 though..

Phuket Bangkok 1h 25m, the only time I've sat in row 1.

Day use of 747 & 777 on high density routes.

Several years ago, BA/B-Cal code shared with Sabena and used to have a route that went from Brussels-Gatwick-New York.

Now that you mention Sabena: I believe they used to operate FIH-BZV which is basically a short hop over the Congo river. And that was a commercial flight. Doesn't get much shorter than that!

BA I believe up until recently ran a -400 from San Diego to Phoenix before hopping the pond. While not revenue, UA repo's 400s from its Oakland mx base to San Francisco, can pretty much see the other airport while taxiing