As my son and I were plane spotting in the Tom Bradley Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, I noticed a very odd 777 pulling up to the gate.
Take a look at the pictures below. It is clearly an ex-Singapore Airlines 777-200 with the iconic SQ cheatline remaining, but the tail logo and name “Singapore Airlines” crudely scrubbed.
As I watched it pull up, my first thought was that this was a charter.
Continuing my “sleuthing”, I sat and waited for the plane to deboard. In the Tom Bradley International Terminal, international arriving passengers deplane the aircraft to a glass-enclosed upper level which leads to the immigration facilities.
Sure enough, passengers began to disembark. It was a diverse group and I still had no idea where they were coming from.
I continued to wait.
Finally, a cadre of uniformed Air New Zealand crewmembers stepped off.
Heh?
I did some research. A New Zealand travel blog reported last May that Air New Zealand had leased a 777-200 from Singapore Airlines under registration ZK-OKI.
Sure enough, this aircraft bore the same registration.
The plan was to use this aircraft on the Honolulu to Auckland route, though…not LAX.
The aircraft is fitted with 26 business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration and 245 economy class seats in a 3-3-3 configuration.
This includes Singapore standard longhaul business class seats, not the regional configuration I flew from Sydney to Singapore. Depending on your perspective, that may represent an upgrade to the herringbone seats found on Air New Zealand’s own 777-300s.
Looking up the flight on Flightradar24, it appears Air New Zealand is now using this aircraft on its once-weekly flight from Los Angeles to Raratonga.
Mystery solved…
Many years ago, NZ used their older 747s on the Island hopper route through Rarotonga, Hawaii, and Fiji. I was inadvertently booked on one back in the late 80s and it made for a VERY long trip, especially since we’d originated in Adelaide. Thankfully, our final destination that trip was Hawaii.
Air New Zealand also has a leased 77W from BR that makes an appearance at LAX quite often due to the 787 engine issue. ZK-OKT is still painted in full BR livery and apparently the BR interior. It throws me for a loop every time I see it.
Last November-December, Scoot wetleased an SQ 777 to replace the 787s in for engine replacement. The old long haul business class seats were at the front, as were SQ staff, though service was a Scoot one meal. The staff were excellent, though the old SQ J class seats are one of my least favourite.
That must be a really old plane because don’t have PE and stop 3-3-3 configuration in economy…
Crossing my fingers it stays on the Cook Islands flight through October. Hate the herringbone option
Thanks , good to know
Saw the same one in Auckland airport on 22nd Dec last year, was thrown off as I only saw the tail color in the beginning. Did some research and found out it was being leased by Air NZ.