One of the newest carriers at LAX is Etihad, from the United Arab Emirates. The nonstop to/from Abu Dhabi is around fifteen hours in a B777-200LR. The aircraft in the opening shot has markings commemorating the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Last year and again this year, Abu Dhabi is the site of the final race in the Formula One racing season. Meanwhile, a lot closer to home, actor Vin Diesel was on hand a week ago for the arrival of another Etihad aircraft to promote the latest in the Fast & Furious movie franchise, which opens here in Los Angeles on April first:
7291 nm
ReplyDeletereally strange to see a proliferation of long-range flights to Gulf airports, while other long-range flights to Asia are cut. How long did the non-stop to Bangkok last.
Granted, LAX-SIN was 7621 nm, but is 330 nm such a major difference?
Now, what is that statue or effigy on picture Pet1400232.JPG
(right above the tail of the aircraft )
On Google Maps, it looks like it is standing besides a kind of concrete lined water hole or reservoir.
It looks like it is cursing the airport, you need to counter the bad ju-ju!
--Filip
The long-hauls to Bangkok and Singapore disappeared within a year of each other. Both of those flights needed a peculiar variant of the Airbus A340, and reportedly lost money every time they took off. I don't know whether that is true, but considering how much fuel had to be carried, it's likely that they couldn't fill all the seats on the planes even if they wanted to. We still have service to both of those cities, just not direct: Singapore's A380 stops in Tokyo, while Thai's B777 stops in Seoul.
ReplyDeleteI had not previously noticed the statue; it bears further investigation . . .