After a bunch of work travel last year that had me flying 737 after 737, I began to look forward to the few trips where I got to change things up a bit. Most notably, our return from Paris on Airbus’ biggest bird (SEE: Air France A380 Economy Review: Paris to San Francisco), followed by my first time in a true premium economy product aboard a Cathay Pacific 777-300ER (SEE: Cathay Pacific 777 Premium Economy Review: Beijing to Hong Kong). Both were very nice experiences.
Since then, I’ve been back to flying mostly regional jets and 737s again (I do have to admit that a Bombardier Q400 recently was a nice change-up). This has left me thinking about the aircraft I’m looking forward to flying, whenever I finally get around to it. Here are three that I have yet to fly, but am looking forward to flying.
Airbus A350-900
This is one aircraft I would love to fly in the near future. As Airbus’ most advanced jet, it is the primary competitor to the Boeing 787 variants. The Airbus A350-900XWB (extra wide body) is flown by a number of top airlines, including Qatar, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, and Singapore.
However, I’m hoping my first time will be on one of Delta’s new flagship A350s. Doesn’t really matter to me if it is in DeltaOne Suites or Premium Select, I’d be glad to try either product. Not really a fan of flying coach for my first time on this new bird, unless I get a screaming good deal. We’ll see when and how a flight on an A350 happens.
Airbus A220
Originally the Bombardier CSeries regional jet, the rechristened Airbus A220 is the small jet I am most interested in flying, primarily because it is so new. The Embraer E175 happens to be my favorite non-wide-body jet, but I do wonder if the new regional aircraft will turn out to be a step up. In general, I am not a fan of small planes, but the Embraer is an enjoyable enough experience that I even prefer it over either the 737 series or A319/320/321 aircraft.
The only thing I could do without are United’s slimline seats. I’m not sure what Delta has installed on the A220, but it has to be better. Instead of Delta, it might be cool to fly the A220 on AirBaltic, which is committed to using only this aircraft in their fleet long-term, which I find to be a unique and interesting strategy.
Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental
I’ve flown a few Boeing 747-400s, but I have yet to set foot on one the newest version of the Queen. I’ve no travel lined up on one, either, but I’m hopeful that I will be able to plan a trip in the next year or so that will have me flying on the 747-8. There are only a small number of carriers that fly the model, including
My wish list is to fly on the upper deck of in Lufthansa business class with either one of my kids or my wife. The seats aren’t the best for single travelers, but they are good for traveling with a +1, from everything I’ve seen and read. If it turns out to be a solo trip, I’d most likely turn to Korean Air business class on the upper deck. Of course, first class on any any of the three big carriers that use the plane, Lufthansa, Korean Air, and Air China, would also be just lovely.
Conclusion
So there you have my short list. I’ve yet to spend much time on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, only flying it once between San Francisco and Houston. But I know that I will have plenty of opportunity in the future, as so many carriers are picking up Boeing’s most advanced wide-body jet.
What about you? What aircraft are you most interested in flying? And does it need to be on a particular carrier?
Qatar A350 image courtesy of Kiefer via Flickr under CC BY 2.0 license. Air Baltic A220 image courtesy of Jevgenijs Slihto via Flickr under CC BY 2.0 license. Boeing 747-8 image courtesy of via Flickr under CC BY 2.0 license.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Upstairs on a 747 is one of my favorite experiences in life. My wife and I flew upstairs on Lufthansa in November. It was her first time on a 747 and she loved it.
We gotta do it. I’d love to take my wife on a Lufthansa 747 flight. Not sure when that’ll happen.
What about the 737 Max?
Uh…how about no.
The 747 is the one plane I’ve never flown on. I’m currently in Phoenix where there is one 747-400 left: BA from LHR right overhead everyday at sundown. Fun to watch.
No chance of my flying Air China or KAL with the loss of UR point transfers, but I expect Lufthansa will be flying them for many, many years to come.
It’s a bummer the fees are so high on British Airways for award bookings. I’d look for the upper deck of a Lufthansa 747 after a quick connection to another close airport like Denver or LAX!
I’m flying a 747 on Thai Airways from Bail to Bangkok this fall. Upstairs. And the A350-900 on Singapore Airlines this summer. Cannot wait!
Both sound awesome!!
From 2000 I flew BA upper deck LHR-YVR every summer and loved the experience. I recently flew QA YVR-SYD and the hard product was ok except for the entertainment system. Soft product was crap. 747 Upper Deck is still my favourite way to fly.
Have flown 787 YVR-YYZ which is only 4 hours but it is a lovely bird.
Will be flying a great deal of 787-8 this fall intra China and then SZX-YVR.
But I am looking forward to my SEA-HKG flight Sept 10 on the new CX A350.
All our flights are in J so should almost be indistinguishable. A few years back we flew the LH 747-8 but in Y from Atlanta (?) to FRA and it was miserable. But NOT AS MISERABLE as an EK flight in J on the 380 DXB-DFW. 16 hours of torture.
I also must fly the C300 100 and 300 series soon. The diamond in the rough.