I travel a lot and have ridden many an airliner, so I thought I’d pose the question: What’s your favorite jet airliner?
My two favorites are the 747-400 and 777.
727, though I have realized that the 757 isn’t bad either. As long as it isn’t an Airbus, it’s fine by me.
For looks and class you can’t beat the DH Comet. For longevity and pure beauty, the 707.
I didn’t realize that the DH Comet IV was in service with world airlines until the 70s.
The Comet was the first jet airliner in the late fifties. It beat the 707 by a coupla months.
Well - that’s a tough one…
I always loved the ultimate in propellor driven airliners - the Super Constellation - simply beautiful lines and regrettably elbowed aside by the jet age.
The 707 is a fantastic shape - John Travolta recently came here to Australia with his restored (former Qantas owned and operated) Qantas liveried 707 - fantastic.
The 747 has to be the ultimate in the longevity stakes…I don’t think you’ll find any type that’s flown more revenue passenger miles than the Boeing 747, in all it’s incarnations.
Then there’s the Comet, the Concorde, the 777, any ome of 10 flying boats…
Holy moly - just try to pick one…not easy to do.
Tough one, I haven’t done a whole lot of air traveling, but here’s some thoughts:
Boeing 737:
The word “beauty” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when I see one of those stubby critters fly overhead, but they do have a certain charm all their own. They have a comical cuteness I guess. 
BAe 146:
I rode in one once and it was such a nice smooth and QUIET ride that it instantly became a favorite of mine. It also has very nice lines.
Tupolev 154:
I had never seen one before I came here to the Czech Rebublic and there are still a few flying around the former Socialist skies, they have quite graceful lines when they fly over (much like a 727) and when they sit there on the ground and you see that distinctive anhedral wing angle that is almost unheard of in a jet liner, there is a certain grace to the old beast that is very hard to describe (of course you have to look past the chipped paint and grime to see that grace).
Vickers VC10.
Still flying with the RAF , nothing comes close - except Concorde.
Modern aircraft all look the same - with the exception of the A380.
Oh and by the way - AIRBUS RULE !
747 no contest.
That’s a tough one, not least because I suspect I’m no different from most of us, because I feel as though we model the aviation equivalent of Ferrari’s, and that’s like asking us what’s our favorite make of city bus.
But for purely asthetic reasons, I like the 707, and the Concord goes without saying and almost doesn’t fit in this category since it is so one-of-a-kind. How about the Caravelle? There was never anything that looked quite like it before or since, with that elegant curving tail. To me, the Comet, pioneer that it was, was very much caught between the past and the future in its design. Look at the modern wing and the ancient tail sticking up like an afterthought.
Hmmm. This question is more interesting than I first thought…
Hats off to you Dragon.
TOM
Gotta agree with Upnorth on the 737, with the exception of the new 737-700s. It’s a far cry from the early ones, and actually a pretty good-looking plane.
The old Fokker F-28 is a good’n, too.
Hands down the 707 with the DC 8 not far behind.
I’ve got to say the 737-700 with winglets. Followed very closely by the triple-7.
I’ve always liked the 707. It was the first type I ever flew on (in). It was 1961 and my dad was being transferred to RAF Upper Heyford, England. We flew TWA from Idlewild to Heathrow. There was an inflight movie and real silver dinnerware (in coach!). I was six years old and, up to that point, it was the high point of my life.
When it comes to pure aesthetics, my vote goes to the DC-8. It just seems to have a perfect balance to it, much more graceful than a 707.
I would have voted for the Concorde, but as sharkskin said, it’s in a class by itself.
B6dan - I’m with ya. Airbus suck!!!
The first plane I ever flew on was a 707 from Cleveland, OH to Dallas, TX on my way to Air Force basic training way back in 1970. So, I guess this jet more than any other holds a certain place for me. Also, I’ve flown on 747s across the big ponds and I’m still impressed by their size and sheer graceful lines.
Haven’t done much air travelling, but so far I’ve experienced Airbus A320 (operated by Adria Airways, main Slovenian carrier, I’ve flown in it a couple of times) and also A340 and 747 (both Lufthansa).
The latter two were horrible - cramped cabins in economy class, with my knees pressed into the seat in the front of me (and I’m not a very tall person, just avergage I guess). 747 was slightly more roomy than A340, but not by much. 6-7 hours transatlantic flight was therefore not a pleasant experience. (I remember promising to myself I would never again fly such long distance unless I can afford a business class ticket… [8D] )
Adria’s A320 on the other hand offers enough legroom even in economy class. And since intra-EU flights usually only last 1-2 hours, I enjoyed flying in 320 very much .
Alot of people are mentioning the 707, this was the first plane I ever flew on, Air Mauritius back in the 70’s, I remember the nose was painted black and I thought it was the most mean yet stylish thing I have ever seen. Twenty five or so years later I still think the same. The 747 and 757 also rule the skies!! oh yeah I live really close to Darwin airport so I get to see heaps of airliners take off. I’ll never get bored of watching the planes go, simply awesome!!![^]
The airlines control the amount of legroom. Some (like Northwest) will cram so many rows of seats on an aircraft as to make a trans-Pacific flight an absolute ordeal of prolonged torture. Then, on the other hand, another carrier (Continental) can make it a very pleasurable experience with the same model of aircraft. Don’t blame the aircraft, blame the carrier.
I had a similar experience during the nine hour transatlantic hop I took in economy class in an MD-11 belonging to KLM. I can’t fault KLM on service, it is top notch, but my knees didn’t feel right for a week after that flight.
Oddly, the two shorter hops I made on 737s on either side of the MD-11 flight, were not what I would have expected. The first one was on a day glow pink painted 737-200 of Air Canad’s low cost carrier. Zip Air. (Oh God! I said to myself as I boarded her, this is gonna be a trip from Hell!) It was actually quite nice and despite the fact I was in economy class, I had room to stretch my legs. On the other side of the MD-11 was another KLM bird (a 737-300 or 400) with not much more leg room than the MD-11 in its economy class. Strange, I thought things were supposed to improve with newer versions.[:p]