United Air Lines  Boeing 777-222ER  N785UA    (c/n  26954)

                                    

                                        First introduced in 1995, the Boeing 777 has become the standard long range airliner for the UAL
                                        system.  Over 50 of these majestic aircraft are now in operation.   Those used on overseas routes
                                        are the ER (Extended Range) version, as typified by this nice shot above taken by Antony J. Best
                                        at London's Gatwick Airport when the machine had been diverted from London Heathrow.  It is
                                        seen departing LGW to stage back to LHR.  I wonder if the captain even bothered to raise the
                                        undercarriage? 
                                        In 1997 half a dozen airlines got together to form the Star Alliance. There are now some 18 airlines
                                        in the "club" which was started, in the main, by United, Air Canada, SAS, Thai Airways and Varig.
                                        Its main objective was to foster coordinated flight schedules permitting almost seamless travel between
                                        the carriers within the Alliance, on a single ticket.  Commencing in about 2004, United had several of
                                        its aircraft repainted to reflect its association.  Seen below in an image by Xiao Min is a 777-222ER
                                        in full Star Alliance livery at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai in September of 2005.  The
                                        square tail cabin exhaust vent is clearly visible in this evocative image.      
                                        Finally, the shot at the bottom of the page is by Bill Larkins and was taken at SFO in late 2013, when
                                        the 777s had been repainted in the combined United/Continental scheme.
                    
                                     Boeing 777-222ER  N218UA      (c/n  30222)

                                  

                              
                                      Boeing 777-222ER  N204UA      (c/n  28713)