British Airways signalled its intention to service Bermuda better with the arrival this week of its inaugural "Triple Seven'' flight from London's Gatwick.

Emblazoned with US artist Jenifer Kobylarz's work on the tail, "Waves of the City'' arrived at Gate Six of the Bermuda International Airport beneath a fine spray of water from two of the airport fire station's lime green fire engines.

The sight was enough to bring rush hour traffic on Kindley Field Road to a screeching halt as curious drivers stopped to have a look at the plane.

The state-of-the-art aircraft landed almost an hour before its scheduled arrival time of 6.15 p.m. with 186 passengers.

The 777 will continue to operate on a three-day-per-week schedule until the summer when it will begin operating four times per week.

It is the world's newest and most technologically advanced long-range jet liner and boasts new features that benefit both passengers and crew.

And the passengers The Royal Gazette spoke with were full of praise for the new aircraft.

The majority of passengers particularly noted the increase in space and comfort that the new plane offers all passengers.

Susan Thornton said the 777 was "wonderful''.

"You can tell the difference over other planes,'' she added. "It is more spacious. It's easier for the crew to move around and it's very comfortable.'' Sophia Bichel agreed.

"It's really nice, really good,'' she said.

And Claudio Vigilante said it was the details incorporated into the 777's design that made it a better aircraft.

"It's very, very nice,'' he said. "There's more room and the personal screens for TV, so you don't have to stretch to watch them, are great.'' Even frequent 777 fliers still marvel at the aircraft which has operated on other routes.

"It's excellent,'' said Brian Coates. "I've been on it before. It's very nice.'' Passenger Harry Murphy echoed similar sentiments.

"It's very nice,'' he said. "I've flown on it many times but this is my first time coming here.'' The plane's pilot, Capt. John Lindsay, spoke on behalf of his crew.

"The 777 offers a level of passenger comfort that other aeroplanes cannot compete with,'' he said. "It is also a real pleasure to fly as it is constructed in a very modern fashion.'' The 777 is powered by twin GE90 engines, but is very quiet. The amount of fuel it burns has been reduced and it uses sophisticated fly-by-wire technology.

The 777 jet servicing the London Gatwick-to-Bermuda run is the first of the new planes to be based at Gatwick. The other 12 777 aircraft in BA's fleet presently operate out of London Heathrow to Middle Eastern and US destinations.

Elsewhere, passengers on the return flight of the 777 to London, Gatwick were also treated to a preview of BA's new $750,000 lounge pavilion.

The 2,600-square-foot lounge will officially open next Tuesday, but it was completed in time for the inaugural flight to Bermuda.

The lounge is divided into two sections with one handling the 14 first-class passengers on each flight and the other dealing with gold and silver executive card holders and Club World passengers.

Both offer light refreshments and are tastefully decorated with cherrywood furniture, paintings and photographs by Bermudian artists.

Russell Conyers, BA's special services representative in Bermuda, noted: "The art gives the lounge a real Bermudian flavour. We wanted to keep that in mind.'' He added that passenger comfort was foremost in thought when the lounge was designed.

"We want to make our passengers feel as much at home as possible,'' Mr.

Conyers said. "Spending time in the lounge is a very relaxing way to start a trip.''