Happy Birthday: Six Years of American Airlines Boeing 787



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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an aircraft that has helped the world enter a new realm of ultra-long-haul flight. The aircraft, which benefits from a massive improvement in fuel consumption and carbon emissions over the older generation of aircraft it replaced and supplemented, has helped American Airlines grow its international network of routes long-haul. It all started on January 23, 2015.

American Airlines 787-8
First American Airlines Boeing 787-8 in a hangar. Photo: Jay Singh – Simple Theft

American Airlines takes its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner

On January 23, 2015, American Airlines welcomed its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft was a 787-8 and is registered N800AN. At six years old, this jet is still a baby, but it’s the oldest Dreamliner in the US fleet.

At the time of delivery, the American team was gushing. The airline was waiting for the jets and, following the merger with US Airways, the carrier was looking to increase its international presence and save money.

American Airlines 787-8
The first American Airlines Boeing 787 taken was a smaller 787-8. Photo: American Airlines

Here’s what CEO Doug Parker had to say about the airline’s first delivery of the 787 in 2015:

“We are committed to delivering a fantastic product to our customers with the continuation of our unprecedented fleet renewal program and over $ 2 billion in customer experience improvements. The 787 makes our fleet younger and more modern and will open up new possibilities for connecting our customers to the places they want to fly.

The Boeing 787-8

American Airlines currently has a fleet of 23 Boeing 787-8s, according to data from Planespotters.net. The Boeing 787-8 are configured in three classes that can accommodate a maximum of 234 passengers.

There are 20 reclining seats in the airline’s flagship business class. Right after, 28 premium economy reclining style seats. Finally, there are 186 seats in economy class. This includes 48 seats with more legroom and 138 standard coach seats.

All seats have access to in-seat power, on-demand entertainment via backrest screens and live TV.

The Boeing 787-8 is one of the American special jets. It is the right size to handle certain domestic missions and long-haul international routes where demand would not justify a larger aircraft. The efficiency of the Dreamliner makes the routes economically viable.

American Boeing 787-8
American Boeing 787-8s carry out transpacific and transatlantic missions. Photo: American Airlines

For example, these planes found their way between Chicago and London, Los Angeles to Auckland, Chicago to Venice, Dallas to Munich, etc.

These days, planes fly long-haul missions, but they can also be found on roads where Americans previously flew with fuses. Amid increased demand for routes to Central America and the Caribbean, American put the 787-8 into service, serving countries like Haiti, El Salvador, and others.

The 787-8 helped replace capacity where American Airlines once flew the now retired Boeing 767-300ERs. Compared to the 767s, the 787s are much better in all cabin classes, with on-demand entertainment on the backs of all seats, power and, for Business Class customers, a better, more private product.

The Boeing 787-9

American Airlines owns 22 Boeing 787-9s, according to data from Planespotters.net. These aircraft have 30 seats in Flagship Business, 21 in premium economy class, 34 in extra-leg economy class and 200 in standard economy class.

Simple Flying had an exclusive chance to look inside the Boeing 787-9. For a full tour of the cabin, see our article.

The 787-9 really transformed American operations. The airline didn’t receive its first 787-9 until 2016, but Simple Flying would be remiss to ignore the aircraft’s role in the US fleet.

American 787-9
The Boeing 787-9 transformed the road map for Americans. Photo: Jay Singh – Simple Theft

For example, of Simple Flying’s six new main routes for American Airlines this year, three of the six routes are expected to be operated by Boeing 787-9. One of the six is ​​expected to fly the Boeing 787-8.

American Airlines plans to fly a Boeing 787-9 from Seattle to Bangalore, India, which will be one of the longest routes in the US system. The 787-9 will also fly from Dallas to Auckland and Dallas to Tel Aviv.

The 787-9 is the true ultra-long-haul aircraft of the American network. Many of America’s longest routes are operated with the 787-9.

First, while American Airlines typically flies the 777-300ER on its longest route from Dallas to Hong Kong, these planes are configured with a heavy premium cabin. From a revenue perspective, they are better suited to fly to major business destinations and partner hubs.

The Boeing 787-9, without a true international first class cabin and a significant economy class cabin, the airline can use these planes on secondary routes where an efficient aircraft is needed for the American, at a rudimentary level, to lower its prices for refueling. its planes.

Boeing 787
The 787 is an engineering marvel that enables American to efficiently service many long-haul routes. Photo: Jay Singh – Simple Theft

This is what makes routes such as Dallas to Seoul or Los Angeles to Sydney or Dallas to Shanghai viable. This is also what American Airlines hopes to operate from Seattle to Bangalore and Dallas to Tel Aviv.

The transformation of American Airlines

American Airlines used the Boeing 787 for the transformation of its fleet. Modernization was important to the airline as it sought to improve the passenger experience and gain a competitive advantage in a merciless market.

American has so far used the Boeing 787-9 to expand its international presence. However, in the future the airline will take Boeing 787-9s which will replace the older Boeing 777-200ERs with much more efficient and comfortable planes. The 787s are also a natural extension of the US fleet.

The 787s, since they are also newer, reduce maintenance costs for Americans. However, there is still a team of highly dedicated maintenance technicians at American who keep the Dreamliner fleet operational.

At present, the 787s are also flying on many national stages, which should not be surprising. There is more demand for domestic travel as borders remain closed, and the fluidity of the crisis means that traveling outside their country could leave someone stranded.

The Boeing 787s will fly for many years in the US fleet. As the oldest is only six years old, these jets could perform well into the 2030s and beyond. What will replace the technological marvel that the Dreamliners are, however, is the best guess.

Are you a fan of the American Boeing 787 Dreamliners? Let us know in the comments!

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