American Airlines, the world’s largest airline by fleet size, has 1,002 aircraft and another 335 on order. Following the retirement of its Airbus A330s during the pandemic, American Airlines now only operates a widebody fleet of Boeing aircraft. The Boeing 787 Dreamliners will drive the airline’s future growth and fleet renewal, with 30 787-9s yet to be delivered. Currently, the airline has 59 787s, 37 787-8s and 22 787-9s.
The 787-9s delivered from 2025 onward will feature a brand-new business-class cabin. Revealed in September 2022, the new cabins will be a massive shift from what American currently has, with one of the most notable features being doors on the seats. No other US carrier has a business-class product with doors.
Three longest routes
According to Cirium data, American has 2,603 roundtrip flights with its Dreamliners next month. The routes flown by the 787s range from 802 to 7,351 miles. In March, the airline’s longest route was from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Auckland Airport in New Zealand, but that route is seasonal and ends this week. In April, American’s longest route is from DFW to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (SVG), covering 7,351 miles. The smaller 787-8s are used on the Shanghai route, flying once daily.
Number two is also a route from American’s home at DFW to Asia, but to Seoul, South Korea. The flight from DFW to Incheon International Airport (ICN) is flown by the 787-9 daily, covering 6,842 miles.
The third-longest route is a newer one, one that became a replacement for a route that was removed from American’s network. American flew between John F. Kennedy International Airport to Hamad International Airport, but late last year, the airline made a swap and began flying to Doha from Philadelphia International Airport after a judge told the airline to end its alliance with JetBlue. American will deploy at 787-9 every day from PHL to DOH in April.
Four through six
Number four is yet another Asian route from DFW. Though currently American’s longest Japan route, it will not be for long, once nonstop flights between JFK and HND are launched. The flight from DFW to Haneda International Airport in Tokyo is 6,462 miles, almost 300 miles less than from New York to Haneda. The new route, at 6,729 miles, will make American the only US connecting JFK to HND. United Airlines services HND from its Newark Liberty International Airport hub, and Japan Airlines connects New York to Haneda.
Numbers four and five are very close together, as American also serves Narita from DFW, but that route will be swapped to the Boeing 777-200 next week. The flight from Dallas to Rome, currently at number six, will take the number five spot after April 5. In April, American will use its 787-9s for most of the month to fly the 5,614 miles between Dallas and Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) in Rome. Just one flight is scheduled on the 787-8.
