American Airlines’ Boeing 787 Fleet: Everything You Need To Know

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was developed after Boeing dropped its Sonic Cruiser project. Since the Boeing 787 launched in 2004, more than a thousand units of this aircraft have been delivered to date. American Airlines, the largest airline in the world in terms of fleet size, operates one of the largest fleets of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

American Airlines is one of the top five identified customers of the Boeing 787. It has more than 6,000 daily flights, taking to the skies of more than 45 nations and 350 destinations. But how large is American Airlines’ 787 fleet? Which are its top routes, and when did the airline start operating the type? We’ll dive into all of this and more.

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A short history of American Airlines’ Boeing 787 fleet

Around 80% of the fleet of American Airlines is comprised of narrowbody aircraft. The airline flies a mix of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, and is one of the world’s biggest operators of the Boeing 787. In both orders and deliveries, it only lags behind United and ANA.

The first delivery of a 787 to American Airlines took place on January 23, 2015. During its inaugural flight, the Dreamliner flew between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). American Airlines first used the widebody on domestic routes to familiarize the crews before taking it on international routes.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying 

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner used in the inaugural flight was the second 787 delivered to the airline, not the first. While passengers were boarding the aircraft, they were given a swag bag with an inaugural Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight card. In addition, the passengers also received earbuds and a memorial coin, alongside a mobile phone charger.

American Airlines Boeing 787 fleet: How big is it?

Before even receiving its first Dreamliner, American Airlines ordered 42 of the type, split between the 787-8 and 787-9. It also secured purchase rights to acquire 58 additional aircraft. Boeing was buoyant with the commitment from the airline, as Ray Conner, the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes at the time, commented:

“We’re proud that American Airlines has chosen the 787 to be a key part of its fleet renewal plan … We appreciate American’s confidence in the airplane and know the Dreamliner will open exciting new routes for American’s customers.”

American Airlines currently has a total of 37 Boeing 787-8 in its fleet, with an average age of six years. The 787-8s provide a total seat capacity for the airline of 8,658. For the 787-9, American Airlines has 22 in its current fleet, with an average age of 6.6 years. These give the airline a total seat capacity of 13,590.

Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock

Routes served by American Airlines’ Boeing 787s

In order to accommodate better aircraft positioning and demand management, American Airlines has deployed 787s on short routes. However, American Airlines also uses the Dreamliner on routes that cover as far as 7,351 miles. Some of the shortest routes operated by the 787 at American Airlines include:

• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) – Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
• Philadelphia International Airport – Miami International Airport (MIA)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

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However, some of the top routes operated by American Airlines’ 787s really showcase what the airplane was built for, operating very long haul routes all over the world. The routes where it’s deployed most include:

• Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Tokyo Haneda (HND)
• Philadelphia (PHL) – Doha (DOH)
• Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Incheon (ICN)
• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) – London Heathrow (LHR)
• Chicago O’Hare (ORD) – London Heathrow (LHR)

Image: GCMap

According to data from Cirium, some of the longest routes flown by American Airlines with the 787 are:

• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Auckland Airport (AKL) (a seasonal flight that ended this March)
• DFW to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (SVG) (the longest route in April)
• DFW to Seoul (ICN).
• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Hamad International Airport (DOH)

Seating configurations of American Airlines Boeing 787 fleet

Boeing 787-8 has a seating capacity of 220 passengers, while the 787-9 can seat up to 259 passengers in a typical three-class layout. There are four classes of services available on the American Airlines Boeing 787:

• Main Cabin
• Main Cabin Extra
• Flagship® Business
• Premium Economy

According to AeroLOPA, the Boeing 787-8s operated by American Airlines have 20 lie-flat business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. In premium economy, passengers are seated in a 2-3-2 configuration across four rows. The small cabin accommodates just 28 passengers and sports the Rockwell Collins MiQ seat, with a pitch of 38″ and a generous 8″ recline.

American also offers a class of seating below premium economy but marginally better than regular economy. Calling this product ‘Main Cabin Extra,’ the seats occupy the first two rows of economy and the middle bank of three seats (D, E and F) from rows 10 to 21. Offering an additional 3″ of pitch over the standard economy seat (34″ against 31″) and one more inch of recline (4″), these are a nice little extra for longer-legged fliers.

Photo: American Airlines

Throughout the economy cabin, American uses the Safran 5751 slimline seat, configured 3-3-3. All passengers have access to a 9″ touchscreen IFE display, as well as 110-volt universal AC and 5-volt USB-A sockets.

Have you flown American Airlines’ Dreamliner? What did you think of the experience? Let us know in the comments.