In Photos: American Airlines’ First Boeing 787 Dreamliner Flight

On January 23rd, 2015, American Airlines took delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the 787-8. The world’s largest airline by fleet size, it planned to run domestic flights between its hubs before putting the new aircraft on international routes. On May 7th, the inaugural flight departed from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) for Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).

Surprisingly, the aircraft that performed the inaugural passenger flight was the second Dreamliner received by the airline on February 28th, 2015.

Passengers arrived early for a party at the gate

Despite American Airlines flight number AA 2320 being scheduled for a 07:20 departure for the 2hr 20 min flight to Chicago, passengers started turning up at 05:00 for a party at the gate. Before boarding, American Airlines employees and airport officials expressed their excitement about the new aircraft. As passengers boarded the plane, they were given a swag bag that contained an inaugural Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight card, a mobile phone charger, earbuds, and a commemorative coin marking the event.

As the plane pushed back from the gate and taxied out to the runway, it received a traditional water cannon salute before roaring down the runway for the flight to ORD. Most of the plane’s passengers were either aviation enthusiasts or press members, which meant as soon as the “fasten your seat belt sign” was turned off, they were all out of their seats exploring the plane.

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Everyone was amazed at the shadeless windows

The first thing many found fascinating was that the plane had no window shades. They have been removed in favor of electro-chromatic dimmable windows that can filter the amount of light. Business class on the aircraft featured 28 lie-flat 77-inch beds configured in a 1-2-1 layout and a Panasonic 16-inch high-definition touchscreen monitor.

In the economy section of the aircraft, there are 150 standard seats in a 3-3-3 configuration equipped with a nine-inch HD Panasonic touchscreen monitor. American Airlines also has a premium economy product, where passengers can upgrade to a wider seat, extra legroom, and an enhanced meal.

Gate L-10 was decorated to welcome the plane when it arrived

After an hour or so of mingling with other passengers to find out what they thought about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the plane descended into Chicago O’Hare, touching down at 09:23.

The arrival gate L-10 in Terminal 3 was decorated with balloons while American Airlines employees offered drinks and snacks to passengers flying on the return leg to DFW. Now operating as American Airlines flight number 2334, the aircraft received another water cannon salute as it departed the gate.

At the time, American Airlines said they would use the Boeing 787-8 on the DFW-ORD route until June 1st, 2015, before deploying the plane on a flight from the USA to Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) in Beijing, China.

What are your thoughts on the American Airlines Boeing 787-8 inaugural flight? Share your views in the comments section.