American Airlines To Be Nation’s 2nd Operator of 787-8 Dreamliner

American Airlines has become the second airline to operate the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in the States, joining United Airlines.Their patience was finally rewarded as the airliner – originally scheduled to be delivered last November – made its first flight from Everett, Washington to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. They will ease it in, using the 787 (registration N800AN, MSN 40618) on domestic routes for the time being before shifting its usage to international routes.

United Airlines, which was the first U.S. carrier to use the 787-8, has taken flight on unique routes such as San Francisco to Chengdu and Houston to Lagos.

“You need to spend some time with a new aircraft type flying it around until you have a critical mass where you can actually do an international route," said Doug Parker, chairman and chief executive of American Airlines, in an interview with Flightglobal in July 2014. "You need more than one airplane to fly international routes."

Luckily for them, that shouldn’t take too long. The delivery of the second 787-8, registration N801AC and MSN 40619, is likely to arrive in the following weeks.

Some quick facts regarding the state-of-the-art 787-8:

Unit cost: USD$218.3 million (2013) Seating: 242 passengers Range: 7,850 nautical miles (14,500 km) Configuration: Twin aisle Cross Section: 226 inches (574 cm) Wing Span: 197 feet (60 m) Length: 186 feet (57 m) Height: 56 feet (17 m) Cruise Speed: Mach 0.85 Maximum Speed: Mach 0.90 Total Cargo Volume: 4,400 feet3 (125 m3) Maximum Fuel Capacity: 33,340 US gal (126,210 L) Maximum Takeoff Weight: 502,500 pounds (227,930 kg) Maximum Landing Weight: 380,000 pounds (172,000 kg)

The 787 Dreamliner is also environmentally friendly. It is Boeing’s most fuel-efficient airliner, and is constructed mostly from composite materials.

According to the Ascend Fleets database, they have firm orders for 15 more 787-8’s, and 26 orders for 787-9’s. With this new wave of orders, the Dreamliner is becoming a reality for American Airlines.

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