“This good-looking airplane is going to look a lot better in silver,” said American Airlines CEO Tom Horton after Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner test plane landed at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. “This is what the new American looks like.”
American Airlines is reinvigorating its brand with new, more fuel-efficient airplanes, including Boeing 777-300ERs, 737-800s along with the 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft (as it reorganizes and streamlines its business in Bankruptcy Court). The airline claims that over the next five years this fleet renewal will give American Airlines the youngest fleet of any major U.S. carrier.
In 2008, American Airlines ordered 42 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The first 787-9 Dreamliner is due at the end of 2014. The Dreamliner is a long-haul aircraft that will be used primarily on transcontinental flights.
During a tour of the interior of the 787 Boeing test plane, 787 brand manager, Katherine Overby said that the Dreamliner has state-of-the-art engine technology and reduced-maintenance features. It set the speed and distance record by flying around the World in 42 hours.
John Wojick, chief of Boeing North American sales, says that All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines currently have the 11 Boeing Dreamliners in service. Since Continental was the first U.S. carrier to order a Dreamliner back in 2007, I asked when United (which completed its merger with Continental earlier this year) should get its first 787, and Wojick anticipates it will be delivered sometime this fall.
Wojick loves the 787’s sleek wing and raked wing tip. Overby likes the windows, which are up higher, allowing passengers to see the horizon. The Dreamliner burns approximately 20 percent less fuel than similarly sized aircraft due to its new engines, increased use of lightweight composite materials, more-efficient systems applications and modern aerodynamics. Boeing reports that the noise footprint of the 787 Dreamliner is 60 percent smaller than similarly sized planes flying today.
On my flight home from Dallas, I flew on an older American 737. We were packed in the plane like sardines, and the shade for my window was cracked and difficult to raise or lower. The sooner American Airlines gets new planes, the better flying should be for passengers. With its fuel efficiency and smaller carbon footprint, the Dreamliner is a dream come true.
