United Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9, making it the first North American carrier to receive the stretched Dreamliner variant. The airline has another 25 of this aircraft type on order.
The fuel-efficient jetliner boasts an extended range of 8,500 miles as compared to the B787-8’s 8,200, thereby allowing the carrier to launch its planned long-haul services from Los Angeles to Melbourne from October 26.
The international deployment will represent the longest Dreamliner route to date.
However, United will initially roster the new aircraft onto its domestic service between Los Angeles and Houston to facilitate the crew familiarisation process.
United BusinessFirst on the B787-9
"The 787-9 builds on the Dreamliner's fuel efficiency and customer comfort while giving us even more flexibility and range," said United's vice-president of fleet Ron Baur.
Along with the typical performance capabilities that the Dreamliner model offers, United’s new B787-9 comes with factory-installed wifi connectivity. The airline has announced that all subsequent deliveries of this aircraft model, including the -8 and -10 variants, will have this feature.
Wifi is currently available on more than 300 of the carrier’s aircraft, including its entire Airbus fleet and Boeing 747 jumbo jets.
The B787-9 has been configured with a two-class layout, and offers 48 seats in United Business First and 204 in United Economy – 88 of which are designated as Economy Plus seats with added legroom and increased personal space. The seat designs are identical to those on the B787-8 model.
For more information, visit united.com
Clement Huang
