Want to fly on Boeing’s new state of art 787 Dreamliner? Unless you want to fly to Japan or Ethiopia your best chance is to wait until November and book a ticket on one of the United flights listed below.
United ordered 50 of these aircraft and expects to take delivery of the first five this year. As the initial aircraft are inducted into the fleet, they will be based at United’s Houston hub and will enter into service according to the following schedule:
Late September: 1st 787 delivery | |
October: Proving/validation flights and training activities that allow United to meet FAA certification requirements and prepare United to become the first North American operator for this new aircraft type. 2nd 787 delivery. | |
November: Scheduled commercial flights from Houston to other U.S. hubs. 3rd and 4th 787 deliveries expected. | |
December: Scheduled commercial flights from Houston to other U.S. hubs. 5th 787 delivery expected. First international service Dec. 4. | |
January: Commencement of scheduled commercial flights on additional international routes as announced on Aug. 23. |
United will phase in scheduled 787 service between Houston and each of its other domestic hubs beginning Nov, 4, 2012 as shown below. This schedule allows United’s 787s to operate more than 470 flight segments in the U.S. in the last two months of 2012 in addition to international flights beginning in early December:
Route | Flight times | Effective Date | End Date | Frequency |
IAH-SFO-IAH | 5:45 p.m. westbound 12:15 a.m. eastbound |
Nov. 4, 2012 | Dec. 2, 2012 | 5 x weekly |
IAH-LAX-IAH | 3:30 p.m. westbound 6:25 p.m. eastbound |
Nov. 4, 2012 | Dec. 3, 2012 | 6 x weekly |
IAH-ORD-IAH | 7:25 a.m. northbound 11:15 a.m. southbound |
Nov. 4, 2012 | Dec. 3, 2012 | 6 x weekly |
IAH-EWR-IAH | 8 a.m. northbound 3:30 p.m. southbound |
Nov. 4, 2012 | Jan. 3, 2013 | Daily, except Nov. 18 |
IAH-CLE-IAH | 7 a.m. northbound 4 p.m. southbound |
Nov. 10, 2012 | Nov. 10, 2012 | One-day service |
IAH-IAD-IAH | 7 a.m. northbound 3:50 p.m. southbound |
Nov. 17, 2012 | Nov. 17, 2012 | One-day service |
IAH-SFO-IAH | 5:45 p.m. westbound 12:15 a.m. eastbound |
Dec. 3, 2012 | Jan. 3, 2013 | Daily |
IAH-LAX-IAH | 3:30 p.m. westbound 6:25 p.m. eastbound |
Dec. 4, 2012 | Jan. 3, 2013 | Daily |
IAH-DEN-IAH | 7:20 a.m. westbound 10:15 a.m. eastbound |
Dec. 5, 2012 | Jan. 2, 2013 | Daily |
IAH-LAX-IAH | 7:35 a.m. westbound 12:30 p.m. eastbound |
Jan. 3, 2013 | March 31, 2013 | Daily |
IAH-ORD-IAH | 7:25 a.m. northbound 11:15 a.m. southbound |
Jan. 4, 2013 | March 29, 2013 | Daily |
IAH-DEN-IAH | 9:15 a.m. westbound 2:15 p.m. eastbound |
March 31, 2013 | Open | Daily |
The 787 aircraft will display for sale for these domestic routes on united.com and other distribution channels beginning Sept. 1. In October, United will announce plans for the official first commercial 787 flights, which are expected to occur prior to Nov. 4 but only after proving/validation flights and training are complete.
Note: Timing may vary slightly depending on day of the week. Schedules are subject to change.
The 787 will be configured with 36 seats in United BusinessFirst, 72 seats in Economy Plus and 111 seats in Economy. The Dreamliner is expected to revolutionize the flying experience for customers and crews while delivering unprecedented operating efficiency, comfort and lower emissions. Customers will experience greater comfort with improved lighting, bigger windows, larger overhead bins, lower cabin altitude and enhanced ventilation systems, among other passenger-friendly features.
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,574 flights a day to 377 airports on six continents from our hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. In 2011, United carried more traffic than any other airline in the world, and operated more than two million flights carrying 142 million passengers. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft. For more information, visit united.com.