AA Orders the 787

[SelectSys]

In a day of fairly gloomy economic news, AMR and Beoing announced an order for 42 787-9's for delivery starting in 2012. It will be interesting to see who the "silver bird" will be preserved on a largely all composite aricraft. Good news for AA and I'll look forward to flying on these aircraft when they enter service - hopefully in better economic times!

 

Actually this is not a true order as AA needs to cut a deal with their pilots first that will allow them to fly longer trip - 787-9 will stay in the air a really long time.

 

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a.EPNpe6lnyg&refer=news

[ohioNCLcruiser]

I sure hope they don't paint them the same as their white A300s!!

[fbgd]

I guess these are part replacement for the 762s and 757s?

[paul929207]

At the rate Boeing has been delaying the 787, our grandchildren may get to fly one to their retirement cruise.

[SelectSys]

I guess these are part replacement for the 762s and 757s?

 

It didn't mention the 757 at all. The 757 has a new lease on life flying thin transatlantic routes from the east coast to Europe. I would expect this is for wide body aircraft replacement only. The 787-9 is a stretch of the the -8 and carries more passengers than AA's 767's. The article mentioned 767 and 777 aircraft. In any event, 2012 is a long way off so who really knows - assuming they actually buy the planes.

 

From Bloomberg:

"Chicago-based Boeing's jets make up 95 percent of American's current fleet. The carrier's widebodies include 72 Boeing 767s that average more than 14 years old and 47 of the 777s that average 7.5 years, according to Ascend Online Fleets. AMR said that while it hasn't yet decided which model the 787 will replace, the aircraft will carry as many as 290 passengers and be able to fly on every route it serves."

[wrp96]

The email I received from AA made no mention of the 757s so that is my guess about which aircraft they will replace with the 787. The email specifically mentioned improvements to the 767s and 777s, plus replacing the MD 80s with new 737s.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

the 787-900 is going to hold around 250-290 vs the 757-200 that has 188 in their fleet.

 

Only way the 789 would really replace 757s would be when the 787s take over some 767 markets pushing some older 767s onto the current 757 routes.

[lovesublime]

In a day of fairly gloomy economic news, AMR and Beoing announced an order for 42 787-9's for delivery starting in 2012. It will be interesting to see who the "silver bird" will be preserved on a largely all composite aricraft. Good news for AA and I'll look forward to flying on these aircraft when they enter service - hopefully in better economic times!

 

Actually this is not a true order as AA needs to cut a deal with their pilots first that will allow them to fly longer trip - 787-9 will stay in the air a really long time.

 

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a.EPNpe6lnyg&refer=news

 

 

No. As far as dealing with the ALPA, pilots are paid according to size and weight of aircraft. The pay rate for this aircraft has to be negotiated. It has nothing to do with how long the pilot is in the air.

[SelectSys]

The email I received from AA made no mention of the 757s so that is my guess about which aircraft they will replace with the 787. The email specifically mentioned improvements to the 767s and 777s, plus replacing the MD 80s with new 737s.

 

AA also made improvements to their 757's by retrofitting them with winglets for improved fuel efficiency. At least for now, the 757 is very much in demand by the airlines due to its unique power and range characteristics.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

AA also made improvements to their 757's by retrofitting them with winglets for improved fuel efficiency. At least for now, the 757 is very much in demand by the airlines due to its unique power and range characteristics.

 

Continental Airlines really started this 757 across the pond bandwagon!

[SelectSys]

The email I received from AA made no mention of the 757s so that is my guess about which aircraft they will replace with the 787. The email specifically mentioned improvements to the 767s and 777s, plus replacing the MD 80s with new 737s.

 

for those that are interested, here is the text of the e-mail:

 

As American Airlines continues to focus on improving the travel experience for our customers – especially our business and premium travelers – we are investing in industry-leading products and services that we believe you will appreciate. Today, marking the latest investment in your travel comfort, American announced that we have entered into a new purchase agreement with Boeing and intend to acquire 42 B787-9 aircraft scheduled for delivery beginning in 2012 and ending in 2018, with the right to purchase up to 58 additional 787s.

The new 787 Dreamliners will support American's wide-body replacement efforts, as well as international growth that is expected after American, British Airways and Iberia achieve antitrust immunity and implement a joint business agreement for flights between North America and Europe.

Boeing's Dreamliner aircraft offers a new level of comfort for our passengers. It features improved air and water purification systems, as well as new humidification techniques and lower cabin pressure, which are expected to reduce passenger fatigue. In addition, the 787 advanced engine design provides a quieter operation, with an expected noise footprint 60 percent smaller than other aircraft of similar size, benefiting those in the air as well as those on the ground. The plane's lower overall weight and improved design means we also will reduce our impact on the environment by burning less fuel.

The 787 aircraft also has the largest overhead bins in the industry – approximately 30 percent larger than comparable aircraft bins. The large 19-inch windows are designed to make the cabin feel more spacious. While American has not made any decisions about the configuration of the aircraft, the 787 is designed to carry up to 290 passengers.

This is our latest step in a series of fleet renewal efforts. American announced previously that we will take delivery of 76 fuel-efficient Boeing 737-800 aircraft in 2009 and 2010 as we replace our narrow-body MD80 fleet. We've also undertaken multiple initiatives over the past several years to enhance our existing fleet with improved cabin interiors, on-board services and passenger amenities on the 767-300, 767-200 and 777 aircraft. Additionally, we continue to invest in the food and beverage product with the launch of our menu variety program for First and Business class customers and new buy-on-board options.

We hope you enjoy the improvements we have been making and that you look forward to the new 787 Dreamliner aircraft and all the updated features it will offer. For more details about our exciting news announcement today, visit AA.com.

As always, thank you for your business and continued loyalty. We look forward to serving you onboard soon.

Sincerely,

 

Rob Friedman

President, AAdvantage Marketing Programs

[kenish]

I sure hope they don't paint them the same as their white A300s!!

 

Probably overall gray; since the fuselage is composite it has to be painted.

 

Early AA A300's were polished aluminum. Aluminum has "grain" just like furniture. Boeing aligns the grain of all the panels in the same direction, Airbus does not. The luster of adjacent panels didn't match on the A300's giving them a ragtag, patchwork appearance, so they got painted. I don't recall why they were white and not gray. Possibly they were seasonally leased to other airlines and white made re-badging easier.

[SelectSys]

No. As far as dealing with the ALPA, pilots are paid according to size and weight of aircraft. The pay rate for this aircraft has to be negotiated. It has nothing to do with how long the pilot is in the air.

 

Missed this. I understand that the basic type needs to be negotiated but flight duration has been an issue with AA and the pilot's union in the past. As this post from Flyer Talk suggests, flight duration with pilots was an issue in their proposed DFW-PEK flight service which eventually lost out. As far as I know a settlement was never reached with the pilots union for this flight as a non-stop and the union would only accept - DFW-ORD-PEK.

 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-622322.html

 

"American Airlines has worked for months to win support from members of Congress, business leaders and government officials for its proposed flight from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to Beijing. But the airline still hasn’t gotten the backing from one crucial group - its pilots.

 

Before American can fly between D/FW and Beijing, its pilots’ union must approve an agreement that would allow members to fly the 16-hour trip. So far, however, negotiations have been at a standstill."