Thursday, August 30, 2012

United to try out 787 on Chicago-Houston flights: Dreamliner to be in domestic service initially, starting in November

The long-awaited Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane will be coming to Chicago in November, at least temporarily.

United Continental Holdings, parent of United Airlines, will announce Thursday that it will begin a number of domestic 787 flights before putting those planes on international routes. It will include temporary flights between Chicago O'Hare and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

United is the first North American airline to take delivery of a Boeing 787, with the first to be delivered next month.

Besides being far more fuel efficient and producing lower emissions, the 787 has many passenger amenities, such as the industry's largest windows and larger overhead bins. The smoother-riding and quieter plane has wider aisles and seats, and cleaner air using a filtration system to remove odors. The windows are dimmable, via electrochromatic shades rather than the pull-down type.

The first 787 Chicago flights to Houston will begin Nov. 4 and end Dec. 3. That service will operate six days a week during that time, with the Chicago flight departing at 11:15 a.m. After that, daily service will restart Jan. 4 and run to March 29.

Though the initial routes are temporary, United is likely to regularly fly 787s out of O'Hare eventually, especially as it takes delivery of more planes. United will take delivery of five planes this year from its total order of 50.

"While the Dreamliner's superior operating economics make it ideally suited for international routes, we're pleased to have this opportunity to introduce it on domestic flights between many of our hub cities, allowing both customers and employees to experience this revolutionary aircraft and its many unique benefits," Grant Whitney, United's managing director of scheduling, said in a statement.

United's 787s will be configured with 36 seats in United BusinessFirst, 72 seats in United Economy Plus and 111 seats in United Economy.

The 787s will initially be based in Houston and operate between Houston and United's domestic hubs: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newark, Cleveland, Denver and Dulles near Washington, D.C.

The 787 aircraft flights will be available for sale on the temporary domestic routes at United.com and other distribution channels beginning Sept. 1.

While the 787 has been highly anticipated by aviation enthusiasts, it has also been problem-plagued. Chicago-based Boeing delivered its first 787 to All Nippon Airways last year, three years late after production was plagued with design and manufacturing delays. Those troubles earned the 787 jet the unflattering nickname "7-late-7." ANA ordered the plane in 2004 for delivery in 2008.

Source:  http://www.chicagotribune.com

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