“We’re excited that you are part of the beginning of this plane’s journey. Everything you see on board today was designed with you in mind: from the design details to Bluetooth connectivity to state-of-the-art entertainment, your comfort is our priority.”
American uses its Boeing 787 fleet primarily for international long-haul flights departing from major U.S. hubs such as Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Miami International Airport (MIA), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). These aircraft serve destinations including London Heathrow Airport (LHR), Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND), São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU), Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD), Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH), Santiago de Chile Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL), Auckland Airport (AKL) and Brisbane Airport (BNE).
In early July through October and into January next year, new or existing routes featuring these upgraded aircraft include ORD-LHR starting July 5th, PHL-LHR beginning October 25th, DFW-AKL launching January 5th, DFW-BNE starting October 25th, DFW-EZE beginning October 26th, and DFW-LHR also commencing October 26th.
In February of last year, one of American’s Boeing 787-9s set a record for fastest subsonic flight thanks to powerful jet streams reaching up to about 265 mph. The plane achieved ground speeds exceeding 840 mph while operating Flight AA120 from Philadelphia to Doha.
The Boeing 787 entered service in October 2011 with All Nippon Airways as launch customer. Since then nearly 1,200 units have been delivered across three main versions: -8, -9 and -10. All Nippon Airways remains the largest operator worldwide followed by United Airlines and American Airlines.
Despite commercial success for airlines using it on long-range flights—including being among those quickest available—the model has faced challenges such as delivery delays due to quality control issues raised by the Federal Aviation Administration in January 2021; deliveries resumed only after more than eighteen months in August 2022.
Safety records remained strong until June 2025 when Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International bound for London Gatwick; all but one person onboard perished along with several people on the ground.
Among commercial jets still flying faster than any Dreamliner is the Boeing 747-8—with top speeds up to 706 mph. However only a handful remain active with Lufthansa operating nineteen examples plus Korean Air seven and Air China five.
Looking ahead following record revenues reported for Q2 2025—$14.4 billion—CEO Robert Isom stated:
“American delivered record revenue in an evolving demand environment in the second quarter thanks to the hard work and dedication of our team. We remain confident that the actions we have taken over the past several years to refresh our fleet, manage costs and strengthen our balance sheet position us well for the future. The investments we have made toward achieving our revenue potential, including bolstering our network, customer experience and loyalty program, are paying off, and the team remains focused on delivering on our long-term strategy.”
The airline says enhancing customer experience remains a key goal going forward—with its updated Dreamliners expected play an important role serving some of its most prestigious global routes.
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