What Are American Airlines’ Longest Boeing 787-8 Routes?

American Airlines is a major operator of the Boeing 787, with 59 aircraft in the fleet. It operates both the smaller 787-8 and the mid-sized 787-9 variants. Both variants operate various routes, depending on demand and operational needs. While the larger 787-9 variant has a slightly increased range, several of the longest routes are operated by the smaller 787-8.

We look at the top six routes currently (for October 2024) operated by the type. These are all the routes on which it operates, and they are over 5,000 miles. All data in this article is based on information from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

American Airlines and the Boeing 787

The first delivery of a 787 to American Airlines took place on January 23, 2015, and had its inaugural flight five months later (on domestic routes as it was used initially for training). The type has been a big part of Ameircan’s fleet renewal and updates and remains so with more aircraft on order.

Today, American Airlines
operates 59 Boeing 787
aircraft – including 37 787-8s and 22 787-9s. It does not operate the stretched 787-10 or have any on order, which is strange given that it competes with 787-10 operator United Airlines on many similar routes. It has 30 more 787-9 aircraft on order, but no more of the smaller 787-8.

This currently makes it the third-largest operator of the 787 – beaten by ANA with 84 aircraft and United Airlines with 71 aircraft, including all three sized variants (and an incredible 150 on order).

Read more about the largest Boeing 787 operators in our guide

This fleet of 59 aircraft is beaten for now by the larger Boeing 777 fleet. American Airlines currently operates 67 777 aircraft (including 47 777-200ER and 20 777-300ER). These fleets will switch places when the 787 deliveries are complete.

The smaller 787-8 aircraft all share the same configuration with three cabins (plus a Main Cabin Extra section that offers better economy class seating):

• Business class: 20 lay-flat seats spread across five rows in a 1-2-1 configuration.
• Premium economy: 28 Rockwell Collins MiQ seats are spread across four rows in a 2-3-2 configuration.
• Economy class: The main cabin has 138 Rockwell Collins Aspire standard seats and 48 Main Cabin Extra seats. These are all in a 3-3-3 configuration, except rows 30 and 31, which are configured as 2-3-2.

The longest 787-8 route – Dallas to Shanghai

Based on Cirium data for October 2024, the longest 787-8 flight is between Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Shanghai Pudong (PVG). This is a 7,351-mile route.

This flight currently operates daily, with a huge flight time of 16 hours and 45 minutes when departing from Dallas (it is around three hours quicker flying east from Shanghai).

• The outbound flight AA 127 leaves Dallas Fort Worth at 10:00, arriving in Shanghai at 14:50.
• The return flight AA128 leaves Shanghai at 17:00, arriving in Dallas at 17:30.

Photo: Matheus Obst | Shutterstock

For comparison, the longest current 787 flight from the US is operated by Qatanas from Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) to Melbourne (MEL). This is with the larger Boeing 787-9, which clocks in at 8,992 miles (equivalent to 14,471 kilometers or 7,813 nautical miles).

American Airlines will soon start operating the Dallas Fort Worth to Brisbane route, its longest overall route at 8,303 miles. This will be operated with the 787-9. It also operates Dallas Forth Worth to Auckland seasonally (northern winter) using the 787-9 and a year-round Los Angeles to Sydney route with the Boeing 777-300ER.

Tokyo routes are the next three longest

American Airlines has long operated an extensive service to Asia via Japan. More recently, Hong Kong and China flights have been added as part of this Asia network.

There are flights to Japan from many US cities, especially when partner codeshare services with Japan Airlines are considered. Onward connections are also possible with Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, or Malaysian Airlines.

American Airlines operates from several hubs and uses both the 777 and 787 on Japan routes. The Boeing 777 adds a first class option on some routes (as do many of the Japan Airlines flights). America’s longest Japan route is between New York JFK and Tokyo Haneda and is operated with the Boeing 777.

The current smaller Boeing 787-8 services include Dallas Fort Worth to Tokyo Haneda and Tokyo Narita and the shorter Los Angeles to Tokyo Haneda route. This later route operates twice a day, with the 787-8, and also has two daily flights with Japan Airlines
.

Read more about the lucrative US-to-Japan market, and the different operators in our guide

Europe is the fifth longest, with Chicago to Athens

American Airlines obviously operates many routes between the US and Europe. A few routes, such as New York JFK or Los Angeles LAX to London Heathrow LHR, feature the Boeing 777 almost exclusively. The 787 also operates many routes.

The airline’s longest route to Europe is actually between Dallas Fort Worth and Rome. The 5,614-mile route is operated daily but with the Boeing 777-200ER. The second-longest Europe route, however, is operated through most of October with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The early part of the month sees a larger Boeing 787-9 being used, but this is switched for the last 19 flights before the service ends for the season on October 25th.

The longest route in the Americas is to Rio de Janeiro

The last flight that is over 5,000 miles in length is between Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Rio de Janeiro (GIG). This just makes it onto the list, with a daily service beginning towards the end of the month (from October 26th). This will be a daily overnight departure from Dallas (at 20:05), returning overnight at 21:30 from Rio de Janeiro. It will be the only non-stop flight option on this route.

Don’t forget the other routes

Of course, it’s not all long routes with the Boeing 787. American Airlines also deploys the aircraft on many short routes. This could be based on demand management or the need for premium cabins on certain routes, or efficient aircraft positioning.

As at April 2024 (and based on data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company), the airline’s shortest 787 routes included:

• Chicago to Dallas Fort Worth: 802 miles
• Philadelphia to Miami: 1.013 miles
• Los Angeles to Dallas Fort Worth: 1,235 miles
• Philadelphia to Dallas Fort Worth: 1,302 miles