American Airlines
operates two different variants of the Boeing 777 – the 777-200ER and the 777-300ER. To the untrained eye, the two aircraft may appear very similar, but there are some subtle differences between them.
Photo: Austin Deppe | Shutterstock
Firstly, let’s take a brief look at the history of each aircraft. The Boeing 777-200ER entered commercial service with British Airways in February 1997. Since then, the US manufacturer has done on to deliver more than 400 examples of the aircraft, with over 300 still in service around the world today. The largest operators of the 777-200ER are:
- United Airlines (55)
- American Airlines (47)
- British Airways (43)
The Boeing 777-300ER came just over seven years later, with the first aircraft delivered to Air France in April 2004. The type has since gone on to become by far the most popular variant of the 777, with a total of 831 built and delivered by Boeing. Today, the aircraft’s largest operators are:
- Emirates (124)
- Qatar Airways (57)
- Air France (43)
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Differences in aircraft size & cabin layout
To the naked eye, the most obvious difference between American Airlines’ Boeing 777-200ERs and 777-300ERs is the size. The 777-300ER is 33 ft (10.1 m) longer than the 777-200ER.
Photo: Austin Deppe | Shutterstock
When it comes to the onboard layout, American Airlines has the two aircraft configured differently. The carrier’s Boeing 777-200ERs can accommodate up to 273 passengers, while its 777-300ERs can hold as many as 304 passengers. The breakdown of each configuration is listed below:
Aircraft |
Economy class |
Premium economy |
Business class |
First class |
Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boeing 777-200ER |
212 |
24 |
37 |
N/A |
273 |
Boeing 777-300ER |
216 |
28 |
52 |
8 |
304 |
Wider economy seats on the Boeing 777-200ER
The two aircraft have small differences in their seating, which frequent flyers may pick up on. For example, on American Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs, premium economy seats are half an inch wider (19 inches vs 18.5 inches found in the same cabin on the 777-200ER).
Photo: American Airlines
However, the Boeing 777-300ER’s economy class seats are narrower than those found on the 777-200ER (16.2 – 7.1 inches on the 777-300ER vs 17.1 – 18.1 inches on the 777-200ER). The economy class seats on both aircraft are configured in a 3-4-3 layout.
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American Airlines’ Flagship First
When it comes to the business class cabin, the flatbeds found on the carrier’s Boeing 777-300ERs are actually 1.4 inches narrower than those on the 777-200ER (20.5 inches vs 21.9 inches). American Airlines Boeing 777-300ERs also feature the carrier’s international Flagship First cabin, making it the only aircraft in its fleet to do so.
Photo: First Class Photography | Shutterstock
The lucky passengers traveling internationally in American Airlines’ Flagship First cabin will be treated to a luxurious experience, including:
- Dedicated Flagship First check-in
- Priority security and boarding
- Access to American Airlines’ Flagship lounge on departure and arrival
- Luxurious bedding, amenity kits
- Exclusive onboard service, including chef-inspired fine dining.
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The latest data from ch-aviation shows that American Airlines currently operates a total of 67 Boeing 777s, made up of 47 777-200ERs and 20 777-300ERs. The 777-200ERs are slightly older, with an average age of 24 years old, while the 777-300ERs have an average age of 11 years old.
Where does American Airlines deploy its Boeing 777s?
Data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that American Airlines will deploy its B777-200ERs on 34 different routes in December 2024. The vast majority are long-haul routes such as New York (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR) and Miami (MIA) to São Paulo (GRU), although the carrier will also use the aircraft on a number of high-density domestic routes, such as Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Miami (MIA) and Phoenix (PHX) to Honolulu (HNL).
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Meanwhile, among the 12 routes operated by American Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ERs in December 2024 are:
- Los Angeles (LAX) – Sydney (SYD)
- Miami (MIA) – Buenos Aires (EZE)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – London Heathrow (LHR).
The Boeing 777’s impressive safety record
Regardless of the subtle differences between each variant, the Boeing 777 has, on the whole, had an impressive safety record, and none of American Airlines’ 777s have been involved in serious incidents. Throughout the aircraft’s history, there have been five hull losses, resulting in a total of 542 fatalities:
- British Airways Flight BA038 crashed short of the runway in January 2008 while landing at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) following a flight from Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK). There were 47 injuries among those onboard the Boeing 777-200ER, but no fatalities.
- Egyptair Flight MS667 experienced a cockpit fire prior to departure from Cairo International Airport (CAI) in July 2011. Although there were no injuries, the Boeing 777-200ER was written off by the fire.
- Asiana Airlines Flight OZ214 crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in July 2013 after a flight from Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN). Three passengers onboard the Boeing 777-200ER were killed in the crash.
Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock
- Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is perhaps the most infamous mystery in aviation history. The Boeing 777-200ER disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) in March 2014, with the presumed loss of all 239 passengers and crew members onboard.
- Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine in July 2014. The Boeing 777-200ER was flying from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) when the incident occurred, resulting in the deaths of all 298 people onboard.