USA TODAY International Edition
The new year brings new aircraft
It’s out with the old, in with the new, for two U.S. airlines that are making updates to their fleet of widebody jets.
At United, the carrier introduced the newest and biggest variant of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner in January. It formally put the 787-10 into regularly scheduled service Jan. 7. On that day, Hawaiian Airlines retired its last Boeing 767, ending a 17-year run for that widebody plane there.
United debuts new Dreamliner
For United, the “Dash 10” variant of the Boeing 787 debuted on United Flight 2418 from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey. United touted that flight as the 787-10’s “entry into scheduled service” at the carrier, but it had quietly subbed the 787-10 onto some flights in recent weeks ahead of the formal debut.
Now, United will roll the 787-10 onto more of its existing flights that connect the carrier’s hubs at Newark Liberty and Los Angeles. In addition to the LAXNewark flights that begin last week, United’s 787-10s will begin to pick up some of its Newark-San Francisco flights starting in February.
The 787-10s expand to international service in March, when United adds the jet to routes from Newark to Frankfurt, Germany; Paris Charles de Gaulle; Barcelona, Spain; Brussels and Dublin. United also will fly the jet between Newark and Tel Aviv, Israel.
The 787-10 is the newest and biggest version yet of Boeing’s Dreamliner. Essentially a stretched version of the smaller 787-8 and 787-9 variants, the 787-10 is 18 feet longer than the 787-9.
United, which already had the other two variants in its fleet, is now the only carrier in the world to be flying all three versions of the Boeing Dreamliner.
United touted its new 787-10 in a statement, saying that its addition “continues United’s comprehensive fleet plan, while providing an improved experience for customers.”
The 787-10 is the newest airplane variant to be rolled out from Boeing, which delivered its first one this past March to launch customer Singapore Airlines.
United is the first North American airline to both receive and put the 787-10 into passenger service.
United’s 787-10s seat 318 passengers. Included in that configuration are 44 of United’s new “Polaris” lie-flat businessclass seats and 21 international-style “Premium Plus” premium economy seats, United’s newest class of service that debuted in 2018. It’s not yet widely rolled out to United’s fleet, but is being installed on all 14 787-10s that United has ordered.
Completing United’s 787-10 layout are 54 extra-legroom Economy Plus seats and 199 in standard coach.
By comparison, United’s 787-8s seat 219 passengers and its 787-9s seat 252.
Workhorse retired by Hawaiian
Hawaiian Airlines bid adieu to its last Boeing 767 on Jan. 7 after it completed HA Flight 19 from Sacramento, California, to Honolulu.
The airline commemorated the retirement with a ceremony at the gate, where Hawaiian employees greeted the flight’s 258 passengers and 10 crew with leis as they deplaned. Hawaiian adds that the aircraft – registration number N594HA – was given a traditional Hawaiian blessing after its arrival to Honolulu.
Hawaiian’s Boeing 767s helped the carrier grow its presence during the 2000s on trans-Pacific flights connecting Hawaii to the U.S. mainland and to Asia and Australia.
Hawaiian’s phase-out of the 767 comes as it has turned to the Airbus A330 for its longest routes and to the Airbus A321neo for some routes between Hawaii and the West Coast. Hawaiian also is scheduled to begin receiving its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners early next decade.
Hawaiian says it used its 767s to launch 16 new nonstop trans-Pacific routes since 2001, including new services between Honolulu and Sydney and Brisbane in Australia; Osaka, Tokyo and Sapporo in Japan; and Seoul in South Korea.
“The Boeing 767 was instrumental to our transpacific growth, international expansion and success in introducing millions of guests to this special place we call home,” Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram said in a statement to USA TODAY’s Today in the Sky blog.
Some of Hawaiian’s 767s still will continue to fly U.S. passengers, however. United has acquired three of those 767s and is retrofitting them with its latest cabin interior, including its new “Polaris” business class and “Premium Plus” international-style premium economy cabins.
More fleet updates to come
Airline customers will continue to see even more fleet shakeups in the year ahead. Among the headliners, Delta will be introducing its new Airbus A220s this year, with the first flight on the jet expected by the end of the month.
The narrowbody planes, formerly known as the Bombardier C Series, seem a candidate to become a passenger favorite. Delta’s A220s have large overhead bins and feature 2-by-3 seating in economy, meaning fewer middle seats.
At American, the world’s largest carrier is expected to retire that last of its venerable MD-80 jets by year’s end.