American Begins Scheduled 787 Dreamliner Service in Philadelphia

On Tuesday, American Airlines began its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner routes out of its Philadelphia hub to the cities of Amsterdam, Zurich, Manchester, Chicago, and Dallas/Fort Worth with more to follow in the near future. That date also marks the opening of a 787 pilot base in the former carrier US Airways’ main transatlantic hub.

Although the joining of the two airlines was many years ago, this marks the passing of another milestone in the merger between American and the former carrier. A few of the former airline’s hubs have yet to see the new aircraft types delivered since the merger and still operate using pre-merger fleets, including its Philadelphia and Charlotte, N.C. hubs.

The introduction of the type into Philadelphia is part of the carrier’s overall plan to slowly phase out the Boeing 767 and replace them with newer and more fuel-efficient aircraft.

The addition of the Dreamliner into the Pennsylvanian city also means passengers will be able to experience the newest amenities, features, and comfort of the American fleet while traveling transatlantic and domestically.

Although the introduction of the Dreamliner into American’s Northeastern hub is a godsend for many, some might find the change very moving as it’s just another sign of times gone by and the old days of the former US Airways hub.

American’s first scheduled Dreamliner flight out of Philadelphia departed on Tuesday evening as flight 772 to Los Angeles, after arriving earlier from Dallas/Fort Worth. The first international flight would go out later to Manchester, England, which was previously a 767-operated route.

According to the company, the smaller 787-8 variant will primarily service Philadelphia. The airline also emphasized that this addition will have little impact on the airline’s long-standing A330 base in Philadelphia as of now.

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Joey Gerardi

Joey has always been interested in planes, for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself and the first thing he did with the license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. When he has the time (and money) he likes to take spotting trips to any location worth a visit but has a special interest in Essential Air Service Airports. He got his degree in Aviation Management and Operations from WMU in June of 2022, and is currently working full time for an airline in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

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