American announces routes for Dreamliner

FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines announced it will use its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its new Dallas/Fort Worth-Beijing route this summer.

But first, the Fort Worth-based carrier will fly the Dreamliner between DFW and Chicago O’Hare starting on May 7 as crew members get used to flying the new aircraft. It will then be used on the DFW-Beijing route on June 2 and will also operate on the DFW-Buenos Aires routes starting on June 4.

“We look forward to welcoming our international customers onboard the 787 with its modern amenities and comforts beginning this summer,” said American chief marketing officer Andrew Nocella. “Adding the 787 Dreamliner to our network gives us the opportunity to increase our efficiency on long-haul flights across the globe and potentially open up new markets in our network.”

American also revealed that the aircraft will have 226 seats with 28 lie-flat business class seats, 48 main cabin extra seats and 150 main cabin seats. The carrier has 42 Boeing 787s on order with the option to purchase an additional 58 aircraft.

Customers can begin booking flights on the 787 starting Saturday.

United Airlines is currently the only U.S. airline that operates the Dreamliner. Its 787-800 aircraft has 219 seats while its 787-900 has 252 seats.