American Airlines has been flying the Boeing 777-300ER for eight years. On December 11th, 2012, the airline took its first of the type on order, which also made the carrier the first US airline to fly the type. American has, since then, used the type on some of its most important routes.
American takes the first Boeing 777-300ER
On December 11th, 2012, American Airlines became the first US-airline to fly the Boeing 777-300ER. Boeing handed over the aircraft to the airline with an increased sense of celebration. This was because the aircraft's delivery made the Texas-based airline the first airline in the US to add the 777-300ER to its fleet.
Virasb Vahidi, American's Chief Commercial Officer, stated the following at the time of the delivery:
"This is an important step in demonstrating how American is focused on putting our customers at the center of everything we do. This aircraft will deliver a new level of comfort, connectivity, and convenience for our customers. We are especially pleased to be among the first in the industry to offer a combination of fully lie-flat seats with all-aisle access, international Wi-Fi, and state-of-the-art in-seat entertainment."
American's first 777-300ER was actually delivered without the airline's traditional livery as American sought to move on with a new brand. Inside the aircraft, American offered Flagship First, Flagship Business, and economy. The former two featured lie-flat seating onboard.
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Where did American fly the Boeing 777-300ER?
The 777-300ER entered into commercial service in early 2013, after a little more than a month on the ground. The carrier became familiar with the plane and focused on getting it into active commercial service. The first route that got the aircraft was an important route for American Airlines.
The first route that got the 777-300ER was from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to São Paulo (GRU). This is one of American's prestigious routes, and represents American's commitment to the region by offering a better premium experience than it did previously.
After São Paulo, American began to roll out the Boeing 777-300ER on routes to London-Heathrow from DFW and New York-JFK, and later from JFK to São Paulo.
In recent years, however, American's 777-300ER found plenty of new routes. This includes the original routes to Sao Paulo and London-Heathrow, but also expanded services to Tokyo and Hong Kong. Most of these, such as São Paulo, Hong Kong, and Heathrow, saw 777-300ER services from multiple cities. Popular cities for the 777-300ER departing the US were Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Nowadays, however, the 777-300ER also makes its way on domestic routes.
AA's 777-300ERs today
American's 20 Boeing 777-300ERs fly 304 passengers each. There are eight seats in Flagship First. These are lie-flat, office-style seats that offer direct aisle access from all seats.
Behind this cabin is Flagship Business. With 52 reverse herringbone seats in this cabin, all passengers have access to lie-flat seating. Each seat has a little less square footage than Flagship First.
Following this, there are 28 premium economy recliner-style seats. These are in a 2-4-2 configuration in an intimate cabin.
At the rear of the aircraft are 216 economy seats. Of these, 28 have extra-legroom and are sold as "Main Cabin Extra" seats.
Today, these aircraft are still flying some long-haul international routes. However, given the ongoing border restrictions and limited travel demand, these aircraft are flying some more domestic routes.
Do you like American's Boeing 777-300ER? Have you flown on the aircraft? Let us know in the comments!