Unlike my first-hand experience on United’s inaugural of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner this past November, I’ve been following the action of its re-debut today on Twitter.

United Airlines Flight#1 departed the gate in Houston this morning on-time at 11:00 a.m. and was airborne 13 minutes later.

Prior to departure from gate E7, a ceremony of sorts took place with the crew, CEO Jeff Smisek and Boeing’s chief James McNerney. One of the zinger comments from Smisek during the event was something to the effect of, “this (the 787) was an expensive piece of tarmac sculpture,” according to several accounts.

Well, it’s certainly sculpture no more and will be arriving on-time at O’Hare within the hour. The same aircraft turns around as United Flight# 2 headed back to Houston at 3:40 p.m.

I’ll be keen on reading the reports from my inaugural buddies @airchive and @airwaysjack who are both on the flight. And CNBC reporter Phil LeBeau will have updates as well, featuring interviews with Smisek and McNerney.

After initial domestic runs, United will shift its 787 flying to primarily international routes as previously planned.

I’d book a 787 flight… would you?

Related posts:

United Dreamliner Inaugural Flight Review: Houston to Chicago on November 4, 2012

United 787 Dreamliner Inaugural Takeoff Video

Seats Are Aplenty on Re-Debut of United 787 Dreamliner

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.

United Airlines will operate its first post-grounding Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights in just about two weeks on May 20. And the seat maps are currently wide open.

As reported by Jack Harty for Airchive, flight UA 1 will depart from Houston on Monday May 20 at 11:00 a.m., arriving in Chicago at 1:35 p.m.

UA1 Seat Map on May 20 IAH-ORD

The return flight UA 2 will depart Chicago at 3:40 p.m. with an arrival back in Houston at 6:25 p.m.

UA2 Seat Map on May 20 ORD-IAH

The next day on May 21, United is scheduled to operate 2X daily Houston-Chicago-Houston flights until June 9, as well as add Dreamliner service on the Houston to Denver and Houston to Los Angeles routes, the latter commencing on May 24.

I doubt there will be any hoopla surrounding these flights, but I’m glad to see them on the schedule. I wouldn’t hesitate to be on one of them.

Here’s a look back at my experience on United’s inaugural Dreamliner flights on November 4, 2012:

• United Dreamliner Inaugural: UA Flight 1116 IAH to ORD
• United Dreamliner Inaugural: UA Flight 1510 ORD to IAH
• United Dreamliner Inaugural: UA Flight 1209 IAH to LAX

Would you feel comfortable booking a Dreamliner flight today?

• United Airlines is pulling all Boeing 787 Dreamliners out of service until at least May 12, at which time they intend to launch Denver-Tokyo nonstop flights. A company spokesperson said other 787 flights will be held until June 5, pending successful resolution of Dreamliner issues.
• Southwest Airlines has expanded its live television programming to all Wi-Fi enabled flights, and added movies. Prices run $5 per movie, per device and/or $5 per day for television.
• Lufthansa will reduce long-haul aircraft sporting first class in the coming year(s). Some Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 747-400 aircraft will be reconfigured due to the change. Vancouver flights are reported to be one of the specific markets affected.
• Delta Air Lines is once again attempting an airfare hike, looking to raise certain domestic airfares by $4-$10 roundtrip. As of earlier this afternoon, United is the only airline yet to match.
• Profitability per airline passenger has been dropping the past several years (PDF). Airlines for America has an interesting presentation showing the drop from 318 cents per passenger in 2010 to 77 cents in 2011, to 21 cents in 2012. Time to raise ancillary fees?
• Blogger-buddy NonRevAdventure has a thought-provoking post questioning hotel loyalty and whether it’s worth it to spend more just for added perks. My travel will be significantly decreasing later this year and I’ll certainly be back to choosing a hotel more on price vs. loyalty.
• Wyndham will reflag and operate a whopping 41 additional hotels in Germany, almost doubling its properties in the country. Additional locations in Belgium and the Netherlands will also be reflagged.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 19, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 18, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 15, 2013

• The obvious and most notable news today was the long-awaited official merger announcement by American Airlines and US Airways. The $11 billion deal will create the world’s largest airline. Here’s a look at what the eventual AAdvantage frequent flier program might look like.
• But there was also other interesting news to report, including Polish airline LOT grounding all Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights through October. LOT president Sebastian Mikosz said he would not operate the airline’s two 787s for summer season flights due to still unresolved technical problems.
• Fly Jamaica took to the skies today, operating its first of four weekly flights between New York’s JFK airport and Kingston, Jamaica. The airline operates Boeing 757 aircraft with two classes of service and doesn’t charge for the first two checked bags.
• Korean Air still has plans to open a hotel in downtown Los Angeles, but delayed the completion date and subsequent debut from 2014 to 2017. It would become the tallest structure in L.A. and include 900 4-star rooms, as well as retail and office space.
• Budget, Japanese-style capsule hotels seem to be gaining popularity and a new one has opened in Moscow, the city billed as the most expensive in the world for a hotel room. “Rooms” reportedly cost about $85.
• Orbitz has laid off employees this week in order to spend more marketing itself and increase profitability, according to a report. No specific number of impacted employees was provided, but it was thought to be around 70.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 12, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 11, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 5, 2013

• American Airlines has a new sweepstakes offering a slew of prizes, including first class tickets for two, Admirals Club memberships, tablets, headphones and more. Daily drawings for 1,000 AAdvantage miles are also a part of the promo.
• Boeing has asked the FAA to resume 787 test flights to aid in finding a cause of the battery problems. The FAA is currently evaluating the request.
• A not-so-new hotel trend is gaining momentum as more hoteliers offer dual-branded locations. From combo JW Marriott/Ritz-Carlton properties to Hilton Garden Inn/Hamptons, it seems to be a big win with developers.
• Both Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson and San Francisco International broke passenger records in 2012. Atlanta retained the top spot as busiest airport in the world.
• A drunk (off-duty) British Airways pilot reportedly groped a first class passenger on a flight from London to Japan. If the reporting is accurate, he made quite a scene. And he had just returned to work after a suspension for punching a flight attendant last year.
• Kudos to United Airlines employees who will be receiving a $100 bonus for the airline’s recent on-time performance. United ended the month of January with an 82.8 percent domestic on-time arrival rate, and an 80.5 percent international on-time rate, resulting in the best combined domestic and international performance for the month in 10 years.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 1, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: January 31, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: January 30, 2013

In the odd chance you haven’t already heard, American unveiled their new livery and logo today. American will no longer be able to sport a polished aluminum look as some of the new fleet types on order are made of composite materials, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. And so, at 9:00 a.m. CST today, American did their big reveal online.

The New American Airlines Livery (Courtesy: American Airlines)

Twitter immediately became a flurry with reaction, most of which I saw was negative. I quite like the new look and it has grown on me even more throughout the day. Bold and modern, and it will certainly stand out at the airport. My only suggestion would have been to use the same blue color used throughout for the lettering. I’ll miss the current livery, though, as I think it’s a classic and stood up well over the years.

Change of any kind will bring criticism and one of the elements many are expressing distaste for is the new “eagle,” or what American is calling a flight symbol.

American Airlines logo (the 'eagle' or 'flight symbol')

And when American announced they’d be updating their look early in 2012, many designers got busy. Here’s one of the most widely liked concepts from Anthony Harding:

Courtesy: Anthony Harding

He modernized the eagle, maintained a red, white and blue (and silver) color palette, and even kept the popular “AA” going, I owe a huge thanks to Anthony for allowing me to show his design here and I asked him what he thought of American’s new look:

I’m highly impressed with what American Airlines revealed today. To me, it’s exciting, eye-catching, and it feels appropriate for their vision of a modernized American Airlines. Where so many modern airline liveries feel underwhelming to me and seem to lack passion, American’s bold new livery feels like an emphatic statement of confidence in the airline’s future.

A very nice critique indeed! But what say you? I’d love to hear your choice if you had to pick between the two. And I also welcome criticism of my own approval of American’s new look.

Related posts:

Review: American’s Flagship Check-In and Lounge at LAX

Why an American-US Airways Merger Worries Me

Interview With the Head of American’s Social Media Team

• The FAA issued an airworthiness directive requiring U.S. airlines to ground Boeing 787 Dreamliners until the aircraft is proven safe to fly. Meaning, United must ground its current fleet of six 787s until the battery issue (and possibly others) are resolved.
• Meanwhile, the FAA is seeking to ban pilots from using their portable electronic devices at any time during flight. This doesn’t include iPads and other devices necessary for their job function (United, among other airlines, issues iPads to their crews to replace traditional paper flight manuals).
• Virgin America announced new nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. I’ve seen some criticism online as to their need to enter such a heavily serviced market by other airlines, but I think it’s a very “Vegas-mentality” airline to serve the route. Now if they can only fill up the planes profitably.
• United Airlines is offering bonus miles on their new San Francisco to Taipei route (“hat tip” to the linked site). Redeemable bonus miles can be earned for even the cheapest fares when traveling 4/9/13-6/30/13.
• Don’t get too excited, but free breakfast (think “continental”) is now being offered at Extended Stay America locations. It’s reportedly “to-go” only, offering oatmeal, fruit, muffins and beverages.
• American Airlines is very close to revealing a new livery, according to reports. And I have to all but guess that means a decision on a merger with US Airways as well. I sorta think they’d be announced at the same time. American’s first Boeing 777-300, currently naked-ish, begins flying January 31 from Dallas to Sao Paulo.
• United launched a new airfare hike today, yet to be determined if it’ll stick. As of 4:00 p.m. EST, no airlines have matched the increase ranging from $4 to $20 round-trip on domestic airfares.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: January 15, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: January 14, 2013

• Oy, more 787 issues as an All Nippon Airways (ANA) jet makes an emergency landing in Osaka. This is breaking as I type, so further details will certainly emerge.
• United Airlines will lay off 472 workers at Newark Liberty Airport. A spokesman at United confirms it’s due to outsourcing of cargo operations, but adds the airline will help them find other jobs with the airline.
• A shipment of 18 human heads was seized at Chicago O’Hare Airport. A mix-up in paperwork reportedly delayed the shipment and subsequent delivery of the medically-researched heads on their way for cremation.
• San Francisco International Airport could soon be renamed after the legendary gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Voters will decide on the potential name change/addition this November.
• Air China may soon fly nonstop from Houston to Beijing. The airline announced the route today, which still requires government approval. It might bring decent Star Alliance award availability into play.
• United Airlines is (finally) introducing Wi-Fi to their international fleet. The satellite-based Wi-Fi service is presently equipped on one Boeing 747-400 and two Airbus A319s, with plans to roll it out to 300 more aircraft this year. Fingers crossed one of the two United 747s I’m flying next week is the sole -400 offering the service so I can try it out.
• Hilton has a 24-hour promo beginning tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. EST. Part of the Any Weekend, Anywhere Sale, it offers up to 40 percent off weekend stays and 2,500 bonus points. The sale is ongoing through January 31, but book tomorrow for the bonus points.
• The moron who called in a fake bomb hoax will submit a written apology to each of the passengers on the US Airways flight forced to return to Philadelphia airport resulting from his call. That’s not nearly as bad as the fines and prison term he’s facing.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel Industry News: January 14, 2013

I plan to bring back this once-regular post here on Frequently Flying as I’m sure I’m not the only one who enjoys a quick snippet of notable airline, hotel and travel industry news of the day. It’ll be back as often as possible pending work, travel and other distractions. As advance notice, I’ll be flying 22,000 miles over the course of six days next week without Wi-Fi, so posting might be light.

• United Airlines and American Airlines have been accused of running sham operations in a rural Illinois city where satellite offices for each airline “process” jet fuel purchases for use at O’Hare and other Midwest locations. Doing so there saves the airlines millions of dollars by skirting Chicago’s hefty taxes. I blogged about this in 2011 and a lawsuit has now been apparently filed.
• Hilton Hotels launched a spoofy Vacation Care Center website where users can diagnose their vacation needs based on workplace and other stressors. It’s a fun concept, but I think they fail by adding in a section that requires you to enter your name, address and email to get your “prescription.” Why not just make it a fun quiz-like thing with an immediate Rx without requiring personal information? Yeah, I know why. Sigh.
• New rental car service Silvercar offers only Audi A4s for renters at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. It’s a niche concept with techy features some travelers may like.
• The Australian Open began (I’m a huge tennis fan) and you can now book Venus Williams-designed suites at the InterContinental Hotel Miami. The two presidential suites her V Starr firm were involved with are a part of the property’s $30 million renovation.
• A new Star Alliance lounge at Buenos Aires airport opened. The 24-hour location offers the usual amenities (for an international lounge), including hot and cold snacks, Wi-Fi and shower facilities.
• The first of American’s 42 Boeing 787s are now slated for delivery in November 2014, having been moved up through an accelerated delivery schedule agreed upon by American and Boeing.

I completed my multi-part United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner inaugural trip report last week, so be sure to check it out in case you missed it. Here’s a time-lapse video of how ship 3904 (registration N20904) came to be:

Related posts:

United 787 Dremaliner Inaugural: Introduction

United 787 Inaugural Takeoff Video

Video Tour Inside United’s First 787 Dreamliner