United Airlines takes delivery of their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner


A couple 30-40 minute flights to small airports across Washington State might not seem all that significant but for United Airlines it means that they now are in possession of their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The company is the first operator in North America to take delivery of the type and the fifth sixth world-wide. This weekend’s delivery is the first of five the airline expects in 2012 and the first of fifty currently outstanding orders.

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The delivery process is playing out in several steps. First was the financial part of the deal which was completed on Saturday. That was followed by the flights on Sunday, marking the official delivery. But the big celebration is expected to come later this week when Boeing and United host a delivery event at Boeing Field, south of Seattle, before the plane flies on to Houston.

There is still a month or so of testing, internal certification and training pending before the aircraft goes in to commercial service; the first scheduled flights are set for November 4, 2012.

Photo courtesy of United Airlines.

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Seth Miller

I'm Seth, also known as the Wandering Aramean. I was bit by the travel bug 30 years ago and there's no sign of a cure. I fly ~200,000 miles annually; these are my stories. You can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.