American Airlines has just announced that it has ordered two 777-300ERs that will be delivered late next year.
“We value the combination of size, range and performance of the 777-300ER, as well as the extensive customer amenities it offers. The seating capability of the aircraft will give us growth flexibility in slot-constrained airports and provide us with greater ability to serve new long-haul markets,” said American president Tom Horton in the news release.
It’ll be interesting to see where these end up, for sure. When Horton says slot-controlled airports, China comes to mind, as well as American’s new service to Tokyo-Haneda. And it will be interesting to see what markets are added as a result. (Possibly Asian destinations?) Then again, only two 777-300ERs won’t allow American to add a whole bunch to its route map.
The announcement comes as American reported a $94 million net loss for the fourth quarter, which represents a significant year-over-year improvement.
American currently operates 47 777-200ERs.
Can’t wait for the first US airline to have the 777-300ER in their fleet. I wonder if United-Continental might add this to their fleet sometime soon to replace aging 747-400s, as the A250 aren’t due for some time and will likely be delayed.
Two frames makes no sense. There has to be a plan to acquire others. Are there existing frames out there with a lessor that need homes?
As for AA’s (lack of) earnings…yeah, they cut their losses. But they’re still losing money while everybody else is making big profits. I don’t see the bright side of this picture.
I think it’s great AA is ordering the Trip-73. With the number of aging 747-400 in the US and the need for more capacity, this may very well be the tipping point for this bird. Couple this development with the potential to leverage carbon fiber technology and Boeing could get an additional shelf uptick and the ability to re-position the 777 for years to come.