Here Are the First Routes for American Airlines' Reconfigured 787-8
As in life, frequent flyers must take the good with the bad. Until, of course, they've had enough and opt for a HondaJet Elite to get them from Point A to Point B. For AA loyalists sticking to commercial (at least in the near-term), we've learned that its fleet of reconfigured Boeing 787-8 aircraft will soon fly from Chicago (ORD) and Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) to a handful of global destinations beginning in May 2019.
Per new data unearthed by RoutesOnline, American Airlines has recently filed paperwork outlining initial routes for the revamped Dreamliners. Earlier this year, we noted that the retrofit would boost seating capacity overall, with American stripping out eight business class seats and reducing Main Cabin Extra by 13 seats to make room for a four-row, 28-seat (2-3-2) premium economy section. In addition to the loss of 13 Main Cabin Extra seats, there's another downside to this reconfiguration for window-seat lovers: American is putting almost all Main Cabin Extra (MCE) seating into the middle column of the aircraft.
Now, at least, we know where these birds will fly. Starting May 2, 2019, the reconfigured 787-8 will find itself gradually operating the below routes.
From Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to:
- Athens (ATH)
- Barcelona (BCN)
- Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW)
- Dublin (DUB)
- London Heathrow (LHR)
- Paris (CDG)
- Rome (FCO)
- Tokyo–Narita (NRT)
- Venice (VCE)
From Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) to:
- Beijing (PVG)
- Frankfurt (FRA)
- Munich (MUC)
- Santiago de Chile (SCL)
Bottom Line
In searching on AA.com, it appears that many of the routes above are loaded and bookable via both cash and AAdvantage miles from May 2, 2019, onward. We found copious economy MileSAAver (low-level) award availability for routes between Chicago (ORD) and London Heathrow (LHR), though spotting low-level availability in the business cabin proved more difficult.
Interestingly, AA's site doesn't yet allow for booking award tickets in the Premium Economy cabin, so if you're jonesing to try that product, it's cash or bust for the moment.
If you're looking to fly onboard a reconfigured 787-8, you can boost your available AAdvantage miles balance by signing up for credit cards and securing lucrative welcome bonuses. The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard not only provides gratis access to Admirals Club lounges; it also boasts a huge 75,000 mile bonus after spending $7,500 within the first three months. For AA loyalists, be sure to check out our guide to the best credit card for American Airlines flyers.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month