United schedules first-ever Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner flights to Hawaii
The world's largest Dreamliner will make its first foray into Hawaii this coming winter.
United Airlines is planning to fly the Boeing 787-10 — the largest of the three Dreamliner variants — to both Honolulu (HNL) and Maui (OGG) from its Chicago O'Hare hub (ORD) beginning in October.
The daily route between ORD and HNL will be upgagued from a 787-8 to a 787-10 beginning on Oct. 30, while 787-10 Dreamliner service to Maui will commence on Nov. 19 with once-weekly Saturday flights. United's four other weekly Chicago to Maui frequencies will continue to be flown by a Boeing 777-200.
The aircraft swap was first seen in Cirium schedules and is already loaded on United's website. We reached out to United to confirm the move, and will update the story when we hear back. Note that schedules are always subject to change, especially with pandemic-related disruptions.
While the 787-10 Dreamliner won't change the passenger experience for United's Hawaii customers, it will give aviation enthusiasts a chance to fly the plane on a new domestic route for United.
The jet features 44 Polaris pods, along with 21 Premium Plus recliners, 54 extra-legroom Economy Plus seats and 199 standard coach ones.
All of United's 787-10 Dreamliners, along with the 787-8 and 777-200 that it replaces on the Chicago to Hawaii routes, feature the "real" Polaris business-class product in a 1-2-1 configuration with direct aisle access for each passenger.
While some aviation enthusiasts will enjoy the novelty of flying on the largest Dreamliner to Hawaii, those sitting in the pointy end of the plane may prefer flying on the other United jets.
That's because United's 787-10 biz cabin doesn't feel especially private. With 11 rows in a single cabin, the aisles can get crowded during boarding and deplaning, and they can get blocked during meal times, too.
Personally, my favorite Polaris seats in the United fleet are located in the two-row mini-cabin on the "baby" 787-8 Dreamliner. With just eight pods between the galley and Premium Plus, these are some of the most private seats you'll find in the United fleet.
That said, United's 787-10 Dreamliner service to Hawaii will be the first time this aircraft is regularly scheduled to fly to the Aloha state. United is the only U.S. carrier with the jet in its fleet. The only other airline that also flies to Hawaii and operates the 787-10 Dreamliner is ANA, one of Japan's two flag carriers, but it doesn't fly the plane to Hawaii.
If you're looking to fly United's 787-10 Dreamliner on another route, you can find it on one of the following:
| Origin | Destination |
|---|---|
| Newark (EWR) | Amsterdam (AMS) |
| Newark (EWR) | Brussels (BRU) |
| Newark (EWR) | Paris (CDG) |
| Newark (EWR) | Dublin (DUB) |
| Newark (EWR) | Frankfurt (FRA) |
| Newark (EWR) | Los Angeles (LAX) |
| Newark (EWR) | San Francisco (SFO) |
| Newark (EWR) | Tel Aviv (TLV) |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | Brussels (BRU) |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | Frankfurt (FRA) |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | Los Angeles (LAX) |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) | San Francisco (SFO) |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | Tokyo (HND) |