United Will Fly its New 787s on Domestic Routes Initially
United Airlines recently released a domestic schedule for its 787s. Following proving and validation flights in October, United will temporarily fly 787s on domestic routes based out of Houston (IAH) before beginning international service. For those eager to fly Boeing’s 787, this is great news as you can experience the 787 on relatively short-haul, domestic flights without buying a more expensive international ticket. We recently took a look at the interior and livery of United’s 787s.
Domestic destinations from Houston include San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), Denver (DEN), and Chicago (ORD). For one day only, United will also fly 787s round-trip from IAH to Cleveland (CLE) and from IAH to Washington, DC (IAD). United’s scheduled, international 787 service will begin on January 3 with daily, non-stop service from LAX to Tokyo-Narita. Other international destinations were also recently announced.
For those interested in being first, seats on the first United 787 flight on the first day of service (November 4) between IAH and ORD are available. As of today, economy seats are $517 one-way and $976 in BusinessFirst (one-way).
I checked the first IAH to SFO flight on November 4 and it is also available. As of today, BusinessFirst, one-way tickets are available for $844. Economy seats are $594 (one-way).
Here’s the overall 787 roll-out schedule:
| Late September | 1st 787 delivery |
| October | Proving/validation flights and training activities that allow United to meet FAA certification requirements and prepare United to become the first North American operator for this new aircraft type. 2nd 787 delivery. |
| November | Scheduled commercial flights from Houston to other U.S. hubs. 3rd and 4th 787 deliveries expected. |
| December | Scheduled commercial flights from Houston to other U.S. hubs. 5th 787 delivery expected. First international service Dec. 4. |
| January | Commencement of scheduled commercial flights on additional international routes as announced on Aug. 23. |
The Domestic Schedule:
| Route | Flight times | Effective Date | End Date | Frequency |
| IAH-SFO-IAH | 5:45 p.m. westbound 12:15 a.m. eastbound | Nov. 4, 2012 | Dec. 2, 2012 | 5 x weekly |
| IAH-LAX-IAH | 3:30 p.m. westbound6:25 p.m. eastbound | Nov. 4, 2012 | Dec. 3, 2012 | 6 x weekly |
| IAH-ORD-IAH | 7:25 a.m. northbound 11:15 a.m. southbound | Nov. 4, 2012 | Dec. 3, 2012 | 6 x weekly |
| IAH-EWR-IAH | 8 a.m. northbound 3:30 p.m. southbound | Nov. 4, 2012 | Jan. 3, 2013 | Daily, except Nov. 18 |
| IAH-CLE-IAH | 7 a.m. northbound 4 p.m. southbound |
Nov. 10, 2012 | Nov. 10, 2012 | One-day service |
| IAH-IAD-IAH | 7 a.m. northbound 3:50 p.m. southbound |
Nov. 17, 2012 | Nov. 17, 2012 | One-day service |
| IAH-SFO-IAH | 5:45 p.m. westbound 12:15 a.m. eastbound | Dec. 3, 2012 | Jan. 3, 2013 | Daily |
| IAH-LAX-IAH | 3:30 p.m. westbound 6:25 p.m. eastbound |
Dec. 4, 2012 | Jan. 3, 2013 | Daily |
| IAH-DEN-IAH | 7:20 a.m. westbound 10:15 a.m. eastbound |
Dec. 5, 2012 | Jan. 2, 2013 | Daily |
| IAH-LAX-IAH | 7:35 a.m. westbound 12:30 p.m. eastbound |
Jan. 3, 2013 | March 31, 2013 | Daily |
| IAH-ORD-IAH | 7:25 a.m. northbound 11:15 a.m. southbound | Jan. 4, 2013 | March 29, 2013 | Daily |
| IAH-DEN-IAH | 9:15 a.m. westbound 2:15 p.m. eastbound |
March 31, 2013 | Open | Daily |
