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It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the new kid on the block and one of those aircraft that people would point out when it rolled into view at whatever airport you happened to be at. It was a novelty. Now however, Dreamliners seem to be everywhere and United Airlines is joining in the proliferation.
During a recent schedule update United added 787-8 Dreamliner service to its routes from Houston to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
United Airlines 787 Dreamliner
Houston – Buenos Aires
From 5 May 2016 United is replacing the Boeing 767 aircraft that currently operates this route with a 787-8 Dreamliner. The Dreamliner is set to operate the route through 6 September 2016 at which point it looks as if the route is reclaimed by a 777-200 (no sign of the 767).
The United 787-8 schedule is as follows:
UA819 IAH 21:45 – 09:45+1 day EZE (Daily)
UA818 EZE 20:45 – 05:00+1 day IAH (Daily)
Swapping out the 767 for the 787-8 Dreamliner only sees the route gain 5 seats (214 to 219) but the allocations of the seats between the cabins could be significant:
United’s 767 offers a 30/49/135 split between BusinessFirst/Economy Plus/Economy while the Dreamliner sees its 219 seat split 36/70/113 making it a considerably better proposition. The six extra seat in BusinessFirst may make awards and upgrades easier on the route too.
In addition, if SeatGuru is correct, it would appear that the 787-8 offers an inch more seat pitch in Economy Class. On flights of this length bit of extra leg room you can get counts!
Houston – Rio de Janeiro
From 7 September 2016 the Boeing 777-200 that currently operates the Houston to Rio de Janeiro route will be replaced by a 787-8 Dreamliner. The new aircraft is scheduled to operate the route through 24 February 2017 at which point it looks as if the route is discontinued (at least for the season).
The schedule is as follows:
UA129 IAH 21:30 – 09:25+1 day GIG (Daily)
UA128 GIG 20:50 – 05:00+1 day IAH (Daily)
While on the Buenos Aires route the aircraft swap appears favourable for passengers, the same cannot be said for the swap on the Rio de Janeiro route.
United Airlines 777-200 – Image courtesy of Eric Salard via Flickr
The two class 777-200s that currently fly between Houston and Rio operate with a cabin seat ratio of 50/72/145 (BusinessFirst/Economy Plus/Economy) giving the aircraft a total of 267 seats. The incoming Dreamliner has 48 fewer seats (18% drop in capacity) and 14 less premium cabin seats too – that doesn’t bode well for upgrades and awards.
Using dimensions supplied by United there isn’t that much between the two aircraft. In a comparison between the 777-200 and the 787-8 the older aircraft has more seat worth in Business First while the 787-8 gives Economy Class passengers and inch more seat pitch:
I confess to not being a United flyer so I’m having trouble figuring out why there’s a difference in seat width in BusinessFirst if, as I’m led to believe, there’s only one BusinessFirst seat. If anyone knows please let me know!
Bottom Line
If your travels are going to be taking you to Buenos Aires (via Houston) during the northern summer then you’re in luck – to looks like the Dreamliner will be a nice upgrade over the 767 currency operating the route.
If, on the other hand, you’re planning on flying to Rio on or after 7 September, your chances of an upgrade or of snagging a BusinessFirst award seat have just taken a turn for the worse.
The problem with modern airlines is that new planes (like the Dreamliner) by no means guarantee a better seat or better cabin when they take over a route from an older aircraft. Airlines like United and American are busy squeezing in as many seats as they can in to their Economy Class cabins (United is about to go 10-across in their 777s) giving passengers even less room than before.
The moral to all this is that, if you have a choice, you should always do your research on the aircraft operating the routes you fly – not all aircraft of the same class (wide body, narrow body etc..) offer the same levels of comfort and “new” doesn’t necessarily mean better.
Featured image: Masakatsu Ukon via Flickr
