Fort Worth-based American Airlines, one of the most recognizable carriers in the world, operates a robust fleet of 1,000 mainline aircraft. The carrier, which has multiple hubs across the United States, has an extensive network of regional, domestic, and international services, stretching to most corners of the globe. The largest aircraft type in its fleet is the Boeing 777-300ER, with two configurations, seating up to 330 passengers.
With a Boeing dominated widebody fleet, the carrier’s medium and long-haul international network is operated by four different Boeing aircraft as per ch-aviation: the 777-200ER, 777-300ER, 787-8 and 787-9. American Airlines is the world’s largest operator of the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, with 37 in operation.
The 777-300ER At American Airlines
With 20 777-300ERs currently in the carrier’s fleet, its oldest is N717AN, serial number 3154, at 12.9 years of age. Within the -300ER fleet, there are two configurations, one of which is premium heavy, where these are currently being retrofitted with Flagship suites from this year. With eight first-class, 52 business, and 28 premium economy seats, a total of 88 seats are available across the premium cabins. 28 Main Cabin Extra complements this, and a further 188 in Main Cabin.
The second configuration omits the first class cabin, focusing instead on a higher number of business class seats, with 70 across the cabin. This is further complemented by 44 premium economy, 30 Main Cabin Extra, and 186 in Main Cabin, for a total of 330 seats onboard. All of these aircraft include lie-flat Flagship First and Business Class seats, and across all cabins, passengers can enjoy onboard WiFi, Seatback entertainment screens, and in-seat power.
These aircraft can fly up to 7,370 NM (13,649 km), making them perfect for long-haul operations. Powered by two GE90-115B engines, they produce up to 115,300 pounds of force as they rattle down the runway at airports around the globe. The aircraft has a ceiling height of 43,100 feet (13,100m), with a fuel capacity of 47,890 US gallons (181,283L). Using Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, let’s see where American is flying the 777-300ER this year, measured by the longest routes in its network.
Los Angeles International To Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
The longest route operated by American Airlines with the Boeing 777-300ER is its daily service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Australia’s largest city. Per data from Flightradar24, flights to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) push back from California’s busiest airport as AA73 at 23:05, for the almost 14-hour journey across the Pacific Ocean, touching down in Sydney two days later at 07:05. These flights cover a total of 7,487 miles (12,049km).
The return service, AA72, departs from Sydney at 09:10, with a 13 and a half hour expected travel time. Due to crossing the international date line, flights arrive before they departed, landing back in Los Angeles at 06:00 that same day. The flights are operated with an aircraft that has 304 seats onboard, with all cabin offerings including Flagship First, Flagship Business, Premium Economy, Main Cabin Extra, and Main Cabin.
Sydney remains American Airlines’ only year-round service to Oceania, but is complemented by additional seasonal operations across the Southern Hemisphere summer season, where flights are added to Auckland, New Zealand (Dallas and Los Angeles), and Brisbane (Dallas and Los Angeles, with the latter starting on December 7).
Credits: American Airline
