AUGUST 2015 35 Customer Profile With rain falling on a chilly afternoon this past January at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., David Hensley anxiously paced around a brand-new 787. A test pilot for American Airlines, he was preparing to take the airplane for its first customer acceptance flight. “We’d really like to take it up for a ride today,” Hensley said. With daylight fading, Hensley got the green light and became the airline’s first employee to fly its Dreamliner— a highly efficient airplane that’s already opening up new routes and opportunities for American. “It was very, very quiet,” said Hensley after the flight. “I think our pilots are really going to enjoy the airplane.” More important, American says it wants customers to enjoy the 787 and the new routes the airplane is opening. As a key part of its fleet renewal plan, American recently launched 787 service from Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport to Beijing and Buenos Aires. And later this fall, American will start using the Dreamliner from Los Angeles International to Shanghai and São Paulo. “American’s goal is to become the greatest airline in the world, and we know they’re counting on the 787 to help them get there,” said Brad McMullen, Boeing’s vice president for North America Sales. Almost 600 Boeing airplanes are part of American’s fleet, including Next-Generation 737s and 777s. But the advanced 787 required fresh, innovative approaches to maintain and fly, according to the carrier. So to help ensure a smooth entry into service for the 787, the airline sent a crew from Dallas / Fort Worth to the Puget Sound region to put the airplane through its paces prior to delivery. “We sit in every seat and look at everything a customer might touch or use,” said American flight attendant Joyce Adkins. Boeing, in turn, shared its 787 best practices so the airline’s team would be prepared once the fleet began arriving. American says that approach has proved successful. At the end of June, the airline saw six 787s join its fleet, with 36 still to come. The next new Boeing jet that American will start prepping for is the 737 MAX. The airline has 100 of the single-aisle airplanes on order. But right now, the Dreamliner is stealing the spotlight. “The 787 is something that will be written into our company’s history,” said test pilot Hensley after that first flight in January. “When I’m 70, I’ll be telling my grandchildren about this.” n doug.ald er-jr@boeing.com Photo: The first 787 for American Airlines takes off on a test flight at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., in January. GAI L HANUSA | BOEING Nonstop excellence American Airlines opens new routes with the 787 Dreamliner by Doug Ald er
Frontiers August 2015 Issue
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