United to deploy new 787-10 fleet to Europe

Beginning in the northern spring of 2019,  United Airlines intends to fly its growing Boeing 787-10 fleet between its hub at New York/Newark (EWR) and Europe. March 30 sees the integration of 787-10s on the EWR-Frankfurt (FRA) route. The same day also sees the launch of Boeing's biggest version of the 787 family debut between EWR and Tel Aviv (TLV). On April 29,  it’s Paris (CDG) and Barcelona (BCN). Brussels (BRU)) and Dublin (DUB) are next, on May 22. United believes its big Boeings are a perfect match for the trans-Atlantic. Boeing says the -10 can fly up to 6,430 nautical miles (11,910 kilometers), all the while sipping 20 percent less jet fuel than older generation aircraft. In step with a philosophy that goes all the way back to the then ground-breaking 707 line of the late 1950s, each variant is fine-tuned to match the mission at hand. The 787-8 introduced us to the “seven-eight” family. It can transport 242 passengers in a two-class configuration. Its range exceeds that of the 787-10. The -8 can fly up to 7,355 nautical miles (13,620 kilometers) nonstop. The -10’s range is 6,430 nautical miles.  But it can transport 330 flyers, also in a two-class layout. READ: World's best airlines for 2019. There’s a third flavor too: the 787-9. It bests both of its sister aircraft in range with a 7,635 nautical mile (14,140km) reach. The -9, in a two-class layout, can accommodate 290 flyers. The catch, of course, is that there are few airlines that employ just two-class, long-range cabin configurations any longer. Premium economy, extra legroom and such now factor into the equation. As this story posts, United operates 25 787-9 and 787-8 aircraft. The airline expects to take delivery of 14 Boeing 787-10s over the next couple of years. Domestically, United intends to fly the aircraft between New York/Newark and both San Francisco and Los Angeles this coming January. The airline also announced this week that it intends to add nearly 150 flights and more than 41,000 seats to spring break destinations across the US, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. These include flights to 12 islands in the Caribbean, seven cities in Mexico and seven destinations in Central America, including 16 flights to Costa Rica, three flights to Guatemala and three flights to Belize. United's spring schedule will see it serve five new cities from Denver, including Destin, Palm Beach, Pensacola and Sarasota in Florida and Brownsville/South Padre Island in Texas. "We want our customers to know that, no matter where they want to go for spring break, United Airlines can get them there," Ankit Gupta, United's vice president of domestic network planning, said in a statement. "This is the time of year when our customers start thinking about and planning the perfect getaway, and with our expanded spring schedule, we are offering more flights and more destinations than ever before."