United first to fly 787 across Atlantic

United Airlines is expected to become the first airline to operate the revolutionary 787 Dreamliner aircraft on transatlantic routes from the UK.

The airline announced today that it will operate a non-stop London Heathrow to Houston 787 service, starting on February 4, on a temporary basis.

Flights will go on sale on August 25.

Qatar is aiming to become the first airline to operate 787 on flights from the UK with plans to launch a daily Dreamliner service from Heathrow to Doha in September, although it has not yet specified a date.

Thomson Airways will become the first UK carrier to offer 787 flights from May when it will operate the aircraft on holiday flights from Gatwick, Glasgow, East Midlands and Manchester to Cancun and Florida.

United said it will also operate the 787 on flights from Denver and Los Angeles to Tokyo and from Houston to Lagos and Amsterdam and from Los Angeles to Shanghai.

"The 787 is the right aircraft for these routes because of its many passenger-friendly amenities and superior operating economics," said United's senior vice president of network Greg Hart. "With 50 787s on order, we look forward to the many new route opportunities that will become available to United and our customers in the future."

By Linsey McNeill

Friday, August 24, 2012