United executive explains why the airline hasn’t bought Boeing’s newest widebody plane

[Pelican Press 0]

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******* executive explains why the airline hasn’t bought Boeing’s newest widebody plane

So far, no US airline has purchased Boeing’s yet-to-be-certified 777X widebody.

A ******* Airlines executive told *** the jet is too big for the airline’s multi-hub network.

He said the 777X better suits carriers with one central hub, like Emirates and British Airways.

Despite 481

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from airlines around the world, Boeing can’t sell US carriers on its new widebody jetliner.

A

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that’s because the upcoming 777X — the world’s largest twin-engine plane in production — is simply too big for what the airline needs.

“We think

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, but it is a very big airplane,” SVP of global network planning and alliances, Patrick Quayle, told Business Insider. “Given our hub structure, we find a smaller widebody is actually better.”

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, including Chicago, Houston, Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, and Newark, New Jersey, Quayle explained.

Such a

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by serving the same destination from multiple hub cities instead of shuttling them all through one central airport, he said.

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******* has placed huge bets on the Boeing 787, which comes in different sizes and ranges.JanValls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images

Quayle pointed to its

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and Syndey service, saying the British capital is served 22 times a day from all seven ******* hubs, while Sydney has flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston.

“We’re not taking people from the west coast, flying them to the east coast, and then flying to London,” he said. “We’re flying nonstop from the West Coast, nonstop from the mountain region, nonstop from Houston and Chicago, and nonstop from the East Coast.”

*******’s widebody fleet consists of the Boeing 767, the classic 777, and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Since 2022, the airline has amassed a record

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to replace its 767s and some 777s.

******* already

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more than 70 Dreamliners across all three variants, which come in small, medium, and large, and have varying ranges — giving ******* added route and capacity flexibility.

The 777X is better for *******’s central hubs

The

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and the Airbus A380 as a more efficient, high-capacity long-haul jetliner.

Quayle said the 777X’s immense size is better suited for airlines with one giant central hub, like Emirates in Dubai, Qatar Airways in Doha, Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong, and

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All of these airlines have

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.

“Everything is out, and everything is back, and it’s all through these massive connecting complexes,” Quayle said. “The reason *********, Delta, and ******* didn’t order the 747-8 or

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is for this very situation in that the traffic is fragmented and splintered.”

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Emirates has made the mammoth Airbus A380 work because of its central hub structure and is expected to do the same with its 205-strong 777X order.Horacio Villalobos/Getty Images

It’s unclear if the

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will order the 777X. Neither ********* nor Delta have confirmed any orders.

********* recently

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260 new Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer planes, which did not include any widebodies to complement its existing 787 and classic 777 fleets. It’s

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as well.

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during the pandemic and is currently flying the 767, old and new A330 variants, and the

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.

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— which holds more than 100 fewer people in two cabins compared to the 426-seater 777X — in 2014 as a replacement for its larger widebodies, including the Boeing 747-400.

Boeing’s 777X is in certification limbo

While there is a

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, Boeing is struggling to get it certified.

The jet is already at least five years behind schedule, $1 billion over budget, and

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in August over a structural issue.

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In January, *** toured one of Boeing’s 777X test jets at the Wings Airshow in India.Taylor Rains/Business Insider

“During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that did not perform as designed,”

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previously told Business Insider. “Our team is replacing the part and capturing any learnings from the component and will resume flight testing when ready.”

Qatar and Emirates have previously said they are expecting a

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for their respective first 777X planes.

Once the 777X is finally certified, airlines can take advantage of its revolutionary folding wingtips, and

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upgrades like a more spacious cabin and unique lighting that resembles the sunset or the northern lights.

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#******* #executive #explains #airline #hasnt #bought #Boeings #newest #widebody #plane

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