Fort Worth-based American Airlines remains one of the world’s most recognizable carriers. The airline, a proud partner of the oneworld alliance, holds the title of the world’s largest airline in terms of daily flights and passengers carried, and remains one of the world’s largest airlines by fleet size. One of its most prized airplanes is the Boeing 787-8, of which it is the world’s largest operator.
American Airlines’ operations offer global coverage to ten of its United States hubs. These include Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami International Airport, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor, and Washington National. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) remains the airline’s largest base. Data from ch-aviation identifies AA operates a total of 37 787-8, and 30 787-9, with an additional 22 787-9 deliveries ongoing.
The AA Fleet
The Oneworld carrier operates a fleet of more than 1,000 mainline aircraft, which consists of Airbus and Boeing narrowbody airplanes, as well as a Boeing widebody fleet. American had been a long-time Boeing customer throughout the 2000s. However, this changed in 2011, when the airline announced its intention to order 260 Airbus A320s and 200 Boeing 737s, the largest combined aircraft order at the time.
American welcomed its first Boeing 787-8 back in January 2015. This was handed over at the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington, with the aircraft bearing registration N800AN (serial number 40618). The aircraft, now over ten years old, is powered by two GEnx-1B engines and is configured to carry 234 passengers across three classes (C20, W28, Y186).
Introducing the 787 into the AA fleet was all part of a more than a $2 billion investment at the time that looked to elevate the AA experience around the world. This initiative included new fully lie-flat seats onboard, international WiFi, additional inflight entertainment options, upgrades to the airlines’ Admirals Club Lounges, while also retrofitting existing Boeing 777-200s, 767-300, 757-200s, and A319s.
Below are American Airlines’ top five routes in 2025, using the 787-8 Dreamliner, as per data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, and pertain to the outbound service only.
Dallas To Shanghai
Flying the flag between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) is American Airlines’ 787-8 service, which operates on average up to three times a week year-round. The route remains the only direct service between Dallas and Mainland China; however, it is complemented by the additional service operated by Cathay Pacific between Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), Special Administrative Region (SAR), and DFW.
The direct flight between Dallas and Shanghai can take around 15 hours and 35 minutes on the outbound leg, while the return takes 13 hours and 30 minutes. This year, AA will operate a total of 122 services, catering for more than 28,000 seats in each direction. Representing more than 209 million available seat miles
Passengers traveling on this service can make the most of AA’s extensive domestic and international network from Dallas, providing simple one-stop itineraries to destinations across North and South America, and through the airline’s busiest hub.
Los Angeles To Auckland
Flying direct between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and New Zealand’s largest city, and busiest airport, Auckland International (AKL), is an American Airlines flight that crosses the length of the Pacific Ocean. American, which operates this service seasonally, operates from late December through to the end of March, providing a direct link for American tourists to explore the sights and surroundings that New Zealand has to offer.
Earlier this year, select flights were also operated with the 787, providing passengers the opportunity to experience the airline’s Premium Economy and Flagship Business products. Data for the 2025 season noted 62 direct outbound flights to Auckland, accommodating a total of 14,508 available seats.
American faces stiff competition on the route to Auckland, given the year-round, sometimes double-daily service offered by Air New Zealand. Additional capacity is also added by SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines, which operates multiple weekly services across the same Southern Hemisphere summer season onboard the Airbus A350-900.
Dallas To Tokyo Haneda
Flying between Dallas and Tokyo Haneda Airport (DFW), American Airlines has up to five weekly flights. In 2025, AA will operate a total of 239 outbound flights to Haneda from Dallas, representing an average of 4.5 flights per week. This provides a total of 55,926 available seats across the year, or more than 1,000 a week. The flight time between DFW and HND is 13 hours and 25 minutes, while on the return it’s 11 hours and 40 minutes.
Haneda is one of two main international airports serving the bustling city of Tokyo, the other being Tokyo Narita. AA also operates direct flights from its Texas hub to Tokyo Narita (NRT) and maintains a strong presence on the US-Japan market. At Haneda, American operates direct services to Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York JFK, while from Tokyo Narita Airport, the sole AA link is to DFW.
Alliance partner Japan Airlines (JAL) is another operator on the DFW to HND link, a route that is operated by the airline’s Airbus A350-1000 aircraft on a daily rotation. Haneda is the airport located closest to the city’s downtown, just 9.3 miles (15 km) from Tokyo Station.
Dallas To Rome
In this analysis, the 787-8’s longest link to Europe sees it touch down at Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO). From the center of Texas to the heart of this thriving Italian metropolis, passengers can arrive to start their European odyssey with a total of 49 flights scheduled this year. The route, which is often operated by other AA aircraft, serves the city pair year-round.
American Airlines services to FCO depart not only from Dallas but also from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) throughout the year, while seasonal services are added from Charlotte, Chicago O’Hare, Miami, and New York JFK during the Northern Hemisphere summer season. This year, AA has scheduled a total of 49 flights from DFW direct to Rome, providing more than 11,000 available seats on the city pair. The average flight time between Dallas and Rome is ten hours, 30 minutes outbound, and 12 hours, five minutes, for the return.
There are plenty of options when it comes to looking for flights between the United States and Rome, with AA facing direct competition from Delta Air Lines: Atlanta, Boston, New York JFK (year-round), Detroit, Minneapolis St. Paul and Seattle (seasonally), ITA Airways to Los Angeles, New York JFK and Miami (year round), Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles (seasonally), and United Airlines to Newark and Washington Dulles (year round), Chicago, Denver and San Francisco (seasonally). Alaska Airlines will also throw its hand in the ring from May 2026, as the airline looks to operate direct flights from Seattle.
These direct services to Italy not only cater to strong leisure and business passengers, but also to VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives), given the high Italian diaspora in the United States. It is estimated that more than 17 million Americans have Italian ancestry. According to the Texas Almanac, more than five million Texans have Italian roots, with growing numbers in San Antonio, Dallas, and Galveston.
Flying AA Into The Future
To maintain its growing fleet, AA operates four maintenance bases scattered in different corners of the United States, including Tulsa International Airport (TUL), Oklahoma, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), Pennsylvania, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), North Carolina.
AA remains focused on the future and has plans to operate the Boom Overture supersonic aircraft. The airline has 20 of these on firm order, with options for 40 more. The Boom Overture appears to be capable of breaking the speed of sound and could mark a renaissance of supersonic air travel since the Concorde, potentially cutting travel time substantially between major centers, such as reducing the flight time between Dallas and London to less than six hours, compared to the current nine.