There’s something special about flying a widebody aircraft domestically. These are larger and usually more spacious planes, designed to take passengers across oceans. Many passengers simply find them more enjoyable.
American Airlines Boeing 787-8 in Chicago
They also have a lot more premium seats, which people will buy when making long journeys. Business class usually means seats that all have direct access to the aisle and that convert into flat beds. On some airlines, they have doors for greater privacy. One of the lavatories will generally be much more spacious (for accessibility reasons, too).
It used to be common for airlines to fly these birds on domestic routes. In my business travel youth of the late ’90s, United ran a 5 p.m. Boeing 747 from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles, and 5 p.m. 777 to San Francisco.
My first-ever upgrade was Los Angeles to Dulles on a Sunday afternoon onboard a United 777. I didn’t want to get off! An almond dusted shrimp appetizer, steak entree, and dessert… long before inflight wifi, I had a couple of cocktails and the Sunday New York Times. Perfect Sunday that I will never forget. My first time in three-class first was also on United, from Chicago to… Detroit, on a Boeing 767.
Now you’ll find widebodies on domestic routes usually for one of two reasons.
- Repositioning. An airline needs to move the plane from one hub to another. It may be coming in from one international destination, and then needs to move to a different hub for its next international flight. This can happen as a one-off [the plane is being based at a different hub] or as part of a schedule pattern that moves a plane between hubs to support infrequent service.
- Counter-seasonal flying. The plane might fly to Europe in the summer, when people want to go there and the airline can make money, but they don’t have a great place to send it in the winter so they put it on a cross-country or Mexico (Cancun) route where it will at least lose less.
American Airlines Business Class
American Airlines does limited long haul international beyond flying to its partner hubs, summer seasonal Europe, and deep South America. Each month, J.T. Genter publishes a list of widebody flights American Airlines is offering domestically. As of this writing, his most recent effort is for the current month of November.
I thought I’d put together the list for December 2024. That way, if you find these flights as special as I do, you can schedule your flying around picking up a widebody aircraft too. I don’t do it often myself, though a year schedules between Austin and Chicago made it almost make sense to connect in Dallas, so I did it to pick up a Boeing 787 from Dallas to Chicago with an upgrade to business class confirmed at booking.
On most domestic widebody flights, premium economy is treated as coach which is great for reserving a better seat, and international-style business class is the domestic first class cabin. On flights where American sells premium economy as a separate cabin (like Hawaii), premium economy upgrades are available day of departure at the gate.
American Airlines Premium Economy
Here’s the list of widebody flights that American Airlines plans to operate on domestic routes in December 2024:
| Origin | Dest. | Flight # | Frequency | Depart | Arrive | Aircraft | Start | End |
| CLT | MIA | 2577 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 18:10 | 20:18 | 772 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| CLT | MIA | 2577 | Daily | 18:25 | 20:37 | 772 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| CLT | MIA | 3264 | Daily | 18:20 | 20:35 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| DFW | HNL | 115 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 9:05 | 13:38 | 772 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| DFW | HNL | 123 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 11:45 | 16:07 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| DFW | HNL | 115 | Thu Only | 9:15 | 13:49 | 772 | 12/5/2024 | 12/5/2024 |
| DFW | HNL | 123 | Daily | 11:30 | 15:49 | 788 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| DFW | HNL | 115 | Daily | 9:30 | 14:04 | 772 | 12/6/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| DFW | HNL | 115 | Daily | 9:15 | 13:49 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| DFW | HNL | 123 | Daily | 11:30 | 16:04 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| DFW | LAS | 777 | Mon/Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun | 8:35 | 9:31 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/29/2024 |
| DFW | LAS | 777 | Mon/Tue | 8:35 | 9:31 | 788 | 12/30/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| DFW | LAX | 3296 | Wed Only | 11:30 | 12:50 | 772 | 12/11/2024 | 12/11/2024 |
| DFW | LAX | 1031 | Thu Only | 16:40 | 18:03 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/19/2024 |
| DFW | MCO | 2441 | Wed Only | 6:30 | 10:03 | 772 | 12/11/2024 | 12/11/2024 |
| DFW | MCO | 2713 | Mon/Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun | 12:15 | 15:48 | 789 | 12/19/2024 | 12/29/2024 |
| DFW | MCO | 1386 | All Except Wed | 6:05 | 9:37 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| DFW | MCO | 2713 | Mon/Tue | 12:15 | 15:48 | 789 | 12/30/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| DFW | MIA | 1489 | Mon/Tue/Sun | 16:35 | 20:10 | 77W | 12/1/2024 | 12/3/2024 |
| DFW | MIA | 1489 | Wed Only | 16:05 | 19:50 | 77W | 12/4/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| DFW | MIA | 2125 | Wed Only | 16:33 | 20:20 | 788 | 12/4/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| DFW | MIA | 2813 | Daily | 16:45 | 20:33 | 77W | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| DFW | MIA | 304 | Thu Only | 11:00 | 14:45 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/19/2024 |
| DFW | MIA | 356 | Thu Only | 9:04 | 12:49 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/19/2024 |
| DFW | MIA | 1489 | Daily | 16:35 | 20:15 | 77W | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| DFW | MIA | 122 | Mon Only | 11:02 | 14:50 | 772 | 12/30/2024 | 12/30/2024 |
| DFW | PHL | 1256 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 8:30 | 12:32 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| DFW | PHL | 1662 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 12:50 | 16:56 | 789 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| DFW | PHL | 1662 | Daily | 12:45 | 16:51 | 789 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| DFW | PHL | 402 | Daily | 8:20 | 12:27 | 788 | 12/5/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| DFW | PHL | 1662 | Daily | 12:45 | 16:55 | 789 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| DFW | PHX | 1433 | Sun Only | 10:55 | 12:40 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/1/2024 |
| DFW | PHX | 1433 | Mon/Tue/Wed | 10:40 | 12:34 | 788 | 12/2/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| DFW | SJU | 2437 | Mon Only | 8:28 | 14:58 | 772 | 12/2/2024 | 12/2/2024 |
| DFW | SJU | 2437 | Mon/Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun | 8:28 | 14:58 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/30/2024 |
| HNL | DFW | 102 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 18:33 | 6:00 | 772 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| HNL | DFW | 124 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 19:55 | 7:00 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| HNL | DFW | 102 | Daily | 18:44 | 6:00 | 772 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| HNL | DFW | 124 | Daily | 19:53 | 7:00 | 788 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| HNL | DFW | 102 | Daily | 18:46 | 6:00 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| HNL | DFW | 124 | Daily | 19:46 | 7:00 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| HNL | LAX | 162 | Daily | 14:16 | 21:37 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| HNL | PHX | 675 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 22:30 | 7:05 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| HNL | PHX | 693 | Daily | 22:30 | 7:09 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| JFK | MIA | 1174 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 16:05 | 19:12 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| JFK | MIA | 1573 | Daily | 14:59 | 18:16 | 788 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| JFK | MIA | 1029 | Thu Only | 22:20 | 1:34 | 77W | 12/19/2024 | 12/19/2024 |
| LAS | DFW | 1761 | Mon/Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun | 10:50 | 15:26 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/29/2024 |
| LAS | DFW | 1761 | Mon/Tue | 10:50 | 15:26 | 788 | 12/30/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| LAS | MIA | 1936 | Daily | 12:57 | 20:31 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| LAX | DFW | 3296 | Fri Only | 8:00 | 13:07 | 772 | 12/13/2024 | 12/13/2024 |
| LAX | HNL | 31 | Daily | 8:40 | 12:45 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| LAX | MIA | 340 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 23:55 | 7:46 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| LAX | MIA | 2765 | Daily | 13:05 | 21:00 | 77W | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| LAX | MIA | 1175 | Daily | 8:25 | 16:30 | 788 | 12/20/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| LAX | MIA | 1031 | Mon Only | 6:50 | 14:48 | 772 | 12/23/2024 | 12/23/2024 |
| LAX | PHL | 3141 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 9:46 | 17:35 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| LAX | PHL | 2018 | All Except Sat | 9:41 | 17:41 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| LAX | PHL | 814 | Sat Only | 6:20 | 14:20 | 788 | 12/21/2024 | 12/28/2024 |
| MCO | DFW | 3069 | Mon/Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun | 16:53 | 18:55 | 789 | 12/19/2024 | 12/29/2024 |
| MCO | DFW | 1386 | All Except Wed | 10:41 | 12:44 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| MCO | DFW | 3069 | Mon/Tue | 16:53 | 18:55 | 789 | 12/30/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| MIA | CLT | 2365 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 9:35 | 11:41 | 772 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| MIA | CLT | 2365 | Daily | 9:15 | 11:21 | 772 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| MIA | CLT | 2365 | All Except Sat | 8:55 | 11:24 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| MIA | CLT | 2365 | Sat Only | 8:59 | 11:28 | 772 | 12/21/2024 | 12/28/2024 |
| MIA | DFW | 3055 | All Except Sat | 10:00 | 12:18 | 77W | 12/1/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| MIA | DFW | 3055 | Sat Only | 10:05 | 12:23 | 77W | 12/7/2024 | 12/7/2024 |
| MIA | DFW | 3055 | Sat Only | 10:10 | 12:40 | 77W | 12/14/2024 | 12/14/2024 |
| MIA | DFW | 84 | Thu Only | 6:30 | 8:55 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/19/2024 |
| MIA | DFW | 3223 | Daily | 9:50 | 12:10 | 77W | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| MIA | DFW | 122 | Sat Only | 8:15 | 10:41 | 772 | 12/28/2024 | 12/28/2024 |
| MIA | JFK | 525 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 8:54 | 11:50 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| MIA | JFK | 3030 | Daily | 8:55 | 11:55 | 788 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| MIA | JFK | 122 | Thu Only | 13:42 | 16:45 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/19/2024 |
| MIA | LAS | 1936 | Daily | 9:25 | 11:50 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| MIA | LAX | 3152 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 13:46 | 16:29 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| MIA | LAX | 114 | Thu Only | 12:02 | 14:55 | 788 | 12/5/2024 | 12/5/2024 |
| MIA | LAX | 2474 | Daily | 8:21 | 11:25 | 77W | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| MIA | LAX | 1031 | Fri Only | 12:25 | 15:41 | 772 | 12/20/2024 | 12/20/2024 |
| MIA | LAX | 2062 | Mon/Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun | 17:40 | 20:32 | 788 | 12/20/2024 | 12/29/2024 |
| MIA | LAX | 2290 | Tue/Wed | 17:40 | 20:32 | 788 | 12/24/2024 | 12/25/2024 |
| MIA | LAX | 2062 | Mon/Tue | 17:40 | 20:32 | 788 | 12/30/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| MIA | PHL | 3031 | Daily | 8:45 | 11:41 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| PHL | DFW | 451 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 15:35 | 18:20 | 789 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| PHL | DFW | 3158 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 17:31 | 20:15 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| PHL | DFW | 451 | Daily | 15:35 | 18:15 | 789 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| PHL | DFW | 3193 | Daily | 17:15 | 19:59 | 788 | 12/5/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| PHL | DFW | 451 | Daily | 15:36 | 18:20 | 789 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| PHL | DFW | 3193 | Daily | 17:15 | 19:49 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| PHL | LAX | 2145 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 18:45 | 21:44 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| PHL | LAX | 1032 | All Except Sat | 18:40 | 21:42 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| PHL | LAX | 1799 | Sat Only | 15:55 | 18:46 | 788 | 12/21/2024 | 12/28/2024 |
| PHL | MIA | 122 | Wed Only | 17:20 | 20:11 | 788 | 12/18/2024 | 12/18/2024 |
| PHL | MIA | 1293 | Thu/Sat | 18:36 | 21:30 | 788 | 12/19/2024 | 12/21/2024 |
| PHL | MIA | 1293 | Mon?Thu/Fri/Sun | 18:40 | 21:43 | 788 | 12/20/2024 | 12/29/2024 |
| PHL | MIA | 2358 | Tue/Wed | 15:40 | 18:34 | 788 | 12/24/2024 | 12/25/2024 |
| PHL | MIA | 1293 | Sat Only | 18:36 | 21:30 | 788 | 12/28/2024 | 12/28/2024 |
| PHL | MIA | 1293 | Mon/Tue | 18:40 | 21:43 | 788 | 12/30/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| PHL | PHX | 1417 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 9:00 | 12:15 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| PHX | DFW | 1433 | Sun Only | 13:44 | 17:06 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/1/2024 |
| PHX | DFW | 1433 | Mon/Tue/Wed | 13:30 | 16:52 | 788 | 12/2/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| PHX | DFW | 178 | Thu Only | 12:30 | 15:49 | 788 | 12/5/2024 | 12/5/2024 |
| PHX | DFW | 256 | Thu Only | 10:22 | 13:44 | 788 | 12/5/2024 | 12/5/2024 |
| PHX | HNL | 692 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 11:30 | 15:32 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| PHX | HNL | 692 | Daily | 11:40 | 15:42 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/31/2024 |
| PHX | PHL | 1417 | Mon/Tue/Wed/Sun | 13:20 | 19:35 | 788 | 12/1/2024 | 12/4/2024 |
| SJU | DFW | 2437 | Mon Only | 15:59 | 19:19 | 772 | 12/2/2024 | 12/2/2024 |
| SJU | DFW | 2437 | Mon/Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun | 15:59 | 19:29 | 772 | 12/19/2024 | 12/30/2024 |
The Boeing 777-300ER (“77W”) is even more special than the other – 777-200, 787-8, and 787-9s – because it still offers Flagship First Class at least until the airline reconfigures them starting next year with their new business class suites but no first class.
This plane can be flown New York JFK – Miami, Miami – Dallas Fort Worth, and Dallas Fort Worth – New York JFK in December.
Maybe the most surprising routes for me here, though, are Dallas – San Juan; Las Vegas – Miami; Orlando – Dallas (though Orlando is big in winter!) and also that we’ll see a widebody on Phoenix – Dallas, too.
Love these flights when they clear 20+ people on the upgrade list. 🙂
The AA widebody schedules can be found here (scroll down to see them): https://www.aacargo.com/ship/schedules.html
How dare you don’t do an article about the most premium airline in the world…
One aadvantage of being MIA based are the number of widebody flights particularly in winter time. Around peak weeks the 77W is running on MIA/DFW, always a near 100% upgrade for EXPs. From time to time you will see a 789 to DFW or ORD, another easy upgrade score. The 788 upgrades are much harder.
Wide bodies have always been exciting additions to domestic schedules. Growing up in Denver in the 1970s, I used to pick up used OAGs from travel agencies and chart every widebodied flight in the US.
At one point, we had 37 widebodied flights into Denver most days, but equally exciting was finding seemingly exotic flights like:
NW MSP-BIL-GTF-GEG-SEA D10
AA PSP-PHX-STL-CLE-BUF D10
AA SFO-PHX 747
EA ATL-STL-OMA-SEA L10
CO LAX-ELP-SAT-IAH-MIA D10
PA SEA-FAI 747
WA LAX-MIA-NAS D10
how can you find this schedule for april?
I dont see DFW-JFK in the table.
@speedscu – it isn’t published that far ahead – because anything that far ahead is tentative and this is being promoted for cargo opportunities
No love for ORD in December
Having just relocated to Palm Springs I would kill to see an AA widebody on PSP-DFW. We only get A321s.
Great list, thanks! Bookmarked (even though nothing for SAN, as usual).
Gary, you can still enjoy United wide-body service between Washington and San Francisco, just like in the old days. Typically, two out of seven daily UAL non-stops between IAD and SFO v.v. are on wide-bodies.
Enjoy the friendly skies! 🙂