The 787-8 is the original Boeing Dreamliner, a composite-bodied long-range twin-jet seating about 220 to 250 passengers. American and United fly it in the US on long, thinner international routes, and many foreign airlines bring 787s into US gateways.
787-8 at a glance
- First flight
- 2009
- Length
- 186 ft 1 in (56.7 m)
- Wingspan
- 197 ft 3 in (60.1 m)
- Engines
- 2 × GE GEnx-1B or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 turbofans
- Seats
- ~220–250
- Cruise speed
- ~488 kt (562 mph) / Mach 0.85
- Service ceiling
- 43,000 ft
- Range
- ~7,300 nmi
How to recognize the 787-8
The 787 has a smooth, organic look unlike older Boeings. Its nose, wings and engines all have curves that make it stand out once you know what to look for.
- Cockpit windows: only four large windows, with a distinctive curved line across the nose. Most other airliners have six.
- Nose: smooth and rounded, without the dip of older Boeings.
- Engines: big nacelles with sawtooth chevrons on the back edge, visible on low passes.
- Wings: long and slender with raked tips and no winglets. In flight they flex upward dramatically, giving the wing a gentle gull-wing curve.
- Fuselage: made largely of carbon-fiber composite, with large dimmable windows.
- Proportions: the -8 is the shortest 787, so its wing looks very long for the body, almost glider-like.
- Sound: notably quiet for a widebody; neighbors describe a soft, smooth whoosh.
Compared with the 787-9, the -8 is about 20 ft shorter. Compared with a 767-300, the 787 has a fatter body, chevron engines and that four-window cockpit.
The 787 also has a distinctive smooth tail cone and a tall fin with a gentle curve. On takeoff, you may notice the wingtips flex upward several feet as the wing takes the aircraft's weight.
Where and when you'll see it
American (callsign AAL) and United (UAL) fly 787-8s on international routes from hubs such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Houston, Newark and San Francisco. Foreign airlines including Japan Airlines, ANA, Qatar, Air India, LATAM, Ethiopian and many others operate 787s into US cities, sometimes on routes that only exist because the 787 made smaller long-haul markets profitable.
Typical cruise is FL350 to FL410. On ADS-B the type code is B788 and emitter category heavy. Look for 787s on long-haul arrivals and departures at gateway cities like Houston and Chicago.
Airlines use the 787-8 to open new long-haul routes between cities that could not support a larger widebody, such as some routes from Austin, Nashville or Seattle to Europe or Asia. Its range lets it fly nonstop from the US to destinations across the Pacific and Atlantic.
Easily confused with
- Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner: The 787-9 is about 20 ft longer and looks better proportioned for its wing.
- Boeing 767-300 / 767-300ER / 767-300F: The 767-300 has a six-window cockpit, no engine chevrons and often blended winglets.
- Airbus A330-300: The A330-300 has small winglets and smooth engine exhausts.
Quick facts
- About half of the 787's structure by weight is carbon-fiber composite.
- Its cabin is pressurized to an equivalent of about 6,000 ft, lower than the roughly 8,000 ft of older jets.
- The 787 fleet was grounded in early 2013 for several months after lithium-ion battery fires.
787-8 questions
How do I spot a 787 from the ground?
Look for sawtooth chevrons on the back of the engines, long wings that flex upward and, if you can see the nose, only four cockpit windows.
Why is the 787 called the Dreamliner?
Boeing chose the name in a public naming contest in 2003.
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for B788 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.