United Airlines’ mainline fleet consists of 1,061 aircraft. Some 229 of these, or just over one in five, are widebodies. Its twin-aisle fleet consists of 55 Boeing 777-200ERs, 47 787-9s, 37 767-300ERs, 22 777-300ERs, 21 787-10s, 19 777-200s (non-ERs), 16 767-400ERs, and 12 787-8s. These findings are from ch-aviation.

The Star Alliance member has 96 Triple 7s. According to Cirium Diio, the type has 126 daily movements (takeoffs/landings combined) in December, down by 7% year-over-year. Excluding the pandemic years, it is its smallest 777 operation in December since 2018. Still, the annual decrease is nowhere near as substantial as for Delta’s 757s.

Which Variants Have Fewer Flights?

United’s so-called domestic non-ER 200s have 364 seats, making this variant the airline’s highest-capacity equipment. It has the dreaded 3-4-3 layout in economy. Its 200ERs have 362 seats in a domestic configuration. Only four frames have this capacity, and two of them are parked. Its international 200ERs have 276 seats, while its flagship 300ERs have 350 seats.

Examining the carrier’s schedule shows that the operations of its 364-seaters have been reduced the most. Compared to last December, flights are down by 14%. According to Flightradar24, the world’s first-delivered 777, registered N777UA, was flown to Victorville on November 29. N775UA was flown to Victorville in October.

United’s 300ER services, which are excellent for freight, have fallen by 7%. That’s three and a half times the reduction of the international 200ER. Unlike 12 months ago, the 300ER is no longer flown to Beijing Capital, Brisbane, or Sydney. However, it is now flown to Dubai. The variant began flying between Newark and the UAE airport, effectively on behalf of Emirates, in March.

A Look At United’s Non-ER 777-200s

The carrier has 19 non-ER 200s. They are the original 777 variant. Few were built, and even fewer remain. According to ch-aviation, six of United’s frames are parked. N214UA, N219UA, N775UA, and N777UA are in Victorville, while Flightradar24 shows that N221UA has been parked in San Francisco since June and N779UA has been parked in Denver since early November. While doubt remains about the fate of N221UA, N779UA may return to service.

As you’d expect, the high-capacity variant is predominantly flown on leisure-heavy and hub-to-hub routes. The high capacity contributes to lower seat-mile costs, which makes them a competitive machine. This helps to offset the lower yields of the routes on which they’re used. They are also paid off, which plays a very important role in their continued, if declining, use.

Where The ‘Domestic’ 777-200s Fly In December

Cirium data shows they’ll be on 18 domestic and two international routes, down marginally year-over-year. Unlike last December, the high-capacity variant will not be seen in Fort Lauderdale or San Diego. While it will operate one round-trip service to Orlando (see below), the non-ER’s flights to the ever-popular Florida city have fallen from daily last year.

The 364-seater is now seen in Las Vegas. Between December 2 and 17, United uses the variant from its Denver and Washington Dulles hubs. One frame arrives from Colorado at 12:27 pm local time and departs for Dulles at 1:50 pm. Another aircraft arrives from Dulles at 10:33 am and leaves for Denver at 11:55 am.

With 45% of the services, Denver remains the top hub for the non-ER variant’s activity. Nine routes are available in the festive month: Cancun, Chicago O’Hare, Honolulu, Houston Intercontinental, Kahului, Kona, Las Vegas, Orlando (December 1 only), and Washington Dulles. Unlike other hubs, Denver’s flights on the 364-seat variant have grown by 7% year-over-year.