Despite 481 orders from airlines around the world, Boeing can't sell US carriers on its new widebody jetliner.
An executive at United Airlines said the upcoming Boeing 777X — the world's largest twin-engine plane in production — was simply too big for the airline's needs.
"We think the 777X will be a very good airplane, but it is a very big airplane," Patrick Quayle, the senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, told Business Insider. "Given our hub structure, we find a smaller widebody is actually better."
United has seven hubs across the US, including Chicago, Houston, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, and Newark, New Jersey.
Quayle said such a wide network lets the airline split its passenger traffic by serving the same destination from multiple hub cities instead of shuttling them all through one central airport.
Quayle said the airline's London service is served 22 times a day from all seven United hubs, while its Sydney service 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."
United's widebody fleet consists of the Boeing 767, the classic Boeing 777, and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Since 2022, the airline has amassed a record 150 orders for the 787 model to replace its 767s and some 777s.
United already flies more than 70 787 Dreamliners across all three variants, which come in small, medium, and large and have varying ranges — giving United added route and capacity flexibility.
The Boeing 777X is better for United's central hubs
The Boeing 777X is intended to replace the company's 747 model 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 British Airways in London Heathrow. All these airlines have ordered the 777X.
"Everything is out, and everything is back, and it's all through these massive connecting complexes," Quayle said. "The reason American, Delta, and United didn't order the 747-8 or the A380 is for this very situation in that the traffic is fragmented and splintered."
It's unclear if the other two Big 3 US carriers plan to order the 777X. Neither American nor Delta have confirmed any orders.
American ordered 260 new Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer planes, which did not include any widebodies to complement the airline's existing Boeing 787 and 777 fleets. The airline's also overhauling its 777 cabins.
Delta retired its classic 777s during the pandemic and is currently flying the 767, old and new Airbus A330 variants, and the 777X's competitor, the Airbus A350.
Delta purchased the Airbus A350-900 — which holds at least 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.
The Boeing 777X is in certification limbo
While Boeing has a lot riding on the success of the 777X, the aerospace company's struggling to get it certified.
The jet is already at least five years behind schedule, $1 billion over budget, and had its certification testing paused earlier this month over a structural issue.
"During scheduled maintenance, we identified a component that did not perform as designed," Boeing previously said in a statement shared with BI. "Our team is replacing the part and capturing any learnings from the component and will resume flight testing when ready."
Qatar and Emirates previously said they were expecting a 2026 delivery for their respective first 777X planes.
Once the 777X is certified, airlines can take advantage of its revolutionary folding wingtips, while passengers can expect upgrades like a more spacious cabin and unique lighting that resembles a sunset or the northern lights.
