United had bet on Boeing 777s for ramped-up flying in March

United had planned a big increase in flights on its Boeing 777-200 planes next month, according to data, suggesting the grounding of the Pratt & Whitney-powered jets could create some scheduling headaches for the airline. United was planning to use the large jets more in March on as it tries to tap into an expected bounce in leisure travel. Numbers from aviation data firm Cirium show United had scheduled 3,329 flights on wide-body planes in March, up 31% from February. Of those flights, 961 were scheduled on the now suspended 777-200, a 84% jump from their usage in February. The suspension, which follows an engine failure on a United flight to Honolulu from Denver on Saturday, affects 52 planes. While United has dozens of narrow-body airplanes in storage due to the pandemic, it only has parked 48 wide-body planes with more than 190 seats, and none with as many seats as the 777-200, according to Cirium. “As we continue working through updating our schedule based on aircraft availability, we will do so with the goal of impacting as few customers as possible,” United spokeswoman Leslie Scott said.<br/>