United Airlines 787-9 Will Debut on Direct Los Angeles to Melbourne Route

United's first flight on the brand new 787-9 Dreamliner is set for October 26, 2014 between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia.

Currently United serves Melbourne as a tag flight from Sydney after a brief layover.

Official word of the route is expected later today, but we don't need the announcement because we can see the flights loaded onto the calendar at united.com and up for sale right now.

What's the award space picture? What are the flight times? What is the difference between the 787-8 and 787-9?