After three years of production delays, United Airlines became the first North American carrier to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Sunday, during a scheduled flight from Houston to Chicago. The plane is significant to the industry because of its fuel efficiency—Boeing designed it to use about 20 percent less fuel than similar-sized jets. Half the plane, including the fuselage and wings, is composed of strong, yet lightweight composite material instead of metal.

The Dreamliner is also built to offer luxury to passengers. The two-aisle aircraft offers dimmable windows and LED lighting that adjusts during different flight phases. It also offers passengers a seat-back entertainment system and hands-free bathroom fixtures.

After Flight 1116 from Houston to Chicago, United plans to use the Dreamliner in nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Narita, Japan, starting in January.

“If you want to be the world’s leading airline, you need to have the world’s leading airplane, and we have that today in the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner,” United CEO Jeff Smisek, who said he hadn’t flown on one until the flight to O’Hare International Airport, told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s been a long haul to get here.”

The flight was particularly significant for United, which has had a difficult year, struggling to iron out leftover hassles from its merger with Continental. The airline has also had to deal with a March reservations system change that caused widespread delays and flight cancellations.

“The plane is more a game-changer for United and the airlines that run the 787 than it is for passengers,” Henry Harteveldt, co-founder of Atmosphere Research Group, told the Tribune. “Only the most frequent of fliers will really notice and care about this.”

United plans to have five Dreamliners in the sky before 2013, and has another 45 on order with Boeing.