Los Angeles: From the outset, Boeing has touted its 787 Dreamliner as an innovative passenger jet equipped to usher in a new age in air travel. Now the travelling public is getting a peek inside.
All Nippon Airways, Japan's largest carrier, which is set to get the first jets this summer, offered an early glimpse of what the interior of the $200 million (Dh734.6 million) planes might look like.
Get ready for wide seats in business class that recline into beds, touch-panel LCD screens that offer movies, videos and gaming, and roomy bathrooms that will include a bidet-toilet. "We want passengers to see the difference of quality and comfort as soon as they board the aircraft," said Satoshi Fujiki, a senior vice president for the carrier's Americas division. "This is a game-changing aircraft."
The new amenities were highlighted by All Nippon in photographs and exhibits on display this week at the Paris Air Show.
The planes are still under construction at Boeing's sprawling plant in Everett, Washington, where they are undergoing final assembly. The look harks back to Boeing's first 747 jumbo jet flight in the early 1970s for Pan American World Airways.
Before the 747, travelling on a plane felt like flying in a cramped metal tube. It wasn't until Pan Am began offering movies, elegant meals and even piano bars that other airlines saw the appeal of luxury travel.
All Nippon wanted a similar effect when designing its interiors for the 787 Dreamliner, Fujiki said.
Improvements
The new jet is smaller than the existing 747, holding 210 to 290 passengers, and its top speed is 593 mph. But the bigger changes are inside the cabin. The new 787 interior design is aimed at addressing common complaints among air travellers such as the need for more legroom, comfort and better air quality.
In the renovated economy cabin, All Nippon is offering passengers in-flight entertainment on a seat-back LCD touch screen, a plug-in port for laptops and USBs and an iPod jack on long-haul routes. Business-class passengers on international flights will have aisle access from every seat and full flat beds, along with 17-inch touch-panel LCD screens.
"If you've ever flown on a long-haul flight, you know how important comfort and amenities can be," said Kathleen Sedlmayr, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Business Travel Association. "Especially if you fly all day and go to a business meeting shortly after landing." She said economy seating was ‘the real star' of the plane, with extra legroom and reclining seats that slide forward, "not into the lap of the person behind you." Boeing is nearly two years into flight testing a fleet of six Dreamliners to earn the Federal Aviation Administration's official certification before the jets can be delivered to airlines. It is three years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.
Chicago-based Boeing has had a series of problems with its schedule, including faulty parts from suppliers, a labour strike and design flaws. The design has proved difficult as it is the first large passenger jet to have more than half its structure made of a high-tech blend of lightweight composite material instead of aluminium.
