Boeing 787 passengers fly in style
TOKYO — Kiyoko Furusho kept her moisturizer in her bag while flying on the first commercial Boeing 787 flight.
“My skin usually gets very dry when flying and I have to put it on every hour or two,” said the 56-year-old housewife, who flies to New York every year. “But here the air is much more humid.”
All Nippon Airways, which operated the 787 flight to Hong Kong this week, and Boeing have touted the onboard environment, wider cabin and bigger windows as key advantages for passengers from the fuel-efficient plane. A fuselage made of high-strength carbon-fiber technology also supports a higher level of cabin pressure, reducing the discomfort travelers can experience on takeoff and landing.
“My ears don’t pop on this plane,” said Tomoko Monjugawa, a 51-year old Tokyo office worker, who was on the first trip. “It’s very comfortable and it feels good on my skin as well.”
Flight NH7871 touched down in Hong Kong about 4 p.m. after a more than three hour flight from Tokyo’s Narita airport. There were 240 passengers onboard, including about 90 journalists, said ANA spokesman Ryosei Nomura. The Tokyo-based carrier held a lottery among frequent fliers for the chance to buy tickets on the 264-seat aircraft and sold some in charity auctions.
The cabin of the 787 is 30 inches wider than a Boeing 767 and it is fitted with bigger luggage compartments and energy-saving light-emitting diode lights, according to ANA. The plane also has windows almost 19 inches high and 11 inches wide as the composite materials are able to support larger openings than traditional airframes.
Still, struggles with the new materials contributed to Boeing delaying the aircraft’s entry into service seven times since 2007. The Chicago-based plane maker was also held up by a greater reliance on subcontractors.
Monjugawa said the Rolls-Royce Holdings-powered 787 was quieter than an Airbus A380. The superjumbo first entered service about four years ago.
“The difference in sound between the 787 and the A380 is very noticeable on take off,” she said. “The A380 roars, while the 787’s engines are just whispering.”
ANA has ordered 55 Dreamliners, making it the biggest airline customer. So far, it has received two and another nine will arrive before the end of March, President Shinichiro Ito told reporters in Tokyo before takeoff. It will have 20 by the end of March 2013.
The carrier plans to introduce the aircraft on regular scheduled services Tuesday, beginning with flights from Tokyo’s Haneda airport to Okayama and Hiroshima. Routes to China will commence in December, followed by services to Frankfurt in January.
ANA will fit its long-haul 787s with 158 seats. The one that flew to Hong Kong had 252 seats in economy class and 12 in business. Furusho, who usually flies business class to New York, said the premium seats on today’s 787 looked more cramped than on larger planes.
“The business-class seats for New York are very deluxe,” she said. “I’d probably still opt to fly on bigger planes long- haul.”
The airline expects the 787 to generate fuel savings of as much as $132 million a year. The plane is 20 percent more fuel efficient than comparably sized jets because of the composites and an all-electric system that doesn’t divert air from the engines for power, according to Boeing.
The plane maker had 821 Dreamliner orders at the end of last month from customers including British Airways, Japan Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The tally included 15 from China Eastern Airlines, which have now been swapped for 737s, partly because of delays.
For Yohei Konishi, a 35-year-old systems engineer who said he flies most weeks, the Dreamliner is worth the wait.
“It’s really comfortable and my ears don’t hurt,” he said during the flight. “It would be great if I could do all my business trips on 787s.”
Details about the Boeing 787
<B>Seats: </B>210 to 250
<B>Range:</B> 8,800 to 9,400 miles
<B>Wingspan:</B> 197 feet
<B>Length:</B> 186 feet
<B>Height:</B> 56 feet
<B>Cruise speed:</B> Mach 0.85, about 650 mph
<B>Cargo volume:</B> 4,400 cubic feet
<B>Maximum takeoff weight:</B> 502,500 pounds
<B>List price:</B> $193.5 million, although airlines often negotiate discounts
<B>Planes ordered:</B> 797
<B>Components:</B> 50 percent carbon fiber, 20 percent aluminum, 15 percent titanium, 10 percent steel, 5 percent other.
First passenger flight: Oct. 26, 2011 by Japans All Nippon Airways from Tokyo to Hong Kong