Larger windows, electric sunshades and bidets in the lavatories are just a few of the features of the 787 Dreamliner that All Nippon Airways Co. passengers will experience starting next month as the first of the new Boeing Co. jets begins commercial service.
The Japanese airline took contractual delivery Sunday of the first of the long-range planes. A ceremony to mark the delivery of the long-awaited airliner—more than three years behind Boeing’s original schedule—is planned for Monday at Boeing’s wide-body jet factory here.
With the twin-aisle Dreamliner, Boeing is promising passengers a more comfortable flying experience.
By making the plane largely with plastic composite materials instead of aluminum, Boeing was able to make a number of improvements for passengers. The windows will be the industry’s biggest, permitting more natural light. Lower cabin pressure and increased moistness of cabin air are expected to reduce dryness in the nose and throat.
Airlines work with Boeing to offer their own custom features, and ANA is providing some twists as it prepares to start regular, domestic flights in Japan with the Dreamliner in November. The first long-haul international flights, from Tokyo to Frankfurt, will start in January.
The media on Sunday got a chance to tour one of the Dreamliners that ANA plans to fly.
A trip to the restrooms reveals one of the more unusual ANA features. The toilets—for both economy and business-class passengers— include bidets with various spray options, controlled by push-button electronics. Bidets are commonly used in Japan and ANA wanted “to provide the best services we can for our passengers,” said Satoru Fujiki, ANA’s senior vice president for the Americas.
One of the most noticeable new features for all Dreamliner passengers will be the bigger windows, which are more than 30% larger than those on the Boeing 767, a similar-size jet, according to ANA.
Another key feature: Out are pull-down window shades and in are electrochromatic shades that allow flight attendants and window-seat passengers to dim windows to a range of settings with the push of a button. The technology enables fliers in a window seat to still see outside even when the shades are at their darkest setting.
One lavatory on the ANA plane brings all these features together. The carrier’s 787 is one of the few commercial jetliners in the world to sport a window in the restroom—a feature that other carriers can order as an option, Boeing officials say.
Other Dreamliner amenities include overhead bins that Boeing says will be the largest in the industry. Boeing says the 787 also offers a more-spacious cabin than a typical twin-aisle plane.
source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204010604576592890660125236.html
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