787 Carries First Passengers And Boeing's Hopes

[Roland99]

Source: Airwise.com

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner flew to Hong Kong from Tokyo carrying its first paying passengers on Wednesday in a flight that could set a new benchmark in air travel.

Its takeoff into clear blue skies after a salute and shower by an airport fire truck came exactly 53 years after Boeing's first ever jet, the 707, began commercial services for PanAm.

The 787 does not fly any faster than that first aircraft, but it is not supposed to. Instead, it is designed to make the hours aloft more pleasant for passengers and cheaper to fly for owners battling for profit amid the rise of low cost carriers.

The 787 that flew to Hong Kong with 240 passengers is owned by All Nippon Airways and a jubilant Shinichiro Ito, the airline's president, described his brand new plane as a "game changer."

Read more: http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1319660881.html

[Blue_Tires]

1. video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4tNTcSGs4E&feature=player_embedded

[bloomington-lib]

2. I don't see how this is a game changer

Maybe in gas savings for the companies but I don't see anything that great for the passengers. Rainbow lights, electronic window "shades", and a different cabin pressure. How about a chair that automatically punches the person kicking it or shaking it when they lean on their little plastic table. Actually just connect the table to something else for god sake.

[Angleae]

3. It's all about the fuel effenciency, nothing else matters.

A 1% savings is about 120-130 million gallons for domestic operations only.

[jmowreader]

4. It's also got a LOT of cargo capacity

Cargo doesn't surf the Internet looking for cheap fares.

[truthisfreedom]

5. I was told by a flight attendant that the US mail in the belly of one plane I was on represented the

majority of the profit.