ANA’s first two Boeing 787 Dreamliners in Tokyo before they started passenger operations.
On November 1st, ANA celebrated one year of Boeing 787 Dreamliner operations. It is hard to believe it has already been a year. Boeing issued a press release and I wanted to share the facts and figures that ANA and Boeing have experienced during the aircraft’s first 365 days. I really hate just copying and pasting a press release, but I am a bit short on time, so the rest of this blog is a direct copy and paste:
Boeing As launch customer of the 787, ANA was the first airline in the world to offer passenger flights with the 787. During the past year, ANA 787s have flown around 9,000 flights, carrying a total of 1.8 million passengers.
ANA has achieved excellent results for the 787 over the course of the last year. ANA’s fleet of 787’s has recorded a 10% higher passenger load factor than with other aircraft, recording 82.6% on international routes and 72.8% on domestic routes. A recent passenger in-flight survey revealed that 40.4% of passengers selected their flights specifically to fly on the 787 while some 98% of passengers said they would like to fly again on 787. In addition, the 787 benefits from excellent fuel efficiency. At launch, it was anticipated that the 787 would save 20% in fuel for each international flight. ANA is pleased to confirm that the saving amounts to 21% per flight.
ANA currently has a fleet of sixteen 787s, more than any other airline in the world. In September 2012, ANA announced plans to purchase an additional eleven 787-9s, bring the total number of 787s ordered by ANA to a sixty-six.
ANA CEO and President Shinichiro Ito said “ANA is delighted with the performance of the 787’s in its fleet over the course of the last year. The 787 benefits from strong fuel efficiency with high dispatch reliability, and importantly, is well regarded by our passengers. As ANA works towards becoming Asia’s number one airline, we remain committed to the 787 to help support and drive our growth strategy”.
Raymond L. Conner, President and CEO, Commercial Airplanes of the Boeing Company said ’œWe have shared ANA’s excitement through the last year as they have shared the overwhelming response of passengers to this amazing airplane. ANA is a shining example of what can be done with the 787 — they are operating it successfully on domestic routes and international routes, while also validating its exceptional fuel performance and seeing true passenger preference.
Operation Data of Boeing 787 during the year
|
Flight Numbers
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Flight Operation Rate
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On-time Departure Rate
|
Passenger Numbers
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Passenger Load Factor
|
|
Domestic Routes
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8,409
|
99.3%
|
94.5%
|
1,721,951
|
72.8%
|
|
International Routes
|
565
|
99.6%
|
83.6%
|
74,340
|
82.6%
|
|
Total
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8,974
|
99.3% （98.8%）
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93.8% (93.8%)
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1,796,291
|
73.2% （66.4%）
|
( ) is the average of all ANA flights
MORE ANA BOEING 787 DREAMLINER GOODIES:
* ANA takes delivery of their first 787
* I take a ride on ANA’s second 787
* ANA starts 787 operations in Seattle
The government of Kuwait will take delivery of this BBJ 7478.
This Saturday was a nice enough day to head up to Paine Field to check out what was going on. I heard that the State of Kuwait’s BBJ 7478 would be high-speed ground testing and I also wanted to track down American Airlines first 777-300ER — I wasn’t disappointed.
The livery for the State of Kuwait aircraft is very similar to Kuwait Airway’s design.
The State of Kuwait’s BBJ 7478 used to have a different look — it was the first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental that sported the orange sunrise livery (N6067E) and was recently re-painted.
The first BBJ 7478 was delivered to the government of Qatar in February 2012, even though Boeing and the Qatari government still has not confirmed that to date.
It is bit more obvious what customer will take delivery of 9K-GAA. Even though the government of Kuwait is willing to put their livery on the aircraft before delivery, they aren’t quite ready to give details on how their aircraft will be configured.
American Airline’s first Boeing 777-300ER will have a special livery.
Paine Field has quite a few Boeing aircraft sitting outside at any given time. The planes might be large, but it can be a challenge to track a particular aircraft down and Boeing does not go out of their way to park aircraft to make them easy to spot.
After some time I was able to track down American Airline’s first 777-300ER. What makes this aircraft special is it is painted gray. American is known for having a bare metal livery and is this just a special livery to celebrate the aircraft type or will this be the airline’s new livery? (stay tuned, I am working to find out more about this).
LOT’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner is looking good.
There are plenty of 787’s sitting around waiting for different parts before delivery, but LOT’s Dreamliner is getting closer to delivery, which is expected soon. The new livery is simplistic, but it works and looks better in person than it does in photos.
BONUS: See an interior mock-up of LOT’s Dreamliner
A special Beijing livery on an Air China Boeing 777-300ER (B-2035). You can see the State of Kuwait BBJ 7478.
A last treat before heading back home was seeing this special Beijing livery for an Air China Boeing 777-300ER.
There were a few other odds and ends you can take a look at my Flickr profile. I have to say that I love living in Seattle.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/airlinereporter/sets/72157631815727815/detail/
China Southern’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be delivered readies for take off at Paine Field. Photo by Malcolm Muir.
A China Southern Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner in special livery took its first flight yesterday at Paine Field and AirlineReporter.com correspondent Malcolm Muir was there to catch it in action. One of the first chilly and windy days in Seattle made it a bit more difficult, but you have to be ready for unfriendly weather if you plan spot in Everett.
China Southern’s 787 taxis at Paine Field. Photo by Malcolm Muir.
For some reason, the airline still has not been publicly talked about the livery and is almost seeming to try to keep it a secret. This is unfortunate, since many spotters have already caught the impressive new design. It is currently rumored that nine out of the ten China Southern 787s will sport this special livery.
“The livery stands out really well against the other aircraft and definitely an improvement over standard china southern livery,” Muir explained. I have to agree. I have been able to see this livery up close on the flight line and it is more breath taking in person than the photos can show.
Spotting a 787 at Paine Field would not be complete without a head-on shot. Photo by Malcolm Muir.
China Southern’s standard livery is not too shabby looking, but quite a bit more conservative than this special 787 design.
The Dreamliner, B-2727, took off a bit after noon on Friday and according to FlightAware.com, flew for about an hour and 40 minutes over Washington state before returning to Everett.
And lift off. China Southern’s 787 is about to go on a 1hr 40min flight and return back to Paine Field. Photo by Malcolm Muir.
China Southern was originally scheduled to take delivery of their first 787 by the end of September, but that obviously has not happened yet.
The airline is the third to offer a special livery of their 787 Dreamliner after ANA and United.
ANA’s Boeing 787 arrives at SEA to a water cannon salute. Photo by Mal Muir / AirlineReporter.com.
This story was written by AirlineReporter.com correspondent Mal Muir…
Even though the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been flying the skies commercially for almost a year now, its route network has been limited. The majority of flights are made up of Japanese domestic routes operated by ANA, but that is quickly changing. Yesterday one of their 787 essentially ’œreturned to its home,” during the inaugural Narita (NRT) to Seattle (SEA) flight.
ANA’s 787 being serviced at SEA.
When ANA’s first Boeing 787 was delivered back in September 2011, it was a rainy day in Seattle. Yesterday was almost the total opposite with the sun shining and Mount Rainier prominently on the horizon. The airport has seen a 787 Dreamliner visit before, but this was the first one operating a revenue flight.
I ended up having to rush to the airport, since the flight was actually an hour early. Yuji Hirako, the Senior Vice President at ANA for the Americas, joked that even though the aircraft may have been delivered late, it’s always good to see an aircraft show up early (he would probably later regret that statement).
ANA pilots stand in front of the 787 at Sea-Tac.
As the Dreamliner made its approach into Seattle, the crowds at the terminal gathered to watch as the 787 returned to its birth-city. The aircraft operating the flight (JA814A) was only delivered barely a week prior, on the 23rd of September, making this was its first revenue flight. The aircraft made a stellar touch down on Runway 34L before taxiing to the South Satellite at SeaTac. Before arriving at the gate, it had a traditional water cannon salute that produced a spectacular rainbow.
The 787 was greeted by plenty of media, guests and invited dignitaries as the Dreamliner Day festivities came into full swing. Speeches were given by Boeing, the Port of Seattle and ANA as they talked about bringing the 787 home, and the friendship that this aircraft can create. Tom Albro, the Port of Seattle Commissioner, explained how the flight will help to strengthen the relationship between Japan and the Pacific Northwest, .
This 787 (JA814A) is configured with ANA’s international business product.
Soon, we were given the opportunity to tour the interior of the aircraft. Part of the “Inspiration of Japan” initiative by ANA is the Business Staggered seat which gives everyone aisle access and a fully lay-flat seat. With only 112 seats in Economy and 46 seats in the Business Cabin it certainly feels different since almost 2/3 of the aircraft (space wise) isdedicated to the premium product.
Sadly Dreamliner Day didn’t finish off as promising as it had started. The airline first announced the flight would be delayed 90 minutes, but things became worse due to a faulty liquid pump. The first 787 revenue flight out of Seattle was delayed a full 24 hours and at the time of publishing is still set to depart Seattle 1:15pm local time today. Let’s hope that it departs on-time today.
This story will be updated on the 787’s flight departure.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/airlinereporter/sets/72157631675727919/
Before landing at SCL, we did a fly-over the airport. Photo by Lucas Frenk De Matos.
This is the third and final installment on LAN taking delivery of their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In PART 1, I shared what happened before the delivery, in PART 2, I talked about our flight and this part will wrap things up. In the near future, I will be sharing my thoughts on Santiago, giving a photo tour of LAN’s training facility and giving a review on my 767 flight back to LAX.
I should have been groggy with only four hours of sleep after twelve hours aloft, but the excitement of landing in a Dreamliner had me wired. I was told that we were going to fly over the airport before landing. I tried to predict what side of the airplane would face the airport and chose the left side: Darn it, the airport was on the right side. Oh well; win some, lose some.
As the plane landed, I could see hundreds of people surrounding the airport to catch a glimpse of Chile’s first Dreamliner landing. It was exciting to see so many people excited about seeing a 787 for the first time.
When taxiing to our gate, AvGeeks were not the only ones to welcome; there were also a few hundred airport employees who came out to the tarmac. I felt like a super star.
You can’t have a celebration without a water cannon salute. Photo by Lucas Frenk De Matos.
A proper welcome would not be complete without a classic water cannon salute. The picture above shows two nicely working water spouts, but unfortunately by the time the plane got to the fire trucks, something went wrong with the left one and there was no water shooting out. That is alright; I still felt plenty welcomed.
BONUS: VIDEO OF LAN’S BOEING 787 LANDING IN SANTIAGO
I arrived at the gate and a bunch more folks surrounded the aircraft on the ground. There was no ceremony at the airport, which was fine with me. Mostly because I wanted to get the hotel and take a much-needed shower. The Dreamliner is a great aircraft, but 12.5 hours flying economy on any plane can be tiring.
Chilean mountains and a curved wing tip — what more does one need?
Now for the big question: is the 787 that much better? To be honest it was hard to tell at the time. Boeing promotes the 787 as having lower pressure and higher humidity to lessen the effects of jetlag. Sure my nose wasn’t that dry and I actually felt okay for a 12.5 flight, but it wasn’t super obvious. It took flying home on a Boeing 767-300ER a few days later to fully realize how the 787 Dreamliner is actually different.
Even though I flew Business Class home and kept myself better hydrated, my nose was dry and I got a headache. Boeing might be on to something here.
The overhead bins on the 787 were another feature that I didn’t fully appreciate until flying home on the 767. My carry-on (which is border-line too large to be a carry-on) easily fit in the 787 bin in economy. But I had to remove some items from my bag to squeeze it into the 767 business class bin.
LAN’s 787 at the gate after we landed. People from around the airport came to check her out.
Previously, I have made fun of the LED lights. Mostly because Boeing, airlines, and media tout it as some revolutionary concept when really LED lights could be retrofitted into any other aircraft. But I do see there are some real benefits. Not only do they provide a great party atmosphere, but they also have the ability to slowly change the color settings. With the crew having full control over the windows and the lights programmed to slowly transition, it really allows passengers to feel the different stages of service. Again, not a huge thing, but these little things add up.
Another surprise was how spacious the cabin. The interior of the 787 seemed more like a Boeing 777 than a 767. Yes, the 3-3-3 layout in economy is a bit tight and if I had seatmates in my row, it would have been a pretty painful experience. I was told that LAN made this decision since they felt their service and product would make up for the skinnier seats.
And that wing; that amazing wing. No joke, airlines should put a notice under each window saying, “yes, the wing is supposed to do that.” At the beginning of the flight the wing was filled with fuel, so the arch wasn’t as obvious. As the fuel burned and the wing became lighter, it was quite obvious. Add turbulence to the equation and you really get a show. Sure, it might be a bit scary for those who are not used to it, but for those in the know it is truly beautiful.
Is it worth going out of your way and maybe spending a bit more to fly on a 787? I say absolutely. LAN should feel very proud to offer this new product and I cannot wait for my next flight.
ALL 120 PHOTOS OF THE LAN 787 DELIVERY:
A special thanks to Lucas Frenk De Matos for letting me use his arrival photos and to Sebastian Gomez for reaching out to me about the photos.
