Air New Zealand is to operate the revolutionary Boeing 787 with economy sleeper seats to Shanghai and Tokyo from mid next year as it strives to offer a seamless international passenger product.
Other destinations such as Perth and Honolulu will follow.
The airline, which has won numerous awards for its seat designs, is the launch customer for the larger 787-9, the first of which will roll off the Boeing production line next month.
The 787-9 carries 40 more passengers than the standard 787-8 and has longer range.
Air New Zealand’s 787-9s will have Business Premier lie-flat bed, a new Premium Economy seat with a 41 inch seat pitch, the economy sleeper seats dubbed the Sky Couch and standard economy seats.
The airline’s Sky Couch is a set of three economy seats that converts into a bed and is ideal for a parent with two children or a couple.
Currently the Sky Couch seats are only available on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER services from Auckland to Los Angeles and London.
Boeing has now returned all 787s to service after the lifting of the grounding related to a problem with its lithium ion batteries.
There are now 60 787s in operation and Boeing has orders for 920.
Boeing ‘s VP 787 Development Mark Jenks told airlineratings.com that the 787 – the battery issue notwithstanding - is performing well.
“And we are getting really positive feedback from passengers” said Mr Jenks.
After years of delays related to production problems Mr Jenks said that Boeing has overcome all the delays and the 787-9 is to running to the - revised - schedule.
Airlines are clamoring for deliveries of the 787 because of its passenger appeal.
Last year All Nippon Airways polled its passengers on the 787 and found that over 90 per cent said the plane met or exceeded expectations.
Key to the glowing feedback is the strength and non-corrosive properties of the 787’s reinforced carbon-fiber fuselage which has enabled designers to eliminate some of the significant factors which cause jet lag.
The 787 has a pressurization altitude of just 6000ft instead of the typical 8,000ft where passengers may experience mild altitude sickness with headaches and swelling of the extremities.
Boeing is also able to increase the humidity on the 787 reducing dehydration.
The 787 is also fitted with High Efficiency Particulate Filters (HEPA) to eliminate airborne particles known as volatile organic compounds which are alcohol, perfume and hair spray vapors.
The new filtration system also removes allergens, bacteria and viruses.
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