Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
More on Boeing 787
When I caught the Today Show segment on the Boeing 787 Monday morning, there were a few things I noticed. One was the airplane's lighting details. Instead of letting international travelers deal with jet lag by their lonesome, the 787's lighting adjusts somehow to allow for the time differences as the airplane travels across the world. There's nothing worse than just going to sleep and BAM!!, the lights come on for meal service.
Another thing that perked me up was how shopping for an airplane is a lot like car shopping. Companies who add the Boeing 787 to their lines get to choose from a variety of seat colors. This means Qatar Airways that is adding 30 of these to its fleet needs to decide what its 787s will look like. This airline isn't discussing its order; I guess the color choice will be a surprise.
In case you're interested--and for some odd reason I am--here's a link to the other airlines that have purchased 787s in 2007. If you wander around the Boeing website, you can find out just how much a jet might cost you. The cheapest one I saw was 50 million dollars for the 737. Just think, there are people who go on-line to order an airplane. I couldn't find a link that lets you pick your seat color though. I do remember seeing red and blue in the Today Show segment. Another thing I couldn't find on the Boeing Web site were details about infant carriers. (This search did lead me somehow down the path of car seat rules in the United States.)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rydeboy Aug 7th 2007 5:30PM
When an airline orders an aircraft it comes without interior. The major aircraft manufacturers are unable to respond to providing individual interior requirements required. An airline may operate a mixed fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft and how difficult could it be to get common styling throughout. Each aircraft producer would provide an interior that was convenient to them, but not necessarily give the common image an airline would want, even down to lavatory and gallery locations and even the correct colour shading for interior materials.
It is therefore general practice that an airline will contract aircraft interior specialist(s) to provide the styling and concepting required for the aircraft cabin. They will be responsible for designing the aircraft cabin from the cockpit bulkhead right through to the rear pressure bulkhead. The interior specialist(s) may or may not be the actual installer for the interior equipment (seats, lavatories, gallies, wardrobes, overhead bins, furniture, closets, etc). However they will be legally responsible for proving to the aircraft manufacturer and the appropriate aviation authority that their offering is safe and conforms to all relevant regulations. For a brand new aircraft the interior will normally be fitted at the place of final aircraft assembly. The process can become complicated, as there are many parties involved at the point of aircraft handover to the customer. The aircraft manufacturer wants the aircraft to be delivered on time, the designer/manufacturer/installer of the interior equipment needs to provide their goods on time and ensure that they are properly fitted, and the regulatory authorities need to be satisfied that the installation is safe and conforms to the previously approved aircraft cabin layout.
Once an aircraft is in service it isn't unusual for interiors to be refreshed/redesigned or even aircraft to change ownership. In such a scenario, the aircraft isn't returned to the manufacturer for cabin restyling. A specialist aircraft interior equipment supplier will again be used. The regulatory authorities and the original aircraft manufacturer will still guide what is a safe and legal design.