Boeing Introduces New Interior for 747-8 Intercontinental

Boeing.com ^ | Jan. 18, 2007 | Staff

[Paleo Conservative]

SEATTLE, Jan. 18, 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today unveiled a life-size sales display of the interior for the new 747-8 Intercontinental. The two-story display showcases the dramatic interior architecture of the 747-8.

The 747-8 applies interior features from the 787 Dreamliner that includes a new curved, upswept architecture giving passengers a greater feeling of space and comfort, while adding more room for personal belongings. The interior architecture is accentuated by new lighting technology that creates a perception of airy brightness and provides smooth lighting transitions to offer a more restful environment.

In addition, the 747-8 integrates features from the 777, including windows that equal those on the 777 (15.3 inches/38.8 centimeters tall and 10.76 inches/27.3 centimeters wide), and are larger than those on the 747-400.

"The 747 family's unique interior and structural design have provided passengers with memorable flying experiences for decades," said Dan Mooney, vice president, 747/747-8 Program. "By incorporating 787-style interior features, the new 747-8 Intercontinental will provide a significantly enhanced passenger experience. Passengers will know they are on a brand new airplane the moment they step on board the 747-8, and will experience a whole new way to fly."

Door two, where passengers normally enter a 747, represents the most noticeable change from the 747-400. The welcoming entryway features a dramatic sweeping staircase leading to the upper deck.

"The new entryway will greatly enhance the passenger appeal and create a strong first impression," said Doug Ackerman, engineering interior team leader for the 747-8. "However, the entryway provides more than just aesthetic appeal. It also was designed to facilitate improved passenger flow during boarding and deplaning."

The 1,750-square-foot (533-square-meter) sales display, located at the Boeing Customer Experience Center in Renton, Wash., focuses on the airplane's door-two entryway, staircase and upper deck. It also highlights the business-class section forward of the entryway and economy class aft of the entryway.

Additional Information

747-8 Family: The 747-8 is a family of passenger and freighter airplanes. The 747-8 Intercontinental passenger airplane is the only jetliner in the 400- to 500-seat market. Stretched 5.6 m (18.3 ft) from the 747-400 to provide 467 seats in a typical three-class configuration, the Intercontinental offers the lowest seat-mile cost of any passenger airplane. It provides operators a 14,815-km (8,000-nmi) range, 28 percent greater cargo volume and 10 percent lower seat-mile costs compared to the 747-400. The 747-8 Freighter will fly 8,275 km (4,475 nmi) with a maximum structural payload capacity of 140 metric tonnes (154 tons). It offers 16 percent more revenue cargo volume than the 747-400F with slightly greater range. The 747-8 Freighter upholds its predecessor's legendary efficiency, with equivalent trip costs and 15 percent lower ton-mile costs than the 747-400F. The 747-8 Freighter will enjoy the lowest ton-mile costs of any freighter, giving operators unmatched profit potential. The first 747-8 Freighter will be delivered to launch customer Cargolux in late 2009. The first 747-8 Intercontinental will be delivered in 2010. Since its launch in November, 2005, nine customers have ordered 78 747-8 Intercontinentals and freighters.

[Paleo Conservative]

OK ... what about leg room in coach? Some airlines, mostly long haul carriers offer up to 39 inches ... you can have a great aircraft but if you're shoe horned in ascetics add little value.

Check out this link.

http://www.seatguru.com/

A few airlines will offer 38 inch seat pitch in premium economy, but they usually offer 31 - 32 inches in standard economy.

[Paleo Conservative]

The airline beancounters will see to that in about 5 seconds.

It can't be. They would block the main cabin door.

[upchuck]

... upswept architecture giving passengers a greater feeling of space and comfort, while adding more room for personal belongings.

Next trick: getting the TSA to agree to allow more personal belongings. :)

[AZRepublican]

Think I'll forget all about a Gulf V now.

[Malsua]

Having spent a good chunk of my life on the upper deck of a 747 transiting to China, my comment...What are they thinking? One of my worst flights was on Continental Business from EWK to Hong Kong. Their "10k per seat" seats were the worst ever. It's an example of where you let engineers push without feedback.

As an engineer myself, Boing should commit to one goal and one goal only(aside from the obvious of safety and useability). Passenger comfort. I am over 6 foot by an inch or so but in many planes my knees impact the seat in front of me.

[Kirkwood]

"That's ridiculous. A slick interior but a struggling airline is not going to buy a 747-8i so they can fly a bar around the world. That space will be devoted to passenger seats or the airline should buy a smaller plane."

They know more about their customers than you could ever learn in a lifetime.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Rad ( Radio ) I do understand your point, and it is taken well.
I still feel, that those airlines who are struggling won't order a huge capital investment just yet.
You are correct, max as much as you can.
I remember how the old 747-400 entrance is, and that was the area were they prepare food, and we have heard that they might move that area up in the loft.
I guess time will tell what the airlines will eventually use.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"I am over 6 foot by an inch or so but in many planes my knees impact the seat in front of me."

It's the airline that specifies the seat pitch and many other interior details. Pitch in particular is subject to change.

Lufthansa lost me as a customer when they decreased their seat pitch. They used to be a comfortable airline, even in coach. Now my knees, as you say, touch the seat in front of me. There isn't even enough room to cross my legs. Excruciating.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

In the video concept of that same area, there is a bar, just not a out in the open bar, but, more like, a window that opens at the little room were the bartender is, and you have a little counter, and that's it, and opposite the bar/little room is a ??? FISH TANK ? ha ? ( yeah, I can see that when a plane is in a steep angle, and the weight of a fish thank ).
IN the video concept, the stairs are on the left side of the bar/bartender room.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Don't blame Boeing. Its the airlines that decide what seat design they are going to use, their size, and how they are spaced out.

[gridlock]

It seems they could fit 3 and 3 seating in that lower section. Plenty of room down there. Windows would be problematic. But if they put in a low-cost "Galley Slave" class, I'm sure a lot of people would take them up on it.

[Yo-Yo]

It seems they could fit 3 and 3 seating in that lower section. Plenty of room down there.

Apart from the practical problems with egress, etc., the long haul airlines make much more money putting freight in that slave galley than they could with paying passengers.

[Paleo Conservative]

It seems they could fit 3 and 3 seating in that lower section. Plenty of room down there.

Why would airlines want to do that? They make more per pound of freight than they do from carrying passengers. One reason why the A380 isn't a very good design is that with two full decks of passengers, there isn't much room left in the cargo holds for revenue cargo after all the passengers' baggage is loaded. One of the advantages of the proposed 787-10 will be that two of them have more passenger capacity than one A380 with lower cost per seat mile and 180% of the revenue cargo space.

The 747-8 will be able to carry several more standard LD-3 cargo containers compared to the 747-400. It also is able to get longer range without using any fuel tanks in the cargo hold due to increased fuel capacity in the updated wings and improved performance of the engines.

[Radio_Silence]

Actually, I know that they "know their customers". I also know they they build a great plane.

I'm simply pointing out how ridiculous marketing can be.

Let me know when you've taken a flight on any airline that isn't jam packed with seats or has bars, lounge areas, and such.

[NonValueAdded]

Indeed, and the passengers will pay the fuel costs to fly that disco-looking trim around. Think of the children harmed by the additional global warming from the extra CO₂ produced. _{of course it is sarcasm - the warming part, not the fuel waste}

[Mashood]

They ought to have less seating but a long, full bar complete with video poker. The airlines winnings on the video poker machines will more than justify the loss in seating. Also, they could provide no set meals, just a pub food menu, with hot wings and fries, Po-boys, burgers, soup-o-da-day, fish and chips...etc... By the time you step off the plane, you're pretty sh!thoused and either a winner or a loser. The flight will seem like minutes.

[cmsgop]

I Like the way you think, but lets not forget about a Cigar Lounge..:*)

[ChinaThreat]

Stick with a customized G5 unless you have large entourage. Gulfstream makes the best personal trasnsport jets in the world. I've seen their production facility down in Savannah and met many of the engineers and staff onboard.

There are a lot of folks who take a lot of pride. Hell, I'd be happy with an older G4.