Sunday, November 23, 2003
Bigger windows and electronic shades are part of Boeing's new design.
TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) -- Klaus Brauer can't cut any miles off the distance between New York and Tokyo, but he is hoping to make passengers on Boeing Co.'s proposed 7E7 jetliner more comfortable -- even by a matter of inches.
Brauer, Boeing's 7E7 interior specialist, unveiled a mock-up of the interior for the twin-aisle jet last week, showing his design team's ideas for creating a more spacious, welcoming interior without cutting into airlines' razor-thin profit margins.
It's part technology, part psychology, in which designers use aircraft construction changes along with decorating tricks to make the most out of the space they have.
Boeing is due to decide next year whether to formally launch the midsize, fuel-efficient 7E7. If it goes ahead, the plane would enter service in 2008.
Seems to be more spacious
Passengers on the 7E7 would find a cabin that appears more spacious. Designers are using a mix of blue lighting, filters and sheer materials to create a skylike effect in which passengers can't easily tell how close the ceiling is. The result is that people's eyes are drawn upward, making the cabin feel taller, Brauer said.
Sweeping arches punctuate the interior to make spaces seem more intimate. Arrays of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, can change in color and brightness during the flight, which Boeing says should make passengers feel more comfortable.
The most noticeable change is the size of the windows -- about 19 inches high and 11 inches wide, compared to 15 inches by 10 inches on Boeing 767s and 777s. That lets people see more of the horizon, even if they are sitting in the center of the plane.
The windows also will have electronic shades, with adjustable transparency. That will allow passengers to see out a darkened window without disturbing others who are trying to sleep or watch a movie.
"I think you get a bit of a 'wow' factor when you walk through the door," said Peter Gardner, a vice president for Cathay Pacific Airways, who toured the plane last week. "It will give you a completely different feel."
It is, however, still an airplane.
Seating situation
Designers must give airlines as many revenue-producing seats as possible. The seats, which have not yet been designed, will be 18.5 inches wide. Though that's better than the 17.2 inches in a 737, it's hardly a family room recliner.
The 7E7 is being designed with eight seats across in economy class. In the Airbus A330/A340, its chief rival, those seats are arranged with two pairs at the windows and four in the middle. Boeing, though, is suggesting three seats next to the windows and two in the center.
It's a question, Brauer said, of statistics and perception. Planes typically fly about 70 percent full, meaning the middle seat often is free. And passengers' satisfaction goes up when they are seated next to an open middle seat.
"As long as they enjoy themselves," Brauer said, "I'm perfectly happy if they have no idea why."