How big is the Dreamliner cabin, really?
I have heard numbers like 574 cm. Is it outside or inside?
Boeing says that they decided it is more important to maximize width at sitting eye level rather than handrest level. Fair enough, it also adds width at head level. And means shifting the floor down (with loss of underfloor space). But how much width is there?
They say Dreamliners are considerably wider than Airbus widebodies, giving extra width of aisles and seats. But is it really up to Boeing? Airbus widebodies are usually 8 abreast, but sometimes 9. Would not the airlines simply fill Dreamliners 9 abreast and ignore Boeing advice about 8 abreast?
Then the Boeing offers 3-2-3 seating on Dreamliner, on grounds that it gives better chances to passengers of sitting beside an empty seat. Well, it also makes the window seats 2 seats from an aisle – avoided in 2-4-2 layout. And even if one or both of these 2 seats are vacant, if the extra width is really spent on seats, how far will the stewardesses bow to service the window seats?
How does the cabin of Dreamliner compare in width with the previous mid-sized widebodies, like Lockheed Tristar, MD trijets and Boeing 777? It is narrower than 777, but how much?
Are the official passenger counts like 223 three-class based on the Boeing suggestion of 8 abreast?
How many passengers do you think is actually practical in 9-abreast, all-coach 787-8? And is it any better to fly than an older widebody? (Cheaper, probably)
By: chornedsnorkack - 22nd July 2005 at 11:27
Size choice
Howdy,
Ultimately it is up to the airlines. If you are familiar with the DC8 and 707, the Dash 80 originally was configured for five seats wide. The DC8 was configured for six. Pan Am ordered (I think) 25 DC8’s and approximately 20 (or so) 707’s; this was a shock to Boeing. United also went for the DC8 because of the width. It was American Airlines that forced Boeing to see the light and increase the width. The 707 was approximately one inch wider in the end than the DC8. The Width of the Coronodo damaged this aircraft too (not to mention problems with performance). Ultimately it’s the airlines who make this decision by buying the aircraft.
Bkonner
Well, what decisions can the airlines do after buying the aircraft?
With narrowbodies, there is little choice. On a plane meant for 6 across like Boeing narrowbody, DC-8 or Airbus narrowbody, the airliner can have premium seating like 5 abreast, 4 abreast or 3 abreast, but they dare not add a seat column for 7 abreast, because there is not enough space even in Airbus and also it would mean a seat 3 seats from aisle which they also dare not.
But as for widebodies: Boeing 767 is meant for 7 across, but it can be and sometimes is fitted with 8 across. Airbus widebodies are meant for 8 across, but 9 occasionally happens. Boeing 747 entered sevice with 9 across, but 10 is as good as standard by now, and is also common on the narrower Boeing 777. I have even heard of 10 abreast on MD-10… So, any added width on Dreamliner compared to Airbus standard 528 cm merely makes it more likely it would be 9 across.
How much width is there inside a Dreamliner?
By: bkonner - 22nd July 2005 at 01:45
Howdy,
Ultimately it is up to the airlines. If you are familiar with the DC8 and 707, the Dash 80 originally was configured for five seats wide. The DC8 was configured for six. Pan Am ordered (I think) 25 DC8’s and approximately 20 (or so) 707’s; this was a shock to Boeing. United also went for the DC8 because of the width. It was American Airlines that forced Boeing to see the light and increase the width. The 707 was approximately one inch wider in the end than the DC8. The Width of the Coronodo damaged this aircraft too (not to mention problems with performance). Ultimately it’s the airlines who make this decision by buying the aircraft.
Bkonner
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July 21, 2005 at 12:47 pm