Boeing is steadily building towards the official launch of its newest jet – a mid-sized plane likely to be christened the Boeing 797 – although airlines won't begin flying the advanced aircraft until the mid-2020s.
Speaking with media at the Singapore Airshow, Boeing senior vice-president Dinesh Keskar talked up interested from Australia – with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce already bullish on the jet's prospects – Asia, India and the Middle East.
Aimed at the mid-market between the largest single-aisle Boeing 737 MAX and the smallest twin-aisle Boeing 787, the nascent Boeing 797 will be offered in two variants: one with seating for 225 passengers and another with a 275-seat capacity (this appears to be based on a single seating class from tip to tail).
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce sees plenty of appeal for the Boeing 797 on domestic routes, not just east-west runs currently flown by the Airbus A330s but to bolster capacity on popular but constrained routes such as Sydney-Melbourne, which is now the world's second-busiest air corridor.
Based on Boeing's tentative specs, the largest Boeing 797 could carry almost 100 extra passengers per flight between Sydney and Melbourne, compared to Qantas' Boeing 737-800 jets – although Joyce, speaking at the Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit, noted that the jet's design had to permit sufficiently fast boarding and disembarking of passengers to allow a 35 minute turnaround.
Joyce also cited Asian routes such as Sydney-Singapore as being well-suited to the Boeing 797.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
I wonder if they will actually use two doors in airport operations for these jets
31 Mar 2014
Total posts 397
For 35min turn around times, I don't think you would have a choice
16 Nov 2011
Total posts 580
Assuming it has two doors to use and not taking via the rear stairs.
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1207
The issue for domestic services may be wingspan. If it has a wingspan greater than a 767, only certain gates will be able to handle the 797. This is an issue in SYD for example where, short of redeveloping the domestic terminals, it is hard to add more wide gates.
QF
04 Apr 2014
Total posts 209
Folding wingtips?
16 Nov 2011
Total posts 580
Extra cost of course.
23 May 2014
Total posts 118
Always nice to see new planes on the horizon, but my problem with the newer Boeing planes is the seat width in economy. There is something about the cross section of the 787 and 777 (and expect 777X won't be any different) that allows you to just about - if you really try by narrowing the seats, the arm rests, eliminating the gap between seat cushions, narrowing the aisle - just about squeeze an extra seat in per row. For the airlines it then becomes an investment decision not to do that, and hard to justify, so everyone does it and pax comfort takes a dive. For some reason the A350, A330 and A380 (yet) just don't seem to have the same temptation - and so are much more comfortable in Y.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
I reckon the best widebody layout was the 767 with 2-3-2 only having 1 undesirable seat per row vs anywhere from 2-4 crappy seats on other widebodies.
24 Aug 2011
Total posts 1207
Whilst pax loved the 7 abreast 767, accountants hated it. For all the extra width and weight over a 737/A320, they only got one extra seat per row. It's unlikely 7 abreast will come back unfortunately.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
30 May 2013
Total posts 381
Sadly, I think you're right.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
the cabin will probably be a foot wider than the 767 but with 2-4-2 seating at 17inches wide or something. Any wider and it'll end up being like a 787SP.
11 Dec 2015
Total posts 85
Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but if you're an airline running 757s and 767s across the Atlantic, and Boeing comes along and offers you a plane with similar capacity, longer range and lower fuel burn / cost per pax I think the accountants would jump at it, 2-3-2 in Y or not.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
well that is 275 in a single class config but yes I agreed it's a bit too close. In the meantime Airbus have the A321LR as the most suitable 752 replacement.
29 Oct 2016
Total posts 35
Very much so. It is not just passengers but also the cabin crew impacted by densification. Crew have lost space in which to work and manoeuvre their trolleys and get past passengers in the aisles, they have to serve more people and quite often their complement is reduced by one. With one's workplace being turned into the pits it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to project a positive atmosphere, all of which further degrades the passenger experience.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
passengers to get past trolleys in aisles? lol even in 777s with 3-3-3 that's not possible unless the passenger is just skin and bones
29 Oct 2016
Total posts 35
Could do with passengers borrowing leg space of aisle people, but in dense layout that doesn't work, though the comment was more about people milling around the lavatory areas and spreading out in aisles.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
13 Jan 2015
Total posts 580
Lol i guess the concept of spare legspace in Y seating is foreign to me as my legs tends to use all of what little space there is.
22 Dec 2012
Total posts 35
I agree. Boeing and the major airlines are on a slippery slope with densification. The 787 has a narrower economy pew than a lot of regional and domestic jets.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Nov 2014
Total posts 357
What happens after 797? 7107 or back to 707?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
10 Dec 2014
Total posts 43
I really want to know what comes next, but have a feeling that the 737MAX, 777X, 787 and 797 will bring us through until the 30s before anything else new comes online.
28 Nov 2012
Total posts 93
the 800 perhaps
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
25 Apr 2017
Total posts 2
I'd think the 807, 817...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Apr 2011
Total posts 106
708 to be consistent, lol
22 Dec 2012
Total posts 35
I love the idea of a small wide-body but these days the economists hold the purse strings.I think that airlines will favor stretched narrow-bodies such as the A321neoLR and 737-MAX10 over smaller widebodies.
07 Feb 2018
Total posts 1
Mo... I really don't want to fly a DC-8-63 anymore my friend.
28 Nov 2012
Total posts 93
I love this idea for QF domestic and NZ/south pacific flights, I miss the 767 it was so comfy in both classes for the time. Whenever I fly Mel-Syd I always go for the A330 as I detest the 737. If not, they should ditch the 737-8 as they need replacing and go for the A321 as it feels so much roomier.
28 Nov 2012
Total posts 93
737-8 *when they need replacing
16 Nov 2011
Total posts 580
That time is coming. Qantas’s first batch are 16-17 years old. They will need replacing in a bit over 5 years time and of course if Qantas needs any new narrow bodies in the next few years they will need to be something different anyway. So would expect a narrow body decision in next few years.
12 Dec 2012
Total posts 1031
Qantas Group does have ~100 A320s on order...
16 Nov 2011
Total posts 580
The decision may well be to use some of those orders, but may well be 737MAX or 797. Time will tell.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jan 2014
Total posts 15
The A330neo and A321neo along with the rumoured A322neo are an ideal fit for airlines.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Sep 2017
Total posts 162
How many times will the 737 be resurrected or reinvented?! Horrid bus that it is, especially when they keep stretching the fuselage. 767-200 was a comfortable aircraft - not too big, not too small. Come up with something along those lines with 3 type ‘A’ doors each side, 2 forward of the wing for dual boarding/disembarkation. 2/3/2 cattle class was a great config and with new J-class seat layouts plus a premium economy option, could be great class and yield options.
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